JP2010143105A - Printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an easy operation and miniaturization of apparatus while making it unnecessary to prepare a front sheet guide separately in a printing apparatus which performs a continuous paper feeding and manual paper feeding. <P>SOLUTION: In the printing apparatus which performs the manual paper feeding for manually feeding a cut sheet to printing part and the continuous paper feeding for feeding the continuous paper by a tractor, a whole front cover 4 prepared on the front face of apparatus is provided so as to be in the first open state and second open state. With the above whole front cover 4 covering the tractor 16 in the first open state, the whole front cover 4 works as the sheet guide for manual paper feeding. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

Conventionally, a wire dot impact printer can print on continuous paper and single sheets, and in the case of single sheets, it can also be fed manually. Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-68657 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for preventing noise during manual feed printing. On the other hand, a method of providing a front sheet guide as an accessory for manual sheet feeding is also considered.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-68657

  However, according to Patent Document 1, the printing paper transport unit has a feed roller, and the front surface of the housing has a table continuous to the upper cover. Then, a single sheet is set on the table for manual sheet feeding. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the table, and the printing apparatus having such a configuration has a problem that the apparatus becomes large.

  On the other hand, in the method using the front sheet guide as an accessory, remove the front sheet guide and attach the front tractor when feeding continuous paper, and remove the front tractor when feeding manually. Therefore, the front seat guide must be attached, and the operation is complicated. In addition, when manual sheet feeding is not performed, there is a problem that a space for preparing the front sheet guide in another place is required.

  A problem to be solved by the present invention is a printing apparatus that performs continuous paper feeding and manual paper feeding, which is easy to operate, contributes to downsizing of the apparatus, and does not require a separate front sheet guide. Is to provide a device.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a printing apparatus that performs manual paper feeding for manually feeding a single sheet to a printing unit and continuous paper feeding for feeding continuous paper with a tractor. The front cover provided on the front surface of the apparatus is provided so as to be in a first open state and a second open state, and the front cover covers the tractor in the first open state, and the front cover covers the tractor. The printing apparatus is characterized in that the cover serves as a sheet guide for manual feeding, and the front cover is capable of feeding continuous paper in the second open state.

  According to the present invention, in a printing apparatus that performs continuous paper feeding and manual paper feeding, it is easy to operate, contributes to downsizing of the apparatus, and further provides a printing apparatus that does not require a separate front sheet guide. be able to.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an external view of the printer 1 according to the first embodiment. The printer 1 is a wire dot impact printer, and has an upper cover 11 having a platen 12 as a printing mechanism, a print head 13 and the like. These printing mechanisms perform a printing operation under the control of a printing control unit (not shown). Various settings for the print control unit can be performed by operating the operation panel 14. A front cover 4 is provided on a part of the upper cover 11 on the front surface of the printer 1. The figure shows the closed state of the front cover 4.

  FIG. 1 is a partially omitted perspective view of the printer 1 showing a state in which the front cover 4 is opened. The front cover 4 is provided on the front surface of the printer 1 and below the operation panel 14 so as to be openable and closable. As will be described later, the front cover 4 includes an inner front cover 5 and an outer front cover 6 (hereinafter, both are collectively referred to as the front cover 4). As shown in the drawing, the entire front cover 4 can be manually fed in the open state as the first open state. The entire front cover 4 is in the first open state by opening the outer front cover 6 in the direction of the arrow A in the figure.

  FIG. 3 is a partially omitted left side view of the printer 1 showing a state where the entire front cover 4 is opened. As described above, by opening the outer front cover 6 in the direction of the arrow A in the drawing, the front cover 4 as a whole is in the first open state. As will be described later, an inner front cover rotation shaft c is provided at the lower end of the outer front cover 6. On the other hand, a bearing grip 55 is provided at the lower end of the inner front cover 5. The bearing grip 55 is coupled to the inner front cover rotation shaft c, and the inner front cover 5 and the outer front cover 6 can be rotated about the inner front cover rotation shaft c. The inner front cover 5 rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow B around a front cover rotation axis b described later. Thus, in the first open state of the entire front cover 4, the inner front cover 5 and the outer front cover 6 maintain a straight line. On the other hand, in the closed state of the entire front cover 4, the inner front cover 5 and the outer front cover 6 are fixed to front cover rotating shafts a and b, which will be described later, so that the inner front cover 5 becomes the outer front cover 6. It is stored in.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the front cover rotating shafts a and b. The front cover rotating shafts a and b are provided at the left and right ends inside the upper cover 11 of the printer 1. The front cover rotating shaft a is provided at the upper portion, maintains the closed state of the entire front cover 4, and serves as a rotation center of the second open state of the entire front cover 4 as will be described later. On the other hand, the front cover rotating shaft b is provided below the front cover rotating shaft a and at a depth d. The front cover rotation shaft b is the rotation center of the inner front cover 5 in the first open state of the entire front cover 4.

