JP2009285836A - Cleaning sheet, image forming apparatus, and cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To flexibly cope with recording papers of various sizes, when a cleaning sheet is stuck on a recording paper to clean a member related to printing. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning sheet 10 is configured to include: a cleaning material 10a configured in such a manner that a sticking layer for sticking to the recording paper P printed in an image forming apparatus is formed on one surface side and a cleaning layer for cleaning the member related to printing by contact with the member related to printing in the image forming apparatus is formed on the other surface side; a peelable front release paper 10b stuck to the cleaning material 10a, so as to cover the cleaning layer; a peelable rear release paper 10c stuck to the cleaning material 10a, so as to cover the sticking layer; and a cutting scale 10d formed on the surface of at least one of the front release paper and the rear release paper, for guiding when the cleaning material 10a is cut according to the size of the recording paper P. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning sheet, an image forming apparatus, and a cleaning method for cleaning a printing-related member disposed on a recording paper conveyance path.

  As one of image forming apparatuses that perform printing on recording paper, a thermal printer using a thermal head is known. The thermal printer is configured to set recording paper (also referred to as “roll paper”) wound in a cylindrical shape, and to feed and convey the set recording paper. Then, each heating element of the thermal head is selectively energized to sublimate the ink on the ink ribbon, and the ink is transferred onto the conveyed recording paper, thereby printing on the recording paper. In addition, the recording sheet after printing is conveyed to a paper discharge unit where the recording paper is discharged and discharged. When paper is ejected, the print portion of the recording paper is cut by a cutter.

  For such an image forming apparatus, a conveyance roll, a thermal head, etc. (hereinafter referred to as “printing-related members”) on the conveyance path of the recording paper are cleaned to remove dust or dirt on the surface. In general, the print quality is maintained by removing the image. However, the printing-related member should be easily cleaned without using a special roll paper combined with a cleaning agent or providing a separate cleaning means.

  For this reason, it has been proposed that the printing-related member is cleaned by using a cleaning material (cleaning sheet) that is attached to a recording sheet. Specifically, for example, the recording paper is conveyed to the tip of the cutter (recording paper discharge unit), and the vicinity of the edge is exposed, and the release paper is peeled off from the cleaning sheet near the edge. Apply the cleaning material obtained. Then, the recording paper with the cleaning material attached is conveyed in the reverse direction, and the cleaning material is brought into contact with the print-related member to start cleaning. After the cleaning is completed, the recording paper is conveyed again to the paper discharge unit, and the pasting portion of the cleaning material is cut with a cutter. In this way, the printing-related member is cleaned (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-160906 A

  Incidentally, the size of the conventional cleaning material (cleaning sheet) is created based on the roll width of the recording paper (that is, the width in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording paper). For example, in the case of an image forming apparatus also used for 5/6 inch, the cleaning material has a rectangular shape with a short side corresponding to 5 inches and a long side corresponding to 6 inches so that it can be used with each roll width. Created. Then, when affixing on the recording paper, the vertical and horizontal (long and short) directions are appropriately selected to match the width of the recording paper.

However, with conventional cleaning materials, it is very difficult to flexibly handle recording paper of various sizes. For example, when there are three or more types of sizes, a single size of the cleaning material cannot be appropriately handled.
In addition, the pasting portion of the cleaning material on the recording paper cannot be used for printing. Therefore, considering application to an image forming apparatus capable of printing on a large size recording paper, specifically an image forming apparatus for both A4 / letter size, a cleaning material for A4 / letter size is prepared. Since it is used, the area that cannot be used for printing, that is, the portion to be discarded increases, which is very wasteful. In addition, when the cleaning material is large, it is difficult to attach the recording material to the recording paper. Therefore, there is a possibility that the printing-related member cannot be properly cleaned due to the attachment failure.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a cleaning sheet, an image forming apparatus, and a cleaning device that can flexibly cope with recording paper of various sizes when a cleaning material is pasted on the recording paper to perform cleaning on the print-related member. It aims to provide a method.

  The present invention is a cleaning sheet devised to achieve the above object, wherein an adhesive layer for attaching to a recording paper used for printing in an image forming apparatus is formed on one side of the substrate, In the image forming apparatus, a cleaning layer for cleaning the print-related member by contact with the print-related member is formed on the other surface side of the base material, and the cleaning material is provided so as to cover the cleaning layer. Cut the cleaning material according to the size of the recording paper, the peelable front release paper attached, the peelable back release paper attached to the cleaning material so as to cover the adhesive layer, and the recording paper In order to use as a guideline, a cutting scale formed on at least one surface of the front release paper and the back release paper is provided.

