JP2006007656A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structurally simple printer which enables roll paper to be replaced by a small open space, and which enables printing paper to be easily set on a predetermined carrying passage. <P>SOLUTION: A front open part 11 for holding a printing mechanism part 55 is turned to the outside, so that a front surface of the printer 10 can be opened, and a buffer guide 30 can be manually moved to a receding position. The receding guide 30 is engaged with a hook part 21b of a hook member 21, and held in the receding position. This enables the visual observation of an insertion port 56 for the printing paper 61, so as to enhance workability. Additionally, the risk of damage to the buffer guide 30 is reduced. When the front open part 11 is closed, a hook driving member 22 is driven by the base frame 50; the hook member 21 is rotated: the hook part 21b is separated from the buffer guide 30; and the buffer guide 30 is returned to a working position by an urging member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to a mechanism for retracting and locking a buffer guide when a front portion of the printing apparatus is opened to access the inside.

  There are various types of printing apparatuses, such as a type that is connected to a personal computer and used as various business printing apparatuses. Of these, the present invention relates to a business printing device that uses roll paper as printing paper, and in particular, printing on a stationary information processing terminal device such as a kiosk terminal device or an automatic teller machine (ATM). It is highly adaptable to a printing apparatus incorporated as a unit.

  Installation-type information processing terminal devices include kiosk terminals installed at stations, airports, convenience stores, etc., counting recording terminals that print and issue predetermined information on recording paper at ATMs, parking lots, gas stations, etc. There are various types such as ticket reservation and ticket issuing machines. Such an information processing terminal device prints and issues predetermined information such as transaction details, ticket reservation information, etc. on predetermined paper, and therefore a printing unit containing printing paper (roll paper) wound in a roll shape Is provided in the information processing terminal device.

  Since such an installation type information processing terminal device is installed in a business space such as a store, it is desired that the installation type information processing terminal device has as small an installation area as possible. Therefore, the printing unit incorporated in the information processing terminal device is also required to be small and have a small storage space. In particular, in a convenience store where a kiosk terminal is installed, it is important to effectively use the sales floor area. To effectively use the sales floor area, the kiosk terminal is usually placed against the wall or the wall of the product display shelf. Installed. Further, since the rear and left and right areas of the kiosk terminal are also part of the sales floor area, these areas cannot be secured as a dead space for maintenance. Under such circumstances, in order to perform roll paper replacement or maintenance work from the left or right side or the back side of the kiosk terminal, the kiosk terminal must be moved to the passage, or the left or right or back product must be moved. This complicates simple maintenance work such as replacement of roll paper, and is not preferable for store operation.

In view of this, a printer unit has been proposed in which the components of the printing apparatus are exposed to the front and the maintenance workability is improved. In this printer unit, almost all the internal structure of the printing unit is handled as an information processing terminal by tilting a movable frame on which almost all components such as a printing unit and a roll paper storage unit are placed to the front side with an operation surface. It is exposed to the front side of the apparatus so that the printing roll paper can be replaced and maintained from the operation surface side (front side) of the information processing terminal device, thereby improving workability. (See Patent Document 1)
JP 2002-11917 A

  However, the mechanism that tilts the movable frame and exposes all the components including the roll paper storage unit to the outside of the front surface requires a large size and weight of the movable frame in order to place all the components on the movable frame. Become. Therefore, there is a problem that the tilting mechanism for tilting the movable frame to the front is strong and complicated. Further, as the size of the movable frame increases, the space required for the tilting operation and the area required for supporting the movable frame after tilting also increase. In an information processing terminal device where the installation location is limited, it is desirable to make the area for such roll paper replacement and maintenance work as small as possible. In particular, it is not easy to expose the entire interior of the printing unit to the outside during daily operations such as replacing roll paper. The risk of damaging the interior of the unit is also increased. In addition, it is also required to improve the workability of the setting operation of drawing the printing paper from the roll paper and setting it on the conveyance path after loading the roll paper.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and allows a roll paper to be replaced with a simple structure, a small opening operation and only a small open space, and allows printing paper to be placed in a predetermined conveyance path. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus that can be easily set.

