JPH02196676A - Cassette for heat transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a load to be applied to the arm of a cover for a transfer sheet by sliding a cover for a recording sheet toward an opening by an opener member provide at a heat transfer printer side and rotating the cover for the transfer sheet toward an opening in cooperation therewith. CONSTITUTION:When a cassette for a heat transfer printer is inserted into the heat transfer printer, the end of a cover 34 for a recording sheet is brought into contact with an opener member 64. When the cassette for the heat transfer printer is further intruded, the cover 34 for the recording sheet is pressed toward an opening to become a state for forming an opening for the recording sheet. In this case, a cover 18 for a transfer sheet is rotated in cooperation with the cover 34 for the recording sheet, and the opening 54 for the transfer sheet is formed at the end of the cassette for the heat transfer printer. Accordingly, both the covers 18, 34 can be opened sufficiently, and the heat transfer printer and the cassette for the heat transfer printer can be reduced in size. Further, a load on the arm 42 of the cover 18 for the transfer sheet can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a cassette for a thermal transfer printer, and particularly to an interlocking opening/closing mechanism for a transfer paper cover and a recording paper cover of a cassette for a thermal transfer printer.

[Prior Art] The present applicant has proposed a cassette for thermal transfer printers that integrates a transfer paper storage section and a recording paper storage section, in which a cover member is provided in each opening of both storage sections to be openable and closable. was proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 62-280794.

This thermal transfer printer cassette is shown in Figs. 21 and 22.
As shown in the figure, a transfer paper cover 18 is provided at the opening of the transfer paper storage section 14, and a recording paper cover 34 is provided at the opening of the recording paper storage section l6 so as to be openable and closable. 18 is biased by a spring 82, and the recording paper cover 34 is biased by a spring 84 so as to be in a closed state.

When this thermal transfer printer cassette is inserted into a printer device, as shown in FIG. 23 and FIG. 838s + 83
b m is engaged, and the transfer paper cover 18 is pressed against the spring 82.
The recording paper cover 34 moves against the urging force and opens, and the protrusions 83a+ @ 83b+ of the stopper 83 inside the printer device engage with the locking parts 88a and 88b of the recording paper cover 34, and the recording paper cover 34 is opened by the spring. It moves against the urging force of 84 and opens.

[Problem M to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the thermal transfer printer cassette as described above, the transfer paper cover 18 and the recording paper cover 34 are provided separately, and the lid opening operation is performed independently. It is necessary to provide means for opening the transfer paper cover 18 and the recording paper cover 34 on the printer body side, and in addition, in cases such as forcefully inserting the cassette into the printer body, the transfer paper cover 18 must be provided. There was also a possibility that only one side of the recording paper cover 34 could be opened.

In addition, in the above-mentioned thermal transfer printer cassette, the engaging portions 86.83 of the double force bars 18.34 are attached from both sides of the cassette case.
Since each of the cassettes protrudes outward, there is a risk that the cover 18 or 34 may be accidentally opened due to the locking portions 86 and 83 being caught when the cassette is handled as a single unit. There have been problems such as rolls coming off, dust, etc. entering the storage sections 14 and 16, particularly the transfer paper storage section, and adhering to the transfer paper, which adversely affects printing.

[Means for Solving the Problem J A cassette for a thermal transfer printer according to the invention as set forth in claim 1 has a transfer paper storage section and a recording paper storage section integrally formed, and a part of the outer shell of the transfer paper storage section. is a rotatable transfer paper cover, a slidable record paper cover is provided in the recording paper opening of the recording paper storage section, and the transfer paper cover and the recording paper cover are interlocked to open and close. Each time the opener member provided on the thermal transfer printer side engages with the recording paper cover and slides the recording paper cover in the opening direction, the transfer paper cover is moved in the opening direction in conjunction with this. It is designed so that it can be rotated.

Further, the cassette for a thermal transfer printer according to the invention according to claim 2 has a transfer paper storage section and a recording paper storage section integrally formed, and a transfer paper storage section that can be opened and closed with a part of the outer shell of the transfer paper storage section. A cover is provided in the recording paper opening of the recording paper storage section so that the recording paper cover can be opened and closed, and the recording paper cover is opened when attached to the printer device, and the transfer paper cover and the recording paper The interlocking opening/closing mechanism is connected to the recording paper cover so as to open and close in an interlocking manner, and the interlocking opening/closing mechanism is provided with play to form a non-interlocking state in the vicinity of the closed state of the recording paper cover.

