JPH11106096A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which can enhance operability to change roll paper. SOLUTION: A printer 1 is equipped with a body cover 2 which enables setting in and out of a roll paper R through an opening 2a provided in the over-part, a printing means to make specified printing to the roll paper R supported in the loading position inside the body cover 2, and a roll paper lifter 20 which can support roll paper R and is movable between the roll paper loading position and a place near the opening 2a in the body cover 2. The roll paper lifter 20 is coupled with a body upper cover 14 through a gear train 19. When the body upper cover 14 is pulled up, the lifter 20 will rise toward the opening 2a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a POS (P
More specifically, the present invention relates to a printer used for an electronic cash register or the like of a system for storing information before printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of printer, for example, those shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 are known.

[0003] As shown in FIGS.
00, a main body cover 102 having a main body frame (not shown) capable of accommodating the roll paper 101 is provided, and a printing means 103 having, for example, a heat-sensitive printing head is provided in front of the main body cover 102. ing.

[0004] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the roll paper 101 is supported by a pair of parallel rotatable support rollers 104 and 105. Then, the roll paper 101 pulled out from the roll is transported by a pair of transport rollers 1.
06 and 107, the printing means 103 and the platen 108
And is discharged above the main body cover 102.

[0005]

By the way, in such a conventional printer 100, the upper cover 109 of the main body is not provided.
Is opened and closed, and the roll paper 101 is exchanged through the opening 109a.
In the case of 00, since the supporting portion of the roll paper 101 is disposed at a lower position of the main body frame in order to suppress the relationship with the position of the print head and the height of the main body cover 102, when replacing the roll paper 101, Used roll paper 10 in a state where the supporting position of roll paper 101 cannot be visually confirmed.
The first core 101a must be taken out or a new roll paper 101 needs to be inserted, which causes a problem that the operability is not good for the operator.

Further, the roll paper 101 is inserted into the opening 109a.
And the impact may adversely affect the printer circuit and print quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the related art, and has as its object to provide a printer which can improve the operability when replacing roll paper. .

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage unit having an opening at an upper portion for storing a recording medium, and the recording medium in the storage unit being positioned at a predetermined position. And a printer main body for carrying and printing from the printer. The printer further comprises a recording medium supporting means for supporting the recording medium in the storage section and moving from a predetermined position to the opening side.

In the case of the first aspect of the present invention having such a configuration, the recording medium supporting means can be moved toward the opening, so that the impact when the recording medium is supported by the recording medium supporting means can be reduced. It can be reduced and the replacement work is easy. If the recording medium is a roll of roll paper, the core of the used roll paper can be visually checked when removing the core, and when inserting a new roll of paper, Also, the support portion of the roll paper can be visually confirmed.

In this case, as in the second aspect of the present invention,
The recording medium supporting means may be configured to move in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the lid covering the opening. According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the recording medium supporting means can be arranged near the opening of the lid at the same time as the lid is opened, the operability at the time of exchanging the recording paper is further improved.

According to the present invention, in order to make the recording medium supporting means interlock with the opening / closing operation of the lid, the movement of the lid is transmitted by a transmission mechanism using a gear train. As in the invention of claim 4,
The movement of the lid is transmitted by a transmission mechanism using a belt, or the elastic means for urging the recording medium supporting means toward the opening as in the invention according to claim 5, and the recording medium supporting means. A pressing member for pressing against the elastic force of the elastic means, wherein the pressing member is pressed against the recording medium supporting means in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the lid covering the opening. it can.

On the other hand, the recording medium supporting means can be driven by a power transmission mechanism using an electric motor, according to the present invention. The operation of taking out the recording paper and inserting the recording paper becomes easier.

