JPH11246096A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate handling of a receipt. SOLUTION: A receipt table 10 with a gradient 10a for guiding a receipt R with downward curl upward is provided downstream in the receipt discharge direction of printing mechanism B. The receipt R discharge almost horizontally from the printing mechanism B therefore abuts to the gradient 10a of the receipt table 10. The proceeding direction of the receipt R abutting to the gradient 10a is changed into a direction along the gradient 10a, that is, a direction of guiding the receipt R upward. Accordingly, even if the receipt R has the downward turn, its discharge direction is changed upward by the receipt table 10 so as to facilitate handling of the receipt R.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a printer used in a merchandise sales registration data processing device such as a POS terminal or an ECR that issues a receipt.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, it has been an issue to save space in a POS terminal or the like which is a merchandise sales registration data processing device. Here, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the space-saving POS terminal 1, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the POS terminal 1
Has a width corresponding to the size of the operation unit such as the keyboard 2 and the display 3 to save space in the apparatus width direction. In some cases, the receipt outlet 4 is provided in the vicinity of the operation unit because of the structure for saving space in the width direction of the apparatus. In the vicinity of the receipt outlet 4,
As shown in FIG. 4, a thermal printer 5 is built in. The thermal printer 5 is provided with a paper transport path 6, and at one end of the paper transport path 6, a paper storage unit A for holding a long receipt paper P wound in a roll shape.
Is provided. In the paper transport path 6, a roller pair 7 for paper transport, a thermal head 8, a platen 9
And a cutter (not shown). The thermal head 8 is provided above the platen 9 due to its mechanism.
Printing is performed on the outer peripheral surface of the receipt paper P pulled out clockwise. That is, the printing mechanism B is formed by the thermal head 8 and the platen 9. The receipt paper P printed by the thermal printer 5 is cut by the cutter and discharged as a receipt R from the receipt discharge port 4.

[0003]

The receipt paper P illustrated in FIG. 4 is pulled out of the paper storage section A in a state where it is wound clockwise in a roll form, so that it tends to have a downward curl. It becomes more noticeable when the winding diameter is small. However, when the operator grasps the receipt R, the receipt R can be easily grasped due to the winding habit in a state where the winding diameter is small, but in a state where the winding diameter is large, the receipt R is discharged from the receipt discharge port 4. Since the paper is discharged horizontally, the receipt R must be carefully grasped so as not to accidentally touch the keyboard 2 below.

As shown in FIG. 4, a receipt R printed with a curl hangs down while curling downward due to the curl. Even if the receipt paper P has a large winding diameter and the receipt R has a small curl, the issued receipt R will eventually hang down according to gravity. In this case, the receipt R, which is printed and issued, hangs down and covers a part of the keyboard 2 by arranging the receipt outlet 4 above the keyboard 2, thereby hindering the operability of the keyboard 2. In some cases.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer which can facilitate receipt handling.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a printer which can prevent a receipt from sagging.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A paper storage unit that holds the receipt paper in a wound state, and printing that pulls out and conveys the receipt paper held in the paper storage unit with the outer peripheral surface facing up, prints on the outer peripheral surface, and discharges it as a receipt And a receipt table provided downstream of the printing mechanism in the receipt discharging direction and having a gradient for guiding the receipt discharged from the printing mechanism upward.

Accordingly, when the receipt mechanism prints on the outer peripheral surface of the receipt paper held in a state wound around the paper storage unit and discharges the receipt as a receipt, the receipt has a downward curl. Conveyed. The receipt with the curl is brought into contact with the gradient of a receipt table provided downstream of the printing mechanism in the receipt discharging direction, thereby guiding the receipt in the direction along the gradient, that is, in the upward direction. The direction is changed to the direction. Thus, even if the receipt has a downward curl, the receipt table changes the ejection direction upward.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the merchandise sales registration data processing apparatus according to the first aspect, a receipt acquisition unit for receiving insertion of a finger at substantially the center and both ends of the slope of the receipt table is formed.

[0010] Therefore, the receipt acquisition section for receiving the insertion of the finger is formed substantially at the center and both ends of the slope of the receipt table, so that a space for grasping the receipt is secured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the merchandise sales registration data processing device according to the first or second aspect, a keyboard is provided downstream of the receipt table in the receipt discharging direction.

