JPH03162322A - Variable paper feed guide device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To change the interval between guide members to correspond to irregular sized papers by installing a loop-shaped member on a rail member intersecting a pair of the guide members capable of being slided right and left at right angles, and fixing the loop-shaped member to the guide members at the front side or at the rear side of the rail member. CONSTITUTION:A pair of guide members 2, 3 capable of being slided right and left are supported on a rail member 1 intersecting the direction of feeding paper at right angles, and a loop-shaped guide groove 1d is formed on the outer periphery of the rail member 1. A flexible loop-shaped member 6 is loaded into the groove 1d, and fixed to the guide member 3 on one side at the front side 4a of the rail member 1 with respect to the paper feed direction X, and to the guide member 2 on the other side at the rear side 4b of the rail member 1. By this constitution, for example, when the guide member 3 on one side is moved to the right side A, the loop-shaped member 6 on the front side of the rail member 1 is slided in the right direction B, while the loop-shaped member 6 on the rear side of the rail member 1 is slided in the left direction D. In accordance with this, the guide member 2 on the other side is moved in the left direction C, and as a result, the pair of the guide members 2, 3 are moved an equal distance in the opposite directions.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a variable paper feed guide device for feeding paper of non-standard dimensions to a printing device such as a laser beam printer.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, variable paper feed guide devices have been modified to use a rack and pinion, which is used as a manual paper feed guide in copying machines, or to screw the position of the guide member in the paper feed tray. There are known devices that perform adjustment using, etc. (all are well known and are not shown).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Since laser beam printers have good printing accuracy, they are sometimes used, for example, to print labels for attaching bar food to products. Labels generally have non-standard dimensions;
Moreover, the dimensions vary widely depending on the purpose. In addition, the number of prints for one type of label is relatively small, resulting in high-mix, low-volume production. Therefore, there is a need in this field for a variable paper feed guide device.

However, with the paper feed guide device using a rack and a pinion, it is not possible to eliminate backlash due to gear backlash. If this is used in a laser beam printer to continuously print barcodes, etc. on special-sized paper, the paper may be inserted diagonally or the printing position may shift, and the barcodes, etc. and the ruled lines of the label may This has the problem of contamination with substances that cannot be put to practical use.

In addition, with a system in which the position of the guide member in the paper feed tray is adjusted using screws, etc., basically one general-purpose tray can be used to handle multiple standard sizes of paper, such as A4 size and B5 size.
The guide member is also used as a paper feed tray for different sizes, and once the position of the guide member is set, the position cannot be easily changed. Therefore, this method has the problem that it is not suitable for high-mix, low-volume production such as label printing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a variable paper feed guide device in which the position of the guide member can be easily changed, and which has less backlash and less misalignment of the printing position. The purpose is

[! Means for Solving the Problem] A variable paper feeding guide device according to a first invention includes a pair of guide members that can be freely moved in a direction perpendicular to a paper feeding direction, the guide members being A rail member that is provided to slide perpendicularly to the paper feeding direction and has a loop-shaped groove around the rail member, and one of the pair of guide members that is slidably supported in the loop-shaped groove of the rail member. The apparatus includes a flexible loop-shaped member which is fixed at the front of the rail member and the other at the rear of the rail member with respect to the sheet feeding direction.

The variable paper feed guide device according to the second invention includes a pair of guide members slidably supported in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction, and a paper feed guide device in the middle of the pair of guide members. The apparatus includes an operating member that is slidably supported in the same direction as the feeding direction, and a pair of link members that connect the operating member and each guide member by toggle link.

A variable paper feed guide device according to a third aspect of the invention includes a pair of guide members supported so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, the vicinity of the tip portion being flexible, and at least It is divided into two parts, and each divided tip part is connected to each guide member and supported so as to be slid in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, and the base part is located between the pair of guide members. The apparatus includes an operating member supported so as to be slid in the same direction as the paper feeding direction, and a frame member that slidably supports the operating member and a pair of guide members, respectively.

[Function] In the variable paper feed guide device according to the first invention, one guide member (for example, fixed to the loop-shaped member in front of the rail member) is moved, for example, manually. The portion of the loop-shaped member fixed to the member that is in front of the rail member slides to the right on the loop-shaped groove of the rail member as the guide member moves to the right. , the portion of the loop-shaped member located behind the rail member moves to the left.

On the other hand, since the other guide member is fixed to the loop-shaped member at the rear of the rail member, the other guide member moves to the left as the loop-shaped member slides to the left. As a result, the pair of guide members move in opposite directions, and the amount of movement is equal.

In the variable paper feeding guide device according to the second invention, the operating member is operated forward (in the paper feeding direction). Since the pair of guide members can only slide in the direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, the pair of link members connected by toggle link between each guide member and the operating member can be moved clockwise and counterclockwise, respectively. Start rotating clockwise. As a result, the pair of guide members move in opposite directions so as to widen the gap therebetween in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. When the operating member is operated backward, each link member rotates in the opposite direction, and the pair of guide members move in opposite directions so as to narrow the distance between them.