[Function] The thermal transfer printer cassette according to the invention described in claim 1 engages with the recording paper cover by the opener member provided on the thermal transfer printer side and slides the recording paper cover in the opening direction. The transfer paper cover is rotated in the opening direction in conjunction with this, and the double force bar is opened.

In the thermal transfer printer cassette according to the invention as set forth in claim 2, the interlocking opening/closing mechanism has a play that creates a non-interlocking state near the closed state of the recording paper cover, so that the recording paper cover is closed. Even if it slides a little from the open state to the open state, the sliding movement is absorbed by the play and the transfer paper cover is held in the closed state.

[Embodiment 1] First, an embodiment of the invention as claimed in claim 1 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1) is a perspective view of a cassette for a thermal transfer printer;
The figure is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of arrow 1), and the outer shell portion of the cassette for a thermal transfer printer is as shown in these figures.
It consists of a flat box-shaped cassette case 10, and the inside of this cassette case is partitioned into front and rear parts by a partition wall 12, and the front side (left side in the drawing) is a transfer paper storage section 14. The rear side (right side in the drawing) is a recording paper storage section 16.

The cassette case 10 includes a transfer paper cover 18 that constitutes an upper case of the transfer paper storage section 14, and a recording paper storage section 16.
It is composed of an upper half 20 that constitutes an upper case, and a lower half 22 that serves as a lower case that supports the transfer paper cover 18 and the upper half 20 from below.

Recording papers 24 are stacked and stored in the recording paper storage section 26, and both front and lower ends of the recording papers are engaged with separation claws 26, and are pressed downward by a spring 30 via a presser plate 28. .

A recording paper opening 32 is formed at the front side of the bottom of the recording paper storage section 16 (see FIGS. 16 to 18), and the leading end of the recording paper opening 32 has an L-shape downward. A recording paper cover 34 having a curved shape is attached so as to be slidable in the direction not shown by arrow A. The recording paper cover 34 has an opening 32
In the closed state, the inside of the recording paper storage section 16 is kept in a substantially airtight state to prevent dirt and dust from entering the inside, and to minimize the influence of dirt and dust during printing.

The transfer paper cover 18 is attached to the front side of the lower half 22 so that it can be rotated to open and close, and when closed, the transfer paper storage section 14 is kept in a substantially sealed state, thereby preventing dirt and dust from entering the inside of the transfer paper storage section 14. We try to prevent the effects of dirt and dust during printing as much as possible.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1--2 in FIG. 12, and shows the inside of the cassette for a thermal transfer printer viewed from above. Inside the transfer paper storage section 14.

As shown in this figure, a supply roll 38 and a take-up roll 40 on which the transfer paper 36 is wound are housed in parallel in close proximity.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the interlocking opening/closing mechanism of the transfer paper cover 18 and the recording paper cover 34.
As shown in this figure, shafts 18b are attached to the inner rear end positions of both side walls 18a of 8, facing each other, and each shaft is provided with an arm 42 extending rearward. An engagement pin 44 is provided inwardly at the tip of each.

Further, upwardly rising side walls 34a are formed at both end portions of the recording paper cover 34, and a cam groove 46 that becomes higher from the front to the rear is formed in the side walls 34a. An engagement pin 44 at the tip of the arm 42 is slidably engaged with a cam groove 46 formed on both side walls 34a of the recording paper cover 34.

In addition, in Figures 1) to 18, 48 is the lower half 2.
2, a pair of guide grooves formed parallel to the longitudinal direction on the bottom surface of the transfer paper cover 18 and the upper half 20; A notch for fitting the loading member; 54 is an opening for transfer paper; 56 is a spring for applying biasing force to the recording paper cover 34 in the closing direction; 58 is for locking the recording paper cover 34 in the closed state It is a stopper.

The transfer paper cover 18 and the recording paper cover 34 of this thermal transfer printer cassette are opened and closed in conjunction with each other as follows.

