JP2006137575A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of preventing defective printing from occurring by rapidly detecting the reverse insertion of recording paper with margin area even if the recording paper is longitudinally reversely inserted into a paper feed tray erroneously. <P>SOLUTION: This printer 1 comprises the paper feed tray 8 capable of storing the multiple sheets of recording paper 7, a thermal head 4 capable of printing desired images on the recording paper 7 picked up from the paper feed tray 8, and a paper feed roller 9 disposed on the downstream side of the thermal head 4 in the carrying direction of the recording paper 7. A margin part of prescribed dimensions in which images are not printed at least on the leading end side is formed on the recording paper 7 on which images are printed by the thermal head 4. The recording paper 7 before images are printed thereon forms a detection mark 7f at a portion corresponding to the margin part. A detection part 8f capable of detecting the detection mark 7f is formed on the paper feed tray 8 at a position corresponding to the detection mark 7f. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly to a printer capable of inserting a front end portion and a rear end portion of a recording sheet into a paper feed tray without error.

The conventional printer 31 will be described using, for example, a thermal transfer printer based on Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the printer 31 can mount a printer main body 31a and a ribbon cassette 39 to be described later in the printer main body 31a. A cassette mounting portion 31b is formed.
A rotatable platen roller 32 is disposed in the printer main body 31 a, and a thermal head 33 is disposed above the platen roller 32.
Further, between the thermal head 33 and the platen roller 32, the recording paper 34 stored in a paper feed tray (not shown) is conveyed in the direction of arrow A and can be fed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the recording paper 34 is made of photographic paper capable of printing color photographs and the like. When a desired image is printed on the recording paper 34, blank portions where no image is printed are formed on both sides of the front end portion 34a side and the rear end portion 34b side. In the recording paper 34, blank area areas 34c and 34d are formed in a portion corresponding to the blank area, and an image printing area in which a desired image can be printed is sandwiched between both the blank area areas 34c and 34d. 34e.

In addition, perforations 34f and 34f are formed at the boundaries between the front and rear margin regions 34c and 34d and the image printing region 34e, respectively.
The printed recording paper 34 is printed with an image in the image printing area 34e, and the blank area 34c, 34d, which has not been printed and becomes a blank area, is separated from the perforation 34f. No full screen printing is to be realized.
The margin areas 34c and 34d are formed to have the same dimension B, which is equal to or greater than the dimension C from the platen roller 32 to a paper feed roller 40 described later.

A peeling plate 33a for peeling off an ink ribbon 38, which will be described later, which is in close contact with the recording paper 34 at the time of printing, is fixed to the downstream side of the thermal head 33 in the conveyance direction indicated by the arrow A.
The thermal head 33 is supported by a head mounting base 35, and the head mounting base 35 is attached to a head lever 36. The head lever 36 is rotated with the support shaft 37 as a fulcrum, so that the thermal head 33 can come in contact with and separate from the platen roller 32 (head up / down).

Further, when a ribbon cassette 39 (to be described later) is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 31b with the thermal head 33 raised, the ink ribbon 38 is positioned between the platen roller 32 and the thermal head 33.
The ink ribbon 38 is formed slightly wider than the width of the recording paper 34 and is wound around a supply reel 39a and a take-up reel 39b supported by side plates 39c of a ribbon cassette 39 whose both ends are opposed to each other. It is stored in a cassette 39.

Further, the ribbon cassette 39 is formed with a relief groove 39d for escaping a pressure roller 41 described later, and a winding port 39e is formed on the bottom side of the relief groove 39d in the upper part of the drawing. A guide roller 39f made of a metal rod is rotatably supported on the side plate 39c in the vicinity of the winding port 39e.
The ink ribbon 38 that is in close contact with the recording paper 34 at the time of printing is peeled off from the peeling plate 33a at a predetermined peeling angle, bent at a substantially right angle by the guide roller 39f, and taken up on the take-up reel 39b. ing.