  The present invention opens the front face of the printing apparatus by rotating the front opening part provided with the printing mechanism part around the rotation shaft provided at the lower part of the base frame, and allows the printing insertion port to be visually observed. For this reason, a guide holding mechanism that holds the buffer guide in the retracted position when the buffer guide provided in the printing mechanism unit is moved to the retracted position is automatically provided by a rotating operation that closes the front opening portion. The above problem was solved by releasing the guide lock.

  A printing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a front opening portion that rotates outward while holding a printing mechanism portion, and a shaft that is pivotally supported by the printing mechanism portion and is urged in one direction to roll. A buffer guide that shifts the printing paper drawn from the paper in one direction to give redundancy to the printing paper being conveyed, and a guide holding mechanism that holds the buffer guide in a predetermined position. The guide holding mechanism can be rotated to a predetermined retraction position opposite to the urging direction, and when the front opening portion is opened, the guide holding mechanism is engaged with the buffer guide rotated to the retraction position. Is held in the retracted position, and when the front opening portion is closed, a hook portion that moves away from the buffer guide is provided.

  According to this aspect, when the front opening portion is opened, the buffer guide can be held in the retracted position by the guide holding mechanism, and when the front opening portion is closed, the guide holding mechanism is automatically separated from the buffer guide to return the buffer guide to the original position. Move. As a result, the buffer guide can be arbitrarily moved to the retracted position according to the necessity of work or the like, so that unnecessary retracting operation is not required. In addition, when exchanging roll paper, the buffer guide can be retracted, and the printing paper can be easily set while visually observing the insertion opening of the printing paper.

  In the printing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the guide holding mechanism includes a hook portion, the hook member pivotally supported by the front opening portion, and the front opening portion is closed by rotating the hook member. The hook member is moved to a first position where the hook portion engages with the buffer guide when in the position, and the hook member is moved away from the buffer guide when the front opening portion is in the second position. And a bias driving member for biasing the hook member toward the second position.

  According to this aspect, since the guide holding mechanism holds the buffer guide in the retracted position only when the front opening is in the open position, the guide holding mechanism is unlocked when the front opening is returned to the original position. Will automatically return to its original position, so don't forget to remove the guide lock.

In the printing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the hook driving member is slidably attached to the front opening portion, one end is engaged with the hook member, and the other end is in contact with the base frame, Driven by the base frame movement and biasing member,
When the front opening portion is opened, the hook frame is rotated by the urging member so that the hook portion moves to the first position by retracting the base frame. When the front opening portion is closed, the hook portion is moved to the second position. The hook member is pressed by the base frame and rotated against the urging member so as to move to the position.

  According to this aspect, with a simple structure, the guide holding mechanism can be accurately operated in accordance with the turning operation of the front opening portion.

  A printing unit according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the hook driving member is a rod-shaped member that comes into contact with the base frame.

  The present invention rolls with a simple structure by opening the front surface of the printing apparatus by rotating the front surface opening portion provided with the printing mechanism portion around the rotation shaft provided at the lower portion of the base frame. Space for paper replacement work can be minimized. Furthermore, if necessary, by moving the buffer guide to the retracted position, the printing insertion port can be visually checked, so that the setting operation of the printing apparatus is facilitated. At this time, the buffer guide moved to the retracted position is held at the retracted position by the guide holding mechanism. In addition, the guide holding mechanism automatically unlocks the buffer guide by the pivoting operation that closes the front opening, so there is no need to manually unlock and return the buffer guide, forgetting to return the buffer guide, etc. It is possible to prevent erroneous operation.

  As described above, the printing apparatus of the present invention can manually move the buffer guide to the retracted position and hold it at the retracted position according to the necessity of work, and can have an extremely simple structure. is there. Therefore, unlike the structure for automatically retracting, an unnecessary retracting operation is not performed, and maintenance and durability are excellent, and an increase in unnecessary product cost can be suppressed.

