JP2010023993A - Sticky note printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sticky note printer, capable of achieving both peeling of a printed sticky note from a sticky note bundle and constant keeping of the gap between a head and the sticky note bundle by a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: The sticky note printer includes: a first roller rotatably provided on a print head 4; a spring 13 which energizes the print head 4 toward the sticky note bundle 11 so that the first roller 5 contacts with a sticky note 10 of the outermost layer; and a rotation adjusting device 15 which adjusts the rotation of the first roller 5. The rotation adjusting device 15 adjusts the rotation of the first roller 5 when moving the print head 4 toward a pasted end portion 10a relative to the sticky note bundle 11, whereby a central portion 10c of the sticky note 10 of the outermost layer from the sticky note bundle 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sticky note printer for printing on sticky note paper.

  A large number of sticky notes are laminated in a state where the back surface of one end thereof is glued to form a sticky note bundle. Usually, the sticky notes are peeled off one by one from such a bundle of sticky notes, and the peeled sticky notes are attached to another place. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sticky note printer that can perform printing on the surface of each sticky note constituting such a sticky note bundle is known.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet tag printer. This sticky note printer includes a carriage that can reciprocate in one direction (main scanning direction), an ink jet recording head mounted on the carriage, and a direction orthogonal to the carriage movement direction while holding a bundle of sticky notes ( A sticky note tray that can move the sticky note bundle in the sub-scanning direction) and a cover member that covers the outer periphery of the sticky note bundle held in the sticky note tray are provided. Then, the sticky note printer directly ejects ink from the recording head that reciprocates in the main scanning direction toward the sticky note bundle while transporting the sticky note bundle in the sub-scanning direction together with the sticky note tray. The top surface of the sticky note is printed on the surface.

  In addition, when one sticky note is peeled off from the sticky note bundle and then printed on the peeled sticky note, printing is performed by directly ejecting ink on the sticky note bundle as described above. After printing on the topmost sticky note, it is actually configured to peel off the printed topmost sticky note from the sticky note bundle in order to continue printing on the sticky note immediately below. It is considered necessary. However, Patent Document 1 does not specifically disclose a specific configuration for separating a printed sticky note from a sticky note bundle.

  On the other hand, in general, in an ink jet printer, it is preferable to maintain a constant distance (gap) between a head and a printing medium (here, a sticky note) in order to increase printing accuracy. Therefore, in the sticky note printer of Patent Document 1, the sticky note tray includes a hopper that urges the sticky note bundle toward the recording head, and the outer peripheral surface of the sticky note bundle is pressed against the cover member by the hopper. Thus, the gap between the head and the sticky note bundle is kept constant.

JP 2006-160475 A

  As described above, in a sticky printer of a type that directly ejects ink toward a bundle of sticky notes as disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to peel off the printed topmost sticky note from the bundle of sticky notes. Configuration is essential. On the other hand, in order to improve printing accuracy, it is preferable that a configuration for keeping the gap between the head and the sticky note bundle constant is added to the head. However, if such a configuration is provided separately, the configuration of the sticky note printer becomes complicated, such as an increase in the number of parts.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sticky note printer that can realize both of peeling off a printed sticky note from a sticky note bundle and maintaining a constant gap between the head and the sticky note bundle with a simple configuration. .

A sticky note printer according to a first aspect of the present invention is a sticky note printer that prints on the surface of the sticky note on the outermost layer of a sticky note bundle obtained by laminating a plurality of sticky notes that are glued on the back surface at one end in a predetermined direction. And
An ink ejection surface facing the surface of the topmost sticky paper, and ejecting ink from the ink ejection surface toward the surface of the topmost sticky paper while moving relative to the sticky paper along the predetermined direction A print head that performs printing, and is provided on the print head so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a direction parallel to the ink ejection surface and intersecting the predetermined direction, and at least part of the print head A first roller disposed so as to protrude toward the sticky note bundle side of the ink ejection surface of the head, and the sticker paper so that the first roller contacts the surface of the topmost sticky note paper. An urging means for urging the bundle toward the bundle, and adjusting the rotation of the first roller during the movement of the print head in the predetermined direction, so that the sticky paper on the outermost layer is halfway in the predetermined direction. Separating means from the sticky note bundle, and jumping means for jumping up the other end in the predetermined direction of the topmost sticky note separated from the sticky note bundle by the separating means. It is a feature.

  The first roller rotatably provided on the print head is urged by the urging means and is always in contact with the surface of the sticky paper on the outermost layer of the sticky paper bundle. Therefore, during printing, the gap between the ink ejection surface of the print head and the sticky note surface is always kept constant. On the other hand, when the print head moves in a predetermined direction with respect to the bundle of sticky notes after the printing is finished, the separating unit restricts the rotation of the first roller. As a result, a frictional force is generated between the first roller and the outermost sticky note paper so that the outermost sticky note paper is dragged by the first roller and the middle portion of the sticky note paper is moved to the sticky note paper. Separate from the bundle. Thereafter, the other end portion (free end portion) of the topmost sticky note separated from the bundle of sticky note papers is flipped up by the flip-up means.

