JP2011051261A - Printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an apparatus from falling down during a paper exchanging work and to find out the imperfect holding of a printing unit in the apparatus body by way of preventing another printing unit from being pulled out when one printing unit has been pulled out in the apparatus in which two printing units are placed side by side. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus includes the first printing unit 15 capable of being pulled out and held in a predetermined direction from the apparatus body 10, the second printing unit 16 which is placed side by side with the first printing unit 15 and pulled out from the apparatus body 10 in the same side as the side in which the first printing unit 15 is pulled out while being able to be held in the apparatus body 10, and a locking mechanism 40 for locking another printing unit in the apparatus body 10 when one of the printing units has been pulled out from the apparatus body 10. The locking mechanism 40 is provided so that the locking state may be visible in the condition that the first printing unit 15 and the second printing unit 16 have been held in the apparatus body 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that performs printing on a printing medium and includes a plurality of printing units that accommodate the printing medium.

  Conventionally, there is a label printer that issues a label on which information related to a product such as food is printed. When a label printed by a label printer is affixed to a product, a plurality of labels may be affixed to a product, such as a product weighing label and a product advertisement label. In view of sticking a plurality of labels in this way, a label printer provided with two label printing mechanisms (printing units) arranged in parallel inside the apparatus is disclosed (see Patent Document 1). Some label printers equipped with such two printing units are performed by pulling the printing unit out of the main body of the apparatus when replacing the label paper.

  However, when one of the printing units is pulled out during the replacement of the label paper, the other printing unit is also pulled out, and the apparatus is tilted toward the printing unit that is pulled out due to the weight of the two printing units that are pulled out. There was a risk of falling during work. Further, even when the printer unit is incompletely accommodated in the apparatus main body, there is a risk that the printing unit is naturally pulled out of the apparatus main body due to the weight and falls.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and when one printing unit is pulled out in a printing apparatus in which two printing units are arranged side by side, the other printing unit cannot be pulled out. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can prevent the apparatus from falling down during a sheet replacement operation and the like and can discover that the printing unit is imperfectly accommodated in the apparatus main body. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a first printing unit that houses a print medium printed by a printing unit, and that can be pulled out and housed in a predetermined direction from the apparatus main body. A second printing unit that is arranged in parallel with the first printing unit, accommodates the printing medium, is drawn from the apparatus main body on the same side as the side from which the first printing unit is drawn, and can be accommodated in the apparatus main body; A locking mechanism for locking the other printing unit in the apparatus main body when either one of the first printing unit and the second printing unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body; The locking mechanism is provided so that the locked state can be visually observed in a state where the first printing unit and the second printing unit are accommodated in the apparatus main body.

  In the printing apparatus according to the present invention, when one printing unit is pulled out in a printing apparatus in which two printing units are arranged side by side, it is impossible to pull out the other printing unit. In addition to preventing the apparatus from falling over, the printer unit can be found incompletely accommodated in the apparatus main body.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a label issuing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the printer unit is pulled out from the inside of the apparatus main body. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the locking mechanism. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the main part of the locking mechanism. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the lever is pushed upward. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of the transmission member and the lock bar when the lever is pushed upward. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the displacement of the lock bar.

  Exemplary embodiments of a printing apparatus according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Below, although the example which applied the printing apparatus of this invention to the label issuing apparatus which prints the information relevant to goods, such as food, on a label, and issues the label on which information was printed is shown, it is limited to this Any apparatus that prints on a print medium without any problem may be applied.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the label issuing device 1 according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the printer unit 15 is pulled out from the inside of the device main body 10. As shown in FIG. 1, this label issuing device 1 schematically prints information related to a product on a label inside the device, and the label on which the information is printed is displayed on the front side of the device (device operator facing surface). Issued from the label issuing port 17 or the label issuing port 18 provided on the front panel 15b or the front panel 16b. A display 11 with a touch panel for displaying various information related to products is provided at a substantially upper center of a label issuing device main body (hereinafter referred to as “device main body”) 10. Further, a keyboard 12 that receives various inputs from the operator is provided on the front side (apparatus operator side) of the apparatus main body 10. In addition, a measurement unit 13 that places a product and measures the weight of the product is provided in the lower front portion of the apparatus main body 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 10 of the label issuing apparatus 1 has an opening 20 on the apparatus front (apparatus operator facing surface) side. In the apparatus main body 10 having such a front opening, the printer unit 15 as the first printing unit and the printer unit 16 as the second printing unit are arranged side by side (in parallel) and accommodated. Is done. The printer unit 15 and the printer unit 16 are provided with a drawer handle portion 15a or a drawer handle portion 16a at the lower portion of the front panel 15b and the front panel 16b exposed from the opening 20 of the apparatus main body 10 when accommodated. The operator facing the front of the label issuing device 1 moves the lever 46 (see FIG. 1) of the drawer handle portion 15a of the printer unit 15 or the lever 47 (see FIG. 1) in the drawer handle portion 16a of the printer unit 16 upward (see FIG. 1). By pushing the drawer handle 15a or the drawer handle 16a and pulling the respective printer units toward the front side while pushing in the B direction shown in FIG. It can be pulled out from the portion 20 in the direction A in FIG. That is, the levers 46 and 47 are slidable upward (in the B direction shown in FIG. 1) so as to move to the positions accommodated in the front panels 15b and 16b when pressed upward (in the B direction shown in FIG. 1). Is provided. Since the levers 46 and 47 are accommodated in the front panels 15b and 16b, the operator can put their fingers on the drawer handle portion 15a or the drawer handle portion 16a and pull each printer unit toward the front side. .

