JPH11227953A - Printing device, sheet storage magazine and loading device of sheet storage magazine to printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an accident such as scattering of an image receiving sheet in a loading process by attaching and detaching at least more than one sheet storage magazine to store the image receiving sheet on a paper feeding part. SOLUTION: When a sheet storage magazine 300 runs out of an image receiving sheet S inside of it, the image receiving sheet S is drawn out of a paper feeding part 12 and additionally loaded. Or, another sheet storage magazine 300 already loaded is installed on the paper feeding part 12. Similarly in the case of using the image receiving sheet S of a different class, it is exchanged with the corresponding image receiving sheet S. Or, the additional sheet storage magazine 300 loaded with the corresponding image receiving sheet S is previously prepared, and it is replaced with it. Consequently, loading of the image receiving sheet S is carried out for the sheet storage magazine 300 as a unit by attaching and detaching the sheet storage magazine 300 on the paper feeding part 12, it becomes unnecessary to handle the image receiving sheet one by one, and it is possible to prevent an operating mistake of dropping of the image receiving sheet S in the middle of loading, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a sheet storage magazine, and an apparatus for mounting a sheet storage magazine on a printing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A printing apparatus includes a printing unit for printing on a card-shaped image receiving sheet on which an image is formed, and a paper feeding unit for storing the image receiving sheet and sending the image receiving sheet toward the printing unit. is there. In recent years, printing apparatuses that print using sublimable dyes have been used.
The image receiving sheet used in such a so-called sublimation type card printing apparatus has a card provided with an image receiving layer on the image forming side for forming an image, or is subjected to pre-printing by another printing machine in advance. Card, an ID card, etc., a card provided with a magnetic stripe for magnetic writing. In addition, there is a card used as a business card for use. Hereinafter, these card-shaped sheets are simply referred to as an image receiving sheet.

[0003]

In a sublimation type printing apparatus using such an image receiving sheet, these image receiving sheets are loaded into a paper feeding section and fed to the printing section. In this case, there are the following problems. There are various types of image receiving sheets depending on applications such as, for example, the size of an ID cart and the size of a business card are different. For this reason, if there is a gap in the storage section, it causes skew during feeding.

Some image-receiving sheets have an image-receiving layer formed only on one side. If the image-receiving layer is erroneously turned upside down and loaded in a sheet feeding section, an image is not formed properly, so that the front and the back are mistaken. Need to be loaded without any problems. The thickness of the card is generally about 0.7 mm, and the amount that a person can hold with one hand is at most about 100, but the operation of stacking such a large number of cards and directly loading the cards into the paper feeding unit is not performed. In such a case, since the card made of synthetic resin is slippery, if the card is accidentally dropped on the floor, it is necessary to identify the front and back of one scattered card, check the front and back, and realign the card. However, this task is very difficult. Therefore, it is not easy to easily set a large number of cards in the paper feeding device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a sheet storage magazine, and an apparatus for mounting the sheet storage magazine to the printing apparatus, which can solve such a problem.

[0006]

The present invention has the following configuration to achieve the above object.

(1). A printing unit that prints on a card-shaped image receiving sheet on which an image is formed, and a printing apparatus that includes a paper feeding unit that stores the image receiving sheet and sends the image receiving sheet toward the printing unit; According to another aspect of the present invention, at least one or more sheet storage magazines storing the image receiving sheets are configured to be detachable from the sheet feeding unit.

(2). The printing apparatus according to the above (1), further comprising a mounting unit for removably mounting the sheet storage magazine to the paper feeding unit (Claim 2).

(3). The printing apparatus according to the above (1) or (2), further includes an identification sensor for identifying the type of the sheet storage magazine (claim 3).

(4). The printing apparatus according to the above (1) or (2), further comprising a detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the image receiving sheet in the sheet storage magazine (Claim 3).

(5). A sheet storage magazine used for a printing apparatus including a printing unit that prints on a card-shaped image receiving sheet on which an image is formed, and a paper feeding unit that stores the image receiving sheet and sends the image receiving sheet toward the printing unit The sheet storage magazine comprises a box-shaped main body having an opening as an entrance of the image receiving sheet for storing and operating the image receiving sheet, and a lid closing the opening, and the lid is provided with respect to the main body. It is provided with mounting means which can be attached and detached, and which is detachably attached to the sheet feeding section in the attached and integrated state (claim 5).

(6). In the above-described sheet storage magazine according to (5), an identification member that enables identification by an identification sensor for identifying the type of the sheet storage magazine provided in the printing apparatus is provided. Item 6).

