JPH0930072A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To heighten precision in printing and reading a bar code so as to heighten reliability and reduce generation of defective printing by providing a control section which retrieved a data based on a read bar code and controls a printer body for printing a corresponding data on a paper. SOLUTION: A printer body 1 has an electrophotographic printing section 11, takes in a paper from a paper placing face of a paper feeding section 12, and prints a bar code for, for example, discriminating a patient at the printing section 11. A bar code reader 2 reads a bar code on a paper on which the bar code is already printed. It is detected whether or not a data to be printed is on the paper having the read bar code. When the data to be printed exists on the paper, the paper is printed and discharged to a paper discharging section 13. The printing section 11 comprises a photosensitive drum 11a, a light emitting diode array 11b for exposing the drum, and a toner suppling section 111c for supplying a toner to the surface of the exposed photosensitive drum 11a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer having an electrophotographic bar code printing function and a function of reading a printed bar code and printing corresponding data based on the read bar code.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Product data is managed by printing a product code, a price, a customer number and / or a bar code for product identification on a single form. A wire dot printer connected to a computer or the like has been widely used as a printing unit such as.

FIG. 14 shows Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-54921.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a conventional wired-dot type printer disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-96435 and the like, where 31 is a printing unit and 4
Reference numeral 1 denotes a paper feeding unit. The printing unit 31 includes a platen roll 32 and a head 33, and guides 34a and 34b.
The paper sent from the paper feeding unit 41 to the printing unit 31 via the platen roll 32 is wound around the platen roll 32 so as to face the head 33 with a ribbon impregnated with carbon sandwiched between the head 33 and the head 33. It is designed to print codes and the like. Reference numeral 35 is a barcode reader, which is installed facing the barcode passing position immediately after printing,
This is read along with the movement of the paper, and a so-called read check is performed to check whether the printing is normal.

The paper feed section 41 is constructed by arranging a feed roller 44 on a paper feed tray 42, and a bottom plate 43 in the front half of the paper feed tray 42 is raised and lowered centering on the base end side thereof. Is rotatably pivoted in a direction, is urged upward by a spring (not shown), and the front end side surface of the uppermost sheet of the sheets stored in the sheet feed tray 42 is constantly fed by the feed roller 44. It is designed to be held in contact with the peripheral surface. Feed roller 4
4 is driven to rotate so that the uppermost sheet is fed by the feed roller 4
It is drawn out from the inside of the paper feed toilet 42 by the frictional force with the paper 4, and is fed to the printing unit 31 along the paper feed guides 34a and 34b.

[0005]

In such a conventional printer, a carbon-impregnated ribbon for printing is used. However, when the ribbon is new, ink bleeding occurs and the ribbon is considered. If it is, the printing tends to be unclear, which is the main cause of defective printing.

When a printing failure occurs, it is detected by a read check by the bar code reader 35. If other items are printed on the paper, these writing items are first printed on a new paper. After that, the bar code must be reprinted, which is extremely troublesome. Further, since the bar code reader 35 is disposed so as to face the peripheral surface of the platen roll 32, the bar code is printed on the same surface as the printing surface of the characters and the like on the paper, which is annoying. there were.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to replace the dot printer system using a ribbon, which causes a printing defect, with an electrophotographic system using toner as a printing system. In addition to increasing the accuracy of barcode printing and reading to improve reliability, it also reduces the chances of printing defects and reduces the hassle of reprinting. Another object of the present invention is to provide a printer capable of concealing a barcode from an important part by making the printing surface of the barcode different from the printing surface.

