JPH081663U - Tape printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] A tape printer in which only a tape cassette or only a ribbon cassette can be easily exchanged, and the size and size of the printer can be reduced, and maintenance of the print head is easy. To provide. SOLUTION: A tape cassette is provided with tape cassette positioning shafts 2-1 and 2-2, and a ribbon cassette is provided with ribbon cassette positioning shafts 213 and 2-4, so that there is a gap between the tape cassette and the ribbon cassette. Have been positioned. The ribbon cassette is arranged in the penetrating portion of the tape cassette, and the head support 6 on which the print head 5 is mounted is arranged in the penetrating portion of the ribbon cassette. The tape cassette and the ribbon cassette are configured to be independently mountable without being disturbed by the print head 5 and its support 6.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the device belongs]

 The present invention relates to a printing device that prints on a tape by using a cassette that stores the tape and the ribbon.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, a cassette that is mounted in a tape printer and stores tapes has a tape to be printed and an ink ribbon as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-63454 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-109958. Some tapes are stored in a single cassette for convenience of tape and ribbon replacement.

Further, as disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,480,936, a tape to be printed and an ink ribbon are housed in separate housings, and after they are fitted to each other, they are mounted on a printing apparatus. is there.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-63454 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-109958, when the tape and the ribbon are stored in a single cassette, the combination of the tape and the ink ribbon is being used. If the user wants a combination of several printing colors and tape colors or tape widths, etc., the user must purchase as many tape cassettes as that combination. It was very economical.

Further, as disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,480,936, the tape to be printed and the ink ribbon are housed in separate housings, and after they are fitted to each other, they are mounted on a printing apparatus. , You can use multiple tapes and multiple ink ribbons in combination. For example, when the user wants to change the color of the tape, take out the cassette from the printing device once and store it in the housing and ribbon. It is necessary to separate the housing containing the tape, fit the housing containing the tape of the desired color into the housing containing the ribbon again, and reattach it to the printing device. It was very troublesome.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and in a tape printer equipped with a tape / ribbon cassette, it is possible to easily replace only the tape cassette or only the ribbon cassette. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tape printer which can be easily combined with each other, can be formed into a small size and a compact size, and can easily perform maintenance work of the print head.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The tape printer of the present invention uses a tape cassette that stores a tape and a ribbon cassette that stores an ink ribbon, each of which is composed of a separate housing, and prints on the tape using a print head. The tape cassette has a housing formed so as to cover the tape running path, and further has a first penetrating portion inside the tape running path. The ribbon cassette has a housing formed so as to cover the ribbon running path. Further, it has a second penetrating portion inside the ribbon traveling path, and is arranged so as to be included in the first penetrating portion, and the print head is arranged so as to be included in the second penetrating portion. Further, the ribbon cassette and the tape cassette are configured to be detachable from the tape printer independently of each other.

[0008]

[Embodiment of device]

 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B are views showing the structure of the main body of the printing apparatus when the tape printer of the present invention has no tape cassette. FIG. 1A is a left side view and FIG. 1B is a top view. 1A and 1B show a state in which the lid 20 is open.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a print head which has a plurality of heating elements (not shown) at equal intervals and is held by a head support 6, and 7 denotes a contact portion 7-1 with which the release lever shaft 16 is brought into contact. A head arm having a head arm shaft 9 supported by the head arm shaft 9; a head support shaft 8 serving to support the head support 6 by the head arm 7; It is a head presser spring that acts to urge the head. Reference numeral 11 is a tape feed roller fixed to the shaft portion 28-1 of the tape feed gear 28, 12 is a tape feed roller holder holding the tape feed gear 28 having a contact portion 12-1, and 13 is a shaft portion 28-1. A tape feed roller spring that serves to urge 1 in the arrow direction and 29 is a tape feed roller holder shaft that supports the tape feed roller holder 12. Reference numeral 14 is a release lever that is pivotally supported by a release lever support shaft 15 that is fixed to the main frame 1 and that can rotate in the direction of the double arrow, and 16 is a release lever shaft that is fixed to the release lever 14. Reference numeral 17 denotes a release lever which is guided by the subframe 2 and is movable in the directions of both arrows and is in contact with the release lever 14, and 20 has a release cam 18 which serves to control the movement of the release lever 17. A lid that is rotatable around 21 is a fulcrum, and 19 is a printer case that fixes the main frame 1. 3 is a motor having a motor gear 22, 26 is a ribbon winding gear that receives the rotation of the motor gear 22 via a reduction gear 23 and a transmission gear A24, 4 is a friction clutch structure and is driven by a ribbon winding gear 26 Ribbon take-up shaft, 27 is a tape feed transmission gear that receives rotation of the motor gear 22 through the reduction gear 23 and the transmission gear B25, 30 is a tape feed transmission gear shaft, 31 is a platen roller shaft, 2-1 2 and 2-2 are tape cassette positioning shafts provided on the subframe 2, and 2-3 and 2-4 are ribbon cassette positioning shafts.