(7). In the above-mentioned sheet storage magazine according to (5) or (6), a detection window for guiding detection light of a detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the image receiving sheet in the sheet storage magazine is provided. (Claim 7).

(8). It has a pair of locking means which can maintain a fixed mounting relationship between the mounting means described in (2) and the mounting means described in (5) and can be disengaged from each other. An elastic member that gives the operator a sense of setting when the sheet storage magazine is mounted and a convex member that engages with the elastic member are combined (claim 8).

(9). In the above-mentioned sheet storage magazine according to (5), (6) or (7), the sheet storage magazine is located at a bottom portion of the sheet storage magazine in order to sequentially send out stored image receiving sheets from a lower one. Further, a sheet feeding outlet as an image receiving sheet sending passage is provided at a downstream portion in the sheet feeding direction.

(10). In the sheet storage magazine described in (9) above, the shape of the upper edge portion of the opening constituting the paper feed outlet is formed as a downwardly convex mountain shape (claim 10).

(11). (9) or (10) above
The sheet storage magazine according to the above, further comprising a plate-shaped gap plate capable of covering a central portion with a fixed width except for both ends in the width direction, with respect to an upper edge portion of the opening constituting the paper feed outlet, The plate is provided with position adjusting means which is movable in the vertical direction and can be positioned and fixed at an arbitrary position (claim 11).

(12). (5), (6),
(7) In the sheet storage magazine described in (9), (10) or (11), a sheet supply pressure required for sheet supply to a supply roller via the image receiving sheet is provided inside the sheet storage magazine. The weight means for providing is provided (claim 12).

(13). In the above-mentioned sheet storage magazine according to (12), the weight means includes a weight, weight support means for supporting the weight, and guide means provided on an inner wall portion of the sheet storage magazine for guiding the weight support means. (Claim 13).

(14). In the above-described sheet storage magazine according to (13), the guide unit includes two opposing guide units, and the weight support unit includes a roller member that rolls in contact with each of the guide units. (Claim 13).

(15). (13) or (1)
4) In the sheet storage magazine described in the above, the weight support means includes a reverse movement preventing plate which is slidably engaged with a downwardly toothed tooth surface provided on an inner wall portion of the sheet storage magazine. (Claim 15).

(16). (5), (6),
(7), (9), (10), (11), (12), (1)
(3) In the magazine described in (14) or (15), a portion on the inner bottom surface of the sheet storage magazine, which is in contact with the image receiving sheet, has a rib-shaped portion that is long in a sheet feeding direction. (Claim 13).

(17). In the above-described sheet storage magazine according to (16), the rib-shaped portion is formed higher on the upstream side in the paper feeding direction than on the downstream side (Claim 17).

(18). (5), (6),
(7), (9), (10), (11), (12), (1)
3), (14), (15), (16) or (17), wherein the mounting means for removably mounting the sheet storage magazine with respect to the sheet feeding unit includes the sheet storage magazine. The storage magazine is mounted on or removed from the paper feeding unit by horizontally moving and guiding the storage magazine in the paper feeding direction. One pair is formed on the paper feeding unit and the other is formed on the sheet storage magazine. It has a combination structure of groove-like grooves (claim 13).

(19). (5), (6),
(7), (9), (10), (11), (12), (1)
3), (14), (15), (16), (17) or (18), wherein the magazine is provided with a handle for attaching and detaching to and from the printing apparatus. .

(20). (5), (6),
(7), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (1)
(7) In the sheet storage magazine described in (18) or (19), an inner wall member whose position can be adjusted according to the size of the image receiving sheet to be stored is provided (claim 20).

(21). (5), (6),
(7), (9), (10), (11), (12), (1)
3), (14), (15), (16), (17), (1)
8), the sheet storage magazine according to (19) or (20), wherein the sheet storage magazine is provided so that an operator can confirm at least the remaining amount of the internal image receiving sheet.
The whole or a part is configured to be transparent or a window is formed (claim 21).

[0028]

FIG. 1 shows a printing apparatus and a sheet storage magazine according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, a sheet storage magazine 1 storing an image receiving sheet S is located at the most upstream position on the image receiving sheet feeding path a, and a supply roller 2 is in contact with the lowermost image receiving sheet. The supply roller 2 sends out the image receiving sheet toward the printing unit 6 by its rotation. Therefore, the portion where the supply roller 2 is provided constitutes a sheet feeding unit 12 that sends out the image receiving sheet toward the printing unit.

Downstream of the supply roller 2, the supply roller 2
A pair of registration rollers 4 are provided to inherit the feed from the printer. The registration roller 4 sets a timing for sending the image receiving sheet to the printing unit 6. Downstream of the registration roller 4, there is a printing unit 6 for printing desired data on the image receiving sheet.