[0013] In particular, if the driving force of the electric motor is transmitted to the lid and the recording medium supporting means by the power transmission mechanism as in the invention of claim 7, the operation at the time of exchanging the recording paper is performed. Properties can be further improved.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a printer according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inside of a printer 1 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front. As shown in FIG.
In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, for example, a roll paper R is disposed behind the inside of a main body cover 2 made of resin or the like, and a paper transport unit 3 for transporting the roll paper R is provided in front of the roll paper R. .

On the other hand, a printing means 4 for performing printing by the ink ribbon system is disposed adjacent to the paper transport unit 3 in front of the paper transport unit 3. This printing means 4 is a roll paper R
And for printing on the check paper S, and is covered by a main body front cover 5 (see FIG. 2) made of resin or the like.

The above-described roll paper R, paper transport section 3 and printing means 4 are mounted on a main body frame (printer main body) 6 made of metal or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing means 4 is configured to be movable between both sides of the main body frame 6 along a guide rail 7 attached to the main body frame 6. A ribbon cassette 8 containing an ink ribbon 8a is mounted on the main body frame 6. The printing means 4 is arranged such that a print head 4a for performing printing opposes a platen (not shown).

On the other hand, the roll paper R is rotatably supported by a pair of support rollers 10 and 11 (see FIG. 2) arranged in parallel with the winding core 9, and is configured to be vertically movable by a roll paper lifter described later. Have been.

The leading end of the roll paper R is pulled upward from the lower side of the main body cover 2 and passes between the print head 4a and the platen by a guide member (not shown). By 12, 13,
An outlet 14a provided in the body upper cover 14, which is a lid body
From the roll paper R after printing.

On the other hand, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to be capable of printing even on slip paper S such as check paper. That is, a paper insertion slot 15 is formed in the front portion of the apparatus main body, and the slip paper S inserted from the paper insertion slot 15 is transported between the print head 4a and the platen via a transport path (not shown). , And are discharged upward by a pair of transport rollers 16 and 17.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of a first embodiment of the printer according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the main body upper cover 14 is supported at the upper rear part of the main body frame 6 so as to be rotatable about a support shaft 18. Here, the rotation axis of the main body upper cover 14 is parallel to the width direction of the main body frame 6. A gear 19a having a predetermined number of teeth is fixed to the support shaft 18.

On the other hand, as described above, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the roll paper R is
0, 11 but these support rollers 1
Reference numerals 0 and 11 are provided on a roll paper lifter 20 as a recording medium supporting means described below.

The roll paper lifter 20 has a width slightly larger than the width of the roll paper R, and a curved surface corresponding to the curvature of the peripheral surface of the roll paper R is formed on the upper surface thereof. It is designed to be curved in accordance with. The pair of support rollers 10 and 11 are connected to the roll paper lifter 2.
The roll paper R is supported on the support rollers 10 and 11 so as to be rotatable on the upper side surface of the roll paper R.

The roll paper lifter 20 is supported at the rear of the main body frame 6 so as to be rotatable about a support shaft 21. Here, the rotation axis of the roll paper lifter 20 is parallel to the rotation axis of the main body upper cover 14, and is also parallel to the core part 9 of the supported roll paper R. . A gear 19b having a predetermined number of teeth is fixed to the support shaft 21 of the roll paper lifter 20.

Between the gears 19a and 19b, there is provided a gear 19c which meshes with both gears 19a and 19b. The gear 19c has a predetermined number of teeth, and is rotatably supported by the main body frame 6 about the support shaft 22. And these gear trains 19 (1
9a, 19b and 19c) are arranged at positions deviated from the roll paper R supported by the roll paper lifter 20 in the width direction.

In this embodiment having such a configuration, since the upper body cover 14 and the roll paper lifter 20 are connected via the gear train 19, the upper body cover 14 and the roll paper lifter 20 are connected to each other. Work together. in this case,
Since the gear train 19 is composed of an odd number of gears 19a, 19b, and 19c, the main body upper cover 14 and the roll paper lifter 20 rotate (vertically move) in the same direction.