  According to this configuration, the gap between the sticky note bundle and the ink ejection surface of the print head can be maintained constant by the first roller, and the printing accuracy is improved. Further, since the topmost sticky note can be separated from the sticky note bundle using the first roller, it is not necessary to provide a special configuration for performing the separation, and the configuration of the printer is simplified. .

  In the present invention, “separating” a sticky note does not mean that the sticky note is peeled off from the sticky note bundle and separated so as to be completely separated. This means that the middle part in the moving direction is separated from the bundle of sticky notes.

In the sticky note printer according to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the separating unit ejects ink onto the topmost sticky note paper while the print head moves relative to the sticky note bundle. Rolling the first roller on the surface of the topmost sticky paper without restricting the rotation of the first roller so that the topmost sticky paper does not separate from the sticky paper bundle,
When the print head moves from the other end portion of the sticky note paper toward the one end portion, which is the glued end portion of the sticky note paper, after the printing is finished, the peripheral speed of the first roller is greater than the moving speed of the print head. The rotation of the first roller is restricted so as to be slower, the other end portion of the sticky paper on the outermost layer is moved to the one end side together with the first roller, and the middle of the sticky paper on the outermost layer is moved. The unit is separated from the sticky note bundle.

  According to this configuration, when the print head ejects ink (during printing), the rotation of the first roller is not restricted by the separating unit, and rolls on the surface of the sticky note as the print head moves. Therefore, the topmost sticky note is not dragged by the first roller during printing. On the other hand, when the print head moves from the other end portion (free end portion) of the sticky note toward the one end portion glued after the printing is finished, the separating means has a peripheral speed of the first roller that is greater than a moving speed of the print head. Also, the rotation of the first roller is restricted so as to be slower. Then, due to the frictional force generated between the first roller and the topmost sticky note, the other end of the sticky note is moved toward one end so that it is dragged by the first roller. Rises up and separates from the stack of sticky notes.

  In the sticky note printer according to a third aspect of the invention, in the first or second aspect, the flip-up means separates the middle portion in the predetermined direction of the topmost sticky paper from the sticky paper bundle by the separating means. In the state, the other end portion of the sticky note paper is flipped up by rotating the first roller in a direction in which the other end portion in the predetermined direction of the sticky note paper of the outermost layer is pushed toward the one end portion side. It is what.

  According to this configuration, the first roller is rotated in a state where the middle portion of the sticky note paper is separated from the sticky note bundle, and the other end portion (free end portion) of the sticky note paper is pushed out to one end portion which is a gluing end portion. Since the other end of the sticky note paper can be flipped up, a special configuration for flipping up is not required, and the printer configuration is simplified.

  The sticky note printer according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the sticky note printer according to the third aspect, wherein the other end portion in the predetermined direction of the second sticky note located immediately below the topmost sticky note when the flip-up means flips it up. It is characterized by having a pressing means for pressing.

  According to this configuration, when the uppermost sticky note paper is flipped up by rotating the first roller, the second sticky note underneath is prevented from being stuck and moved out of the sticky note bundle. it can.

  The sticky note printer according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the sticky printer according to the fourth aspect, wherein the pressing means is provided on the print head so as to be rotatable at a position on the other end side in the predetermined direction from the first roller. It is characterized by being.

  When the pressing means is a second roller provided in the print head separately from the first roller, the second roller can be used for maintaining the gap, like the first roller. That is, the gap between the print head and the sticky note bundle can be stably secured by the two rollers.

  A sticky note printer according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the sticky printer according to the fifth aspect, wherein the second roller is configured so that a frictional force acting between the sticky note bundle and the first roller is larger than that of the first roller. It is characterized by being.

  Thus, when the frictional force between the second roller and the bundle of sticky notes is large, the effect of preventing the sticky notes underneath from shifting when the outermost sticky note is flipped up becomes high.

  In order to increase the frictional force between the second roller and the sticky note bundle, in the sixth aspect of the invention, the surface friction coefficient of the second roller may be larger than that of the first roller. (Seventh invention). Alternatively, the pressing force to the bundle of sticky notes that acts on the second roller by the urging means may be larger than that of the first roller (eighth invention).

  In a sticky note printer according to a ninth invention, in any one of the third to eighth inventions, immediately before the flip-up means flips the print head from the one end of the sticky note bundle to the first roller. The sticky note bundle is located on the side of the sticky note bundle with respect to the tangential plane extending toward the front.

  According to this configuration, when the other end portion (free end portion) of the topmost sticky note separated from the sticky note bundle is flipped up by the rotation of the first roller, It is possible to prevent the print heads from interfering with each other.

  The sticky note printer according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the sticky printer according to the first or second aspect, wherein the flip-up means separates the middle part of the topmost sticky paper in the predetermined direction from the sticky paper bundle by the separating means. In the state, the print head is moved relative to the bundle of sticky notes in the predetermined direction so that the first roller is directed toward the one end of the sticky notes, thereby The other end is flipped up.

  According to this configuration, the print head is moved relative to one end side (glue end side) of the sticky paper with respect to the sticky paper bundle in a state where the middle portion of the sticky paper is separated from the sticky paper bundle by the first roller. Thus, the first roller can be moved to one end side of the sticky note paper and the other end portion of the outermost sticky note paper can be flipped up.