The printing unit 6 includes a thermal head 6a, an ink ribbon 6b containing sublimable ink as a component, reels 6c and 6d for winding and holding the ink ribbon, and a platen roller 6e for pressing an image receiving sheet against the thermal head.
Etc. The thermal head 6a receives printing data output from a computer such as a personal computer, and heats the array-like heat-sensitive element by an electric signal. The ink ribbon uses a sublimation type ink, and a multi-color ink is used. Platen roller 6e
Is supported by an arm 6f that swings with the shaft 6g as a fulcrum. When the image receiving sheet is conveyed directly below the thermal head 6a, the image receiving sheet is pressed by the thermal head 6a by the urging force of the spring 6h. It has become.

A pair of fixing rollers 8 are provided downstream of the printing section 6 to fix the image on the image receiving sheet printed by the printing section 6. A pair of discharge rollers 10 is provided downstream of the fixing roller 8, and discharges the image-receiving sheet after fixing to the outside of the apparatus.

A sheet storage magazine 300 capable of storing an image receiving sheet S is detachably attached to the sheet supply section 12 provided with the supply roller 2 (claim 1). The sheet storage magazine 300 is roughly divided into a main body 100 and a lid 20.
0, the cover 200 is opened, the image receiving sheet S is loaded, the cover 200 is closed, and then the sheet is mounted on the sheet feeding unit 12.

The lid 200 is vertically divided from the main body 100 and can be integrally attached to and detached from the main body 100 by an attachment member (not shown). In FIG. 3, a solid line along YY ′ indicates a joining line between the lid 200 and the main body 100.

When the image receiving sheet S is exhausted in the sheet storage magazine 300, the image receiving sheet S is removed from the sheet feeding section 12 and an image receiving sheet is additionally loaded. Alternatively, another loaded sheet storage magazine is mounted on the paper feeding unit 12. Similarly, when a different type of image receiving sheet is used, the corresponding image receiving sheet is replaced. Alternatively, another sheet storage magazine in which the corresponding image receiving sheet is loaded is prepared in advance and replaced with this.

As described above, the sheet storage magazine is supplied to the sheet feeding section 1.
Since the image receiving sheet can be attached to and detached from the sheet feeding unit 2, the image receiving sheet can be attached to the sheet feeding unit by using the sheet storage magazine 300 storing the image receiving sheet as a unit, and it is not necessary to handle the image receiving sheets one by one. Handling mistakes such as dropping during the loading of the paper feeding unit can be eliminated.

The printing apparatus is provided with mounting means for making the sheet storage magazine 300 detachable. As an example of this mounting means, reference numerals 14R, 1 in FIG.
A groove member as shown by 4R can be exemplified. These groove members 14R and 14L are fixed to a printing apparatus main body (not shown) facing each other with the opening sides of the grooves inward in the width direction B of the image receiving sheet S, which is orthogonal to the conveying direction A of the image receiving sheet S. Have been. Each of these grooves is parallel to the transport direction A and substantially horizontal.

On the other hand, also in the sheet storage magazine 300, in the state where the lid 200 is integrated with the main body 100, the convex portions 301R and 301L having a shape capable of engaging with the respective grooves of the groove members 14R and 14L are formed. With these, the mounting means is constituted (claims 5 and 18).

As described above, by inserting the convex portions 301R and 301L in the transport direction A while guiding the groove members 14R and 14L, the sheet storage magazine 300 can be easily mounted on the sheet feeding unit 12. it can. If the image receiving sheet S is not stopped in the middle of the sheet feeding exit 206 due to a sheet feeding error if the image receiving sheet S is in the vertical direction instead of the conveying direction A as described above, the image receiving sheet S is in contact with the printing apparatus side. Since it exists over the storage magazine 300 side, it cannot be pulled out vertically. However, if the sheet is loaded in a substantially horizontal direction along the transport direction A as in the present example, the sheet storage magazine can be easily pulled out even when the above-described paper feeding error occurs. Further, after the drawing, the image receiving sheet in which the paper feeding error has occurred can be easily removed.

A handle 102 is formed integrally with a rear portion of the main body 100 (claim 19). When attaching and detaching the sheet storage magazine 300, the user can easily and reliably perform the operation by gripping the handle 102.