In the case of the present embodiment, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, the roll paper lifter 20 is disposed at the lowest position when the upper cover 14 is closed. This position is a position where the roll paper R is loaded (loading position), and is a position where printing on the roll paper R is possible.

When the upper cover 14 is pulled up in the direction of arrow A from this state, the upper cover 1
4 is transmitted to the roll paper lifter 20, the roll paper lifter 20 rotates in the direction of arrow A, and the roll paper R rises. In this case, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 2, when the upper body cover 14 is pulled up to a substantially vertical position, the roll paper R appears from the opening 2a of the body cover 2 so that the gears 19a, 19b, 19c The number of teeth is set.

On the other hand, when the main body upper cover 14 is rotated in the direction of arrow B from this state, the roll paper lifter 20 is lowered in the direction of arrow B by the operation reverse to the above-mentioned operation, and the main body upper cover 14 is completely closed. In this state, the roll paper lifter 20 returns to the original loading position.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
The roll paper lifter 20 also moves up in conjunction with the lifting operation of the main body upper cover 14, so that when the used core 9 is taken out, the core 9 can be visually checked. Is inserted, the support portion of the roll paper R can be visually confirmed.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the operability when replacing the roll paper R can be greatly improved without changing the loading position of the roll paper R.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the following, portions corresponding to those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and are described in detail. Detailed description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, a printer 1A according to the present embodiment is provided with a main body upper cover 14 and a roll paper lifter 20 having the same configuration as in the first embodiment. In the case of the embodiment, the support shaft 1 of the main body upper cover 14 is used.
8, a pulley 30 having a predetermined diameter is fixed to the support shaft 21 of the roll paper lifter 20, and a pulley 31 having a predetermined diameter is fixed to the pulley 30.
An endless belt 32 is stretched around 31.

In this embodiment, as in the case of the above embodiment, when the upper body cover 14 is pulled up in the direction of arrow A from the state where the upper body cover 14 is closed, the pulleys 30 and 31 and the belt Transmission mechanism 33 consisting of 32
The movement of the main body upper cover 14 causes the roll paper lifter 20 to move.
, The roll paper lifter 20 rotates in the direction of arrow A, and the roll paper R rises. Then, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3, when the main body upper cover 14 is pulled up to a substantially vertical position, the roll paper R appears from the opening 2 a of the main body cover 2.

On the other hand, when the upper body cover 14 is rotated in the direction of arrow B from this state, the roll paper lifter 20 is lowered in the direction of arrow B by an operation reverse to the above-described operation, and the upper body cover 14 is completely closed. In this state, the roll paper lifter 20 returns to the original loading position.

As described above, also in the case of the present embodiment,
The roll paper lifter 20 also moves up in conjunction with the lifting operation of the main body upper cover 14, so that when the used core 9 is taken out, the core 9 can be visually checked. Is inserted, the support portion of the roll paper R can be visually confirmed.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, as in the case of the above-described embodiment, the operability when replacing the roll paper R is greatly improved without changing the loading position of the roll paper R. Can be. The other configuration and operation and effect are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view showing a main part of a printer according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, parts corresponding to those in the above-described embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and will be described in detail. Detailed description is omitted.

In the printer 1B of the present embodiment,
A roll paper lifter 20 urged by elastic means is provided. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the roll paper lifter 20 disposed horizontally is
The roll paper lifter 20 is supported movably up and down along a plurality of long guide members 40 and 41 erected vertically.
On the roll paper R via a pair of support rollers 10 and 11
Is to be supported.

Here, the roll paper lifter 20 is configured to be urged upward by compression coil springs 42, 43 provided on the respective guide members 40, 41. Further, the roll paper lifter 20 is configured to be pressed from above by a long pressing member 44 that rotates together with the main body upper cover 14. The holding member is provided on both sides of the main body frame 6, and a rotatable holding roller 45 is provided at a tip end thereof.