[0008]

A printer according to a first aspect of the present invention sequentially feeds sheets stacked on a sheet placement surface of a sheet feeding section to a printing section, and the printing section prints the barcode on the sheet. Also, in the printer for printing other data, the paper feeding unit is configured to sequentially feed the papers placed on the paper placing unit from the lowermost paper, and the printing unit is an electrophotographic bar code. And a bar code reader which is configured to print data, and which is attached upward in the paper mounting portion so as to face the bar code of the paper on which the bar code is placed, A bar code reader is used to read the bar code of the paper, search the data based on the read bar code, and include a control unit that controls the printer body to print the corresponding data on the paper. Occurrence of printing defects can be suppressed, the trouble of reprinting the barcode can be eliminated, and the barcode can be printed on the surface of the paper, and the unnecessary barcode can be hidden from the surface of the paper. Is possible.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the bar code is used to identify the patient in the osteopathic clinic, so that the management of the medical chart or the receipt can be performed quickly.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a printer and a computer for controlling the printer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the printer and a block diagram showing details of the printer main body, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a paper feeding unit. 1 is a printer main body, 2 is a bar code reader, and 3 is a computer.

The printer body 1 is provided with a light emitting diode array as a writing light source (a laser may be used as a light source). The light emitting diode is used as a developer to expose a photoconductor in correspondence with characters to be written. A so-called electrophotographic printing unit 1 that prints by attaching toner, transferring the toner to a sheet that is a printing medium, and heating and melting the sheet.
1, which takes in the paper from the paper loading surface of the paper feed unit 12,
The printing unit 11 prints a barcode for identifying the patient at the osteopathic clinic, for example. In addition, for the paper on which the bar code is already printed, the bar code is read by the bar code reader 2 and the data to be printed on the paper with the bar code read by the computer, for example, the medical insurance payment application form. Whether or not there is data for this purpose is searched, and if there is, it is printed on that paper and then discharged to the paper discharge unit 13.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the printing unit 11 is a photosensitive drum 11a, and the light emitting diode array 1 for exposing the photosensitive drum 11a to light.
1b and a toner supply unit 11c that supplies toner to the surface of the exposed photosensitive drum 11a. The toner cartridge, the light emitting diode head lens cleaner, and the like, which are arranged around the photosensitive drum 11a and contain toner, are unitized. On the other hand, the paper feeding unit 12
A pair of left and right paper guides 15l and 15r are provided on the paper stand 14 formed in a rectangular tube shape, and a plate-like paper supporter 16 can be inserted into and pulled out from the paper stand 14 on the paper stand 14. Is provided with a sheet mounting surface.

The paper guides 15l and 15r are slidably arranged on the paper tray 14 so as to approach each other or move away from each other, and the left and right positions of the paper set between them are set. The sheets are aligned and the entire sheet is set in the center of the sheet tray 14.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the paper feeding unit 12,
The paper feed unit 12 has a free roller 17 on the inner back end side of the paper tray 14 in a direction traversing the inner back end, and a paper feed roller 18 on an extension of the inner back end of the paper tray 14 at the top of the peripheral surface thereof. While being axially supported so as to be positioned on substantially the same plane as the above, a spring type paper feed gate 19 for preventing overlapping feeding is provided on the upper peripheral surface of the paper feeding roller 18, and above the paper table 13 A paper feed cover 20 is arranged on the upper surface of the leading end of the loaded paper P so as to be in pressure contact therewith.

In the paper feeding section 12 as described above, the stacked sheets P are set on the sheet placing surface which extends over the sheet table 14 and the sheet supporter 16 pulled out from the sheet table 14. In this state, the paper feed cover 20 is in pressure contact with the upper surface of the leading edge of the paper P, the lower surface of the lowermost paper is in contact with the free roller 17 and the paper feed roller 18, and a bar code is printed on the lower surface of the paper. In this case, the bar code printed portion faces the bar code reader 2. If the barcode is printed when there is a paper feed command, after reading the barcode with the barcode reader,
The paper feed roller 18 is rotationally driven, and only the lowermost paper is pulled out from the paper placement surface by the frictional force with the paper feed roller 18. If there is a sheet that has been fed by the sheet feed gate 19, the sheet is peeled off here, and only the single sheet at the bottom is supplied.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bar code reader, FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the bar code reader and its holder, FIG. 7 is a left side view of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a plan view of FIG. The bar code reader 2 uses a red LED (light emitting diode) as a light source and a CCD image sensor as a sensor, respectively, and projects light from the light source around the bar code printed portion to be read, The configuration is such that the reflected light from is read by the CCD image sensor. When the reading is completed, a buzzer sounds and a reading confirmation display LED (not shown) is turned on.