The convex portion 301 of the sheet storage magazine 300
R and 301L are guided by the groove members 14R and 14L to have a fixed mounting relationship, that is, the lowermost image receiving sheet S in the sheet storage magazine 300 comes into contact with the supply roller 2 as shown in FIGS. When the sheet storage magazine 300 has advanced to the proper feeding position where the sheet can be fed, the advancement of the sheet storage magazine 300 is stopped by the engagement of the locking means provided on each of the printing apparatus side and the sheet storage magazine side, and the mounted state is held at that position. (Claim 8).

The structure of the locking means will be described.
The locking means 202 provided on the front surface of 00 is composed of a round shaft-like portion 202a on the distal end side and a plate-like portion 202b on the proximal end side. On the other hand, the locking means 16 on the printing apparatus main body side includes a holding section 16a in which a plate-shaped spring member is formed in an Ω shape, and a fixing section 16b for fixing the holding section to the printing apparatus main body side. Fixed part 1
6b is fixed to a fixing plate 18 integral with the printing apparatus main body by screwing. In FIG. 2, when the sheet storage magazine 300 advances in the transport direction A, the round shaft portion 202a pushes open the opening of the holding portion 16a and is fitted into the cylindrical portion at a stretch. At this time, the expanded opening is elastically restored, and the click of the round shaft portion 202a is held, and at the same time, a light impact is transmitted to the operator to notify that the sheet storage magazine 300 has been set to an appropriate position.

Thus, the operator can intuitively know that the sheet storage magazine 300 has been correctly mounted on the printing apparatus, can prevent an incomplete mounting state, and can maintain a stable image receiving sheet. Feeding can be performed.

Usually, a plurality of sheet storage magazines storing image receiving sheets of different types and sizes are prepared. For this reason, in order to prevent selection errors, what kind of sheet storage magazine is mounted on the paper
It is necessary for the printing press to be able to detect automatically. this is,
Since some image receiving sheets have slightly different sizes, this information is necessary for controlling printing position adjustment when printing data. Therefore, as shown in FIGS.
The identification sensor 20 is provided on the back side of the fixed plate 18 (claim 3). As this identification sensor, an optical sensor having a light emitting unit and a number of light receiving units provided at different positions is used.

On the other hand, an identification member 204 capable of selectively reflecting light from the identification sensor is attached to the front of each sheet storage magazine 300 (claim 6). The selective reflection refers to, for example, returning reflected light to a specific light receiving unit of the optical sensor for each different sheet storage magazine, and identifies the sheet storage sensor based on which light receiving unit has received light.

Thus, the printing apparatus can set a printing position suitable for the image receiving sheet stored in the sheet storage magazine and perform printing. In addition, if it is not suitable, printing can be stopped beforehand and a warning display can be displayed.

If a sheet storage magazine 300 in which no image receiving sheet is stored is mistakenly mounted, or if the image receiving sheet is lost in the sheet storage magazine 300 during printing, the printing apparatus automatically detects this and issues a warning. I want to. For this reason, a detection sensor 24 capable of detecting the presence or absence of the image receiving sheet is provided on the fixed plate 20 integrated with the printing apparatus main body. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a detection window 102 for guiding light from the detection sensor 24 is formed at the bottom of the sheet storage magazine 300 (claim 7). Thereby, the sheet storage magazine 300
Can be automatically detected when the sheet is mounted on the printing apparatus.

Even when the sheet storage magazine 300 is detached from the sheet feeding section 12, if the remaining amount of the image receiving sheet can be visually checked from the outside, it can be replenished in advance and the erroneous setting can be prevented. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, a vertically long slit-like window 106 may be formed on the side of the main body 100, or the whole or a part of the sheet storage magazine may be made transparent.

The sheet storage magazine 300 has an opening for sending out the stored image receiving sheet S toward the printing unit 6. This opening is a paper feed outlet as a feed passage of the image receiving sheet S, and is a bottom portion of the sheet storage magazine 300 as shown by a reference numeral 206 in FIGS.
It is provided on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction, that is, on the lower front part of the lid 200 (claim 9).

With this arrangement, when the sheet storage magazine 300 is mounted on the paper supply section 12, the image receiving sheet is pressed against the supply roller by the paper supply pressure utilizing its own weight, and is supplied by a simple paper supply mechanism. It becomes possible to send. Further, by setting the size of the sheet feeding port 206 so that only the lowermost one of the image receiving sheets stored in the sheet storing magazine 300 can pass through, the sheet feeding port can function as a separating function of the image receiving sheet. Fulfill. Thus, the image receiving sheets can be separated and sent to the printing unit 6 one by one without providing a complicated separating mechanism.