In the cleaning sheet having the above-described configuration, the size of the cleaning material can be adjusted to the size of the recording paper to be pasted by cutting using the cutting scale as a guide. In other words, even if there are various sizes of recording paper to be attached, if a cutting scale corresponding to each size is formed, a cleaning material having a size corresponding to the various sizes can be easily obtained. become.
In addition, since the size adjustment is performed by cutting using the cutting scale as a guideline, it is sufficient that the recording paper conveyance direction is at least large enough to clean the printing related member.

  Further, the present invention is a cleaning method devised to achieve the above object, and a plurality of cleaning materials formed in a strip shape are pasted in combination on a recording paper used for printing in an image forming apparatus. Then, the printing-related member is cleaned by bringing the cleaning material into contact with the printing-related member in the image forming apparatus.

In the cleaning method of the above procedure, a plurality of strip-shaped cleaning materials are combined and pasted on the recording paper.For example, if the recording paper size is small, the cleaning materials are combined so that the overlapping pasting portion in the roll width direction becomes large. If the size of the recording paper is large, it is possible to combine the cleaning materials so as to reduce the overlapping pasting portion in the roll width direction or increase the number of cleaning materials to be combined. Therefore, the cleaning sheet can be attached to recording papers of various sizes without preparing cleaning materials of various shapes.
In addition, as for the conveyance direction of the recording paper, it is sufficient that the size in the short side direction of the strip shape is a size that can at least clean the printing related member.

According to the present invention, even when recording papers of various sizes exist, the cleaning material can be attached to each size without preparing cleaning materials of various shapes. Therefore, even when a cleaning material is pasted on the recording paper and the printing related member is cleaned, it is very easy to flexibly and appropriately cope with recording paper of various sizes.
In addition, as for the conveyance direction of the recording paper, it is sufficient that the printing-related member can be cleaned, that is, the minimum necessary size. For example, even if the roll width of the recording paper is large, it is ensured on the recording paper. The area of the region where the cleaning material is to be applied does not become unnecessarily large, and cleaning can be performed with the minimum necessary area. That is, since the area of the cleaning sheet sticking area can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, it is possible to suppress the area that cannot be used for printing, that is, waste. Along with this, it is possible to reduce the printing cost. Furthermore, by minimizing the area of the cleaning material pasting area, it is possible to facilitate the pasting of the cleaning material onto the recording paper. It can be suppressed.

Hereinafter, a cleaning sheet, an image forming apparatus, and a cleaning method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following embodiments, a thermal printer is taken as an example of the image forming apparatus.

[First Embodiment]
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a thermal printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, a thermal head 1 and a platen 2 disposed at a position facing the thermal head 1 are mounted inside the thermal printer. Between these, an ink ribbon 3 is arranged. The ink ribbon 3 is wound around a supply reel 3a, and is wound around a take-up reel 3b as necessary.

  Further, the recording paper P is set in a state of being wound in a cylindrical shape in the thermal printer. The recording paper P wound in a cylindrical shape is also referred to as “roll paper”. That is, the thermal printer includes a mounting portion on which the recording paper P wound in a cylindrical shape is set. In addition, the specific mechanism of a mounting part should just use a well-known technique, The description is abbreviate | omitted here.

  The recording paper P is fed out from the state set in the loading section, is guided between the driving roller 4a and the transport roller 4b, passes between the platen 2 and the thermal head 1, and is guided to the paper discharge guide 5. As a result, the cutter 6 disposed at the paper discharge port is reached. Then, if necessary, the drive roller 4a and the drive roller 4a are rotated forward and backward so that the recording paper P is conveyed back and forth according to the rotation direction. That is, the drive roller 4a, the transport roller 4b, and the paper discharge guide 5 function as a transport unit that feeds the recording paper P and transports the fed recording paper P. Note that other rollers, guides, or the like that function as a transport unit may exist on the transport path of the recording paper P. The paper discharge guide 5 is assumed to have a curved path portion 5a that turns the conveyance direction of the recording paper P in order to reduce the size of the thermal printer, save installation space, and the like.