  FIG. 5 is a partially omitted side view of the entire front cover 4. As described above, the entire front cover 4 includes the inner front cover 5 and the outer front cover 6. The figure shows the closed state of the entire front cover 4. In the closed state of the entire front cover 4, the inner front cover 5 is accommodated in the outer front cover 6. The bearing recess 65 of the side wall 64 of the outer front cover 6 is coupled to the front cover rotating shaft a. The bearing recess 66 of the side wall 64 is coupled to the front cover rotating shaft b. Further, the inner front cover rotating shaft c provided at the lower part of the outer front cover 6 is coupled to a bearing grip 55 provided at the lower part of the inner front cover 5. Reference numeral 63 denotes a handle used when the entire front cover 4 is shifted from the closed state to the first open state. In the same figure, a cursor 8, a paper guide 9, and a paper guide spring 91, which will be described later, are not shown.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the inner front cover 5. FIG. 6A is a perspective view seen from the direction of the surface 51 of the inner front cover 5, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the inner front cover 5 as viewed from the direction of the back surface 52. FIG. 7 is a side view of the inner front cover 5. 6 and 7, a surface 51 is a surface through which a single sheet for manual sheet feeding passes in the first open state.

  The inner front cover 5 has a substantially rectangular shape, and side walls 56 are provided at both ends thereof. Bearing recesses 53 that are coupled to the front cover rotating shaft a are provided on the side surfaces 56 of the side walls 56 at both ends. Further, bearing recesses 54 that are coupled to the front cover rotating shaft b are provided on the back surface 52 side of the side walls 56 at both ends. Further, at both the left and right ends of the lower end of the inner front cover 5, bearing grip portions 55 that are coupled to the inner front cover rotating shaft c provided on the outer front cover 6 are provided.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the outer front cover 6. FIG. 5A is a perspective view seen from the direction of the surface 61 of the outer front cover 6, and FIG.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the outer front cover 6 as viewed from the direction of the back surface 62. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the outer front cover 6. 8 and 9, the surface 61 is outside the printer 1 when the entire front cover 4 is closed. On the other hand, the back surface 62 is a surface through which a single sheet for manual feeding is passed in the first open state. As will be described later, when the entire front cover 4 is in the first open state, the back surface 62 of the outer front cover 6 and the front surface 51 of the inner front cover 5 are continuously formed, and a sheet guide for manual feeding is formed. It becomes the side of. Reference numeral 67 denotes an inclined portion for reducing the catch of the surface 51 of the inner front cover 5.

  The outer front cover 6 has a substantially rectangular shape, and side walls 64 are provided at both ends thereof. A bearing recess 65 coupled to the front cover rotation shaft a and a bearing recess 66 coupled to the front cover rotation shaft b are provided on the back surface 62 side of the side walls 64 at both ends. Further, on both the left and right ends of the lower end of the outer front cover 6, an inner front cover rotating shaft c that is coupled to the bearing grip 55 provided on the inner front cover 5 is provided.

  Further, on the back surface 62 side of the outer front cover 6, there are a paper guide 9 for guiding a manual feed sheet and a cursor 8 for moving the paper guide 9. The paper guide 9 is provided substantially vertically to guide both ends of the single sheet. However, as shown in FIG. 5, when the entire front cover 4 is in the closed state, the back surface 62 of the outer front cover 6 faces the surface 51 of the inner front cover 5. It is a structure that is pushed and falls inward. In the first open state, the sheet guide spring 91 returns to a substantially vertical position, but when in the closed state, the sheet guide spring 91 is inclined inward so as to easily fall down.

  The cursor 8 is movable along the groove 82 in the width direction of the cut sheet, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the cut sheet. The cursor 8 moves together with the paper guide 9 and the paper guide spring 91. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the cursor 8. The groove 82 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the back surface 62 of the outer front cover 6.

  Next, an operation method for manual sheet feeding and continuous paper feeding according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing paper routes for manual paper feed and continuous paper feed. The figure shows the inside of the printer 1 with the upper cover 11 omitted. Reference numeral 15 denotes a lower cover of the printer 1. The tractor 16 drives feed holes provided at both ends of the continuous paper, and conveys the continuous paper along the tractor continuous paper route 18.

