JPH0920025A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable either the thermal transfer printing of a out sheet using an ink ribbon or the thermosensitive printing of a thermosensitive web to be selectively adopted by sharing a single recording device. SOLUTION: An ink ribbon cassette 6 stored in this image recording device is designed so that either a ribbon roll or a thermosensitive web 8 is selectively attachable to the feed core 6a of the cassette 6. In addition, the ribbon roll and the thermosensitive web 8 which are selectively attached to the feed core 6a of the ink ribbon cassette 6, have the same internal diameter of a core tube, so that both ribbon roll and thermosensitive web 8 can be alternately detached easily. Further, a recording sheet discharge path 12 in the device has a cutter unit (automatic cutter) for cutting a thermal recording paper PR which is fed from the thermosensitive web 8 to the specified copy size.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer type image recording apparatus using an ink ribbon such as a facsimile machine and a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a thermal transfer type recording apparatus using an ink ribbon is often used in a facsimile machine of a model in which the image quality of print recording paper is required to be fresh. In this type of recording apparatus, an ink ribbon cassette is usually removably accommodated in the apparatus, and is wound and conveyed by a winding core on the opposite side from a ribbon roll mounted on a supply core on one side of the ribbon cassette. The ink ribbon is superposed on the recording paper and is electrically connected to the thermal head of the printing unit so that the ink of the ink ribbon is thermally transferred to the printing surface of the recording paper. In a recording device using this ink ribbon, it is usual to use a cut sheet of plain paper as the recording paper.

[0003]

Focusing on the utilization situation of the facsimile apparatus equipped with the above-mentioned thermal transfer recording apparatus using cut sheets, in general, when the facsimile apparatus is applied to a receiving application commensurate with its function and running cost. However, under a certain reception condition, it can be recognized that the usage situation is extremely wasteful.

As an example, there is shown an installation example in a department that receives only documents of a very short size such as slips. That is, in this case, a cut sheet 1 is provided for each received document.
The margin occupies most of the recording paper that is consumed, and the waste of the recording paper cannot be ignored. In addition, due to changes in the installation department and dial numbers, there are many cases in which a facsimile machine equipped with a thermal transfer recording device that uses cut paper is diverted to a receiving application that does not require image quality or storability for printing recording paper. . In such a case, if a general-purpose heat-sensitive roll paper can be used instead of the cut paper, the recording paper is not wasted and the running cost can be reduced because the ink ribbon is not required, which is very convenient.

In order to satisfy such a demand, simply, a recording device for thermal transfer printing on cut paper and a recording device for thermal printing on heat-sensitive roll paper are separately provided in the device, and both are selected. It should be used, but this is wasteful and very expensive.

In view of the above-mentioned demands, the present invention enables common use of the printing section of a single recording device to selectively use thermal transfer printing on cut paper using an ink ribbon and thermal printing on thermal roll paper. The present invention provides the image recording device.

[0007]

According to the present invention, as a means for achieving the above object, an ink ribbon cassette removably housed in an apparatus is provided with a ribbon roll and a heat-sensitive roll paper with respect to its supply core. Is configured to be replaced. Here, it is desirable that the ribbon roll and the heat-sensitive roll paper, which are selectively attached to the supply core of the ink ribbon cassette, have the same core tube inner diameter in order to facilitate mutual replacement. A cutter unit (auto cutter) for cutting the long recording paper fed from the thermosensitive roll paper into a predetermined document size is installed in the recording paper discharge path in the apparatus. However, it is also possible to provide a manual cutter at the exit of the recording paper discharge path instead of the cutter unit.

[0008]

In this image recording apparatus, when heat-sensitive roll paper is set in the apparatus instead of the ribbon roll on the supply core of the ink ribbon cassette, the heat-sensitive roll paper is guided to the printing section through the original ribbon path line and heat-sensitive. Is printed.

[0009]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be illustrated and described below.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an embodiment in which a thermal transfer type recording apparatus for heat sensitive roll paper according to the present invention is installed in a facsimile machine. First, an outline of the apparatus will be described assuming that the cut sheet mode setting shown in FIG. 1 is the normal state.

The facsimile apparatus F comprises a main body 1 having a thermal transfer type recording apparatus therein, and a paper feed cassette 2 inserted into the lower portion of the main body 1. Inside the cassette 2, a desired size of recording paper is cut. A paper PC (plain paper) is stored. The recording device provided in the main body 1 is provided with a platen roller 3 and a thermal head 4 attached to a unit frame 5 arranged below the platen roller 3 and press-contacted to the platen roller 3 as a printing unit. Ink ribbon cassettes 6 are housed on both sides of the unit frame 5 such that the ink ribbons R are laid over them.

In this ink ribbon cassette 6, a ribbon roll (film roll) 7 in which an ink ribbon (film) R is wound around a supply core 6a on one side and a supply core 6a on the opposite side.
Winding core 6b for winding the ink ribbon R fed from the
Are detachably provided. The supply core 6a of the ink ribbon cassette 6 is planned to be switched to the roll paper mode setting described later, so that the heat sensitive roll paper 8 can be mounted instead of the ribbon roll 7 as shown in FIG. Has become. At this time, the core tubes 7a, 8a of the ribbon roll 7 and the heat-sensitive roll paper 8 have the same inner diameter in order to facilitate the replacement of the two. If the core tube inner diameter of the heat-sensitive roll paper 8 is different, a dedicated holder is separately used.

