JPS63252766A - Compact information processing apparatus with printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable paper to be set easily and not allow it to curl up after printing by permitting a case by which a printing mechanism is mounted to advance on the upper surface of a body at the time of printing and paper to be printed while moving it in parallel with the upper surface of the body. CONSTITUTION:If a release button 24 is depressed, a click 23 bends elastically to be removed from a case 2 for a printing mechanism, and the case for a printing mechanism is set free. A counterclockwise rotating force is provided to the case 2 by a spring 22, so that case 2 automatically stats up, if the click 23 is released to set the subject device to a condition to enable printing. Conversely, at the time of storing, the case 2 for a printing mechanism is pressed down until the click 23 catches the case. Once the fitting pawl 23 is engaged with the case, the former does not release itself through its disengagement while the case is carried, thus causing no trouble.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to a compact information processing device with a printing device.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in printing devices built into small information processing devices such as portable personal word processors, printing paper is inserted through a paper inlet provided at the rear of the top of the main body, wrapped around a rubber drive roller for about half a turn, and then flattened. The paper is printed between the platen and the print head and is ejected from the paper ejection port located at the front of the top of the main body. When printing thick paper such as postcards with this printing device, it is necessary to bend the paper to match the curved outer circumference of the drive roller, which increases paper feeding resistance and may make printing difficult.

Furthermore, it is unavoidable that curly curls remain on the paper after it is ejected.

On the other hand, flat paper feed type printers have a pair of small diameter drive rollers under the flat platen, and the paper is fed by sandwiching the printing paper between them, so the paper remains almost straight, and even thick paper has a resistance to paper feed. The size of the paper does not become large, and curls do not remain on the paper after printing. When such a flat sheet feeding type printing device is built into a personal word processor etc., the printing device itself is required to be small. Therefore, the driving pulse motor is placed on the right side of the printing device, and the paper feeding is manually operated on the left side. Many of them have a structure with a platen knob arranged to eliminate wasted space and are more compact.

A structure for attaching this type of printing device to the main body of a personal word processor is known, for example, from Utility Model Application No. 61-53151.
As described in the publication, paper can be inserted from the paper insertion slot on the back of the main body by installing the printing device horizontally on the main body and tilting the main body using means such as rotating legs to create a space at the bottom. There is something I did.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The above mounting method requires that paper be set from the back or bottom of the printing device, which does not provide good handling. Also, if you increase the inclination angle of the main body to make it easier to remove the paper, the ejected printing paper will be tilted towards you and the printed side will be facing down, making it difficult to check the print results immediately after printing. becomes difficult.

Further, if the printing device is provided so as to protrude from the top surface of the main body, it becomes easier to set paper, but the external dimensions become larger, making it inconvenient to carry and store.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compact information processing device with a printing device that is easy to set paper, does not curl up on the paper after printing, and has small external dimensions for non-printing characters, making it convenient to carry and store. Our goal is to provide the following.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention connects a printing mechanism mounting case to the top surface of the main body so that it can move forward and backward, and when printing, the printing mechanism mounting case is advanced to the top surface of the main body so that printing can be performed while moving the printing paper parallel to the top surface of the main body. It is characterized by

[Effect]

During printing, the printing mechanism mounting case is advanced to the top of the main body and printing is performed while moving the printing paper parallel to the top of the main body, so the printing paper can move linearly on the top of the main body, so the printing paper can be set easily. This makes it easier to print and also eliminates curling of the printing paper. By retracting the printing mechanism mounting case so that it does not protrude from the top surface of the main body when not printing, the external dimensions are reduced, making it easier to carry and store.

1 to 3, a printing mechanism 1 is attached to a printing mechanism attachment case 2 by fixing means (not shown) such as screws. The printing mechanism mounting case 2 is rotatably attached to the main body 4 of a small information processing device such as a personal word processor via a rotation support part 3 that functions similar to a hinge. By rotating around the center, the angle of inclination can be changed from almost horizontal to almost vertical.

The printing paper goes from the back side (rear) to the front side (front) of printing mechanism 1.
The paper is inserted toward the drive rollers 5, and is fed as the drive rollers rotate. The drive roller 5 is a roller made of a material such as rubber, and is attached to the drive shaft 6. The left end of the drive shaft 6 is connected to a roller drive pulse motor 8 via a drive gear 7, and the right end of the drive shaft 6 is connected via a gear 9 to a platen knob 10 for manually feeding paper. There is. The ink on the ink ribbon 11 is heated and melted on the upper side of the drive roller 5.
A print head 12 for transferring onto printing paper 14 is attached to a carriage 15 that is movable in the left and right direction,
On the side facing the print head 12, there is a flat platen 1 for supporting the print paper 14 from the back and performing stable printing when the print head 12 is pressed against the print paper 14.
3 is installed. In addition, 16 is a pulse motor for driving the carriage lift, and J7 is a drive bell 1~.