In the case of the present embodiment having such a configuration, when the upper cover 14 of the main body is closed, the roll paper lifter 20 is lowered most by the pressing by the pressing member 44 as shown by the solid line in FIG. It is located at the loading position.

Then, when the main body upper cover 14 is pulled up in the direction of arrow A from this state, the pressing member 44 rotates in the same direction, and the pressing force against the roll paper lifter 20 is released.
The roll paper lifter 20 is raised by the urging force of the compression coil springs 42 and 43, and the roll paper R is also raised. Then, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 4, when the main body upper cover 14 is pulled up to a substantially vertical position, the roll paper R appears from the opening 2 a of the main body cover 2.

On the other hand, when the main body upper cover 14 is rotated in the direction of arrow B from this state, the roll paper lifter 20 is lowered in the direction of arrow B by the operation opposite to the above-mentioned operation, and the main body upper cover 14 is completely closed. In this state, the roll paper lifter 20 returns to the original loading position.

As described above, also in the case of the present embodiment,
The roll paper lifter 20 also moves up in conjunction with the lifting operation of the main body upper cover 14, so that when the used core 9 is taken out, the core 9 can be visually checked. Is inserted, the support portion of the roll paper R can be visually confirmed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the operability when replacing the roll paper R is greatly improved without changing the loading position of the roll paper R, as in the above-described embodiment. be able to. The other configuration and operation and effect are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a printer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the following, parts corresponding to those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and are described in detail. Detailed description is omitted.

In the printer 1C of the present embodiment,
Although the main body upper cover 14 and the roll paper lifter 20 having the same configuration as those of the first and second embodiments are provided, in the case of the present embodiment, the main body is covered by a motor 50 (electric motor). The upper cover 14 and the roll paper lifter 20 are configured to be driven. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a gear 52 fixed to a rotating shaft 51 of a motor 50 is used.
Are gears 19 fixed to the support shaft 18 of the main body upper cover 14.
a and a gear 19b fixed to the support shaft 21 of the roll paper lifter 20, so that the rotational force of the motor 50 is transmitted to the main body upper cover 14 and the roll paper lifter 20. I have.

A changeover switch 53 for rotating the motor 50 in the forward and reverse directions and turning it off is provided on the upper part of the main body front cover 5.

In the case of this embodiment having such a structure, when the main body upper cover 14 is closed, the roll paper lifter 20 is disposed at the most lowered loading position as shown by the solid line in FIG. .

In this state, when the changeover switch 53 is operated to drive the motor 50, the rotational force of the motor 50 is transmitted to the main body upper cover 14 and the roll paper lifter 20 via the gears 52, 19a and 19c, respectively. Cover 1
4 rotates in the direction of arrow A and opens, and the roll paper lifter 20 rotates in the direction of arrow A to raise the roll paper R.

Then, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 5, when the main body upper cover 14 is pulled up to a substantially vertical position, the roll paper R appears from the opening 2a of the main body cover 2.

On the other hand, when the motor 50 is rotated in the reverse direction in this state, the main body upper cover 14 and the roll paper lifter 20 are lowered in the direction of arrow B by the operation opposite to the above operation, and the main body upper cover 14 is completely In the closed state, the roll paper lifter 20 also returns to the original loading position.

As described above, also in the case of the present embodiment,
Since the roll paper lifter 20 also rises at the same time as the main body upper cover 14 is opened by the driving force of the motor 50, when the used core part 9 is taken out, the core part 9 can be visually confirmed, and the new core part 9 can be checked. Even when the roll paper R is inserted, the support portion of the roll paper R can be visually confirmed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the operability when replacing the roll paper R is greatly improved without changing the loading position of the roll paper R, as in the above-described embodiment. be able to. The other configuration and operation and effect are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a printer according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, parts corresponding to those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and are described in detail. Detailed description is omitted.