By the way, in the thermal head 1, a plurality of heating resistors are arranged in a line shape in the roll width direction of the recording paper P (direction perpendicular to the transport direction). Then, using the heat energy when the heating resistor is energized, the four colors (yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) ink applied to the ink ribbon 3 and a transparent laminate are used. Printing is performed by evaporating the solid ink of ink (L) and sequentially depositing the vapor of the ink of each color on the roll paper 41.
More specifically, the thermal head 1 is positioned slightly away from the platen 2 during non-printing, but the thermal head 1 presses the platen 2 when a printing command is input. As a result, the ink ribbon 3 and the recording paper P are sandwiched between the arrangement portion of the heating resistors of the thermal head 1 and the platen 2.
Here, when the image data is input, the recording paper P is sequentially conveyed toward the paper discharge side by the rotational driving of the driving roller 4a and the conveying roller 4b. Further, the ink ribbon 3 is sequentially wound around the take-up reel 3b at the same speed as the recording paper P by the rotation of the take-up reel 3b. In this state, the heating resistors arranged in the thermal head 1 are selectively energized and driven by the drive control signal, and thermal energy is applied to the ink ribbon 3 from the heating resistors. Then, the solid ink on the ink ribbon 3 is transferred onto the recording paper P in accordance with the amount of heat generated by the heating resistor of the thermal head 1, and printing is performed.
In the case of color printing, since printing is executed for each color, each time the color transferred by the ink ribbon 3 is changed, the driving roller 4a and the conveying roller 4b are rotated in reverse to reversely feed the recording paper P ( The paper is conveyed toward the paper feed side) and returned to the printing start point, and then the same printing operation as described above is repeated.
That is, the thermal head 1, the platen 2, the ink ribbon 3, the supply reel 3a, and the take-up reel 3b function as a printing unit that performs printing on the recording paper P conveyed by the conveyance unit.

  After the printing is performed in this way, the recording paper P is conveyed toward the paper discharge side by rotating the drive roller 4a and the paper discharge side drive roller 4a after the thermal head 1 is detached from the platen 2. And discharged. When the paper is discharged, the print portion of the recording paper P is cut by the cutter 6. That is, in the thermal printer, the recording paper P after printing in the printing unit is discharged to a paper discharge unit having a paper discharge tray (not shown) or the like.

  Since the thermal printer in this embodiment prints on the recording paper P in this way, in order to obtain a high-quality printed image, it is on the recording paper P conveyance path and contacts the recording surface of the recording paper P. The printing related members such as the driving roller 4a and the conveying roller 4b to be kept must be kept clean. However, when printing is repeated, dust or the like adheres to the surface of the printing-related member, which causes a reduction in printing quality.

  Therefore, in the thermal printer of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, the cleaning material 10a is attached in the vicinity of the edge of the recording paper P, and the recording paper P is transported as shown in FIG. The cleaning material 10a is brought into contact with the driving roller 4a, the conveying roller 4b, and the like, so that deposits such as dust are removed from the surface of the driving roller 4a, the conveying roller 4b, and the like. It should be noted that which of the driving roller 4a and the conveying roller 4b is to be cleaned and whether both of these are simultaneously cleaned are applied to the recording paper P on the recording paper P (which surface is attached) Or).

Here, the cleaning material 10a used for cleaning the print-related member and the cleaning sheet including the cleaning material 10a will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the cleaning sheet in the first embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated, the cleaning sheet 10 includes a sheet-like cleaning material 10a, a peelable surface release paper 10b attached to the surface of the cleaning material 10a, and a peelable material attached to the back surface of the cleaning material 10a. Back release paper 10c.
In the cleaning material 10a, an adhesive layer for attaching to the recording paper P is formed on one side of the base material (the back side on which the back release paper 10c is attached), and the other side of the base material (front surface) A cleaning layer for cleaning the print-related member is formed on the surface side to which the release paper 10b is attached. Although it does not specifically limit about a base material, For example, it is possible to use a resin film material. In addition, both the affixing layer and the cleaning layer are assumed to have adhesiveness. However, each adhesive force is different, and the peeling force between the cleaning layer and the print-related member is set to be weaker than the peeling force between the adhesive layer and the recording paper P. .
Then, on the surface of the cleaning material 10a on which the cleaning layer is formed, the surface release paper 10b is detachably attached so as to cover the cleaning layer. Further, a back release paper 10c is detachably attached to the surface of the cleaning material 10a where the adhesive layer is formed so as to cover the adhesive layer.