Further, on the left side of the platen roller 32 in the figure, a paper feed roller 40 and a pressure contact roller 41 that is in pressure contact with the paper feed roller 40 are disposed, and a recording paper 34 is placed between the paper feed roller 40 and the pressure contact roller 41. The recording paper 34 can be conveyed in the direction of arrow A by nipping and rotating the paper feed roller 40 counterclockwise.
The paper feed roller 40 is disposed at a position away from the heating element (not shown) of the thermal head 33 by a dimension C.
When the ribbon cassette 39 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 31b, the pressing roller 41 is positioned in the escape groove 39d.

In addition, a paper feed tray (not shown) that stores a plurality of recording papers 34 is disposed upstream of the platen roller 32 in the conveyance direction indicated by the arrow A on the right side in the drawing, and the recordings stored in the paper feeding trays. The paper 34 is picked up by a paper feed roller (not shown) and can be fed between the thermal head 33 and the platen roller 32 in a head-up state.
Since the margin areas 34c and 34d of the recording paper 34 are formed to have the same dimension B, even if the front and back of the recording paper 34 are erroneously inserted back into the paper feed tray, the entire area of the image printing area 34e is detected. Normal image printing can be performed.
JP 2002-144616 A

In such a conventional printer 31, when the printing speed is increased, the thickness of the peeling plate 33a is increased in order to prevent the peeling time of the ink ribbon 38 in close contact with the recording paper 34 after printing from being shortened. Was.
However, when the thickness of the peeling plate 33a is increased, the dimension C from the heating element of the thermal head 33 to the paper feed roller 40 is increased, and the size of the blank portion generated on the front end 34a side of the recording paper 34 during printing is increased. Become.
For this reason, the recording paper 34 has to be enlarged in the margin areas 34c and 34d in accordance with the size of the enlarged margin part, so that the recording paper 34 before printing becomes large and the cost increases. was there.

Further, as a measure for increasing the cost, it is possible to reduce or eliminate the size of the margin part region 34d on the rear end part 34b side. If inserted into the area, a part of the image may be printed in either of the blank area 34c or 34d, resulting in poor printing.
The present invention solves the above-described problems, so that even if a recording sheet having a margin area is erroneously inserted into the paper feed tray in the front-rear direction, the reverse insertion is quickly detected to prevent a printing defect from occurring. An object of the present invention is to provide a printer.

As a first means for solving the above problems, the printer of the present invention can print a desired image on a paper feed tray that can store a plurality of recording papers and the recording paper picked up from the paper feed trays. A printing unit and a paper feed mechanism disposed downstream of the printing unit in the conveyance direction of the recording paper, and on the recording paper on which an image is printed by the printing unit, an image is not printed at least on the front end side. A margin portion having a predetermined size is formed, and the recording paper before image printing forms a detection mark on a portion corresponding to the margin portion, and the detection is provided on the paper feed tray at a position corresponding to the detection mark. A detection unit capable of detecting a mark is formed.
Further, as a second means for solving the above problem, the recording paper forms a margin part region at a position corresponding to the margin part, and the margin part region is formed on the front edge part and the rear part of the recording sheet. The detection mark is formed at both ends, and the detection mark is formed at either the front end or the rear end.

Further, as a third means for solving the above-described problem, the detection mark is formed of a concave portion or a convex portion formed in either the front end portion or the rear end portion, and is formed on the paper feed tray. A detection part consists of a convex part or a recessed part of the shape which can fit the said recessed part or convex part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
Further, as a fourth means for solving the above problem, the recording paper is characterized in that the size of the margin portion area on the rear end portion side is made smaller than the margin portion region on the front end portion side. .

Further, as a fifth means for solving the above problem, the recording paper is formed with the margin area and an image print area capable of printing the image, and the margin area and the image print area. It is characterized in that it can be separated.
Further, as a sixth means for solving the above-mentioned problem, the size of the margin part region formed on the front end side is formed to be equal to or greater than the dimension from the printing unit to the paper feed mechanism. It is characterized by.