The image receiving sheet generally has warpage in each direction. In general, warpage of about ± 1 mm usually exists.
Therefore, if the warp is in the upward direction, that is, in the width direction B perpendicular to the conveyance direction A in the state of being convex downward, if a simple rectangular paper feed outlet is configured, the width in the width direction of the image receiving sheet End of the paper feed outlet catches the end of the upper edge of the paper feed outlet in the width direction B, causing a so-called skew that is sent in an inclined manner,
An abnormal image is formed.

To prevent this, as shown in FIG. 5, the shape of the upper edge portion of the opening constituting the paper feed outlet 206 is formed as a downwardly convex mountain shape. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the paper feed outlet 206 has a convex mountain shape with an upper edge portion of the opening. Further, the interval between the image receiving sheet S and the supply roller 2 is set so that only one image receiving sheet S can pass through.

With this configuration, even if the image receiving sheet S is warped in a downwardly convex state so that both ends in the width direction B jump upward, the widthwise end of the sheet feeding outlet 206 escapes upward. , Do not get caught. The image receiving sheet S ′ on the image receiving sheet S hits the front wall of the lid 200 and stays inside. Therefore, only the image receiving sheet S is separated and sent out. When the warpage is not convex downward but convex upward, the both ends in the width direction B do not stick to both sides in the width direction of the sheet feeding outlet. That is, there is no room for skew.

The paper feed outlet needs to be set at a height that allows only one image receiving sheet S to pass through, but the thickness may differ depending on the image receiving sheet to be stored. Therefore, the sheet feeding outlet 206 is set to have a sufficient size to accommodate a thick image receiving sheet. However, in such a case, the separation performance cannot be obtained.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the central portion of the upper edge portion of the opening constituting the paper feed outlet can have a constant width except for both ends in the width direction B, that is, the image receiving sheet can be separated. A plate-like gap plate 2 that can be covered with a width sufficient to obtain
08 is provided (claim 11). The gap plate 208 includes
A long hole 208a which is long in the vertical direction is formed, and is fixed to the lid 200 by a screw 208b passing through the long hole 208a. Loosen this screw 208b and remove the gap plate 20
The height position 8 is adjusted according to the thickness of the image receiving sheet to be used so that only one sheet can pass through, and tightened and fixed.

As described above, by adjusting the gap plate by the position adjusting means including the elongated holes 208a and the screws 208b, separation performance can be exhibited even for image receiving sheets of various thicknesses, and the width direction can be improved. Since gaps are formed on both sides, it is possible to cope with warpage of the image receiving sheet.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in the sheet storage magazine 300, the image receiving sheets S are stored in a vertically stacked state. The lower surface on the leading end side of the lowermost image receiving sheet S is in contact with the supply roller 2, and is drawn out according to the rotation of the supply roller 2 and sent out to the printing unit 6. Therefore, the image receiving sheet S in contact with the supply roller 2
For the front end side (downstream side in the conveyance direction), a large frictional force is required between the front end side and the supply roller 2.
On the rear end side (upstream side in the transport direction), it is necessary to make small frictional resistance between the contact surface.

In the present embodiment, a weight means 30 for pressing the image receiving sheet against the supply roller 2 is provided.
By pressing 0, the uppermost image receiving sheet is pressed. The weight unit 30 includes a weight 26, a U-shaped weight supporting unit 28 supporting the weight 26, and a guiding unit provided on the inner wall of the sheet storage magazine to guide the weight supporting unit 28. And guide portions 29 and 29 '. In this example, the guides 29, 29 'are formed by concave grooves. A part of the weight supporting means 28 is
It can be moved downward by fitting to 9 '. Accordingly, even if the image receiving sheet S decreases with the sheet feeding, the weight supporting means 28 is guided by the guide portions 29 and 29 'and descends accordingly, so that the sheet is always required to be fed to the supply roller 2. Load can be applied.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the front wall of the main body 100 is cut off and cut along the line XX ′ in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, two rows of guide portions 29 are formed on the inner wall surface of the main body 100 on the upstream side in the transport direction A with a vertical interval. The guide portion 29 ′ is an inner wall surface on the downstream side in the transport direction A of the lid 200, and is formed of two vertical rows of grooves formed opposite to the guide portion 29 (indicated by reference numeral 29 ′ in FIG. 3). . As shown in FIG. 3, two roller members, in this example, step rollers 29R and 29R 'are rotatably fitted into these two opposing guide portions 29 and 29'. (Claim 14).

The step rollers 29, 29 '
Since the roller is free to roll in contact with 9 ', the resistance when the weight supporting means 28 descends with the decrease of the image receiving sheet is smaller than that without the roller member, and the image receiving sheet S is supplied under more stable conditions. It can be pressed against the roller 2. At least two step rollers 29 and 29 'are necessary because the step rollers 29 and 29' are rolled in contact with guide portions provided on opposing wall surfaces.