Therefore, since the receipt is discharged upward, even if a keyboard is provided downstream of the receipt table in the receipt discharge direction, the receipt can be handled without accidentally touching the keyboard.

The invention described in claim 4 is the first to third aspects of the present invention.
In the merchandise sales registration data processing device according to any one of the above, a receipt pressing portion for pressing the receipt downward is provided upstream of the receipt table in the receipt discharging direction.

Therefore, the receipt pressing portion for pressing the receipt downwardly in the receipt discharging direction with respect to the receipt table is provided, whereby the downward curl of the receipt is pressed from above, and the receipt is stiff. Granted.

[0015] The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1 to 4.
In the merchandise sales registration data processing device according to any one of the above, the receipt is discharged from the printing mechanism in a substantially horizontal direction.

Accordingly, even if the receipt is discharged from the printing mechanism in a substantially horizontal direction, the receipt is discharged upward, so that the structure of the printing mechanism is simplified.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the same parts as those described in FIGS. 3 and 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals,
Description is also omitted. The present embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a thermal printer 5 mounted on a POS terminal 1 which is a merchandise sales registration data processing device used in a supermarket or the like.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing the structure of the POS terminal 1. The POS terminal 1 is provided with a keyboard 2 having a width equivalent to the lateral width of the POS terminal 1 and having various input keys on the front side as viewed from the operator. A receipt outlet 4 for ejecting a receipt R (see FIG. 2A) and a receipt table 10 having substantially the same width as the receipt outlet 4 are arranged on the upper left side of the keyboard 2. Further, a display 3 having a width equivalent to the width of the POS terminal 1 is located on the back side when viewed from the operator of the POS terminal 1.
Is provided. Further, the POS terminal 1 has a built-in thermal printer 5 (see FIG. 2A).

Next, the receipt table 10 will be described in detail. Here, FIG. 2A shows the receipt table 1.
0 is a cross-sectional view mainly showing the receipt table 10;
Is a plan view of the receipt table 10 viewed from above, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a front view as viewed from the front. As shown in FIG. 2A, the receipt table 10 has a predetermined angle such that the receipt table 10 is inclined obliquely upward with the receipt sending section 5a of the thermal printer 5 located on the back side of the receipt discharge port 4 as the lowest point. Is provided. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, a concave portion 10b is formed at a substantially center of the inclined surface 10a so as to allow a finger of an operator to enter, as a receipt acquisition unit. Furthermore, the inclined side surface 1 which is the left and right side surfaces of the receipt table 10 as viewed from the operator.
0c is also a receipt acquisition unit, and has a slope such that the shape of the receipt table 10 is tapered. As a result, an inverted V-shaped projection 10 d is formed on the uppermost portion of the receipt table 10 when viewed from the operator side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), a receipt pressing portion which presses the downward curl of the receipt paper P is provided near the upper portion of the receipt sending portion 5a of the thermal printer 5. A presser brush 11 is provided.

Although not shown, the POS terminal 1 is provided with a CPU, a memory for storing an operation program and the like, and a control unit having a bus connected to a control circuit of each unit.

In such a configuration, when each unit is controlled by the control unit of the POS terminal 1 and the merchandise registration process is performed, the receipt paper P stored in the print storage unit A is printed by the thermal printer 5, and Receipt R from receipt outlet 4 to receipt table 10 by pair 7
Conveyed as. The receipt R conveyed to the receipt table 10 is conveyed upward by the slope 10a in a state where the receipt R is pressed by the receipt pressing brush 11 and is stiff. That is, since the receipt R is conveyed while being stiff, even if the receipt R is longer than the protrusion 10d of the receipt table 10, the receipt R is less likely to hang down on the keyboard 2. Thereafter, for example, when a receipt R having a length exceeding the protrusion 10d is issued, the operator crawls the finger on the inclined side surface 10c or inserts the finger into the space formed between the receipt R and the keyboard 2. By doing so, the receipt R is grabbed. In addition, for example, when a receipt R that does not reach the protrusion 10d is issued, the operator may use the inclined side surface 1.
The receipt R can be easily grasped by crawling a finger on 0c or inserting a finger into the recess 10b.