The bar code reader 2 is a housing portion 2 of the holder 4.
1, and the paper supporter 1 through the mounting frame 22.
The left and right center parts of 6 are mounted upward on the front end extension. The mounting position of the bar code reader 2 is not limited to this position in particular, and for example, a window hole facing the moving range of the bar code is provided in the center of the paper supporter 16 or the center of the paper base 14, and the bar code is provided in this window hole. The reader 2 may be arranged so that the barcode is read as the paper moves. The accommodating portion 21 is made of synthetic resin and has a U-shaped cross section with an open upper portion.
Is attached to a predetermined thickness.

As shown in FIG. 6, the accommodating portion 21 is divided into a rear half 21r and a front half 21f, which are integral with the mounting frame 22, and their lower edges are pivotally connected to each other by hinges 21b. Half 21f is rotatable between a closed position shown by a solid line in FIG. 6 and an open position shown by a chain line. A coil spring (not shown) is wound around the hinge 21b, and the front half 21f is constantly urged to rotate toward the closed position indicated by the solid line.

Therefore, the bar code reader 2 from the housing portion 21.
When taking out, the front half 21f of the accommodating part 21 may be opened as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. Just put it in between. The bar code reader 2 accommodated in the accommodating portion 21 faces the paper supporter 16, in other words, the lower surface of the paper P set on the paper supporter 16, at a substantially constant interval and in a stationary state. Due to this, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of bar code reading errors.

The mounting portion 22 fixes a pair of left and right supporting plates 23l and 23r to the one side plate of the accommodating portion 21 in a vertical direction in parallel and faces each other from the upper end edges of the supporting plates 23l and 23r. And mounting plates 24l and 24r each provided with a screw hole are extended.
1, 24r are brought into contact with the lower surface of the paper supporter 16 and are integrally fixed to the lower surface of the paper supporter 16 with a set screw.

Next, the operation of the printer for preparing the application form for health and medical expenses as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG.
Is the front view of the insurance medical fee payment application (receptor) from the osteoclastic clinic printed with the barcode, and FIG. 10 is the back view of the same. The contents of medical treatment given on the front are printed on the bottom of the back. A bar code B for identifying the patient is printed vertically along with the number in the center. The printing position of the bar code B may be on the back surface of the paper P and may be rearward in the paper feeding direction, and the specific position can be freely changed as long as it is within the range of 50 mm above, below, left, and right.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure for printing a bar code on a sheet. First, the sheet P is set in the sheet feeding section 11 of the printer body 1 (step S1).
A computer (not shown) causes the printer body 1 to input a barcode printing instruction (for example, a barcode printing start number, the number of printed sheets, etc.) (step S2). The paper P is fed to the printing unit 11 (step S3), and the printer body 1 is operated. The designated bar code is edited, and the bar code is printed on each paper P (step S
4). The printed paper P is discharged to the discharge unit 13.
(Step S5). It is determined whether or not there is a sheet of paper P (step S6). If there is a sheet of paper P, the process returns to step S3 to repeat the above-described process.

12 and 13 are flow charts showing the procedure for reading the bar code. First, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the paper having the barcode B printed on the back side is set in the paper feeding unit 12 of the printer body 1 with the back side thereof facing down (step S11). Bar code reader 2 of printer body 1
Is opposed to the bar code B of the sheet located at the bottom of the set sheets, the bar code B is read and the number of the bar code B is stored (step S12). It is determined whether or not there is another sheet of paper P (step S13), and if it is present, the process returns to step S12, and if it is not present, the sheet of paper P is reset (step S14).