First, the transfer paper cover 18 and the recording paper cover 34 of the thermal transfer printer cassette before being installed in the thermal transfer printer are one cover 18.3 that is closed as shown in FIG.
4 is closed, the engagement bin 44 is engaged with the upper position of the cam groove 46, as shown in FIG. 15, and either the transfer paper cover 18 or the recording paper cover 34 is opened. When the operation is performed, as shown in FIG.
moves along the inclined surface of the cam groove 46, and the other cover also performs an opening operation in conjunction.

When this thermal transfer printer cassette is installed in a thermal transfer printer (not shown), either the transfer paper cover 18 or the recording paper cover 34 is opened, and the other cover is also opened by the above-mentioned interlocking opening/closing mechanism.

During printing, the winding roll 40 is pulled out from the transfer paper opening 54 by a loading member (not shown) on the thermal transfer printer side, and the paper feed roller provided in the thermal transfer printer is pulled out from the recording paper opening 32. The paper feed roller enters the recording paper 24 and comes into contact with the bottom surface of the recording paper 24, and the paper feed roller is separated by the separation claw 26.
Together with the operator, the recording paper 24 is taken out one by one from the bottom, and the taken out recording paper 24 is fed to the platen roller.

Here, when this thermal transfer printer cassette is installed in a thermal transfer printer (not shown), the problem arises as to which cover should be opened and the other cover should be opened using the interlocking opening/closing mechanism.

For example, as shown in FIG. 19, inclined guides 76 are provided at positions corresponding to the grooves on both sides of the transfer paper cover 18 of the thermal transfer printer, and the inclined guides 76 are connected to the grooves on both sides of the transfer paper cover 18. It is conceivable that the transfer paper cover 18 is rotated by being engaged with the groove, and that the recording paper cover 34 is slid in the opening direction in conjunction with the rotation of the transfer paper cover 18.

As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the transfer paper cover 18 can be rotated approximately 30" to 40 degrees to close the take-up roll 4.
0 out of the cassette, but the recording paper cover 18 must have a large sliding stroke in order to open all the recording paper openings 32.

Therefore, in order to open the transfer paper cover 18 and the recording paper cover 34, either the rotation angle of the transfer paper cover 18 should be increased, or the horizontal distance β of the guide groove 46 should be the same. However, it is conceivable to increase the length of the guide groove 46 by making the inclination angle steeper, and to correspondingly increase the length of the arm 42.

However, in the former method, as the transfer paper cover 18 is rotated more, a rotation space for the transfer paper cover 18 is required, and the thermal transfer printer becomes thicker by the rotation space, making it thinner. In the latter method,
In order to increase the length of the guide groove 46, the thickness h of the cassette must be increased, resulting in an increase in the size of the cassette.

Therefore, using a thermal transfer printer as shown in FIG. 8, the rotatable transfer paper cover 18 is moved in the opening direction in conjunction with the sliding of the slidable recording paper cover 34 in the opening direction. Make it rotate.

To explain the thermal transfer printer shown in FIG. 8, a rail 60 for inserting a thermal transfer printer cassette and holding it horizontally is provided near the cassette insertion opening (on the left side of the drawing) of the thermal transfer printer. A paper feed roller 62 for feeding the recording paper 24 to a platen roller 68 (described later) is provided below the paper feed roller 60 and a little further back (on the right side in the drawing). An opener member 64 is provided corresponding to the recording paper cover 34 at a position closer to the left side), and a paper ejection path 66 extending from the platen roller 68 to the outside is provided below the paper feed roller 62.
is provided, slightly behind the paper feed roller 62 (on the right side of the drawing)
A platen roller 68 is provided on the platen roller 6.
A clamper 70 that clamps the recording paper 24 to the platen roller 68 is attached to the platen roller 68 so as to be openable and closable, and arms 72 that transfer and set the take-up roll 40 to a predetermined position are attached to both ends of the platen roller 68.
Thermal head 7 is provided so as to be concentric with the rotation center of the platen roller 68.
4 is provided.

When the thermal transfer printer cassette is inserted into the thermal transfer blink as shown in FIG. 8, the tip of the recording paper cover 34 comes into contact with the opener member 64 as shown in FIG.
When the thermal transfer printer cassette is further pushed in, the recording paper cover 34 is pushed in the opening direction and slides, so that an opening for the recording paper is formed as shown in FIG. 1O. At this time, the transfer paper cover 18 also rotates in conjunction with the recording paper cover 34, and a transfer paper opening 54 is formed on the leading end side of the thermal transfer printer cassette.