  The sticky note printer according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the sticky note printer according to any one of the first to tenth aspects of the invention, wherein the sticky sheet of the outermost layer flipped up by the flip-up means is held away from the sticky note bundle. It has the means.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent the flipped up sticky notes from being stacked again on the sticky note bundle.

  According to the present invention, at the time of printing, the gap between the sticky note bundle and the print head can be maintained constant by the first roller that contacts the surface of the sticky note bundle, so that the printing accuracy is improved. Further, after printing, the sticky paper can be separated from the sticky paper bundle using the first roller. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a special configuration for separating the printed topmost sticky note from the sticky note bundle, and the configuration of the printer is simplified.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the sticky note printer of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sticky note printer 1 includes a case 2 as a printer body, a carriage 3 that can reciprocate in a predetermined scanning direction (left and right in FIGS. 1 and 2), and a carriage 3. A print head 4 provided, a first roller 5 and a second roller 6 rotatably provided on the print head 4, a sticky note tray 7 for holding a sticky note bundle 11, and the like are provided.

  A guide shaft 8 for guiding the carriage 3 in the scanning direction is disposed in the case 2. An endless belt 9 is connected to the end of the carriage 3. Then, when the endless belt 9 is driven by the carriage drive motor 14, the carriage 3 reciprocates in the scanning direction while being guided by the guide shaft 8.

  A print head 4 is connected to a lower end portion of the carriage 3 via a spring 13, and the print head 4 can be reciprocated in the scanning direction integrally with the carriage 3. The print head 4 is connected to an ink supply source (not shown), and a number of nozzles (not shown) for ejecting ink supplied from the ink supply source are arranged on the lower surface of the print head 4. An ink ejection surface 4a is provided.

  In addition, two rollers (a first roller 5 and a second roller 6) are rotatably provided at both ends of the print head 4 in the scanning direction so as to sandwich the ink ejection surface 4a in the scanning direction. 1 and 2, the rollers 5 and 6 are disclosed as having two wheels having diameters larger than those of the rotary shafts 5a and 6a at both ends of the rotary shafts 5a and 6a. A straight cylindrical roller having a constant diameter in the rotation axis direction may be used. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotation shafts 5a and 6a of the two rollers 5 and 6 extend in parallel to the ink ejection surface 4a and in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the wheels of the two rollers 5 and 6 partially protrude below the ink ejection surface 4a.

  A spring 13 (biasing means) is interposed between the carriage 3 and the print head 4, and the print head 4 is constantly biased downward by the spring 13. As a result, the first roller 5 and the second roller 6 respectively provided at both ends in the scanning direction of the print head 4 come into contact with the surface of the sticky note bundle 11 set on the sticky note tray 7 described below. Accordingly, the distance (gap) between the ink ejection surface 4a of the opposing print head 4 and the sticky note bundle 11 (the surface of the topmost sticky note 10) is kept constant.

  A sticky note tray 7 is disposed below the print head 4, and a sticky note bundle 11 composed of a plurality of sticky note papers 10 is set on the sticky note tray 7. In the present embodiment, each sticky note 10 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, and a plurality of sticky note bundles are laminated by being glued on the back surface of one end portion in the longitudinal direction. 11 is configured. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the sticky note bundle 11 includes a sticky end 10a of the sticky note 10 on the right side and a free end 10b (non-glue end) of the sticky note 10 on the left side. It is set to the sticky note tray 7 so that it becomes.

  When printing on the topmost sticky note 10 of the sticky note bundle 11, the sticky note printer 1 moves the print head 4 together with the carriage 3 in one of the scanning directions (left side in the figure: the free end 10 b of the sticky note 10. The first roller 5 and the second roller 6 are rolled on the surface of the sticky note bundle 11 while being moved in the direction of heading. Thus, the gap between the sticky note bundle 11 and the ink ejection surface 4a during the movement of the carriage 3 is maintained constant. In this state, ink droplets are ejected from a large number of nozzles on the ink ejection surface 4 a toward the sticky note bundle 11 to perform printing on the surface of the topmost sticky note 10.

  By the way, after printing on the topmost sticky note 10 of the bundle of sticky notes 11 by the print head 4, in order to perform printing immediately after the sticky note 10 immediately below, the printed topmost sticky note 10 is attached to the sticky note paper. It is necessary to separate from the bundle 11 and peel off. Here, a configuration for separating the printed sticky note 10 from the sticky note bundle 11 may be provided separately in the sticky note printer 1, but this makes the configuration of the printer 1 complicated and increases the manufacturing cost.

  Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sticky note printer 1 according to the present embodiment has a glued end portion when the print head 4 is moved to separate the printed sticky note 10 from the sticky note bundle 11. A rotation adjusting device 15 for adjusting the rotation of the first roller 5 located on the 10a side (right side in the figure) is further provided.