In the variable paper feeding guide device according to the third aspect of the invention, the operating member is moved rearward (in a direction opposite to the paper feeding direction). Since each guide member is connected to the tip of the operating member that is divided into two, it moves in a direction that narrows the distance between the operating members by the amount of movement and rotational movement of the operating member.

[Example] A variable paper feed guide device according to the first invention will be explained using FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which show the first example.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of the first embodiment, and FIG.
The figure is a plan sectional view thereof. In FIG. 1, the rail member l is installed in a paper feed section or paper feed tray of a laser beam printer, copying machine, etc. so that its longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the feeding direction indicated by arrow X. Rail member 1
A pair of guide members 2 and 3 are supported slidably in the direction of the handle. Block members 4a, 4b and 5a, 5b are fixed to the bottoms of the guide members 2 and 3, respectively, to engage with the rail member 1 and prevent it from falling off. Each of the block members 5a and 5b is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped block, and is not fixed to the loop-shaped member 6. On the other hand, each block member 4a. 4b has two through-holes 4c parallel to the paper feeding direction X, and the loop-shaped member 6 passes through the through-holes 4C, as shown in FIG. By crimping the crimping member 8 into a loop-shaped member on the outside of each block member 4a, 4b, each block member 4a, 4b, and further each guide member 2.3, and the loop-shaped member 6 are fixed.

Regarding the guide member 3 on the right side of the figure, the block member 4a is fixed in front of the rail member l with respect to the sheet feeding direction X. Further, the block member 5a is fixed to the rear of the rail member 1 with respect to the paper feeding direction X.

Conversely, for the left guide member 2, the block member 4
b is fixed to the rear of the rail member l with respect to the paper feeding direction X.

Further, the block member 5b is fixed in front of the rail member l with respect to the paper feeding direction X. The rail member 1 is composed of, for example, a bottom plate 1as, a top plate 1b, and a flat plate 1C.The bottom plate 1a and the top plate 1b have the same dimensions,
is made smaller than the bottom plate 1a and the top plate 1b, its corners are curved and the periphery is smooth, so that a continuous loop-shaped guide groove 1d is formed on its outer periphery. The loop-shaped member 6 is formed of a metal wire, a nylon lobe, etc., and moves on the guide groove ld.

Next, the operation of this first embodiment will be explained.

For example, assume that the right guide member 3 is manually moved to the right in the figure as indicated by arrow A. Block member 4a
Of the loop-shaped member 6 fixed to the rail member 1, the portion 6a located in front of the rail member l in one paper feeding direction Move to. This loop-shaped member 6 is connected to the block member 4b at the rear of the rail member l in the sheet feeding direction X.
is fixed to. As a result, the left guide member 2 moves to the left in the figure as shown by arrow C. Further, a portion 6b of the loop-shaped member 6 located at the rear of the rail member 1 with respect to the paper feeding direction X moves to the left in the figure as shown by an arrow D as the guide member 2 moves.

By reducing the friction between the guide groove 1d of the rail member 1 and the loop-shaped member 6 and the friction between the rail member 1 and each guide member 2 and 3, and preventing the loop-shaped member 6 from elongating, each Guide members 2 and 3 each move equal amounts in opposite directions. The loop-shaped member 6 is, for example, 1
It has the shape of a book string, and is fixed in a loop shape with a caulking member 8 in the form of a vibrator, for example. When the caulking member 8 is caulked, looseness in each of the guide members 2 and 3 is removed by removing slack with respect to the guide groove 1d.

Although the guide groove 1d is formed in the rail member 1 by the bottom plate 1a, the top plate 1b, and the base plate 1c, the guide groove may be formed directly on the side surface of the block material by injection molding or the like.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, by once loosening the caulking member 8, the center of each guide member 2 and 3 can be set at an arbitrary position.

Therefore, if there is a deviation (error) between the printing reference position of a laser beam printer or the like and the paper feeding reference position, this can be finely adjusted.

A variable paper feed guide device according to a second invention will be explained using FIG. 3 showing a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the second embodiment. In the figure, the frame l3 is composed of a bottom plate f3a, a top plate 13b, and spacers 13c, 13d, and 13a. The guide member 12 on the right side has a spacer 13d and!
3e, the left guide member 11 is
30 and 13d, each of which is slidably supported in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction X. The operating member l4 is supported by spacers 130 and 13d so as to be slidable in the same direction as the paper feeding direction X.

The left guide member 11 and the operating member l4 are the link member 1
5a, and the right guide member l2 and the operating member l4.
and are connected by a toggle link by a link member i5b. The guide members l1 and l2, the link members 15a and I5b, and the operating member 14 may be integrally molded from a resin material such as nylon or polyethylene.