In this way, in conjunction with the sliding of the recording paper cover 34, which is a cassette for a thermal transfer printer, in the opening direction, the transfer paper cover 18, which is rotatable once, is rotated in the opening direction. With this configuration, both the force bars 18° and 34 can be opened sufficiently without increasing the size of the thermal transfer printer or the cassette for the thermal transfer printer.
A thermal transfer printer and a cassette for a thermal transfer printer can be made smaller. Furthermore, the load on the arm 42 of the transfer paper cover 18 is also reduced.

Next, an embodiment of the invention according to claim 2 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 4 show an example of a main part of the invention according to claim 2, and the basic structure of the first invention is completely the same as the cassette for a thermal transfer printer described above. However, this cassette is different from the above-mentioned thermal transfer printer cassette in that a bent portion 46a is bent approximately horizontally at the upper end of the cam groove 46. This bent portion 46a provides play that causes the interlocking opening/closing mechanism to be in a non-interlocking state when the recording paper cover 34 is in the closed state.

In this example, the bent portion 46a is formed at the upper end of the cam groove 46, but the position where the bent portion 46a is formed is not limited to the upper end of the cam groove 46, and when the cover is closed, the engagement pin 44 is It may be provided anywhere as long as it is near the engaged position, and the play that creates a non-interlocking state in the interlocking opening/closing mechanism is not limited to this example, and may be provided at other parts.

The thermal transfer printer cassette configured as above is
Normally, both force bars 18.34 are in a fully closed position as shown in FIG. At this time, the recording paper cover 34
As shown in FIG. 1, a stopper 58 prevents the lid from sliding in the opening direction.

However, although the recording paper cover 34 is locked by the stopper 58, it is not completely unable to slide, and may be able to slide slightly due to, for example, variations in the dimensions of the parts. However, in this invention, the bent portion 4 is formed at the upper end of the cam groove 46.
6a is bent approximately horizontally, and the engagement bin 44 is located at this bend 46a, so even if the recording paper cover 34 slides slightly, the engagement bin 44 will not move as shown in FIG. The transfer paper cover 18 is held in the same height position by horizontally sliding on the bent portion 46a of the cam groove 46, and as a result, the transfer paper cover 18 is held in the closed state.

Then, attach it to the thermal transfer printer, and install the recording paper cover 34.
When the engagement pin 44 slides a certain amount or more, it reaches the slope of the cam groove 46 and moves while being pushed down along the slope, so that the transfer paper cover 18 opens as shown in FIG. do.

In this way, by creating a play that creates a non-interlocking state in the interlocking opening/closing mechanism near the closed state of the recording paper cover 34, it is possible to prevent the recording paper cover 34 from sliding slightly due to an external impact such as during transportation. Even if it moves, this sliding movement is absorbed by the play and the transfer paper cover 18 does not rotate.

Therefore, unless the thermal transfer printer cassette is attached to the thermal transfer printer and the recording paper cover 34 is slid by a certain amount or more, the transfer paper cover 18 is always kept closed, so that dirt and dust cannot be transferred. It will not enter the paper storage section 14 and adhere to the transfer paper 36 stored therein, especially the ink surface thereof, and will not have an adverse effect on printing.

In addition, in the case where the transfer paper cover 18 is used to lock both rolls 38° 40 around which the transfer paper 36 is wound, the transfer paper cover 18 is always rotated in conjunction with the recording paper cover 34. If the rolls 38 and 40 are moved, there is a risk that the locks of the rolls 38 and 40 will be released inadvertently, causing the transfer paper to loosen or even come off from the storage section. There is no rotation, so there are no problems like this.

[Effect of the Invention 1] As explained above, the invention according to claim 1 slides the recording paper cover in the opening direction by the opener member provided on the thermal transfer printer side, and in conjunction with this, opens the transfer paper cover. Since the cam groove can be rotated in the same direction, the shape of the cam groove can be freely set, the opening/closing timing and opening/closing time of the transfer paper cover can be freely set, and both the cassette and the printer can be made thinner. This has the effect of reducing the load on the arm.