  The cleaning sheet 10 having such a configuration has a rectangular planar shape. The size of the short side is set to be larger than the peripheral lengths of the print-related member to be cleaned, specifically, the drive roller 4a and the transport roller 4b on the transport path of the recording paper P. Further, the size of the long side may be set to be equal to or larger than the roll width of the maximum size recording paper P assumed to be used, for example.

  By the way, the cleaning sheet 10 shown in the figure has the same size as the recording paper P to be pasted on the surface of at least one of the front release paper 10b and the back release paper 10c. There is a great feature in that a cutting scale 10d is formed as a guide for cutting together.

  The cutting scale 10d may be anything that can serve as a guide for cutting the cleaning material 10a. Specifically, it may be considered that cut lines are arranged at regular intervals like a ruler and these cut lines are used as the cut scale 10d so as to cope with the difference in size of the recording paper P. Further, for each standard size (A row, B row, etc.) of the recording paper P that is supposed to be used, a cut line is arranged at a position corresponding to each, and these cut lines may be used as the cut scale 10d. Conceivable.

  In the cleaning sheet 10 configured as described above, a user of a thermal printer who wants to perform cleaning uses a cutting scale 10d as a guide and cuts using a cutting tool such as a scissors or a cutter. The size of the long side can be adjusted to the size of the recording paper P to be attached. That is, even if various sizes exist as the recording paper P to be pasted, if the cut scales 10d corresponding to each size are formed, the cleaning material 10a having a size corresponding to the various sizes can be easily obtained. It will be obtained. In addition, since the size is adjusted by cutting using the cutting scale 10d as a guideline, at least the driving roller 4a, the conveying roller 4b, etc. can be cleaned in the conveying direction of the recording paper P.

Therefore, if the printing-related member in the thermal printer is cleaned using the cleaning sheet 10 described in the present embodiment, cleaning sheets having various shapes are prepared even if recording paper P of various sizes exists. Instead, the cleaning material 10a can be attached in accordance with each size. That is, even when the cleaning material 10a is pasted on the recording paper P and the driving roller 4a, the transport roller 4b, etc. are cleaned, it is very possible to deal with recording paper P of various sizes flexibly and appropriately. It becomes easy.
Moreover, as for the conveyance direction of the recording paper P, it is sufficient that the drive roller 4a, the conveyance roller 4b, etc. can be cleaned, that is, the minimum necessary size. For example, the roll width of the recording paper P is large. However, the area of the pasting region of the cleaning material 10a to be secured on the recording paper P does not become larger than necessary, and the cleaning can be performed with the minimum necessary area. That is, since the area of the pasting region of the cleaning material 10a can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, it is possible to suppress a region that cannot be used for printing, that is, waste. Along with this, it is possible to reduce the printing cost. Further, by minimizing the area of the pasting area of the cleaning material 10a, it is possible to facilitate the pasting of the cleaning material 10a onto the recording paper P, thereby cleaning due to a pasting problem. The occurrence of defects can be suppressed.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
However, here, the difference from the case of the first embodiment described above will be mainly described. That is, since the schematic configuration of the thermal printer is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

  3 and 4 are perspective views showing a configuration example of the cleaning sheet in the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The cleaning sheets 11, 12, and 13 described by way of example here include the cleaning materials 11a, 12a, and 13a, the front release paper 10b, and the back release paper 10c as in the case of the first embodiment. Has been. However, the cutting scale 10d as in the case of the first embodiment is not formed, and the planar shape thereof is also different.

The cleaning sheets 11, 12, and 13 described in the present embodiment are formed in a strip shape in plan view. The strip shape means an elongated rectangular shape, but here, in particular, the short side and the long side are set as described below.
It is assumed that the short side is set to have a size larger than the circumference of the driving roller 4a and the conveyance roller 4b on the print-related member to be cleaned, specifically, the conveyance path of the recording paper P. .
Further, it is assumed that the long side is set to be equal to or smaller than the roll width of the minimum size recording paper P expected to be used. More specifically, it is conceivable that the size is set to be equal to or larger than about half the roll width of the maximum size recording paper P expected to be used.

  The cleaning sheets 11, 12, and 13 having such a configuration are configured to be pasted in combination of a plurality of sheets when pasted onto the recording paper P.