In the recording paper on which an image is printed by the printing means of the printer of the present invention, a blank portion having a predetermined size that is not printed at least on the front end side is formed, and the recording paper before image printing is formed in a portion corresponding to the blank portion. A detection mark is formed, and a detection section that can detect the detection mark is formed on the paper feed tray at a position corresponding to the detection mark. It is possible to detect before printing that the recording sheet is erroneously inserted without detecting the detection mark.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent a printed image from being defective in printing, and it is possible to surely prevent waste of recording paper due to defective printing.
Further, since a blank portion where no image is printed is formed at least on the front end side, the size in the conveyance direction of the recording paper does not increase, and an increase in cost can be prevented.
In addition, the recording paper forms a margin area at a position corresponding to the margin, the margin area is formed at both the front edge and the rear edge of the recording paper, and the detection mark is the front edge or the rear edge. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect erroneous insertion into the paper feed tray.

In addition, the detection mark is composed of a concave portion or a convex portion formed on either the front end portion or the rear end portion, and the detection portion formed on the paper feed tray has a shape that can fit the concave portion or convex portion of the recording paper. Since it consists of a convex part or a recessed part, formation of a detection mark and a detection part is easy, and it does not raise a cost.
In addition, since the size of the margin area on the rear end side is smaller than the margin area on the front end side of the recording sheet, the dimension in the conveyance direction of the recording sheet can be reduced, and the cost of the recording sheet can be reduced. .

Also, since the margin area and the image print area where the image can be printed are formed on the recording paper, and the margin area and the image print area can be separated, the image can be separated by separating the margin area after printing. It is possible to perform full-surface image printing without a margin in the print area.
In addition, since the size of the margin area formed on the front end side is equal to or greater than the dimension from the printing means to the paper feed mechanism, the image printed in the image print area slightly overlaps the margin area. Thus, by separating the margin area from the image area, it is possible to realize full-screen printing without a margin area.

Hereinafter, a printer 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a printer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a recording sheet and a paper feed tray according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is another embodiment of the recording sheet according to the present invention. FIG.
First, the printer 1 of the present invention will be described using a thermal transfer printer as shown in FIG. 1, for example. A cylindrical platen roller 3 having a predetermined length is disposed inside the main body case 2. Both ends of the rotating shaft 3a are rotatably supported on the side wall 2a of the main body case 2.
Above the platen roller 3, a thermal head 4 comprising a long line head as printing means extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the platen roller 3 is disposed. A plurality of heating elements (not shown) are aligned in the longitudinal direction at a portion facing the outer peripheral surface of the roller 3 and attached to a substantially trapezoidal head mounting base 5.

The head mount 5 is attached to one end side of an arm-shaped head lever 6, and the head lever 6 has an up-down arrow D shown in the drawing with the rotation fulcrum 6 a on the other end side on the right side in the drawing as a fulcrum. , Turnable in the E direction.
Then, by rotating the head lever 6 in the directions of the arrows D and E, the thermal head 4 can be moved up and down from the platen roller 3. A recording sheet 7 is fed between the platen roller 3 and the thermal head 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the recording paper 7 is made of a cut paper having a front end portion 7a and a rear end portion 7b, and is made of a thick paper such as a photographic paper capable of printing a color image such as a photograph. .
On the front end 7a side of the recording paper 7, there is a blank area 7c having a dimension F on which no image is printed, and the blank area 7c to the rear edge 7b having the dimension F is an image print area 7d. .

Then, a sewing machine that can cut out the blank area 7c that is not printed after the image printing at the boundary portion between the blank area 7c and the image print area 7d at the position of the dimension F from the front end 7a. Eyes 7e are formed.
After printing a desired image in the image printing area 7d of the recording paper 7, the blank area 7c where the image is not printed is cut out from the perforation 7e, so that full-screen printing without a margin can be realized. .

The margin area 7c having the dimension F from the front end 7a is formed to be equal to or larger than the dimension J from a plurality of heating elements (not shown) of the thermal head 4 to a paper feed roller 9 described later.
Further, a detection mark 7f is formed at the front end portion 7a in which the margin area 7c of the recording paper 7 is formed, and the detection mark 7f detects the direction in which the recording paper 7 is inserted into a paper feed tray 8 described later. Incorrect insertion is prevented.
As shown in FIG. 2, the detection mark 7f is formed of a concave portion cut out in a substantially triangular shape. However, the shape is not limited to a triangular shape, and may be a trapezoidal shape or a rectangular shape. .