  On the other hand, the pulled out printer unit 15 or printer unit 16 is opened by the operator facing the front of the label issuing device 1 pressing the front panel 15b or the front panel 16b in the direction opposite to the direction A in FIG. Each of them is housed inside the apparatus main body 10 via the unit 20.

  As described above, the printer unit 15 and the printer unit 16 can be smoothly pulled out from the apparatus main body 10 and accommodated in the apparatus main body 10. The slide rail (drawer rail) mechanism SR provided in the apparatus main body 10 (see FIG. 2). It is realized by.

  Next, the slide rail mechanism SR will be described in detail. Here, the slide rail mechanism SR provided in the printer unit 15 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, on the both side surfaces of the bottom portion 15d of the printer unit 15, one elongated inner rail 25 arranged along the pulling / storing direction is provided on each side. On the other hand, a pair of outer rails 26 in which the inner rails 25 are accommodated are provided in an opening on the right side of the apparatus main body 10 in which the printer unit 15 is accommodated. Note that an intermediate rail 27 interlocking with the inner rail 25 is interposed between the inner rail 25 and the outer rail 26 and can be pulled out almost fully until the entire printer unit 15 is exposed. Therefore, it is easy to set the roll-shaped label paper P that must be set on the back side of the printer unit 15.

  The slide rail mechanism SR provided in the printer unit 15 described above is also provided on both side surfaces of the bottom (not shown) of the printer unit 16 accommodated in the opening on the left side of the apparatus main body 10 as viewed from the front. Yes.

  The printer unit 15 (printer unit 16) includes a label printing mechanism LP that is provided near the label issuing port 17 (label issuing port 18) and prints information on the label, and information is output by the label printing mechanism LP. A paper storage unit 31 for storing a label paper P, which is a printing medium obtained by winding a mount with a label on which a label is printed, in a roll shape, a label printing mechanism LP, a label issuing port 17 (label issuing port 18), And a take-up shaft 30 that winds up the mount from which the label has been peeled off by a peeling member (not shown) provided between them.

  The label issuing device 1 is configured so that the labels printed by the label printing mechanism LP of the printer units 15 and 16 are discharged from the label issuing ports 17 and 18 formed on the front surface of the device main body 10. Further, the mount of the label paper P stored in the paper storage portion 31 of the printer units 15 and 16 is provided on the lower side of the label printing mechanism LP every time the label is peeled off by the peeling member. And gradually move to the front side of the printer units 15 and 16. Reference numeral MR denotes a mount roll wound in a roll shape by the take-up shaft 30. Therefore, when the label paper P is replenished, the space is widened in the paper storage unit 31 of the printer units 15 and 16, while the mount from which the label is peeled is wound up in a roll shape on the front side. Therefore, the center of gravity of the printer units 15 and 16 is positioned closer to the front side as the mount is wound up (that is, when it is necessary to replenish the label sheet).

  By the way, as described above, when the label paper P is replenished, the center of gravity of the printer units 15 and 16 is positioned on the near side by the mount roll MR taken up by the take-up shaft 30. In the case of such a structure, conventionally, when one printer unit is pulled out, the other printer unit is also pulled out, and there is a problem that two printer units are pulled out simultaneously. In such a case, depending on the weight of the two printer units that have been pulled out, there is a risk that the label issuing device will tilt toward the printer unit from which it has been pulled out and fall over during operation.

  Therefore, the label issuing device 1 according to the present embodiment locks the other unit inside the apparatus main body 10 when either one of the printer units 15 and 16 is pulled out from the inside of the apparatus main body 10. A locking mechanism 40 (see FIG. 3) is provided on the back side of the front panel 15b and the front panel 16b so as not to be pulled out. Hereinafter, the locking mechanism 40 will be described in detail.