  The rotation adjusting device 15 maintains the first roller 5 in a freely rotating state when the print head 4 performs a printing operation while moving to the left (in the direction toward the free end portion 10b of the sticky note 10). On the other hand, when the print head 4 returns to the right (the direction toward the glued end 10a of the sticky note 10) after printing, the printed outermost sticky note paper is adjusted by adjusting the rotation of the first roller 5. 10 is separated from the sticky note bundle 11. Thereafter, the first roller 5 is further rotationally driven to flip up the free end portion 10b of the separated topmost sticky note 10. The second roller 6 is not provided with such a rotation adjusting device, and the second roller 6 is always in a freely rotatable state.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the rotation adjusting device 15. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotation adjusting device 15 of the present embodiment includes a drive motor 20, a sun gear 22 that meshes with the output gear 21 of the drive motor 20, and is driven to rotate by the drive motor 20, Two planetary gears 23 a and 23 b that circulate around the outer periphery of the sun gear 22 while meshing and rotating, and a gear 24 provided on the rotation shaft 5 a of the first roller 5 are provided. The two planetary gears 23 a and 23 b are connected to each other by a connecting member 25 that can rotate around the rotation shaft of the sun gear 22.

  The operation from the printing on the topmost sticky note 10 to the separation and jumping up of the printed sticky note 10 by the sticky note printer 1 including the print head 4 and the rotation adjusting device 15 will be described below.

(Printing operation)
FIG. 4 is an operation diagram of the sticky note printer 1 during printing. When printing by the print head 4, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the carriage drive motor 14 (see FIG. 1) moves the print head 4 together with the carriage 3 to the right side in the drawing (the glued end portion 10a of the sticky note 10). Ink is ejected from the ink ejection surface 4a of the print head 4 toward the sticky note bundle 11 while moving from the left side to the left side (free end 10b side). At this time, since the two rollers 5 and 6 provided at both ends in the scanning direction of the print head 4 are urged by the spring 13 and are in contact with the surface of the stack of sticky notes 11, the ink ejection surface 4a and the sticky note A gap with the paper bundle 11 is kept constant, and printing accuracy is improved.

  Also, during this printing, if the topmost sticky note 10 is dragged by the first roller 5 and separated from the sticky note bundle 11 (displacement), the printing will be adversely affected. The rotation adjustment of one roller 5 is not performed, and the first roller 5 is maintained in a freely rotating state. Accordingly, both the first roller 5 and the second roller 6 roll in the direction of arrow A in the figure on the surface of the topmost sticky note 10 as the print head 4 moves to the left.

  The operation of the rotation adjusting device 15 at this time will be specifically described with reference to FIG. In a state where the print head 4 is stopped, the gear 24 rotating coaxially with the first roller 5 meshes with one planetary gear 23b. From this state, when the print head 4 moves to the left in the drawing in a state where the first roller 5 is in contact with the surface of the sticky note bundle 11, as shown in FIG. Attempts to rotate counterclockwise as indicated by arrow A. At this time, as indicated by a broken line arrow a, the planetary gear 23b also rotates with the rotation of the gear 24, moves around the sun gear 22 in a direction away from the gear 24, and the meshed state of the gear 24 and the planetary gear 23b. Is released. Accordingly, the first roller 5 is in a freely rotatable state and rolls on the surface of the sticky note bundle 11.

(Separation operation)
FIG. 5 is an operation diagram of the sticky note printer 1 when the topmost sticky note 10 printed by the previous printing operation is separated from the sticky note bundle 11. When separating the topmost sticky note 10 from the sticky note bundle 11, the carriage drive motor 14 moves the print head 4 together with the carriage 3 from the left side (free end portion 10b side) to the right side (glue end portion 10a side). Move. At this time, the rotation adjusting device 15 regulates the rotation of the first roller 5 so that the first roller 5 does not freely rotate. Here, the first roller 5 may be locked so as not to rotate at all. However, even if the first roller 5 is not completely locked, the rotation may be restricted by applying a certain amount of rotational resistance (brake) to the first roller 5. Due to this rotation restriction, the peripheral speed V1 of the first roller 5 in the rolling direction (the direction of arrow B in the figure) is made slower than the moving speed V2 of the print head 4 in the scanning direction.

  The operation of the rotation adjusting device 15 when this rotation restriction is performed will be specifically described with reference to FIG. First, the output gear 21 is rotated in the direction b in the figure by the drive motor 20, thereby rotating the sun gear 22 in the direction c in the figure. Then, the planetary gear 23 a meshing with the sun gear 22 moves around the sun gear 22 in the direction of the broken arrow a and meshes with the gear 24 that rotates coaxially with the first roller 5. As a result, the torque of the drive motor 20 is transmitted to the first roller 5 via the gear 24, and this torque acts as a rotational resistance on the first roller 5, so that the rotation of the first roller 5 is restricted. . The drive motor 20 continuously maintains a state in which a predetermined torque (rotational resistance) is applied to the first roller 5 via the planetary gear 23a and the gear 24 during the separation operation period.