  As a combination mode, as shown in FIG. 3, two cleaning materials 11 a having the same long side are arranged before and after the recording paper P in the transport direction, so that the cleaning material is disposed over the entire roll width of the recording paper P. For example, the area 11a may be covered. That is, in the combination mode of the illustrated example, for example, the cleaning materials 11a are combined so that the overlapping pasting portion in the roll width direction becomes large if the size of the recording paper P is small, and in the roll width direction if the size of the recording paper P is large. For example, the cleaning materials 11a can be combined so that the overlapping pasted portion becomes small.

  As another combination mode, as shown in FIG. 4, two cleaning materials 12 a and 13 a having different long sides are arranged in a line (in series) so that the entire roll width of the recording paper P can be obtained. The cleaning material 12a, 13a can be covered with the pasting area. That is, in the combination mode of the illustrated example, a portion of the two cleaning materials 12a and 13a having a longer long side (a size corresponding to the roll width in the minimum size recording paper P) 12a is not sufficient. The one with the smaller long side (the size corresponding to the difference from the minimum size) 13a is supplemented.

  In the cleaning sheets 11, 12, and 13 having the above-described configuration, a thermal printer user who wants to perform cleaning appropriately combines a plurality of sheets so that the pasting area extends over the entire roll width of the recording paper P. You can make it. That is, even if there are various sizes as the recording paper P to be pasted, the cleaning materials 11a, 12a, and 13a are pasted to the recording paper P of various sizes by appropriately combining a plurality of sizes. To get. In addition, the cleaning materials 11a, 12a, and 13a to be combined are formed in a strip shape in the planar shape, so that it is not necessary to secure a cleaning sheet attaching region more than necessary in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P.

Therefore, if the printing-related members in the thermal printer are cleaned using the cleaning sheets 11, 12, and 13 described in the present embodiment, the cleaning sheets having various shapes even if the recording paper P having various sizes exists. The cleaning materials 11a, 12a, and 13a can be pasted in accordance with the respective sizes without preparing. That is, even when the cleaning materials 11a, 12a, and 13a are pasted on the recording paper P to clean the drive roller 4a, the transport roller 4b, etc., the recording paper P of various sizes can be handled flexibly and appropriately. It becomes very easy.
Moreover, as for the conveyance direction of the recording paper P, it is sufficient that the drive roller 4a, the conveyance roller 4b, etc. can be cleaned, that is, the minimum necessary size. For example, the roll width of the recording paper P is large. In addition, the area of the pasting area of the cleaning materials 11a, 12a, and 13a to be secured on the recording paper P does not become unnecessarily large, and the cleaning can be performed with the minimum necessary area. That is, since the area of the pasting region of the cleaning materials 11a, 12a, and 13a can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, it is possible to suppress the region that cannot be used for printing, that is, waste. Along with this, it is possible to reduce the printing cost. Furthermore, by making the area of the pasting area of the cleaning materials 11a, 12a, and 13a the minimum necessary, the pasting of the cleaning materials 11a, 12a, and 13a onto the recording paper P can be facilitated. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defective cleaning due to a sticking defect.
Furthermore, since there is no need to cut the cleaning sheets 11, 12, 13 and the like, the user does not feel bothered.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
Again, the difference from the case of the first or second embodiment will be mainly described.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a thermal printer according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
In the illustrated thermal printer, in addition to the configuration described in the first embodiment, a detection sensor 7 is disposed on the conveyance path of the recording paper P. The detection sensor 7 is for detecting the recording paper P that has been fed out from the loading unit and conveyed, and is also capable of detecting a detection mark 14e of the cleaning sheet 12 described later. For example, a photoelectric sensor may be used as such a detection sensor 7, but other sensors may be used as long as detection is possible. Further, the position where the detection sensor 7 is disposed is not particularly limited. For example, the detection sensor 7 may be disposed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P from the drive roller 4a and the conveyance roller 4b.

  The thermal printer shown in the figure includes a control unit (not shown) including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a predetermined program. Then, the control unit performs drive control on the drive roller 4a based on the detection result of the detection sensor 7, and thereby controls the feed amount of the recording paper P in the transport unit including the drive roller 4a. It has become.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the cleaning sheet in the third embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the drawing, the detection mark 14e is disposed on the cleaning layer forming surface side of the cleaning material 14a in the cleaning sheet described as an example here. The detected mark 14e is for detection by the detection sensor 7 disposed on the conveyance path of the recording paper P in the thermal printer. Specifically, for example, a linear mark (mark) colored in black may be used so that the difference from the ground color in the cleaning layer of the recording paper P or the cleaning material 14a becomes clear. However, the mark is not limited to such a mark. If the detection sensor 7 can detect the mark, that is, if the detection sensor 7 can induce switching of the detection signal level, another mark is used. It doesn't matter.