  Here, FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the locking mechanism 40, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the main part of the locking mechanism 40. In FIG. 3, the front panel 15b and the front panel 16b are partially cut out to show the locking mechanism 40 on the back side of the panel. 3 shows a state where the lever 47 in the drawer handle 16a of the printer unit 16 is pushed upward (B direction). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the locking mechanism 40 has a lock groove 41 formed to face each other in each slide rail mechanism SR provided in the apparatus main body 10 corresponding to the printer unit 15 and the printer unit 16. , 42 and a bar-shaped lock bar 43 that constitutes a locking member and is detachably provided in each lock groove 41, 42, and a lock bar 43 for each lock groove 41, 42. And insertion / removal control mechanisms 44 and 45 for inserting and removing. That is, the lock bar 43 is positioned between the printer units 15 and 16. As described above, the locking mechanism 40 is provided on the back side of the front panel 15b and the front panel 16b, and the insertion / removal control mechanism 44 (first insertion / removal control mechanism) moves together with the printer unit 15 to be inserted / removed. The control mechanism 45 (second insertion / removal control mechanism) moves together with the printer unit 16. That is, the state of the lock bar 43 can be visually observed from the gap between the printer units 15 and 16 arranged in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the inner rail 25 of each slide rail mechanism SR provided in the apparatus main body 10 corresponding to the printer unit 15 and the printer unit 16 includes the printer units 15 and 16 accommodated in the apparatus main body 10. In this state, a part of the outer rail 26 is exposed. Lock grooves 41 and 42 are formed in the exposed portion of the inner rail 25.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the insertion / removal control mechanism 44 is connected to the lever 46 of the drawer handle portion 15a of the printer unit 15 and between the lever 46 and the lock bar 43 and has the same moving direction as the lever 46. And a transmission member 48 that transmits the movement in the direction to the lock bar 43. As shown in FIG. 3, the insertion / removal control mechanism 45 is connected to the lever 47 in the drawer handle portion 16 a of the printer unit 16, and between the lever 47 and the lock bar 43. And a transmission member 49 that transmits the movement in the same direction as the direction to the lock bar 43. Here, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the lever is pushed upward, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing movement of the transmission member 49 and the lock bar 43 when the lever 47 is pushed upward (B direction). As shown in FIG. 5, when the lever 47 is pushed upward (B direction) by a distance X, the transmission member 49 is also moved upward (B direction) by the distance X as shown in FIG. Thus, the lock bar 43 moves upward (in the B direction) by a distance X. Note that when the lever 46 is pushed upward (direction B), the lock bar 43 moves upward via the transmission member 48.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the bar-shaped lock bar 43 has a smaller cross-sectional shape than the lock grooves 41 and 42. Here, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the displacement of the lock bar 43 due to the transmission of movement from the insertion / removal control mechanisms 44 and 45. As shown in FIG. 7, the lock bar 43 is swingable with a portion connected to the transmission member 48 of the insertion / removal control mechanism 44 or a portion connected to the transmission member 49 of the insertion / removal control mechanism 45 as a fulcrum. Is provided. A biasing member 50 that constitutes a locking member and biases the lock bar 43 in a direction of pressing the lock bar 43 against the lock grooves 41 and 42 is provided at a substantially central portion of the lock bar 43. In addition, at a position slightly lower than the position in which the lock bar 43 is removed from the lock groove 41 or the lock groove 42 at the time of swinging, and at a position facing the substantially central portion of the lock bar 43, A restricting member 51 is provided for restricting movement, that is, restricting the lock bar 43 from being raised to a higher position. By providing the restricting member 51 in this way, the lock bar 43 is simultaneously detached from the lock groove 41 formed in the slide rail mechanism SR of the printer unit 15 and the lock groove 42 formed in the slide rail mechanism SR of the printer unit 16. It is possible to prevent the two printer units 15 and 16 from being pulled out simultaneously.

  Here, the operation of the locking mechanism 40 when the printer unit 16 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 10 of the label issuing apparatus 1 will be described.

  When the printer unit 16 is accommodated in the apparatus main body 10, the lock bar 43 is fitted in the lock groove 42 formed in the inner rail 25 of the slide rail mechanism SR, and is locked. (See FIG. 4A). When the lever 47 in the drawer handle 16a of the printer unit 16 is pushed upward from this state, the lock bar 43 rises upward via the transmission member 49 of the insertion / removal control mechanism 45, and the lock groove formed in the inner rail 25 The lock bar 43 is removed from 42 and the locking by the locking mechanism 40 is released.