  On the other hand, a sheet guide for manual sheet feeding is formed by the back surface 62 of the outer front cover 6 and the front surface 51 of the inner front cover 5 continuous thereto as described above. The single sheet supplied to the sheet guide for manual sheet feeding is sent to a predetermined position along the manual sheet route 17 by the operator. Thereafter, the tractor continuous paper route 18 and the manual paper route 17 are merged, and the continuous paper or single sheet is wound around the platen 12 and printing is performed by the print head 13. In addition, since the tractor 16 does not function during manual paper feeding, it is necessary to cover the tractor 16 with the inner front cover 5. On the other hand, when the continuous paper is fed, the entire front cover 4 is not necessary, so that the entire front cover 4 is placed in the second open position as will be described later.

  12 to 14 are explanatory diagrams illustrating manual sheet feeding operations. Each figure (a) shows a partially omitted external view of the printer 1, and each figure (b) shows a partially omitted left side view of the printer 1. When performing manual sheet feeding, the operator pulls the handle 63 of the outer front cover 6 forward, and tilts the outer front cover 6 in the direction of arrow A. Then, the bearing recess 65 of the outer front cover 6 is disengaged from the front cover rotating shaft a, and the outer front cover 6 rotates in the direction of arrow A around the bearing grip 55 of the inner front cover 5 (FIG. 12).

  Next, the operator pushes the upper part of the inner front cover 5 to the back side, and tilts the inner front cover 5 in the arrow B direction. As a result, the bearing recess 53 of the inner front cover 5 is disengaged from the front cover rotating shaft a, and the inner front cover 5 rotates in the direction of arrow B about the front cover rotating shaft b (FIG. 13).

  Then, the inner front cover 5 and the outer front cover 6 are linear, and the inner front cover 5 covers the tractor 16, and the inner front cover 5 and the outer front cover 6 form a sheet guide for manual feeding. (FIG. 14).

  On the other hand, FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation for feeding continuous paper. In the case of continuous paper feeding, the operator pulls up the lower end of the entire front cover 4 toward the front in the state of the external view shown in FIG. The bearing recess 54 of the inner front cover 5 and the bearing recess 66 of the outer front cover 6 are removed from the front cover rotating shaft b. As a result, the entire front cover 4 rotates in the direction of the arrow C around the front cover rotation axis a, and enters a second open state. The operator can connect the continuous paper to the tractor 16 and feed the continuous paper by the tractor continuous paper route 18. The reason why the entire front cover 4 is maintained in the second open state is that projections (not shown) are provided outside the side walls 64 on both sides of the outer front cover 6, and the upper cover 11 of the printer 1 corresponds to this projection. By providing the recessed part to perform, it can carry out by locking both.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, in the printer 1 that performs continuous paper feed and manual paper feed, the entire front cover 4 is constituted by the inner front cover 5 and the outer front cover 6, and the printer 1 main body is provided with two upper and lower front cover rotating shafts a and b, and a first open state and a second open state are formed, so that the operation can be performed by manually pulling the front cover handle 63 forward. The sheet guide is easy to operate. Furthermore, it is not necessary to provide a sheet guide for manual feeding, which contributes to downsizing of the apparatus. In addition, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus that does not require a separate front sheet guide.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the entire front cover 4 according to the second embodiment. The entire front cover 4 comprises an inner front cover 5 and an outer front cover 6 as in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, as will be described later, the inner front cover 5 extends from the outer front cover 6 so as to be slidable.

FIG. 16A is a perspective view seen from the direction of the surface 61 of the outer front cover 6, and FIG.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the outer front cover 6 as viewed from the direction of the back surface 62. In the drawing, the surface 61 is outside the printer 1 when the front cover 4 is closed. On the other hand, the back surface 62 is a surface through which a single sheet for manual feeding is passed in the first open state. As a result of the sliding of the inner front cover 5, the back surface 62 of the outer front cover 6 and the front surface 51 of the inner front cover 5 are formed continuously, and the entire front cover 4 is in the first open state for manual feeding. It becomes a sheet guide.

  The entire front cover 4 has a substantially rectangular shape, and side walls 64 of the outer front cover 6 are provided at both ends thereof. A bearing recess 65 coupled to the front cover rotation shaft a and a bearing recess 66 coupled to the front cover rotation shaft b are provided on the back surface 62 side of the side walls 64 at both ends.

  Further, the back surface 62 of the outer front cover 6 is provided with a plurality of grooves 68 in the manual sheet feeding direction, and the inner front cover 5 is provided with a projection (not shown). When the protrusion slides in the groove 68 of the outer front cover 6, the inner front cover 5 can slide in the arrow D direction. In the figure, the paper guide 9 for guiding the manual feed sheet, the cursor 8 for moving the paper guide 9, and the paper guide spring 91 are not shown.