  In the following description, a printing unit used for an information processing terminal device will be described as a printing device. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printing unit 10 for an information processing terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a buffer guide 30 and a guide holding mechanism portion in the state of FIG. is there. 3 is a perspective view of a state in which the front opening portion 11 of the printing unit 10 of FIG. 1 is tilted outward by 90 degrees to open the front surface, and FIG. 4 is a buffer guide 30 and a guide holding mechanism portion in the state of FIG. FIG.

  The printing unit 10 includes a front opening 11 that can turn the front opening 11 outward (clockwise in FIG. 1), a base frame 50, and a holder support 54. The front opening portion 11 is pivotally supported on the rotation shaft 12 so as to be rotatable. The front opening portion 11 is provided with a printing mechanism 55, a buffer guide 30, and a guide holding mechanism 20 that holds the buffer guide in the retracted position. A roll paper holder 62 that holds the roll paper 60 is supported by the holder support portion 54. The buffer guide 30 is pivotally supported on a rotation shaft 31 of a support guide 17 fixed to the wall surface 18 of the opening portion 11 by a fixing screw 19, and is counterclockwise by a guide biasing member (not shown) made of an elastic member. It is biased to rotate in the direction (in FIG. 2). Under the buffer guide 30, an insertion port 56 through which the printing paper 61 drawn from the roll paper 60 is inserted into the printing mechanism 55 is provided.

  The guide holding mechanism 20 includes a hook member 21, a hook drive member 22, and an urging member 23 made of a tension coil spring. The hook member 21 is pivotally supported by a hook rotation shaft 16 fixed to the front opening portion 11, and can be rotated along the wall surface of the front opening portion. The hook driving member 22 is slidably supported by sliding support guides 13 a and 13 b provided in the front opening portion 11.

  One end of the biasing member 23 is locked to the engagement piece 21a of the hook member 21, and the other end is locked to a locking projection 15 provided on the front opening portion 11, and the hook member 21 is moved clockwise. It is energized to rotate. In this state, the engaging piece 21a of the hook member 21 is in contact with the upper end 22a of the hook driving member 22 and presses the hook driving member 22 downward.

  On the other hand, the lower end 22b of the hook drive member 22 is in contact with the base frame 50 and restricts the downward movement of the hook drive member 21. Therefore, when the front opening portion 11 is in the closed position, the hook drive member 22 cannot contact the upper surface 51 of the base frame 50 and move further downward. Therefore, the hook member 21 is restricted from turning clockwise. When the hook member 21 is in this position, the hook portion 21b (see FIG. 2) provided at the opposite end of the engagement piece 21a is more than the position (first position) where it engages with the buffer guide 30. Is also below, and cannot be engaged with the engagement hole 32 of the buffer guide 30, and the buffer guide 30 cannot be held in the retracted position.

  When the front opening 11 is tilted 90 degrees outward from the rotation shaft 12 from the state of FIG. 1, the state of FIG. 3 is obtained. As the front opening 11 rotates, the lower end 22b of the hook drive member 22 is released from the upper surface 51 of the base frame 50, and the hook drive member 22 can move downward. Accordingly, the hook driving member 22 is moved downward by the biasing member 23 to a position where the E-ring 24 contacts the sliding support guide 13b. At the same time, the hook member 21 is rotated clockwise along the wall surface 18 of the front opening portion 11 by the urging member 23, and the hook portion 21 b moves upward to a position where it can engage with the engagement hole 32 of the buffer guide 30. . Accordingly, when the buffer guide 30 is moved to the retracted position in this state, the hook portion 21b is engaged with the engagement hole 32 of the buffer guide 30, and the buffer guide 30 can be held (locked) at the retracted position. .