Here, when printing is performed by the printing mechanism B on the outer peripheral surface of the receipt paper P held in a state wound around the paper storage unit A and the receipt paper P is discharged as the receipt R, the receipt R is wound downward. It is transported with a habit. The receipt R with the curl is brought into contact with the slope 10a of the receipt table 10 provided downstream of the printing mechanism B in the receipt discharge direction, so that the traveling direction is the direction along the slope 10a, that is, the receipt R. The direction is changed to the direction of guiding upward. Thus, even if the receipt R has a downward curl, the ejection direction of the receipt R is changed by the receipt table 10 so that the keyboard 2 is not accidentally touched. It will be easier.

Further, since a concave portion 10b for receiving insertion of a finger and an inclined side surface 10c are formed at substantially the center and both ends of the inclined surface 10a of the receipt table, a space for grasping the receipt R is secured. Handling of receipts becomes easier.

Further, by providing a receipt pressing brush 11 for pressing the receipt R downward on the receipt discharging direction upstream of the receipt table 10, the downward curl of the receipt R is pressed from above, and the receipt R is pressed from above. Since the stiffness is given to R, the receipt R is prevented from hanging down, and for example, the operability of the keyboard 2 is improved.

Although the present embodiment has been described as an example of application to the thermal printer 5 as a printer, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a dot printer, an ink jet printer, or the like.

Although the embodiment has been described as an example of application to the POS terminal 1, the embodiment may be applied to an ECR.

[0028]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the receipt is printed by the printing mechanism on the outer peripheral surface of the receipt paper held in a state of being wound around the paper storage unit, and the receipt paper is discharged as a receipt. The paper is conveyed with a downward curl, but the advancing direction is inclined by contacting the curled receipt with the gradient of the receipt table provided downstream in the receipt discharging direction with respect to the printing mechanism. , That is, the direction in which the receipt is guided upward, so that even if the receipt has a downward curl, the receipt direction can be changed upward by the receipt table. Can be easily handled.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the merchandise sales registration data processing apparatus according to the first aspect, a receipt acquisition section for receiving insertion of a finger is formed substantially at the center and both ends of the gradient of the receipt table. Since a space for grasping the receipt can be secured, handling of the receipt can be further facilitated.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the merchandise sales registration data processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, even if the receipt table is provided with a keyboard downstream of the receipt table in the receipt discharging direction, the receipt is directed upward. The receipt can be handled without accidentally touching the keyboard.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the merchandise sales registration data processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, a receipt press for pressing a receipt downward in a receipt discharge direction upstream of a receipt table. By providing the part, the stiffness is given to the receipt by pressing down the downward curl of the receipt from above,
By preventing the receipt from hanging, for example, the operability of the keyboard can be improved, and the receipt can be easily handled.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the merchandise sales registration data processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the receipt is discharged upward from the printing mechanism even when the receipt is discharged in a substantially horizontal direction. , The structure of the printing mechanism can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing the structure of a POS terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view mainly showing a receipt table, FIG. 2B is a plan view of the receipt table as viewed from above,
(C) is the front view which looked at the receipt table from the front.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional space-saving POS terminal.

FIG. 4 is a side view partially cut away.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Keyboard 10 Receipt table 10a Slope 10b, 10c Receipt acquisition unit 11 Receipt pressing unit A Paper storage unit B Printing mechanism R Receipt P Receipt paper

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A paper storage unit for holding a receipt paper in a wound state, and pulling out and transporting the receipt paper held in the paper storage unit with the outer peripheral surface thereof facing upward, and printing on the outer peripheral surface. A printer comprising: a printing mechanism for discharging a receipt as a receipt; and a receipt table provided downstream of the printing mechanism in a receipt discharging direction and having a gradient for guiding the receipt discharged from the printing mechanism upward. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a receipt acquisition unit for receiving insertion of a finger is formed substantially at the center and both ends of the slope of the receipt table. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a keyboard is provided downstream of the receipt table in a receipt discharging direction. 4. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a receipt pressing portion for pressing the receipt downward, at a position upstream of the receipt table in a receipt discharging direction. 5. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the receipt is discharged from the printing mechanism in a substantially horizontal direction.