Further, a paper feed tray 8 as shown in FIG. 2 is arranged on the upstream side of the platen roller 3 in the paper feed direction indicated by the arrow G of the recording paper 7 and on the lower right side of the main body case 2 in the figure.
The paper feed tray 8 has a paper storage portion 8a surrounded by a front side plate 8b, a rear side plate 8c, a left side plate 8d, and a right side plate 8e so that the recording paper 7 can be stored.
The front plate 8b is formed with a detection portion 8f formed of a substantially triangular convex portion that can be fitted to the detection mark 7f at a position corresponding to the detection mark 7f of the recording paper 7.

The detection mark 7f of the recording paper 7 inserted into the paper storage portion 8a of the paper feed tray 8 is fitted into the detection portion 8f of the paper feed tray 8, so that it can be detected that the recording paper 7 is normally inserted. It has become.
Further, a paper feed roller (not shown) capable of picking up and feeding the recording paper 7 stored in the paper feed tray 8 one by one on the paper storage portion 8a at a position near the front plate 8b of the paper feed tray 8. ) Is arranged.

Further, a paper feed mechanism is disposed on the downstream side of the platen roller 3 in the paper feed direction indicated by the arrow G of the recording paper 7. The paper feed mechanism includes a paper feed roller 9 that can be driven to rotate, and the paper feed roller. 9 and a pressure roller 10 that rotates in pressure contact with the roller 9.
Then, the recording paper 7 picked up by the paper feed roller and fed between the thermal head 4 and the platen roller 3 in the head-up state is pressed between the paper feed roller 9 and the pressure roller 10, and the arrow G It can be reciprocally conveyed downstream in the direction or upstream in the direction opposite to the arrow G.

The paper feed roller 9 is formed at the position of the dimension J from the heating element of the thermal head 4, and the dimension J is formed to be equal to or less than the dimension F of the blank area 7 c of the recording paper 7. That is, the margin area 7c of the recording paper 7 having the dimension F is formed to be equal to or larger than the dimension J from the heating element of the thermal head 4 to the paper feeding roller 9 as the paper feeding mechanism.
As a result, the image printed in the image printing area 7d has an end that coincides with the perforation 7e or slightly overlaps the margin area 7c from the perforation 7e.
For this reason, the image after printing can realize full-screen printing without a blank portion in the image print region 7d by separating the blank portion region 7c and the image print region 7d from the perforation 7e.

Further, an ink ribbon 11 as indicated by a two-dot chain line is supplied to the upper part of the recording paper 7 fed between the platen roller 3 and the thermal head 4.
The ink ribbon 11 is formed slightly wider than the width of the recording paper 7, and an ink of a desired color is applied to the lower surface side of the figure, which is one surface (the surface facing the recording paper 7). Can be thermally transferred to the recording paper 7 by the thermal head 4. The ink ribbon 11 is housed in a ribbon cassette 14 with both ends wound around a supply reel 12 and a take-up reel 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ribbon cassette 14 is capable of winding a first ribbon storage portion 14a for storing a supply reel 12 in a state in which an unused ink ribbon 11 is wound, and a used ink ribbon 11. A second ribbon storage portion 14b for storing the take-up reel 13 is formed.
And the 1st, 2nd ribbon accommodating parts 14a and 14b are connected by the connection wall 14c formed facing each other.
Further, on the lower side of the first ribbon storage portion 14a, a drawer port 14d through which the ink ribbon 11 wound around the supply reel 12 can be pulled out is formed.

Further, in the ribbon cassette 14, a head insertion portion 15 is formed between the first ribbon storage portion 14a and the second ribbon storage portion 14b.
Further, a clearance groove 16 is provided between the head insertion portion 15 and the second ribbon storage portion 14b to escape the pressure contact roller 10 constituting the paper feed mechanism and first and second guide rollers 19 and 20 described later. It is formed with depth.
Further, the ribbon cassette 14 has a partition wall 17 formed between the head insertion portion 15 and the escape groove 16, and the ink ribbon 11 drawn from the outlet 14 d is placed on the bottom side of the escape groove 16 as the second ribbon. A lead-in port 14e that can be pulled into the storage portion 14b is formed.