A plurality of sheet storage magazines 300 are prepared for the printing apparatus in accordance with the thickness and type of the image receiving sheet S. In this case, the sheet storage magazine 300
Occasionally, the sheet is withdrawn from the sheet supply unit 12 and replaced with another sheet storage magazine 300. In the course of this operation, if the sheet storage magazine 300 is tilted or turned upside down, the alignment of the image receiving sheet S is disturbed internally,
The front and back may be reversed.

In order to prevent such a situation, the weight supporting means 28 is kept in a state where the lid is closed. That is, the check means is provided so that the weight support means 28 can move only downward. Specifically, on the main body 100 side, two rows of guide portions 29 are provided on the inner wall portion.
A downwardly facing serrated tooth surface 32 is provided in the vertical direction, and a similar serrated tooth surface 32 ′ is provided between the two rows of guide portions 29 ′ on the inner wall portion of the lid 200 facing the same.
Is provided. Further, the weight support means 28 is provided with back-up prevention plates 32P, 32'P made of leaf springs so as to face the saw-tooth tooth surfaces 32, 32 ', respectively. That is, the base end sides of the back-up prevention plates 32P, 32'P are fixed to the weight supporting means 28, and the free end sides are serrated tooth surfaces 32, 32 '.
(Section 15).

In this manner, the free ends of the respective back-up prevention plates 32P and 32'P are elastically deformed when the weight supporting means 28 moves to the side on which the image receiving sheet S is stacked, so that the saw-tooth tooth surfaces 32 are formed. , 32 ', there is no hindrance, but if the image receiving sheet is moved to the side opposite to the side on which the image receiving sheet is stacked, the image receiving sheet is caught by the serrated tooth surface and is not moved. That is, under the situation where the weight 26 is desired to be used, the weight supporting means 2
8, but the sheet storage magazine 300 is prevented from floating from the stored image receiving sheet S in a state where the sheet storage magazine 300 is removed from the sheet feeding unit 12. Accordingly, the internal image receiving sheet S is stably held, so that the handling of the sheet storage magazine 300 is facilitated and the supply of the image receiving sheet is also stabilized.

When the number of image receiving sheets S in the sheet storage magazine 300 is large, there is a request for printing in units of 300 sheets or 500 sheets. Therefore, such a vertically stacked sheet storage magazine has to be elongated vertically. I can't get it. For this reason, the own weight of all the image receiving sheets S acts on the lower surface of the lowermost image receiving sheet, resulting in frictional resistance during feeding. In order to reduce the frictional resistance, in the present embodiment, the bottom of the main body 100 that slides on the lowermost image receiving sheet is formed into a long rib shape in the paper feeding direction A to reduce the contact area. Specifically, a convex rib-shaped portion as shown by reference numeral 108 in FIG. 4 is formed.
The lowermost image receiving sheet is sent out in the transport direction A while being in contact with the rib-shaped portion 108. However, since the contact area is small, smooth sending out is possible even when the storage amount is large.

Further, when the upstream portion 108A of the rib-shaped portion 108 in the sheet feeding direction A is formed higher than the downstream portion, as shown in FIG. When the image receiving sheet S1 is slightly fed by the supply roller 2, the rear end side of the image receiving sheet S1 moves from the high portion 108A of the rib-shaped portion to the low portion. On the other hand, since the image receiving sheet on the image receiving sheet S1 remains at the high portion of the rib-shaped portion, the rear end side of the image receiving sheet S1 is separated from the image receiving sheet S2 on the upper side, so that the load from above is reduced. Disappear. For this reason, the resistance of the image receiving sheet S1 is further reduced, and feeding becomes easy.

As described above, there are some types of image receiving sheets that are slightly smaller in size. In order to accommodate these image receiving sheets in the single sheet storage magazine 300 without play, an inner wall member that can be adjusted in position according to the size of the image receiving sheet is provided in this example. FIG. 4 shows an example. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 110 denotes an inner wall member, and a plurality of long holes 110b long in the width direction B are formed at a portion of the bent portion 110a bent at 90 degrees, and the main body 100 is formed through these long holes 110b. The inner wall member is attached with a screw 112. After loosening the screw 112 and adjusting the position of the inner wall member 110 according to the image receiving sheet S,
Tighten the screw 112. With this inner wall member 110,
Adjustment of the image receiving sheet S in the width direction is possible. In the transport direction, if necessary, the inner wall member is provided so as to be adjustable in position by the same method. In that case, for example, an inner wall member (not shown) including a functional portion corresponding to the guide portion 29 and the saw tooth surface 32 is used, and the inner wall member 110 is
A configuration is adopted in which the position can be adjusted in the transport direction A using a long hole.