  As described above, when the circumferential speed V1 of the first roller 5 becomes slower than the moving speed V2 of the print head 4 by restricting the rotation of the first roller 5, as shown in FIG. A frictional force is generated between the roller 5 and the outermost sticky note 10, and the free end portion 10 b of the outermost sticky note 10 is dragged by the first roller 5 and moves toward the pasting end portion 10 a. Further, the end portion (glue end portion 10 a) opposite to the free end portion 10 b of the topmost sticky note 10 is fixed to the sticky note bundle 11. Therefore, when the free end portion 10b of the sticky note 10 moves to the right in the drawing together with the first roller 5, the central portion 10c (the middle portion in the scanning direction) rises as shown in FIG. It will be separated from the paper bundle 11.

(Bounce-up operation)
FIG. 6 is an operation diagram of the sticky note printer 1 when the free end portion 10b of the separated outermost sticky note 10 is flipped up. With the central portion 10c of the topmost sticky note 10 separated from the sticky note bundle 11, as shown in FIG. 6A, the rotation adjusting device 15 rotates the first roller 5 in the direction of arrow A in the figure. Let The rotation of the first roller 5 may be started after the print head 4 is stopped, or may be started while the print head 4 is moved.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3C, the drive motor 20 drives the sun gear 22 to rotate in the direction of the arrow c with a larger torque than in the previous separation operation. Then, the planetary gear 23a meshing with the sun gear 22 rotates in the direction of the arrow d in the figure, and the gear 24 rotates in the direction of the arrow e in the figure. As a result, the first roller 5 rotating coaxially with the gear 24 is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow A.

  Thus, when the first roller 5 is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow A, the free end 10b of the topmost sticky note 10 is moved to the right by the first roller 5 as shown in FIG. The sticky paper bundle 11 is pushed upward (to the glued end portion 10a side) and leaves upward. Further, by continuing to rotate the first roller 5 in the direction of arrow A, as shown in FIG. 6C, finally, the free end portion 10b is flipped upward, and the sticky note 10 is moved to the first roller 5 as shown in FIG. It will be in the state where it got on.

  As described above, the topmost sticky note paper 10 jumped up on the first roller 5 is conveyed to a predetermined discharge position by a discharge roller (not shown) driven by a motor or the like, for example. Is possible. In this case, when the sticky note 10 is sent downstream by the paper discharge roller, the glued end 10 a of the sticky note 10 is automatically separated from the sticky note bundle 11. It should be noted that such paper discharge means such as a paper discharge roller is not an essential configuration, and the user sticks out the sticky paper 10 flipped up as shown in FIG. 6C by hand and pulls it out. Is also possible.

  In the present embodiment, the above-described rotation adjusting device 15 that adjusts the rotation of the first roller 5 includes a separation unit that separates the printed topmost sticky note 10 from the sticky note bundle 11, and the separation means. It also serves as both the flip-up means for jumping up the free end portion 10b of the sticky note 10.

  By the way, when the first roller 5 is rotated as shown in FIG. 6 and the topmost sticky paper 10 is flipped up, the second topmost sticky paper 10 moves along with the topmost sticky paper 10. As a result, the sticky note bundle 11 may be displaced. However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, when the first roller 5 is flipped up, the second roller 6 provided in the print head 4 moves the free end portion 10 b of the second sticky note 10. Holding (holding means). Therefore, when the topmost sticky note 10 is flipped up, it is possible to prevent the second sticky note 10 from being dragged and moving away from the sticky note bundle 11.

  Further, in order to more reliably prevent the second sticky note 10 from being displaced from the sticky note bundle 11, the second roller 6 acts between the sticky note bundle 11 compared to the first roller 5. It is preferable that the frictional force is increased.

  As a specific example of such a configuration, for example, a form in which the surface friction coefficient of the second roller 6 is larger than that of the first roller 5 can be mentioned.

  Alternatively, the pressing force to the sticky note bundle 11 acting on the second roller 6 by the spring 13 may be configured to be larger than that of the first roller 5. For example, the spring 13 may be arranged at a position closer to the second roller 6 than the first roller 5 so that a large biasing force acts on the second roller 6. Alternatively, the spring 13 for biasing the first roller 5 is provided as the spring 13 for biasing the second roller 6 after the two springs 13 for biasing the first roller 5 and the second roller 6 are provided. Those having an urging force larger than 13 may be used.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, the print head 4 (and the carriage 3) is in a state immediately before the free end portion 10b of the topmost sticky note paper 10 is flipped up, so that the gluing end portion 10a of the sticky note bundle 11 is obtained. It is preferable to be located on the sticky note bundle 11 side (lower side) than the tangential plane P extending from the end on the side toward the first roller 5. In this case, when the free end portion 10 b of the uppermost sticky note 10 separated from the sticky note bundle 11 is flipped up by the rotation of the first roller 5, the printed sticky note 10 is printed. It is possible to prevent the heads 4 from interfering with each other.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the sticky note printer 1 that implements the series of operations described above will be briefly described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The sticky note printer 1 includes an operation input unit 26 where a user inputs print data and various settings, and a carriage drive motor 14 that drives the print head 4 and the carriage 3 based on input signals from the operation input unit 26. And a control device 27 for controlling each part of the sticky note printer 1 such as a rotation adjusting device 15 for adjusting the rotation of the first roller 5.