The main body case 2 is formed with a cassette mounting portion 18 on which the ribbon cassette 14 can be mounted and mounted. A side wall 2a of the cassette mounting portion 18 is rotatable and includes a metal ribbon guide roller. 1 and 2nd guide rollers 19 and 20 are disposed.
The second guide roller 20 is formed such that the distance from the heating element of the thermal head 4 in the head-down state is a dimension H, and this dimension H causes the thermal head 4 to generate heat and transfer to the recording paper 7 by sublimation or melt transfer. The ink ribbon 11 is dimensioned so that it can be peeled off when cold.

For example, even if high-speed printing in which a color image is printed on the image printing area 7d of the recording paper 7 is performed for 30 seconds, the ink ribbon 11 is held by the second guide roller 20 formed at a distance H from the thermal head 4. High quality image printing can be performed by reliably peeling in the cold.
Further, the blank area 7 c having the dimension F of the recording paper 7 is formed to be equal to or larger than the dimension J from the heating element of the thermal head 4 to the paper feed roller 9.

The printing operation of the printer 1 of the present invention will be described. First, the head lever 6 is rotated upward in the direction of arrow E, and the ribbon cassette 14 is placed on the cassette mounting portion 18 on the main body case 2 side. The ink ribbon 11 is drawn between the platen roller 3 and the thermal head 4 via the first and second guide rollers 19 and 20.
Thereafter, the recording paper 7 stored in the paper feed tray 8 is picked up by the paper feed roller and fed in the paper feed direction indicated by the arrow G, and the front end 7 a is pressed against the paper feed roller 9 and the pressure roller 10. Hold it.

At the same time, when the recording paper 7 is cued and the thermal head 4 is headed down, the heating element is aligned with the perforation 7e of the recording paper 7 which is the printing start position.
At the same time, the ink ribbon 11 is pressed against the recording paper 7, and the plurality of heating elements are selectively heated based on the printing information, and the paper feeding roller 9 is rotated counterclockwise to convey the recording paper 7 downstream. Then, the ink on the ink ribbon 11 is thermally transferred to the recording paper 7 to print a desired image, and is discharged from the main body case 2 to the outside.

When the image to be printed is a color image such as a photograph, the illustration of the ink ribbon 11 is omitted in the surface direction, but for example, three colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), and magenta (M) are used. Are applied in order, and after the first Y color ink is printed on the image printing area 7d, the thermal head 4 is headed up and the paper feed roller 9 is reversed to move the recording paper 7 in the direction opposite to the arrow G. Backfeed.
Then, the front end portion 7a of the recording paper 7 is cued again, the C color image is overprinted from the Y color image, and the M color is applied from the C color image by the same operation. By overprinting these images, a color image of a desired color can be printed in the image printing area 7d.

When the recording paper 7 having printed the image as described above is discharged from the printer 1 after the pressure contact between the paper feed roller 9 and the pressure roller 9 is released, a blank area 7c where no image is printed is formed. By cutting out from the perforation 7e, an image subjected to full screen printing without a margin is obtained.
The full-screen printed image thus obtained is formed such that the size F of the blank area 7c of the recording paper 7 is equal to or greater than the size J from the heating element of the thermal head 4 to the paper feed roller 9. Therefore, the image printed in the image printing area 7d is printed so as to slightly overlap the margin area 7c.
Therefore, it is possible to perform full screen printing without a blank portion in the image print area 7d.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the detection mark 7f is formed in the blank area 7c having the dimension F formed on the front end 7a side. However, as in the other embodiments shown in FIG. A blank area 7g having a size K smaller than the dimension F is formed on the rear end 7b side, a detection mark 7h is formed in the blank area 7g, and the sheet is positioned on the paper feed tray 8 at a position corresponding to the detection mark 7h. What formed the detection part (not shown) may be used.
Alternatively, a detection mark may be formed in either one of the margin part area 7c on the front end part 7a side or the margin part area 7g on the rear end part 7b side.
That is, the recording sheet 7 has a margin part region 7c where a margin part of a predetermined size at which no image is printed is formed at least on the front end part 7a side, and the paper feed tray 8 is in a position corresponding to the detection mark 7f. Any detection unit 8f capable of detecting the detection mark 7f may be used.