The printer 1D according to the present embodiment has the fourth
Although the roll paper lifter 20 is driven by the motor 50 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the main body upper cover 14 is not driven by the motor 50 in this embodiment. In the case of the present embodiment, the main body upper cover 14 is rotatably supported by the main body frame 6, and
The operator can open and close the upper cover 14 by hand, for example.

In the case of the present embodiment having such a configuration, the roll paper lifter 20 is configured to move up and down by switching the changeover switch 53 regardless of whether the upper cover 14 of the main body is opened or closed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the changeover switch 53 is operated while the main body upper cover 14 is closed to raise the roll paper lifter 20,
Alternatively, after the upper cover 14 is opened, the changeover switch 5
3 is operated to raise the roll paper lifter 20.

As described above, also in the case of the present embodiment,
Since the roll paper lifter 20 is raised by the driving force of the motor 50, when the used core part 9 is taken out, the core part 9 can be visually confirmed.
Even when a new roll paper R is inserted, the support portion of the roll paper R can be visually confirmed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the operability when replacing the roll paper R is greatly improved without changing the loading position of the roll paper R, as in the above-described embodiment. be able to. The other configuration and operation and effect are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made. For example,
In the fourth and fifth embodiments, the rotational force of the motor is transmitted to the main body upper cover or the roll paper lifter by the gear train. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the rotational force of the motor can be transmitted to the upper cover or the roll paper lifter by a transmission mechanism including a pulley and a belt.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printing means which performs printing using a ribbon cassette type ink ribbon is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. What performs printing can also be used.

Further, the present invention has been described using the roll paper as the recording medium, but the present invention is not limited to the roll paper, but may be a folded recording paper.

Further, the present invention can be applied to various printers as long as they print on recording paper.

[0066]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the storage portion having the opening at the upper portion for storing the recording medium, and the recording medium in the storage portion are conveyed from a predetermined position and printed. In the printer including the printer body, since the recording medium supporting means which supports the recording medium in the storage section and is movable from the predetermined position to the opening side is provided, the recording medium supporting means can be moved toward the opening. Therefore, the impact when the recording medium is supported by the recording medium supporting means can be reduced, and further, the replacement operation is easy.
If the recording medium is a roll of roll paper, the core of the used roll paper can be visually checked when removing the core, and when inserting a new roll of paper, Also, the support portion of the roll paper can be visually confirmed.

Further, according to the constitution of the present invention, the operability is further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inside of a preferred embodiment of a printer according to the present invention as viewed from the front.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a main part of the printer according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a main part of a printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of a printer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of a printer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a main part of a printer according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a conventional printer.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of a conventional printer.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing the internal configuration of a conventional printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Main body cover (printer main body) 2a Opening 3 Paper conveyance part 4 Printing means 10, 11 Supporting roller 14 Main body upper cover (lid) 19 Gear train 19a, 19b, 19c Gear 20 Roll paper lifter (Recording medium supporting means) ) R roll paper

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A printer comprising: a storage section having an opening at an upper portion for storing a recording medium; and a printer main body for conveying and printing the recording medium in the storage section from a predetermined position. A printer, comprising: a recording medium supporting unit that supports the recording medium and is movable toward the opening from the predetermined position. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium supporting means is configured to move in conjunction with an opening and closing operation of a lid covering the opening. 3. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the recording medium supporting means is configured to transmit the movement of the lid by a transmission mechanism using a gear train. 4. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the recording medium supporting means is configured to transmit the movement of the lid by a transmission mechanism using a belt. 5. An opening, comprising: an elastic means for urging the recording medium supporting means toward an opening; and a pressing member for pressing the recording medium supporting means against the elastic force of the elastic means. 3. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the pressing member is pressed against the recording medium supporting means in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the lid that covers the portion. 6. The printer according to claim 1, wherein said recording medium supporting means is configured to be driven using an electric motor. 7. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the driving force of the electric motor is transmitted to the lid and the recording medium supporting means by the power transmission mechanism. The printer described.