  Next, a manual paper feed and continuous paper feed operation method according to the second embodiment will be described. 17 and 18 are explanatory views showing the manual sheet feeding operation. Both figures (a) show a partially omitted external view of the printer 1, and each figure (b) shows a partially omitted left side view of the printer 1. When performing manual sheet feeding, the operator pulls the handle 63 of the outer front cover 6 forward, and tilts the outer front cover 6 in the direction of arrow A. Then, the bearing recess 65 of the outer front cover 6 is disengaged from the front cover rotating shaft a, and the outer front cover 6 rotates in the direction of arrow A about the front cover rotating shaft b (FIG. 17).

  Next, the operator pushes the inner front cover 5 back and slides the inner front cover 5 along the groove 68 in the direction of arrow D. Then, the inner front cover 5 and the outer front cover 6 are linear, the inner front cover 5 covers the tractor 16, and the entire front cover 4 is in the first open state. A sheet guide for manual sheet feeding is formed by the cover 6 (FIG. 18).

  On the other hand, FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation for feeding continuous paper. In the case of continuous paper feeding, the operator pulls up the lower end of the entire front cover 4 toward the front in the state of the external view shown in FIG. The bearing recess 66 of the outer front cover 6 is removed from the front cover rotating shaft b. As a result, the entire front cover 4 rotates in the direction of the arrow C around the front cover rotation axis a, and enters a second open state. The operator can connect the continuous paper to the tractor 16 and feed the continuous paper by the tractor continuous paper route 18. It should be noted that the entire front cover 4 is maintained in the second open state, as in the first embodiment, by providing protrusions (not shown) outside the side walls 64 on both sides of the outer front cover 6. By providing the upper cover 11 with a recess corresponding to the protrusion, both can be locked.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the entire front cover 4 is composed of the inner front cover 5 and the outer front cover 6, and the upper and lower front cover rotating shafts a and b are provided on the main body of the printer 1. In the first open state, since the inner front cover 5 is extended by sliding from the outer front cover 6 and the inner front cover 5 covers the tractor 16, a manual sheet guide can be formed. It is possible to provide a printing apparatus that is easy to operate and contributes to downsizing of the apparatus, and further does not require a separate front sheet guide.

FIG. 3 is a partially omitted perspective view of the printer showing a state where a front cover is opened. 1 is an external view of a printer according to a first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the printer, partially omitted, showing a state where the front cover is also opened. It is explanatory drawing of the front cover rotating shaft a and b. It is a partially omitted side view of the entire front cover. It is a perspective view of an inner front cover. It is a side view of an inner front cover. It is a perspective view of an outside front cover. It is a top view of an outside front cover. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a cursor. It is explanatory drawing which shows the paper route of manual feed and continuous paper feed. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a manual sheet feeding operation. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a manual sheet feeding operation. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a manual sheet feeding operation. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation of continuous paper feed. It is a perspective view of the whole front cover regarding 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a manual sheet feeding operation. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a manual sheet feeding operation. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation of continuous paper feed.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 4 Whole front cover 5 Inner front cover 6 Outer front cover 8 Cursor 9 Paper guide 11 Upper cover 16 Tractor 17 Manual paper route 18 Tractor continuous paper route 53, 54 Bearing concave part 55 Bearing grip part 65, 66 Bearing concave part a, b Front cover rotation axis c Inner front cover rotation axis

Claims (4)

In a printing apparatus that performs manual feed for manually feeding a single sheet to a printing unit and continuous paper feed for feeding continuous paper with a tractor,
A front cover provided on the front surface of the apparatus is provided so as to be in a first open state and a second open state,
When the front cover is in the first open state, the front cover covers the tractor, so that the front cover becomes a sheet guide for manual feeding,
A printing apparatus, wherein the front cover is capable of feeding continuous paper in the second open state. The front cover is rotatable about an upper rotation shaft and a lower rotation shaft provided in the apparatus body,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first open state is set by opening the lower rotary shaft as a center, and the second open state is set by opening the upper rotary shaft as a center. . The front cover includes an outer front cover and an inner front cover.
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein both of them are rotatable about an axis provided at an end portion, and the inner front cover is expanded from the outer front cover to be in the first open state. . The front cover includes an outer front cover and an inner front cover,
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein both of them have a slide structure and can be expanded and contracted, and the first front state is established when the inner front cover extends from the outer front cover.

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