  After the front opening portion 11 is tilted to the state shown in FIG. 3, when the buffer guide 30 located at the broken line is manually moved toward the retracted position, the tip of the buffer guide 30 comes into contact with the hook portion 21b. Since the hook portion 21b has a smooth inclined surface, the tip of the buffer guide 30 slides along the inclined surface, thereby pushing down the hook portion 21b against the urging member 23. When the buffer guide 30 moves to a predetermined retracted position, the hook portion 21b moves to the position of the engagement hole 32 of the buffer guide 30. When the hook portion 21b moves to the position of the engagement hole 32, the hook member 21 is rotated clockwise by the urging member 23, and the hook portion 21b is engaged with the engagement hole 32 as shown in FIG. The buffer guide 30 is held in the retracted position. As described above, when the buffer guide 30 is held in the retracted position, the insertion port 56 is exposed, and the printing paper 61 can be easily inserted.

  When the setting of the printing paper 61 is completed, the front opening 11 is lifted back to the position shown in FIG. Then, the lower end 22b of the hook driving member 22 comes into contact with the upper surface 51 of the base frame 50, and the hook driving member is pushed upward against the elastic force of the urging member 23. When the hook drive member 22 is pushed up, the tip 22a turns the hook member 21 counterclockwise against the urging member 23, so that the hook portion 21b moves downward. Accordingly, the hook portion 21 is disengaged from the engagement hole 32, and the buffer guide 30 is automatically returned to the position shown in FIG. 1 by a guide biasing member (not shown). Therefore, it is not necessary to manually return the buffer guide 30 to the original position, and problems such as forgetting to return do not occur.

  5 and 6, the printing unit 40 according to another embodiment of the present invention is set for the state in which the printing unit is set in the information processing terminal 70 and the setting of the printing paper 61 after the roll paper 60 is set. It explains using. The printing unit 40 of FIGS. 5 and 6 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment except that it includes an opening lock mechanism 41 that locks the rotation of the front opening portion 11 and a release lever 42. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the printing unit 40 is accommodated in the information processing terminal device 70. 6 schematically illustrates a state in which the front opening portion of the printing unit 40 accommodated in the information processing terminal device 70 is rotated about 90 degrees to open the front surface and the printing paper 61 is set after the roll paper 60 is loaded. FIG.

  The printing unit 40 is accommodated in an information processing terminal 70 such as an ATM or a kiosk terminal device (in FIGS. 5 and 6, the outer shape of the information processing terminal device 70 is schematically shown by a straight line). Therefore, in order to supplement or replace the print roll paper 60, the cover of the information processing terminal device 70 must be opened and the inside of the print unit 10 must be accessed.

  The roll paper is exchanged from the front operation surface side of the information processing terminal device 70. Therefore, the middle front cover 71 of the information processing terminal device 70 is opened. Next, the front surface portion of the printing unit 40 is opened by rotating the front surface opening portion 11 to the outside of the front surface. The front opening part 11 can be rotated about 90 degrees outward. When the front opening part 11 is rotated to the front side, the printing mechanism part 55 is exposed to the outside and the front part of the printing unit 40 is opened. Thereby, maintenance work, replenishment work of the roll paper 60, and the like can be easily performed without worrying about products placed around the left and right sides and the back of the information processing terminal device.

  FIG. 6 schematically shows a side view of the information processing terminal device 70 in a state where the front opening portion 11 is rotated about 90 degrees and the front surface is opened. An information processing terminal device 70 such as a kiosk terminal is often installed on a floor 82 with a wall 81 as a back. In addition, product display shelves and the like are also arranged on the left and right. On the front side (operation surface side) of the information processing terminal device 70, an operation space for the information processing terminal device 70 is necessary, and thus articles such as products are not arranged. Therefore, in the present invention, the printing mechanism unit 55 is exposed to the outside by rotating the front opening part to the outside of the front side, and access for maintenance work and replacement of the roll paper 60 can be performed from the front side (operation surface side). I can do it.