The print head 12 is arranged to be offset to the right side of the carriage 15 to widen the printing range when the carriage 15 moves to the right end, and when the carriage 15 moves to the left end, it is placed to the left of the ink ribbon 11 and the carriage 15. This region is accommodated in the space above the drive gear 7 and the roller drive pulse motor 8 to widen the printing range on the left end side by the print head 12.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the structure of the rotation support section 3. As shown in FIG. Bearing projections 25 are provided at both ends of the printing mechanism mounting case 2.
are integrally formed and have a bearing hole 26 inside. On the other hand, a shaft 20 is integrally formed in the main body 4, and by engaging the shaft 20 in a bearing hole 26, the printing mechanism mounting case 2 is rotatably mounted. A cine 22 is attached to the shaft 20, and the two legs of the spring 22 are fitted into the spring fixing groove 9 provided in the printing mechanism mounting case 2 and the spring fixing groove 21 on the main body 4 side. A force is exerted to rotate the mechanism mounting case 2 in a counterclockwise direction (to raise it up). Furthermore, an engaging claw 23 and a release button 24 are integrally formed on the main body 4, and the engaging claw 23 engages with the printing mechanism mounting case 2.

Next, the operation will be described. When the release button 24 is pressed, the engaging claw 23 is elastically bent and detached from the printing mechanism mounting case 2, and the printing mechanism mounting case 2 becomes free. Since the printing mechanism mounting case 2 is given a force to rotate counterclockwise by the spring 22, the engaging claw 2
If 3 is removed, the printer will automatically stand up and be ready to print.

On the other hand, when storing the printing mechanism mounting case 2, the printing mechanism mounting case 2 can be pushed down until the engaging claws 23 are caught, and once engaged, the printing mechanism mounting case 2 does not come off by itself and become a hindrance when being carried.

Next, the operation of the entire device will be explained.

When carrying or storing this compact information processing device, by laying the printing mechanism mounting case 2 horizontally, the top surface of the main body 4 and the top surface of the printing mechanism mounting case 2 can be separated, making it convenient to carry. At the same time, the storage space can be reduced.

Then, when printing, print mechanism installation case 2
is rotated around the rotary support part 3 to stand up to a substantially vertical angle. The printing paper 14 is inserted from the rear side of the printing mechanism 1 and sandwiched between a pair of drive rollers 5, and is fed by rotation of the drive rollers 5. Printing is performed on the printing paper 14 when it passes between the print head 12 and the flat platen 13,
The paper is ejected to the front of the printing mechanism 1. This way of advancing the printing paper from the back to the front is common to typewriters and conventional word processors, so there is no discomfort when using it.

Furthermore, since there is a large space behind the printing mechanism 1, there is nothing to prevent the operator's hand from moving, making it easier to set paper.

Furthermore, since the printing paper 14 is fed almost straight from the back to the front parallel to the top surface of the main body, even when printing on thick paper such as a postcard, bending it into a small curvature will increase paper feeding resistance and It is possible to avoid the occurrence of curling of the printing paper later.

Next, the print head 12 and the ink ribbon 11 are placed on top of the printing paper 14 so that the printing surface is on the top side.
Also, since the paper is fed toward the front side, the operator can check the printing results.
It can be easily checked immediately after printing. Additionally, the platen knob 10 is located on the right side of the device, making it easy to use for right-handed operators with large proportions.

FIG. 5 is a side view of another embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment, the rotation support section 3 is arranged not at the corner of the printing mechanism mounting case 2 but near the center. By adopting such a structure, the moment of inertia around the rotation axis can be reduced, so the force required for tilting operation can be reduced, and the spring can also be made small, thereby reducing costs. Additionally, the top surface of the main body can be used as a paper guide.

FIG. 6 is a side view of still another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, a cover 28 is attached to the lower side of the paper discharge port of the printing mechanism 1 via a rotation support section 27. The cover 28 prevents foreign matter from entering from the paper ejection port when being carried or stored, and when printing, it falls down almost horizontally and serves as a paper guide. By doing this, the paper after printing will be transferred to the main unit 4.
This prevents the display from falling on top of the screen and obscuring the display.
This makes operations easier after printing is complete.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, when printing, the printing mechanism mounting case is advanced to the top surface of the main body and printing is performed while moving the printing paper parallel to the top surface of the main body, so the printing paper can move linearly on the top surface of the main body. Therefore, the printing paper can be easily removed and the printing paper will not be curled, and the external dimensions can be reduced by retracting the printing mechanism mounting case so that it does not protrude from the top of the main body when not printing. The effect is that it is smaller and easier to store and carry.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a small information processing device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view, and FIG.
The figure is a front view of the printing mechanism, FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are plan and side views of the rotation support part, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are partially vertical side views showing other embodiments. It is.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A printer comprising: a printing mechanism for printing documents, figures, etc. on printing paper; a printing mechanism mounting case that houses the printing mechanism; and a main body containing a control unit for controlling the printing mechanism. In a compact information processing device with a printing device, the printing mechanism mounting case is coupled to the upper surface of the main body so as to be freely retractable.
A compact information processing device with a printing device, characterized in that during printing, a printing mechanism mounting case is extended to the top surface of the main body so that printing can be performed while moving printing paper parallel to the top surface of the main body. 2. The compact information processing device with a printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the printing mechanism mounting case is advanced to the upper surface of the main body, the surface printed by the printing mechanism is on the upper side. . 3. The compact information processing device with a printing device according to claim 1, wherein the printing mechanism mounting case is rotatably coupled to the main body.