  The planar shape of the cleaning material 14a may be that described in the first embodiment or may be that described in the second embodiment. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the detected mark 14e is arranged in a conventional configuration instead of any of these.

  By using the cleaning material 14a configured as described above, in the thermal printer, the detection sensor 7 disposed on the transport path detects the detection mark 14e in the cleaning material 14a. Therefore, in the thermal printer, the control unit uses the detection result of the detected mark 14e by the detection sensor 7 as a mark for starting and ending the cleaning operation, and based on the detection result, the recording paper P at the time of the cleaning operation is used. The conveyance amount can be controlled.

Specifically, for example, in FIG. 5, when the thermal printer starts operating in a state where the recording paper P with the cleaning material 14 a attached is set in the mounting portion, first, the recording paper P is removed from the mounting portion. The paper is fed out and conveyed toward the paper discharge side. When the vicinity of the end of the recording paper P reaches the position where the detection sensor 7 is disposed, if the detection sensor 7 detects the presence of the detected mark 14e, the control unit detects that the recording paper P is the cleaning material 14a. Recognize that is pasted. That is, the control unit determines that the started operation is due to the cleaning mode.
When determining that it is in the cleaning mode, the control unit conveys the recording paper P that has reached the location where the detection sensor 7 is disposed, further toward the paper discharge side. At this time, the control unit adjusts and controls the transport amount so that the portion of the recording paper P to which the cleaning material 14a is applied contacts the drive roller 4a or the transport roller 4b to be cleaned. When the recording paper P is transported to a position where the cleaning material 14a contacts the driving roller 4a or the transporting roller 4b, the recording paper P is reciprocated by a predetermined amount at the position to perform cleaning with the cleaning material 14a. Thereafter, after a predetermined number of reciprocations, or when a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit ends the cleaning, transports the recording paper P in the reverse direction, and near the end of the recording paper P to which the cleaning material 14a is attached. Return to the mounting part.
After that, the user of the thermal printer removes the set recording paper P from the loading portion, and cuts the pasting portion of the cleaning material 14a on the recording paper P. Then, the cut recording paper P is used for printing with a thermal printer.

As described above, if the printing-related member in the thermal printer is cleaned using the cleaning material 14a described in the present embodiment, the cleaning mode can be automatically determined. For example, the mode designation operation by the user of the thermal printer Is unnecessary, and it is possible to avoid that the user feels bothersome or that the user performs an erroneous operation.
In addition, by adjusting and controlling the conveyance amount of the recording paper P based on the detection result of the detected mark 14e, the recording paper P can be surely performed at a minimum distance while performing the cleaning. It can be realized that the time required for the cleaning can be shortened.
Further, the recording paper P with the cleaning material 14a attached is set in the mounting portion, and after the cleaning is completed, the vicinity of the end of the recording paper P is returned to the mounting portion, so that the paper discharge guide 5 has the curved path portion 5a. Even if it does, the sticking part of the cleaning material 14a does not pass the said curved path | route part 5a. Therefore, since the cleaning material 14a is pasted on the recording paper P, the pasting portion of the cleaning material 14a is caught in the middle of the curved path portion 5a, and the normal transport operation cannot be performed. It can be prevented in advance.

  Further, the planar shape of the cleaning material 14a is the same as that described in the first or second embodiment, and may be attached to the recording paper P as described in the first or second embodiment. Thus, it is possible to flexibly cope with recording papers P of various sizes.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
Again, the difference from the case of the first or second embodiment will be mainly described.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a thermal printer according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
In addition to the configuration described in the first embodiment, the thermal printer of the illustrated example has an opening having an openable / closable door on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P with respect to the curved path portion 5a of the paper discharge guide 5. A portion 8 is provided. The opening portion 8 is for exposing the edge of the recording paper P fed out from the loading portion from the transport portion without passing through the curved path portion 5a. More specifically, while the door is closed, the recording paper P is guided to the curved path portion 5a. However, when the door is open, the recording paper P protrudes from the opening 8 toward the outside. The vicinity of the edge of the paper P is exposed. That is, the opening 8 having a door that can be freely opened and closed functions as a path switching unit that switches the conveyance path of the recording paper P.