[0066]

According to the first, second and fifth aspects of the present invention,
Since one or more sheet storage magazines are configured to be detachable from the sheet feeding unit, the image receiving sheets are stored in the sheet storage magazine in advance, and the sheet storage magazine is mounted on the sheet feeding unit in the stored state. Therefore, handling of the image receiving sheet becomes easy, and an accident such as scattering of the image receiving sheet in the mounting process can be prevented.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the printing apparatus can automatically identify the type of the sheet storage magazine by the identification sensor, so that printing on an image receiving sheet different from the intended image receiving sheet can be performed. Can be prevented.

According to the fourth and seventh aspects of the invention, the printing apparatus can automatically detect the presence or absence of the image receiving sheet in the sheet storage magazine by the detection sensor.
It is possible to warn that the image receiving sheet has run out.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, erroneous selection of an image receiving sheet can be prevented by loading an image receiving sheet of a type suitable for the sheet storage magazine in advance.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the operator can intuitively know that the sheet storage magazine has been correctly mounted on the printing apparatus, it is possible to prevent an incomplete mounting state.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the paper feed outlet is provided at the bottom of the sheet storage magazine and downstream in the paper feed direction, when the paper feed outlet is mounted on the printing apparatus, the paper feed outlet is located between the feed roller and The image receiving sheet can be pressed by using its own weight, and by setting such that only one image receiving sheet can pass through the upper edge of the opening, a separating function can be provided and the sheet feeding mechanism can be simplified.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, even when the image receiving sheet is warped (especially, a downwardly convex warp), the warp tendency of the card matches the shape of the paper feed outlet, so that the end of the image receiving sheet is fed. The paper exit is prevented from getting stuck.

According to the eleventh aspect, by adjusting the height of the gap plate, it is possible to feed the image receiving sheet having various thicknesses while maintaining the separation performance.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, a load required for paper feeding can be applied to the supply roller by the weight means.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, even if the number of image receiving sheets is reduced due to the paper feeding, the weight supporting means is guided by the guiding means and descends to always supply the weight to the supply roller. The proper weight required for the paper can be given.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the weight supporting means can be smoothly moved by the roller member.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, since the weight supporting means is limited in the moving direction to only the direction of the sheet feeding opening by the reverse movement preventing plate which is engaged with the downward sawtooth wavefront, the sheet storing magazine can be moved. The image receiving sheet inside is stably held even when handled upside down, so that the sheet storage magazine can be easily handled.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the contact area of the image receiving sheet is reduced, and the resistance during feeding is reduced.

According to the seventeenth aspect of the invention, in the process of feeding the image receiving sheet, when the rear end side of the image receiving sheet moves from the high portion to the low portion of the rib-shaped portion, the rear end of the image receiving sheet moves between the upper portion and the upper image receiving sheet. Is placed in the gap portion, so that no pressure is applied from above, the resistance during paper feeding is reduced, and paper feeding is performed smoothly.

According to the eighteenth aspect, the operation of attaching and detaching the sheet storage magazine can be performed smoothly.

According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, since the handle can be grasped, the operation of the sheet storage magazine, particularly the operation of attaching and detaching, becomes easy.

According to the twentieth aspect, image receiving sheets of different sizes can be stored without disturbing the alignment.

According to the twenty-first aspect, the remaining amount of the image receiving sheet can be easily confirmed visually without opening the lid.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus and a sheet storage magazine.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a sheet storage magazine and a configuration of members around the magazine.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a sheet storage magazine attached to a printing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a sheet storage magazine.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating the relationship between the shape of a paper feed outlet and an image receiving sheet.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a lowermost image receiving sheet in a sheet storage magazine is fed.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 12 sheet feeding unit 14R, 14L groove member (as mounting means on printing device side) 300 sheet storage magazine 301R, 301L convex portion (as mounting means on sheet storage magazine side) S image receiving sheet