  The control device 27 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM) that stores various programs and data for controlling the overall operation of the sticky note printer 1, and a CPU. A RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like that temporarily stores data to be processed is provided, and a program stored in the ROM is executed by the CPU to perform various controls as described below. May be. Alternatively, it may be a hardware type in which various circuits including an arithmetic circuit are combined.

  The control device 27 is configured to control each unit of the sticky note printer 1 to realize the above-described series of operations. That is, based on the print data input from the operation input unit 26, the print head 4 and the carriage drive motor 14 are controlled to move the print head 4 to the free end 10b side of the sticky note 10 and Ink is ejected toward the image 11 to print images, characters, and the like on the topmost sticky note 10. In addition, after the printing on the sticky note 10 on the outermost layer is finished, the carriage driving motor 14 is controlled to move the print head 4 to the glued end portion 10a side of the sticky note 10 and the rotation adjusting device 15 performs the first operation. By restricting the rotation of the roller 5, the central portion of the topmost sticky note 10 is separated from the sticky note bundle 11. Thereafter, the first roller 5 is further rotationally driven by the rotation adjusting device 15, and the free end portion 10 b of the topmost sticky note 10 separated from the sticky note bundle 11 is flipped up.

  According to the sticky note printer 1 described above, the gap between the sticky note bundle 11 and the ink ejection surface 4a of the print head 4 can be maintained constant by the first roller 5 and the second roller 6 provided in the print head 4. , Printing accuracy is improved. Furthermore, using the first roller 5 for securing the gap, the printed sticky note 10 can be separated from the sticky note bundle 11 and the separated sticky note 10 can be flipped up. Therefore, there is no need to provide a special configuration for separating the topmost sticky note 10 from the sticky note bundle 11 or a configuration for flipping up, and the configuration of the sticky note printer 1 is simplified.

  Next, modified embodiments in which various modifications are made to the embodiment will be described. However, components having the same configuration as in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

1] In the above-described embodiment, after separating the outermost sticky note 10, the rotation adjusting device 15 rotates the first roller 5 to push out the free end portion 10 b of the sticky note 10. It is also possible to perform the flip-up by another configuration as illustrated.

(Modification 1)
As shown in FIG. 8A, in the state where the center portion 10 c of the topmost sticky note 10 is separated from the sticky note bundle 11 by the first roller 5, the first roller 5 is further glued to the sticky end of the sticky note 10. The print head 4 may be moved in the scanning direction (rightward in the figure) with respect to the sticky note bundle 11 so as to face toward the 10a side. Even in this case, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C, the free end portion 10 b of the sticky note 10 is pushed rightward by the first roller 5, so that the free end portion 10 b becomes the first roller 5. As a result, the free end portion 10b is flipped up.

  If the first roller 5 rolls on the surface of the sticky note bundle 11 when the print head 4 moves to the right in the drawing, the free end portion 10b of the sticky note 10 is caught in the first roller 5. Therefore, it is preferable to restrict the rotation of the first roller 5 by the rotation adjusting device 15. That is, it is preferable that after the separation of the sticky note 10 is completed, the print head 4 is further moved to the right to perform the flip-up while maintaining the state where the rotation of the first roller 5 is restricted.

(Modification 2)
When the first roller 5 is moved in a direction completely parallel to the scanning direction (true horizontal) as in the above-described modification 1 (FIG. 8), the free end portion 10b of the topmost sticky note 10 is completely bounced. It is conceivable that the glued end 10a is peeled off from the sticky note bundle 11 before being raised, or the sticky note 10 on the outermost layer is bent by the first roller 5 that moves horizontally. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when the carriage 3 is provided with a head drive mechanism 30 configured by an actuator such as a motor, a cylinder, or a solenoid that drives the print head 4 up and down, It is preferable to move the print head 4 in the scanning direction and also move the print head 4 upward (in a direction away from the sticky note bundle 11) by the head driving mechanism 30. That is, it is preferable to move the print head 4 diagonally upward to the right in the drawing. In this case, the head driving mechanism 30 also serves as a biasing unit that biases the print head 4 toward the sticky note bundle 11.

(Modification 3)
The configuration used for printing on the sticky note 10 such as the print head 4 or the first roller 5 provided on the print head 4 does not necessarily have to be used for the flip-up of the sticky note 10, and is a configuration dedicated to the flip-up of the sticky note 10. May be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a rod-shaped member 31 passed through the lower side of the central portion 10c of the topmost sticky note 10 separated from the sticky note bundle 11, and the rod-like member 31 is rotated or moved upward. You may provide the drive means 32, such as a motor which flips up the sticky note paper 10 by moving.

2] The rotation adjusting device (separating means) for adjusting the rotation of the first roller 5 is not limited to that of the above-described embodiment, and other configurations as exemplified below can be adopted.