  It is assumed that the opening portion 8 having the freely openable / closable door is provided with a detection sensor (not shown) for detecting the open / closed state of the door, that is, the route switching state in the route switching unit. The detection sensor may be any sensor that can detect the open / closed state of the door, and may be configured using a photoelectric sensor, a microswitch, or the like.

  The thermal printer shown in the figure includes a control unit (not shown) including a CPU that executes a predetermined program. And the control part performs drive control with respect to the drive roller 4a, based on the detection result by the detection sensor which detects the open / closed state of the door in the opening part 8, and by this, in the conveyance part including the drive roller 4a concerned The feeding amount of the recording paper P is controlled.

  The cleaning sheet used in the illustrated thermal printer includes the cleaning sheet 10 described in the first embodiment or the cleaning sheets 11 to 13 described in the second embodiment. However, any one of these can be used instead of any of these.

  In the thermal printer configured as described above, the opening 8 is provided on the extended line of the linear portion of the conveyance path of the recording paper P. By sending the recording paper P to the opening 8, The cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a are attached to the recording paper P.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the thermal printer starts operating with the recording paper P set in the loading portion, the door of the opening portion 8 is open. When the detection sensor detects this, the control unit determines that the started operation is due to the cleaning mode. When it is determined that the cleaning mode is set, the control unit feeds the recording paper P from the loading unit and conveys the recording paper P toward the paper discharge side, and feeds the recording paper P to the opening portion 8, near the edge of the recording paper P. To expose. In this state, the user of the thermal printer is caused to apply the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7B, the control unit conveys the recording paper P in the reverse direction, and returns the vicinity of the edge of the recording paper P to the mounting portion side. At this time, the control unit adjusts and controls the transport amount so that the portions of the recording paper P to which the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a are attached contact the drive roller 4a or the transport roller 4b to be cleaned. When the recording material P is transported to a position where the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a contact the driving roller 4a or the transporting roller 4b, the recording paper P is reciprocated by a predetermined amount at the position, and the cleaning material Cleaning by 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a is performed.

Thereafter, after a predetermined number of reciprocations, or when a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit finishes cleaning, conveys the recording paper P to the opening 8 side, and closes the edge of the recording paper P to the opening 8 To expose. In this state, when the user of the thermal printer cuts out the pasted portions of the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a and 13a on the recording paper P, the recording paper P after the cutting is used for printing with the thermal printer. Become.
Alternatively, after the cleaning is completed, the control unit conveys the recording paper P to the mounting unit and returns the vicinity of the end of the recording paper P on which the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a are pasted to the mounting unit. . In this state, when the user of the thermal printer removes the set recording paper P from the loading section and cuts off the pasting portions of the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a on the recording paper P, the recording after the cutting is performed. The paper P is used for printing with a thermal printer.

  As described above, in the thermal printer described in the present embodiment, the cleaning mode can be automatically determined based on the detection result of the open / closed state of the door in the opening 8. The designation operation becomes unnecessary, and it is possible to prevent the user from feeling troublesome or the user from performing an erroneous operation.

Further, since the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a are pasted on the recording paper P with the vicinity of the edge of the recording paper P exposed from the opening 8, the paper discharge guide 5 is curved. Even if the path portion 5a is provided, the pasted portions of the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a do not pass through the curved path portion 5a. Therefore, since the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a are pasted on the recording paper P, the pasting portions of the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a are caught in the middle of the curved path portion 5a. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as the inability to perform proper transport operations.
Further, since the opening 8 is arranged on the conveyance path of the recording paper P, the recording paper P is attached to the recording paper P in order to attach the cleaning materials 10a, 11a, 12a, and 13a to the recording paper P. There is no need to remove from the mounting portion, set to the mounting portion, or the like, and the convenience for the user of the thermal printer can be improved.