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit that prints on a card-shaped image receiving sheet on which an image is formed; and a paper feeding unit that stores the image receiving sheet and sends the image receiving sheet toward the printing unit. The printing apparatus, wherein the sheet feeding unit is configured to be detachable from the sheet feeding unit with at least one or more sheet storage magazines storing the image receiving sheets. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising mounting means for removably mounting said sheet storage magazine to said paper feeding unit. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an identification sensor for identifying the type of the sheet storage magazine. 4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of said image receiving sheet in said sheet storage magazine. 5. A printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit for printing on a card-shaped image receiving sheet on which an image is formed; and a paper feeding unit for storing the image receiving sheet and sending the image receiving sheet toward the printing unit. A sheet storage magazine to be used, wherein the sheet storage magazine includes a box-shaped main body having an opening as an entrance of the image receiving sheet for storing and operating the image receiving sheet, and a lid for closing the opening. A sheet storage magazine that is attachable to and detachable from the main body, and is provided with mounting means for detachably mounting to the paper feeding unit in the integrated state. . 6. The sheet storage magazine according to claim 5, further comprising an identification member for enabling identification by an identification sensor for identifying the type of the sheet storage magazine provided in the printing apparatus. And a sheet storage magazine. 7. The sheet storage magazine according to claim 5, wherein a detection window for guiding detection light of a detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the image receiving sheet in the sheet storage magazine is provided. And a sheet storage magazine. 8. A printing device comprising a pair of locking means which can be engaged and disengaged from each other to maintain a fixed mounting relationship between the mounting means according to claim 2 and the mounting means according to claim 5. An apparatus for mounting a sheet storage magazine to a printing apparatus, comprising a combination of an elastic member that gives an operator a set feeling when the sheet storage magazine is mounted and a convex member that engages with the elastic member. . 9. The sheet storage magazine according to claim 5, wherein the sheet storage magazine is located at the bottom of the sheet storage magazine so as to sequentially feed the stored image receiving sheets from the lower one. A sheet storage magazine having a sheet supply outlet as an image-receiving sheet sending-out path at a downstream side in the sheet supply direction. 10. The sheet storage magazine according to claim 9, wherein an upper edge portion of the opening constituting the paper feed outlet is formed in a downwardly convex mountain shape. 11. The sheet storage magazine according to claim 9, wherein an upper edge portion of the opening forming the sheet feeding outlet is capable of covering a central portion with a constant width except for both ends in a width direction. A sheet storage magazine, comprising: a gap plate having a shape of an arrow, wherein the gap plate is movable in the vertical direction, and is provided with a position adjusting means which can be positioned and fixed at an arbitrary position. 12. The sheet storage magazine according to claim 5,6, 7, 9, 10, or 11, wherein a supply roller necessary for feeding a sheet to a supply roller via the image receiving sheet is provided inside the sheet storage magazine. A sheet storage magazine provided with weight means for applying paper pressure. 13. A sheet storage magazine according to claim 12, wherein said weight means comprises: a weight; weight supporting means for supporting said weight;
A sheet storage magazine, comprising: guide means provided on an inner wall portion of the sheet storage magazine to guide weight supporting means. 14. A sheet storage magazine according to claim 13, wherein said guide means comprises two opposing guide portions, and said weight support means includes a roller member which rolls in contact with each of said guide portions. A sheet storage magazine characterized in that: 15. The sheet storage magazine according to claim 13, wherein said weight support means is slidably engaged with a downwardly toothed tooth surface provided on an inner wall portion of said sheet storage magazine. A sheet storage magazine comprising: 16. The method of claim 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 1.
The magazine according to any one of 2, 13, 14 and 15, wherein a portion on the inner bottom surface of the sheet storage magazine, which is in contact with the image receiving sheet, has a rib-shaped portion that is long in a sheet feeding direction. Sheet storage magazine. 17. The sheet storage magazine according to claim 16, wherein the rib-shaped portion is formed higher on the upstream side in the paper feeding direction than on the downstream side. 18. The method of claim 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 1.
18. The sheet storage magazine according to 2, 13, 14, 15, 16 or 17, wherein the mounting means for removably mounting the sheet storage magazine to the paper feeding unit includes: mounting the sheet storage magazine in a paper feeding direction. The guide is horizontally moved and is attached to or detached from the sheet feeding unit, and one is provided in the sheet feeding unit, and the other is formed from a combination structure of a pair of concave and convex grooves formed in the sheet storage magazine. A sheet storage magazine characterized by becoming. 19. The method of claim 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 1.
19. The sheet storage magazine according to 2, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, or 18, further comprising a handle for attaching to and detaching from the printing apparatus. 20. The method of claim 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 1.
20. The sheet storage magazine according to 2, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 or 19, further comprising an inner wall member whose position can be adjusted according to the size of the image receiving sheet to be stored. . 21. The method of claim 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 1.
2, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 2
0, wherein the sheet storage magazine is entirely or partially transparent so that an operator can confirm at least the remaining amount of the internal image receiving sheet, or has a window formed therein. A featured sheet storage magazine.