As described above, the invention according to claim 2 creates a play that creates a non-interlocking state in the interlocking opening/closing mechanism in the vicinity of the closed state of the recording paper cover with a simple structure without increasing the number of part height points. Even if the recording paper cover slides a little from the closed state to the open state, the sliding is absorbed by the play and the transfer paper cover is held in the closed state,
As a result, it is possible to prevent the transfer paper wound around the roll from sagging or from coming off from the transfer paper storage section.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the main parts of a cassette for a thermal transfer printer according to the invention as claimed in claim 2, Fig. 2 is a view of Fig. 1 viewed from the arrow ■ direction, and Fig. 3 is a view with the recording paper cover open. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the interlocking mechanism in the state shown in FIG. The figure is a side view of the thermal transfer printer cassette with the recording paper cover slightly open, Figure 7 is a side view of the thermal transfer printer cassette with the recording paper cover and transfer paper cover open, and Figure 8 is a side view of the thermal transfer printer cassette with the recording paper cover and transfer paper cover open.
The figure is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a thermal transfer printer. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram of a thermal transfer printer in a state where a cassette for a thermal transfer printer is inserted. Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram of a thermal transfer printer in a state where a cassette for a thermal transfer printer has been inserted. , 1) Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cassette for a thermal transfer printer according to claim 2;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken from the ■-store arrow in Figure 1), and Figure 13 is a sectional view of Figure 12.
Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the interlocking mechanism of the cassette for a thermal transfer printer, Fig. 15 is a view of Fig. 14 seen from both directions of the arrow, and Fig. 16 shows the recording paper cover and Explanatory diagram of the interlocking opening/closing mechanism with the transfer paper cover in the open state, No. 17
The figure is a perspective view of a cassette for a thermal transfer printer with the recording paper cover and the transfer paper cover in an open state, Figure 18 is a sectional view taken along the An explanatory diagram showing an example, Fig. 20 is an explanatory diagram of the interlocking opening/closing structure of a cassette for a thermal transfer printer, Fig. 21 is a plan view of a conventional cassette for a thermal transfer printer, and Fig. 22 is a side view of a conventional cassette for a thermal transfer printer. 23 is a plan view of a conventional thermal transfer printer cassette in an open state, and FIG.
The figure is a side view of a conventional cassette for a thermal transfer printer in an open state. 10... Cassette case, 12... Bulkhead, 14...
・Transfer paper storage section, 16... Recording paper storage section, 18...
Cover for transfer paper 18a...Side wall, 18b...Shaft, 20...Upper half, 22...Lower half, 24...
・Recording paper, 26...Separation claw, 28...Press plate, 30
... Spring, 32 ... Recording paper opening, 34.
...Recording paper cover 34a...Side wall, 36...Transfer paper, 38...Supply side roll, 40...Take-up side roll, 42...Arm, 44...Engagement Bin, 46...
Cam groove, 48... Guide groove, 50... Misinsertion prevention groove, 52-... Notch for fitting loading member, 54...
Transfer paper opening, 56... Spring %58... Stopper, 60... Rail, 62... Paper feed roller, 6
4... Opener member, 66... Paper ejection path, 68...
...Platen roller, 7o...Clamper, 72...
Arm, 74...Thermal head. Patent applicant Kunio Kakiki, representative of Victor Japan Co., Ltd. , 1 Figure 2 Figure 2 Figure Figure 1! 4- Figure A

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) The transfer paper storage section and the recording paper storage section are integrally formed,
A portion of the outer shell of the transfer paper storage section is a rotatable transfer paper cover, a slideable recording paper cover is provided in the recording paper opening of the recording paper storage section, and the transfer paper cover and The recording paper cover is connected to the recording paper cover by an interlocking opening/closing mechanism, and an opener member provided on the thermal transfer printer side engages with the recording paper cover and slides the recording paper cover in the opening direction. A cassette for a thermal transfer printer, characterized in that a transfer paper cover is rotated in an opening direction in conjunction with each other. (2) The transfer paper storage section and the recording paper storage section are integrally formed,
A portion of the outer shell of the transfer paper storage section is a transfer paper cover that can be opened and closed, and the recording paper cover is provided in the recording paper opening of the recording paper storage section so that the recording paper cover can be opened and closed. The recording paper cover is opened, and the transfer paper cover and the recording paper cover are connected to each other so as to open and close in conjunction with each other by an interlocking opening/closing mechanism, and the interlocking opening/closing is performed near the closed state of the recording paper cover. A cassette for a thermal transfer printer, characterized in that a play is formed in the mechanism to form a non-interlocking state.