In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the release lever 17 is pushed in the arrow A direction by the release cam 18. Therefore, the release cam 18 receives a reaction force in the arrow direction by the force of the head pressing spring 10 and the tape feed roller spring 13, and the rotation in the two arrow directions is blocked. The above is the description of the structure of the printer main body of the tape printer of the present invention.

Next, the structure of the tape cassette of the tape printer of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 2A is a top view showing the appearance of a tape cassette for a tape printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 2B is an upper sectional view showing the inside.

Reference numeral 35 is a platen roller having a hole 35-1 axially supported by the platen roller shaft 31, 36 is a tape pressing roller having a hole 36-1 axially supported by the tape feed transmission gear shaft 30, and 33 is A transparent film, 37 is a double-sided tape composed of a mount 37-1 and an adhesive 37-2, and 38 is positioning holes 38-1 and 38-2 that engage with the tape cassette positioning shafts 2-1 and 2-2. A cassette case (lower) and a cassette case (upper) 39 having the above. The transparent tape 33 is bonded to the double-sided tape 37 at the point of the tape pressing roller 36. Further, a penetrating portion 40 is provided near the central portion of the outer shape of the tape cassette constituted by the cassette case (upper) 39 and the cassette case (lower) 38.

The above is the description of the structure of the tape cassette of the tape printer of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a left side view showing the appearance of a ribbon cassette for a tape printer of the present invention, FIG. 3B is a top view showing the appearance, and FIG. 3C is an upper sectional view showing the inside. Is.

Reference numeral 34 is a thermal ink ribbon, 32 is a ribbon winding core having a deformed hole 32-1, which engages with the ribbon winding shaft 4, and serves to wind the thermal ink ribbon 34, and 51 is a ribbon cassette positioning shaft 2. A case (bottom) having positioning holes 51-1 and 51-12 that engage with -3 and 2-4, and 52 is a case (top) provided with a handle 52-11. The outer shape (to c) of the ribbon cassette constituted by the case (bottom) 51 and the case (top) 52 is smaller than the shape (to c) of the penetrating portion 40 of the tape cassette (FIG. 2). is there.

The above is the description of the structure of the ribbon cassette of the tape printer of the present invention.

Next, the operation of mounting the tape cassette and the ribbon cassette in the printer main body of the tape printer of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the tape printer of the present invention in which the tape cassette and the ribbon cassette are mounted in the state of FIG. 1 (the state where the lid 20 is open), and FIG. 4A shows the left side. A plan view and FIG. 4B are top views.

Since the positioning holes 381 and 382 of the cassette case (lower) 38 are engaged with the tape cassette positioning shafts 2-1 and 2-2 provided in the subframe 2, the tape cassette Are positioned at desired positions. Further, the positioning holes 51-1 and 51-2 of the case (lower) 51 are engaged with the ribbon cassette positioning shafts 213 and 2-4 provided on the subframe 2, so that the ribbon cassette is desired. It is positioned in the position. As can be seen from FIG. 4, the tape cassette and the ribbon cassette are positioned with a gap. The platen roller 35 is pivotally supported by the platen roller shaft 31, and the tape pressing roller 36 is pivotally supported by the tape feed transmission gear shaft 30.

Further, when the tape cassette and the ribbon cassette are attached to the printer main body, the print head 5 and the tape feed roller 11 can be attached without any obstacle.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the lid 20 is closed in the state of FIG. 4 in the tape printer of the present invention, FIG. 5 (a) is a left side view and FIG. 5 (b) is a top view. is there.

Since the positioning of the head arm 7 and the tape feeding roller holder 12 is released by rotating the lid 20 in the direction of the arrow, the force of the head pressing spring 10 causes the printing head 5 to move. It is positioned in a state where it is urged in the direction of arrow E and abuts against the platen roller 35. Further, the tape feed roller 11 is positioned in a state of being abutted in the direction of the tape pressing roller 36 by being urged in the direction of arrow by the force of the tape feeding roller spring 13. This state (Fig. 5) is the printable state.

Next, a series of printing operations will be described based on FIG.