In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, preferred specific examples of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the contents, and may be appropriately changed without departing from the gist thereof. Is possible.
For example, in each embodiment, the case where cleaning is mainly performed on the driving roller 4a and the conveyance roller 4b has been described as an example. However, other print-related members existing on the conveyance path of the recording paper P are also completely different. Similarly, cleaning can be performed. That is, the print-related members to be cleaned include not only the drive roller 4a and the conveyance roller 4b but also the thermal head 1 and the platen 2, other conveyance rollers not shown, and the like.
Moreover, in each embodiment, the cleaning layer in cleaning material 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a has adhesiveness, and the case where the printing related member is cleaned using the adsorbing action by the adhesiveness is an example. As mentioned above, it is also conceivable that the printing-related member is cleaned by making it non-adhesive or having an abrasive property in addition to the adhesive property.
Furthermore, in each embodiment, the thermal printer is exemplified as the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applied to various printers and copiers that use roll paper. Is possible.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the schematic structural example of the thermal printer in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the cleaning sheet in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view (the 1) which shows the structural example of the cleaning sheet in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view (the 2) which shows the structural example of the cleaning sheet in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the schematic structural example of the thermal printer in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the cleaning sheet in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the schematic structural example of the thermal printer in the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Thermal head, 2 ... Platen, 3 ... Ink ribbon, 4a ... Drive roller, 4b ... Conveyance roller, 5 ... Discharge guide, 5a ... Curve path part, 6 ... Cutter, 7 ... Detection sensor, 8 ... Opening part 10, 11, 12, 13 ... cleaning sheet, 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a ... cleaning material, 10b ... front release paper, 10c ... back release paper, 10d ... cut scale, 14e ... detected mark, P ... Recording paper

Claims (7)

An affixing layer for adhering to a recording paper to be used for printing in an image forming apparatus is formed on one side of the substrate, and for cleaning the printing related member by contact with the printing related member in the image forming apparatus A cleaning material in which a cleaning layer is formed on the other surface side of the substrate;
A peelable surface release paper affixed to the cleaning material so as to cover the cleaning layer;
A releasable back release paper affixed to the cleaning material so as to cover the affixing layer;
A cleaning sheet comprising a cutting scale formed on at least one surface of the front release paper and the back release paper to serve as a guide for cutting the cleaning material in accordance with the size of the recording paper. The cleaning sheet according to claim 1, further comprising: a detection mark disposed on a surface on which the cleaning layer is formed so as to be detectable by a detection sensor disposed on a conveyance path of the recording paper in the image forming apparatus. An affixing layer for adhering to a recording paper to be used for printing in an image forming apparatus is formed on one side of the substrate, and for cleaning the printing related member by contact with the printing related member in the image forming apparatus A cleaning material in which a cleaning layer is formed on the other surface side of the substrate;
A cleaning sheet comprising: a detection mark disposed on a surface on which the cleaning layer is formed so as to be detectable by a detection sensor disposed on a conveyance path of the recording paper in the image forming apparatus. A mounting portion on which recording paper wound in a cylindrical shape is set;
A transport unit that feeds the recording paper from the mounting unit and transports the fed recording paper;
A printing unit for performing printing on a recording sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit;
A paper discharge unit for discharging recording paper after printing in the printing unit;
A detection sensor that is arranged on a conveyance path of the recording paper by the conveyance unit and detects a detection mark included in the cleaning material attached to the recording paper;
When the detection sensor detects the detected mark, it is determined that the cleaning mode is set, and the conveyance unit causes the cleaning material having the detected mark to come into contact with the print-related member on the conveyance path. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls a feeding amount of the recording paper. A mounting portion on which recording paper wound in a cylindrical shape is set;
A feeding unit that feeds out the recording paper from the mounting unit and transports the fed recording paper, and has a curved path portion as a feeding path of the recording paper;
A printing unit for performing printing on a recording sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit;
A paper discharge unit for discharging recording paper after printing in the printing unit;
A path switching unit for exposing the edge of the recording paper fed out from the mounting unit from the transport unit without passing through the curved path part in the transport unit;
With respect to the recording paper whose edge is exposed from the transport unit by the path switching unit, the cleaning material affixed in the vicinity of the edge contacts the print-related member on the transport path. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls a feeding amount. A detection sensor for detecting a path switching state in the path switching unit and causing the control unit to determine that it is in a cleaning mode if the path switching state is a state in which an edge of a recording sheet is exposed from the transport unit. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5. A combination of a plurality of cleaning materials formed in a strip shape is pasted on a recording sheet used for printing in an image forming apparatus,
A cleaning method for cleaning the print-related member by bringing the cleaning material into contact with the print-related member in the image forming apparatus.

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