Next, the operation of this second embodiment will be explained.

In the figure, the operating member l4 is operated in the direction indicated by arrow E. The operating force is transmitted to each guide member 1l and l2 via each link member 15a and 15b. However, since each guide member 11 and 12 is prevented from moving in the direction of arrow E by the spacer 13d, each link member 15
A component force perpendicular to arrow E acts on a and 15b. As a result, each link member 15a and 15b begins to rotate counterclockwise and clockwise as shown by arrows H and 2, respectively. As a result, each guide member 11 and 12 moves in the directions of arrows G and F due to the component force acting on each link member l5a and 15b. The operating directions of each guide member 1l and {2 are opposite directions, and the amount of movement thereof is equal. If the operating member 14 is operated in the direction opposite to the arrow E, the operation opposite to that described above will be performed.

A variable paper feed guide device according to a third invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4 showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the third embodiment. In the figure, the frame 23 includes a bottom plate 23a, a top plate 23b, base plates 23c, 23d, 23e, and 2Sa, 2.
It is composed of Sb, 25c. Right guide member 2
2 is movably supported by spacers 23d and 23e, and the left guide member 21 is movably supported by 23c and 23d in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction X, respectively. The operating member 24 is made of a flexible material and is divided into two parts 24a and 24b by a slit near its tip. The base portion of the operating member 24 is connected to the paper feeding direction X by spacers 23c and 23b.
The operating member 24 is supported slidably in the same direction as the spacers 25a, 25a, 24b, and 24a and 24b near the tip of the operating member 24, respectively, by utilizing their flexibility. By 25b and 25c,
It is bent approximately 90 degrees in an arc shape from the same direction as the sheet feeding direction X at the base portion to the direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction X at the tip portion, and is slidably supported.

The distal ends 24a and 24b of the operating member 24 are connected to the guide members 2 and 22, respectively. The operating member 24 is made of resin such as nylon or polyethylene, or a flexible metal material, and the guide members 21 and 2
It is also possible to form an integral oval shape with 2. Further, the tips 24a and 24b of the operating member may be divided into a plurality of parts by slits so that the tips 24a and 24b can be bent smoothly.

Next, the operation of this third embodiment will be explained.

When the operating member z4 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow J, each guide member 21 and 22 directly connected to the operating member 24
move in directions perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction and opposite to each other, as shown by arrows K and L.

Generally, if the operating member 24 is operated in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned operation indicated by the arrow J, the respective guide members 2l and 22 will move in a direction that increases the distance between them. However, depending on the material and thickness of the operating member 24, Buckling phenomenon may occur.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is desirable to manually operate each of the guide members 2l and 22 in advance to widen the distance between them, and then use the operating member 24 to operate the guide members 2l and 22 in a direction to narrow the distance.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the first, second, and third inventions, the loop-shaped member, the guide groove, the toggle link member, and the operation member whose tip portion is divided into at least two parts are used. Since the guide members are operated by the paper, the spacing between the guide members can be easily changed according to the size of the paper, and there is almost no rattling due to gear backlash unlike in the conventional rack and binion system. The interval between the guide members does not change during continuous paper feeding, and the paper is not inserted diagonally or the printing position is shifted.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an embodiment of the variable paper feed guide device according to the first invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same plane, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view showing the structure of an embodiment of the variable paper feed guide device according to the second invention 1, and FIG. 4 shows the structure of an embodiment of the variable paper feed guide device according to the third invention. FIG. In the figure, l is a rail member, 2, 3, 11, 12,
21. 22 is a guide member, 6 is a loop-shaped member, 14. 24 is an operating member, ISa and 15b are link members, and 23 is a frame.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A pair of guide members that are slidable in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, a loop provided around the guide members to allow the guide members to slide at right angles to the paper feeding direction; A rail member having a loop-shaped groove, the rail member is slidably supported in the loop-shaped groove of the rail member, and one of the pair of guide members has a rail member in front of the rail member with respect to the paper feeding direction, and the other has a rail member. A variable paper feed guide device comprising: flexible loop-shaped members each fixed at the rear of the member. (2) A pair of guide members slidably supported in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction; a pair of guide members supported slidably in the same direction as the paper feeding direction in the middle of the pair of guide members; A variable paper feed guide device, comprising: an operating member that is operated by a user, and a pair of link members that connect the operating member and each guide member by a toggle link. (3) A pair of guide members slidably supported in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, having flexibility near the tip, and divided into at least two parts, each of the divided tips The part is coupled to each guide member and supported so as to be slid in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, and the base part is slidable in the same direction as the paper feeding direction between the pair of guide members. A variable paper feed guide device comprising: an operating member supported in such a manner as to be rotated; and a frame member slidably supporting the operating member and a pair of guide members.