By rotating the motor gear 22 in the arrow direction (shown in FIG. 1), the ribbon winding gear 26 rotates in the arrow direction (shown in FIG. 1), and the tape feed gear 28 rotates in the arrow direction. To do. When the tape feed gear 28 rotates in the arrow direction, the tape feed roller 11 rotates in the arrow direction, so that the transparent film 33 adhered to the double-sided tape 37 is fed in the arrow direction.

On the other hand, in the tape cassette and the ribbon cassette, as the transparent film 33 runs, the thermal ink ribbon 34 is sent in the direction of the arrow (shown in FIG. 3), and the slack generated there is reduced. It is wound on a ribbon winding core 32 driven by the ribbon winding shaft 4. In the print head 5, printing is controlled by performing printing control corresponding to the running of the transparent tape 33 and transferring the ink 341 applied to the thermal ink ribbon 34 to the transparent tape 33.

6A and 6B are views showing a print sample written as "1" obtained by the tape printer of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a top view and FIG. 6A is FIG. 6B. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a C-C section of FIG. In the print sample of FIG. 6, 34-1 is the black ink transferred to the transparent tape 33, and 3712 is the white adhesive. When viewed from the front (Fig. 6 (b)), the print sample thus constructed is represented by "1" in black on a white background. Therefore, by changing the color of the ink 34-1 and the color of the adhesive agent 37-2, it is possible to obtain a print with rich colors.

The tape printer of the present invention is provided with a plurality of tape cassettes corresponding to a plurality of adhesive colors and a plurality of ribbon cassettes corresponding to a plurality of ink colors in order to obtain colorful printing.

The above is a description of the structure and operation of the tape printer of the present invention.

In the tape printer configured as described above, it is necessary to replace the tape cassette or the ribbon cassette in order to obtain a rich print, and in the state of FIG. 4, the tape cassette and the ribbon cassette are respectively replaced. It can be implemented by exchanging it alone.

[0032]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, in the tape printer of the present invention, since the outer shape of the ribbon cassette is smaller than the penetrating portion of the tape cassette, the tape cassette and the ribbon cassette can be easily replaced independently.

Therefore, it is possible to easily change the color of the adhesive and the color of the printing, eliminating the troublesome operation for the user and improving the work efficiency.

Further, since the tape printer of the present invention is configured to include the ribbon cassette and the print head within the outer shape range of the tape cassette, the tape printer itself can be downsized.

Further, when the tape cassette and the ribbon cassette are removed from the tape printer main body, a wide free space is formed around the print head, so that maintenance work of the print head can be easily performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B are views showing a structure of a printer body without a tape cassette of a tape printer of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a left side view and FIG. 1B is a top view.

FIG. 2A is a top view showing the appearance of a tape cassette for a tape printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 2B is an upper sectional view showing the inside.

3A is a left side view showing the appearance of a ribbon cassette for a tape printer of the present invention, FIG. 3B is a top view showing the appearance, and FIG. 3C is an upper sectional view showing the inside.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a state in which the tape cassette and the ribbon cassette are mounted in the state of FIG. 1 (the state where the lid 20 is open) in the tape printer of the present invention, (a) is a left side view, and (b) is a side view. ) Is a top view.

5 is a view showing a state in which the lid 20 is closed in the state of FIG. 4 in the tape printer of the present invention, (a) is a left side view and (b) is a top view.

FIG. 6 is obtained by the tape printer of the present invention.
It is a figure which shows the print sample described as "1", (b) is a top view, (a) is sectional drawing showing the cross section C-C part of (b).

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Main Frame 2 Sub Frame 5 Printing Head 6 Head Support 7 Head Arm 10 Head Holding Spring 11 Tape Feed Roller 12 Tape Feed Roller Holder 13 Tape Feed Roller Spring 14 Release Lever 15 Release Lever Support Shaft 16 Release Lever Shaft 17 Release lever 18 Release cam 19 Printer case 20 Lid 30 Tape feed transmission gear shaft 31 Platen roller shaft 32 Ribbon winding core 35 Platen roller 36 Tape pressing roller 38 Cassette case (bottom) 39 Cassette case (top) 51 Case (bottom) 52 cases (top)

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A housing that is a separate body,
In a tape printer that prints on the tape using a print head by using a tape cassette that stores a tape and a ribbon cassette that stores an ink ribbon, the tape cassette has a housing that covers the tape running path. The ribbon cassette has a first penetrating portion inside the tape traveling path, a housing is formed so as to cover the ribbon traveling path, and a second penetrating portion is formed inside the ribbon traveling path. And the print head is arranged so as to be included in the first penetrating portion, the print head is arranged so as to be included in the second penetrating portion, and the ribbon cassette and the tape cassette. Is
A tape printer, wherein each tape printer is configured to be independently attachable to and detachable from the tape printer.