  When the lever 47 in the drawer handle portion 16a of the printer unit 16 is pushed upward and a finger is placed on the drawer handle portion 16a to release the printer unit 16 released from the locking mechanism 40 in the direction A in FIG. The lock bar 43 on the upper side (the printer unit 16 side) slides while moving upward on the slide rail mechanism SR (inner rail 25). However, the lock bar 43 moves to the inner rail 25 of the slide rail mechanism SR of the printer unit 15. Since the lock bar 43 remains fitted only in the formed lock groove 41, when one printer unit 16 is pulled out, the other printer unit 15 cannot be pulled out (see FIG. 4B). .

  Thus, when the printer unit 16 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 10 of the label issuing apparatus 1, the printer unit 15 is locked by the locking mechanism 40 and cannot be pulled out from the apparatus main body 10 of the label issuing apparatus 1. It becomes a state. That is, the printer unit 15 and the printer unit 16 are not pulled out from the apparatus body 10 of the label issuing apparatus 1 at the same time.

  Next, the operation of the locking mechanism 40 when the printer unit 16 is accommodated in the main body 10 of the label issuing device 1 will be described.

  When the printer unit 16 is accommodated in the apparatus main body 10 from the state in which the printer unit 16 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 10, the lock bar 43 on the upper side (the printer unit 16 side) is located on the slide rail mechanism SR (inner rail 25). The lock bar 43 urged by the urging member 50 is fitted into the lock groove 42 formed in the inner rail 25 at a predetermined position (see FIG. 4C). Thus, in the process of accommodating the printer unit 16 in the apparatus main body 10, the lock bar 43 is fitted in the lock groove 42 formed in the inner rail 25 of the slide rail mechanism SR. Will be executed. In such a state, the locking by the locking mechanism 40 cannot be released unless the operation of pushing the lever 47 of the drawer handle portion 16a of the printer unit 16 upward again is performed.

  Although the case where the printer unit 16 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 10 of the label issuing apparatus 1 has been described above, the same applies to the case where the printer unit 15 is pulled out.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when one printer unit is pulled out in the label issuing device 1 in which the two printer units 15 and 16 are arranged side by side, the other printer unit cannot be pulled out. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the apparatus from being overturned during a sheet exchange operation or the like.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the locking mechanism 40 is provided on the back side of the front panel 15b and the front panel 16b, and the lock bar 43 is locked from the gap between the printer units 15 and 16 arranged side by side. Since it can be known from the inclination, it can be found that the printer units 15 and 16 are incompletely accommodated in the apparatus main body 10.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 10 Apparatus main body 15 1st printing unit 15b Front panel of 1st printing unit 16 2nd printing unit 16b Front panel of 2nd printing unit 40 Locking mechanism 43 Locking member, bar 44 First insertion / removal control mechanism 45 Second insertion / removal control mechanism 50 Locking member, urging member 51 Restriction member LP Printing portion P Printing medium SR First slide rail mechanism, second slide rail mechanism

JP-A-63-294339

Claims (6)

A first printing unit that contains a print medium to be printed by the printing unit, and that can be pulled out and housed in a predetermined direction from the apparatus main body;
A second printing unit that is arranged in parallel with the first printing unit, accommodates the printing medium, is drawn from the apparatus main body on the same side as the side from which the first printing unit is drawn, and can be accommodated in the apparatus main body;
A locking mechanism for locking the other printing unit in the apparatus main body when either one of the first printing unit and the second printing unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body;
With
The locking mechanism is provided so that the locking state can be visually observed in a state where the first printing unit and the second printing unit are accommodated in the apparatus main body.
A printing apparatus characterized by that. The locking mechanism is
It is provided on the back side of the front panel of the first printing unit and the front panel of the second printing unit, and the locked state can be visually observed between the first printing unit and the second printing unit arranged side by side. Provided in the
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. The locking mechanism is
A first slide rail mechanism provided in the apparatus main body corresponding to the first printing unit and a second slide rail mechanism provided in the apparatus main body corresponding to the second printing unit A locking member that is provided so as to be insertable / removable and is locked in the apparatus body in the inserted state,
A first insertion / removal control mechanism that is pulled out and accommodated together with the first printing unit from the apparatus main body and controls insertion / removal of the locking member;
A second insertion / removal control mechanism that is pulled out and housed together with the second printing unit and controls insertion / removal of the locking member;
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The locking member is
A bar-shaped bar that can be inserted into and removed from a groove provided in each of the first slide rail mechanism and the second slide rail mechanism;
An urging member that urges the bar in the direction of pressing the groove;
The printing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: The first insertion / removal control mechanism and the second insertion / removal control mechanism each have a lever for operating the operator,
The first insertion / removal control mechanism or the second insertion / removal control mechanism also moves by a distance moved by the lever.
The printing apparatus according to claim 4. At a position slightly lower than the position where the locking member is removed from each groove and at a position facing the substantially central portion of the locking member, the locking member should not be raised to a higher position. A regulating member for regulating is provided,
The printing apparatus according to claim 4.

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