(Modification 4)
As shown in FIG. 3, the rotation adjusting device 15 of the embodiment includes a free rotation state of the first roller 5 during printing and a torque transmission state (rotation restriction and rotation drive) when the sticky note 10 is separated and flipped up. State) is switched by the sun gear 22 and the planetary gears 23a and 23b. However, when the driving motor 20 and the gear 24 of the first roller 5 are configured to be detachable by appropriate driving means such as a motor or a cylinder, the sun gear 22 and the planetary gears 23a and 23b described above are omitted. Is possible. That is, at the time of printing, the output gear 21 of the drive motor 20 and the gear 24 of the first roller 5 are in a positional relationship where they do not mesh with each other, so that the free rotation of the first roller 5 is maintained. On the other hand, when separating the outermost sticky note 10, the drive motor 20 and the first roller 5 are driven in the approaching direction, and the output gear 21 of the drive motor 20 and the gear 24 of the first roller 5 are driven. By meshing, the torque of the drive motor is transmitted to the first roller 5.

(Modification 5)
The rotation adjusting device 15 of the embodiment is configured to restrict the rotation of the first roller 5 by transmitting torque (rotational resistance) from the drive motor 20 when the sticky note 10 is separated. It is also possible to restrict the rotation of the first roller 5 without using a simple drive motor. For example, the rotation of the first roller 5 may be regulated by a brake mechanism (a so-called disc brake) that presses a brake pad against a rotating body to decelerate. Alternatively, the rotation of the first roller 5 may be mechanically locked by a stopper.

3] Although the two rollers 5 and 6 are rotatably provided in the print head 4 in the above embodiment, the second roller 6 that is not directly used for separating or flipping up the sticky note 10 may be omitted. Is possible. An example is shown below.

(Modification 6)
As shown in FIG. 11, the sticky note printer 1 </ b> A according to the modified embodiment 6 includes a carriage 3 that can move in the scanning direction along the guide shaft 8, and a print head 4 that is connected to the lower portion of the carriage 3 via a spring 13. The printing head 4 is provided with one roller 5 (first roller) rotatably provided. Also in this embodiment, by adjusting the rotation of the roller 5 by a rotation adjusting device having an appropriate configuration, the printed topmost sticky note 10 is separated from the sticky note bundle 11, and further the separated sticky note paper Ten free ends 10b can be flipped up.

4] A holding means for holding the outermost sticky note paper 10 flipped up by an appropriate flip-up means in a state separated from the sticky note bundle 11 may be provided. An example is shown below.

(Modification 7)
As shown in FIG. 12, the sticky note printer 1 </ b> B according to the modified embodiment 7 has two holding members 40 provided at positions above the sticky note bundle 11 and on both sides in the width direction of the sticky note bundle 11. (Holding means). The two holding members 40 have a retracted position (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 12A) that does not overlap the sticky note bundle 11 in a plan view, and a holding position (FIG. 12 (FIG. 12A) that overlaps the sticky note bundle 11 in a plan view. and a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in a) is configured to be rotatable in a horizontal plane.

  During printing on the topmost sticky note 10 or during separation of the printed sticky note 10, the two holding members 40 stand by at the retracted position. On the other hand, when the topmost sticky note 10 separated from the sticky note bundle 11 is flipped up as shown by the solid line in FIG. 12B, the two holding members 40 rotate from the retracted position to the holding position. These two holding members 40 hold the topmost sticky note 10 above the sticky note bundle 11 as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the flipped up sticky note 10 from being stacked again on the sticky note bundle 11.

  In the modified embodiment 7 described above, after the sticky note 10 is flipped up, the sticky note 10 is held by the holding member 40, but after the sticky note 10 is separated from the sticky note bundle 11, The sticky note 10 may be held by a holding member before the sticky note 10 is flipped up. For example, when the central portion 10c of the sticky note 10 is separated from the sticky note bundle 11 (see FIG. 6A), a bar-shaped holding member is placed below the separated central portion 10c in the width direction of the sticky note 10. You may make it hold | maintain the sticky paper 10 of a separation state by inserting from (a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction).

5] In the above embodiment, printing is performed only when the print head 4 moves in one scanning direction (direction toward the free end portion 10b of the sticky note 10) with respect to the sticky note bundle 11, and the other in the scanning direction (sticky note). The printed sticky note 10 is separated when moving back in the direction toward the glued end 10a of the paper 10. However, the print head 4 may perform printing while reciprocating the sticky note bundle 11 in the scanning direction many times. In this case, when the print head 4 moves to the gluing end 10a side in a state where printing is not finished, the rotation adjustment device does not regulate the rotation of the first roller 5 because printing is still in progress. The rotation adjusting device restricts the rotation of the first roller 5 and separates the printed sticky note 10 only when the print head 4 moves to the gluing end 10a side after printing is completed.

6] In the above-described embodiment and its modifications, the print head 4 moves in the scanning direction with respect to the bundle of sticky notes 11 set on the sticky note tray 7 so that printing on the topmost sticky note 10 is completed or printed. The sticky note paper 10 is separated, but the sticky note tray may move in the scanning direction with respect to the fixed print head, and the sticky note paper 10 may be printed or separated.

7] A bundle of sticky notes that can be handled by the sticky note printer of the present invention is not limited to a rectangular shape in plan view as shown in FIG. That is, as long as a sticky note is laminated in a state of being glued at one end thereof, the above-described printing operation, separation operation, and flip-up operation are performed regardless of the planar shape. It is possible.