Although the detection mark 7f on the recording paper 7 side has been described as a concave portion, although not illustrated, the detection mark is formed by a convex portion protruding in a triangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, or a rectangular shape, and is on the paper feed tray 8 side. The detection part may be formed with a concave part into which the convex part can be fitted.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the detection mark on the recording sheet 7 may be a corner portion in the width direction of the margin area 7c cut out in a chamfered shape as indicated by a two-dot chain line.
Such a recording sheet 7 according to the present invention has a detection mark 7f formed in a blank portion area 7c in a portion corresponding to a blank portion where an image is not printed, and the paper feed tray 8 has a position corresponding to the detection mark 7f. Since the detection portion 8f capable of detecting the detection mark 7f is formed, even if the recording paper 7 is mistakenly inserted before and after being inserted into the paper feed tray 8, it cannot be inserted, and the erroneous insertion of the recording paper 7 is performed before printing. As a result, it is possible to prevent the recording paper 7 from becoming waste due to defective printing.

Further, as in other embodiments of the present invention, by providing a margin part region 7c having a dimension F on the front end 7a side and a margin part region 7g having a dimension K smaller than the dimension F on the rear end part 7b side, Even if the dimension J from the thermal head 4 to the paper feed roller 9 increases due to high-speed printing, the dimension F only changes corresponding to the dimension J, and the dimension K does not need to change. It is possible to prevent the size in the transport direction of the paper 7 from becoming larger than that in the conventional example.
Although the printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described as a thermal transfer printer, the printer 1 may be an inkjet printer.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a main part of a printer according to the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a recording sheet and a paper feed tray according to the present invention. It is a perspective view of other embodiment of the recording paper concerning this invention. It is the schematic explaining the principal part of the conventional printer. It is a perspective view explaining the conventional recording paper.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 of this invention Main body case 3 Platen roller 4 Thermal head 7 Recording paper 7a Image printing area 7b Front end part 7c Rear end part 7d Blank part 7e Perforation 7f Detection mark 8 Paper feed tray 8f Detection part 9 Paper feed roller 10 Pressure contact Roller 11 Ink ribbon 14 Ribbon cassette 18 Cassette mounting portion 19 First guide roller 20 Second guide roller

Claims (6)

  A paper feed tray that can store a plurality of recording papers, a printing unit that can print a desired image on the recording paper picked up from the paper feeding tray, and a downstream side of the printing unit in the conveyance direction of the recording paper The recording paper on which an image is printed by the printing means is provided with a margin part of a predetermined size at which the image is not printed at least on the front end side, and the recording paper before image printing is A printer, wherein a detection mark is formed in a portion corresponding to the blank portion, and a detection unit capable of detecting the detection mark is formed in a position corresponding to the detection mark in the paper feed tray.   The recording paper forms a margin area at a position corresponding to the margin, the margin area is formed at both the front edge and the rear edge of the recording paper, and the detection mark is the front edge. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer is formed on either the rear end portion or the rear end portion.   The detection mark includes a concave portion or a convex portion formed in either the front end portion or the rear end portion, and the detection portion formed in the paper feed tray has a shape in which the concave portion or the convex portion can be fitted. The printer according to claim 2, comprising a convex portion or a concave portion.   4. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the recording paper has a size of a margin area on the rear end side smaller than the margin area on the front end side. 5.   5. The margin area and the image printing area where the image can be printed are formed on the recording paper, and the margin area and the image printing area can be separated. A printer according to any one of the above. The dimension of the margin part area formed on the front end side is formed to be equal to or greater than the dimension from the printing unit to the paper feed mechanism. Printer.

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