  In a state where the front opening portion 11 is merely tilted outward, the buffer guide 30 does not move and remains at the position indicated by the broken line. In this state, when the roll paper 61 is loaded from the front opening, the roll paper 60 may hit the buffer guide 30 when the roll paper 60 is loaded, and the buffer guide 30 may be damaged. Further, when the space for the opening operation is minimized, the opening opening on the front surface is reduced, so that a careful replacement work is required so that the roll paper 60 does not damage the buffer guide 30, and workability is extremely deteriorated. Also. If the buffer guide 30 is at the position of the broken line, the buffer paper guide 30 cannot confirm the position of the print paper insertion port 56 and it is difficult to set the print paper 61.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the buffer guide 30 is manually moved to the position (retracted position) indicated by the solid line, and the buffer guide 30 is held at the retracted position by the guide holding mechanism 20. Thereby, the position of the insertion opening 56 of the printing paper 61 can be visually observed from the operator's line of sight (arrow A), and the setting of the printing apparatus is facilitated. In addition, it is possible to reduce the risk of breakage of the buffer guide 30 when the roll paper is loaded.

  It is possible to use a wire member, a link mechanism, or the like to automatically move the buffer guide 30 to the retracted position by the pivoting operation of the front opening portion 11. There is a problem that the arrangement and the driving mechanism are complicated. In contrast, according to the present invention, a desired object can be achieved by a simple structure having excellent durability. In addition, during cleaning or lubrication, it may be more appropriate for the work not to retract the buffer guide 30, and the retreat operation can be selected according to these operations. Furthermore, since an unnecessary evacuation operation is not performed, there are excellent effects such as long-term use.

It is a perspective view of the printing unit for information processing terminal devices concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the elements on larger scale of the buffer guide and guide holding mechanism part in the state of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a state in which the front surface of the printing unit 10 in FIG. 1 is opened 90 degrees outward and the front surface is opened. It is the elements on larger scale of the buffer guide in the state of FIG. 3, and a guide holding mechanism part. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state in which the printing unit is accommodated in the information processing terminal device. Rotate the front open part of the printing unit housed in the information processing terminal device about 90 degrees to the front

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printing unit 11 Front opening part 12 Rotating shaft 13a, 13b Sliding support guide 15 Locking projection part 16 Hook rotating shaft 17 Support guide 18 Wall surface 19 Fixing screw 20 Guide holding mechanism 21 Hook member 21a Engagement piece 21b Hook part 22 hook drive member 22a upper end portion 22b hook drive member lower end portion 23b hook drive member lower end portion 23 biasing member 24 E ring 30 buffer guide 31 guide rotation shaft 32 engagement hole 40 printing unit 41 according to another embodiment open lock mechanism 42 Release lever 50 Base frame 51 Upper surface of base frame 54 Holder support portion 56 Printing paper insertion port 57 Recording paper discharge port 60 Roll paper 61 Printing paper 62 Roll paper holder 70 Information processing terminal device 71 Front cover 81 Rear wall 82 Floor

Claims (4)

A front opening that rotates outward while holding the printing mechanism;
A buffer guide that is pivotally supported by the printing mechanism unit, and that is biased in one direction to shift the printing paper drawn from the roll paper in one direction to give redundancy to the printing paper being conveyed; ,
A guide holding mechanism for holding the buffer guide in a predetermined position;
With
The buffer guide is rotatable to a predetermined retraction position in a direction opposite to the biasing direction, and the guide holding mechanism is rotated to the retraction position when the front opening portion is opened. A printing apparatus comprising: a hook portion that engages with a guide to hold the buffer guide in the retracted position and moves away from the buffer guide when the front opening portion is closed.   The guide holding mechanism includes the hook portion and a hook member that is pivotally supported by the front opening portion, and the front opening portion is in a closed position by rotating the hook member. The hook member is moved to a first position where the hook portion engages with the buffer guide, and the hook member is separated from the buffer guide when the front opening portion is in an open position. A printing apparatus comprising: a hook driving member that moves to a position; and a biasing member that biases the hook member toward the second position. The hook driving member is slidably attached to the front opening portion, and one end engages with the hook member and the other end contacts the base frame, and the base frame moves and attaches. Driven by a force member,
When the front opening portion is opened, the base frame is retracted so that the hook member is rotated by the biasing member so that the hook portion moves to the first position, and when the front opening portion is closed. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hook member is pressed by the base frame and rotated against the urging member so that the hook portion moves to the second position.   The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the hook driving member is a rod-shaped member that comes into contact with the base frame.

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