The ink ribbon cassette 6 can be put in and taken out of the accommodation space in the main body 1 with the top cover 9 to which the platen roller 3 and the like are attached being opened. A gear 10 provided on 6a and a winding core 6b meshes with a drive gear (not shown) on the main body side and is connected to a drive mechanism for winding and rewinding processing. . Then, when the top cover 9 is closed, the ink ribbon R is conducted between the platen roller 3 and the thermal head 4, and the cut paper PC is printed from the paper feed cassette 2 to the supply core 6a side of the ink ribbon cassette 6. A recording paper conveyance path 11 for conveying the recording paper is formed, and a recording paper discharge path 12 for discharging the cut paper PC passing through the printing section to the recording paper discharge section 13 is formed on the winding core 6b side.

In addition, in the figure, 14 is a paper feed roller for picking up and carrying out cut paper PC from the paper feed cassette 2, 15 is a carrying roller provided at the entrance of the recording paper carrying path 11, and 16 is a recording paper discharging path 12 2 shows an extractor roller provided at the exit of the. A cutter unit 17 required for setting the roll paper mode is additionally installed in the middle of the recording paper discharge path 12.

The operation panel provided on the top surface of the top cover 9 is provided with a mode setting key (not shown) for switching the operation of the recording apparatus according to the type of recording paper. In the case of FIG. The cut sheet mode is set, and when heat-sensitive roll paper described later is used, the roll paper mode is set.

The recording operation of the apparatus F in the cut sheet mode is shown in FIG. 4 (A). That is, the cut paper PC supplied from the paper feed cassette 2 and the ink ribbon R supplied from the ribbon roll 7 of the ribbon cassette 6 are superposed and conducted (s1), and thermal transfer printing is performed by the thermal head 4 of the printing unit. (S2). Then, the cut sheet PC that has passed through the printing section is continuously discharged to the recording sheet discharge section 13, while the transferred ink ribbon R is wound around the winding core 6b. When printing of one page is completed (s
3) The ink ribbon R is rewound (s4), and one printing is completed. In this case, one cut sheet is consumed regardless of the amount of information.

Next, the case of the roll paper mode setting shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In this case, the ribbon roll 7 mounted on the supply core 6a of the ink ribbon cassette 6 is replaced with the thermosensitive roll paper 8 and then re-stored in the main body 1, and further pulled out from the thermosensitive roll paper 8 through the original ribbon path line. The paper edge is set so as to be sandwiched between the platen roller 3 and the thermal head 4. At this time, the mode setting key on the operation panel may be switched to the roll paper mode, and no other special operation is required (whether or not cut paper exists in the paper feed cassette 2).

The recording operation of the apparatus F in the roll paper mode setting is shown in FIG. 4 (B). That is, in this case, only the heat-sensitive paper PR fed from the heat-sensitive roll paper 8 set on the supply core 6a of the ink ribbon cassette 6 by being rotationally driven only by the platen roller 3 and the extract roller 16 passes through the original ribbon path line to the printing portion. Conduction is performed (s1), and thermal printing is performed by the thermal head 4 of the printing unit (s2). Then, the thermal recording paper PR that has passed through the printing section is continuously discharged through the recording paper discharge path 12 and when printing for one page is completed (s3), this time the cutter unit 17 is operated at a predetermined timing, The recording paper is cut (s4). Thereafter, the platen roller 3 is reversed to pull the end of the roll paper back to near the platen (s5), and one printing is completed. In this case, the amount of consumption of the thermal recording paper PR has a length commensurate with the received information.

[0019]

As described above, in the thermal transfer type image recording apparatus according to the present invention, the ribbon roll mounted on the supply core of the ink ribbon cassette housed in the apparatus can be replaced by a heat-sensitive roll paper. It is possible to freely use the thermal transfer printing and the thermal printing by sharing the printing of the recording device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a facsimile apparatus showing an image recording apparatus of an embodiment in a cut sheet mode setting.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the facsimile apparatus showing the image recording apparatus of the embodiment in roll paper mode setting.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining a replacement state of the ribbon roll and the heat-sensitive roll paper with respect to the supply core of the ink ribbon cassette.

FIG. 4A is a flowchart showing the operation of the recording apparatus in the cut sheet mode setting, and FIG. 4B is a flowchart showing the operation of the recording apparatus in the roll sheet mode setting.

[Explanation of symbols]

 F Facsimile device 1 Main body 2 Paper feed cassette 3 Platen roller 4 Thermal head 5 Unit frame 6 Ink ribbon cassette 6a Supply core 6b Winding core 7 Ribbon roll (film roll) 7a Core tube 8 Thermal roll paper 8a Core tube 9 Top cover 10 Gear 11 Recording Paper Conveying Path 12 Recording Paper Discharging Path 13 Recording Paper Discharging Section 14 Feeding Roller 15 Conveying Roller 16 Extract Roller 17 Cutter Unit PC Cut Paper PR Thermal Paper R Ink Ribbon (Film)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image recording apparatus comprising an ink ribbon cassette detachably accommodated in the apparatus, wherein a ribbon roll and a heat-sensitive roll paper can be replaced with respect to a supply core of the ink ribbon cassette. 2. An image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ribbon roll and the heat-sensitive roll paper, which are selectively mounted on the supply core of the ink ribbon cassette, have the same core tube inner diameter. 3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cutter unit is provided in a recording paper discharge path in the apparatus.