It is a schematic plan view of the sticky note printer according to the present embodiment. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of the sticky note printer of FIG. It is a figure which shows a rotation adjustment apparatus, (a) shows the state at the time of printing, (b) at the time of sticky note separation, (c) shows the state at the time of flipping up, respectively. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement of a tag printer at the time of printing, (a) shows the state at the time of printing start, (b) During printing, (c) shows the state at the time of completion | finish of printing, respectively. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement of a sticky note printer at the time of sticky note separation, (a) shows the state at the time of separation start, (b) during separation, and (c) shows the state at the end of separation. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement of a sticky note printer at the time of flip-up, (a) shows the state at the time of the start of flip-up, (b) during the flip-up, and (c) shows the state at the end of the flip-up. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the electrical structure of a sticky note printer. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of flip-up of the sticky note printer of the modification 1, (a) shows the state at the time of the start of flip-up, (b) during the flip-up, and (c) shows the state at the time of the end of the flip-up. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of the flip-up of the sticky note printer of the modification 2, (a) shows the state at the time of the start of a flip-up, (b) during the flip-up, (c) shows the state at the time of the end of the flip-up. It is a figure which shows the flip-up operation | movement of the sticky note printer of the modification 3. It is sectional drawing equivalent to FIG. 2 of the tag printer of the modified form 6. It is a figure which shows the sticky note printer of the modified form 7, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1A, 1B Sticky printer 4 Print head 4a Ink ejection surface 5 First roller 6 Second roller 10 Sticky paper 10a Gluing end 10b Free end 10c Central part 11 Sticky paper bundle 13 Spring 15 Rotation adjusting device 40 Holding member

Claims (11)

A sticky note printer that prints on a surface of the sticky paper on the outermost layer of a sticky paper bundle obtained by laminating a plurality of sticky papers that are glued on the back surface at one end in a predetermined direction,
An ink ejection surface facing the surface of the topmost sticky paper, and ejecting ink from the ink ejection surface toward the surface of the topmost sticky paper while moving relative to the sticky paper along the predetermined direction A print head for printing,
The print head is provided to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a direction parallel to the ink ejection surface and intersecting the predetermined direction, and at least a part of the print head is more than the ink ejection surface of the print head. A first roller arranged to jump out to the sticky note bundle side;
Biasing means for biasing the print head toward the bundle of sticky notes so that the first roller contacts the surface of the topmost sticky notes;
Separating means for separating the middle portion of the outermost layer sticky note from the sticky note bundle by adjusting the rotation of the first roller during the movement of the print head in the predetermined direction;
A sticky printer, comprising: a flip-up means for jumping up the other end portion in the predetermined direction of the topmost sticky paper separated from the sticky paper bundle by the separating means. The separating means includes
When the print head moves relative to the sticky note bundle and ejects ink onto the outermost sticky note, the first roller is arranged so that the outermost sticky note does not separate from the sticky note bundle. Rolling the first roller on the surface of the outermost sticky note without restricting the rotation of
When the print head moves from the other end portion of the sticky note paper toward the one end portion, which is the glued end portion of the sticky note paper, after the printing is finished, the peripheral speed of the first roller is greater than the moving speed of the print head. The rotation of the first roller is restricted so as to be slower, the other end portion of the sticky paper on the outermost layer is moved to the one end side together with the first roller, and the middle of the sticky paper on the outermost layer is moved. The sticky note printer according to claim 1, wherein a part is separated from the sticky note bundle. The jumping means is
In a state where the middle part in the predetermined direction of the sticky paper on the outermost layer is separated from the bundle of sticky papers by the separating means, the other end in the predetermined direction of the sticky paper on the outermost layer is pushed in the direction toward the one end. The sticky note printer according to claim 1, wherein the other end portion of the sticky note paper is flipped up by rotating the first roller.   4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a pressing unit that presses the other end portion in the predetermined direction of the second sticky note sheet located immediately below the topmost sticky note when the flip-up unit flips up. 5. The sticky note printer described.   5. The sticky note printer according to claim 4, wherein the pressing unit is a second roller provided on the print head so as to be rotatable at a position on the other end side in the predetermined direction with respect to the first roller.   6. The sticky note printer according to claim 5, wherein the second roller is configured so that a frictional force acting between the second roller and the sticky note bundle is larger than that of the first roller.   The sticky note printer according to claim 6, wherein a surface friction coefficient of the second roller is larger than that of the first roller.   The sticky note printer according to claim 6, wherein a pressing force to the bundle of sticky notes acting on the second roller by the urging unit is larger than that of the first roller.   Immediately before the flip-up by the flip-up means, the print head is located on the sticky paper bundle side with respect to a tangential plane extending from the one end of the sticky paper bundle toward the first roller. The sticky note printer according to any one of claims 3 to 8. The jumping means is
The printing head is moved so that the first roller is directed toward the one end side of the sticky note paper in a state in which the middle part in the predetermined direction of the sticky paper of the outermost layer is separated from the sticky note bundle by the separating means. The sticky note printer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the other end portion of the topmost sticky note paper is flipped up by being relatively moved in the predetermined direction with respect to the sticky note bundle. The sticky note printer according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising holding means for holding the outermost sticky note paper flipped up by the flip-up means in a state separated from the sticky note bundle.

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