An instruction for reading the bar code B (for example, bar code start number, number of read sheets) is output from the computer (step S15), and the designated bar code B is read in the printer body 1 (step S1).
6). The paper is supplied to the printing unit (step S17), and the read code is determined (step S18). If there is no error as a result of the judgment, it is judged whether or not there is data of the corresponding code (step S19), and if there is, the data of the code is edited and printing is performed in page units (step S19).
20).

If there is an error in the determination in step S18, an error is displayed on the display screen of the computer, an instruction is given to check the paper, and a restart is performed to confirm the restart (step S21). Step S
If there is no corresponding code data in the judgment of No. 19, it is displayed as not applicable on the display screen of the computer (step S22). The paper is ejected (step S23), and it is judged whether or not there is paper (step S24). If not, the process ends. If there is, the process returns to step S16 to repeat the above process.

When other items are to be printed on the paper on which the bar code is printed in advance, the paper P on which the bar code B has been printed has its printing side up, in other words, the bar code printing side faces down. And set it on the paper placement surface of the printer body 1. If there are multiple sheets of paper, set them in the same orientation and stack them. As a result, the bar code B of the paper is set at a position substantially facing the bar code reader 2 attached to the paper supporter 16. Light is emitted from the LED light source incorporated in the barcode reader 2 to the printed portion of the barcode B of the paper, the reflected light from the barcode is detected by the CCD element, and this is read, while this paper is read by the printer body. 1 and takes it into the writing position by the printing unit 11 to stand by.

The read number of the read bar code B is sent to a computer (not shown). The computer retrieves the data from the bar code B and provides the corresponding data to the print head. The print head prints the data on the paper at a predetermined writing location. When printing is completed, the paper is sent to the paper output unit 13 by the feed roller, the bar code B for the next paper is read, and the above-described process is repeated.

[0028]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the lowermost sheet of the plurality of stacked sheets is sequentially picked up from the lowermost sheet, and the sheet is placed on the sheet mounting surface of the sheet feeding section. Since the bar code reader is provided toward the lower surface of the paper, the bar code can be read while keeping the distance to the paper constant regardless of the amount of paper, which improves the reading accuracy. In addition, since the printer body uses an electrophotographic method, the blurring of printing that accompanies the use of ribbons is eliminated, the defective printing of barcodes can be reduced, and the trouble of reprinting is eliminated. Further, since the bar code reader is arranged so as to face the bottom surface of the lowermost paper set on the paper placement surface of the paper feeding unit, the printing surface of characters and the like on the paper and the printing surface of the bar code are Can be different It becomes possible, like the present invention that can conceal a bar code from the paper surface exhibits the excellent effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a printer and a computer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a printer according to the present invention and a block diagram of a printer main body.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a paper feeding unit of the printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a paper feeding unit of the printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a barcode reader.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the barcode reader housed in the holder.

FIG. 7 is a left side view of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a surface view of a receptor.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the receptor.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a barcode printing process.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a barcode reading process.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a barcode reading process.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a conventional printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Printer Main Body 2 Bar Code Reader 3 Computer 11 Printing Section 12 Paper Feeding Section 13 Paper Ejection Section P Paper

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A printer in which sheets stacked on a sheet placement surface of a sheet feeding unit are sequentially fed to a printing unit, and a bar code and other data are printed on the sheet by the printing unit. The section is configured to sequentially supply the sheets placed on the sheet placing section from the lowermost sheet, and the printing section is configured to print the bar code and the data by an electrophotographic method. A bar code reader is mounted on the paper placing section so as to face the bar code of the paper on which the bar code is placed, and the bar code reader reads and reads the bar code of the paper. A printer that searches the data based on the barcode and controls the printer body to print the corresponding data on the paper. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the bar code is for identifying a patient at an osteopathic clinic.