KR20020067819A - Portable Electrothermal Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A portable thermosensitive printer is provided to allow thermosensitive paper to be easily set between the platen roller and thermal head, through the simple operation of shutting cover. CONSTITUTION: A portable thermosensitive printer comprises a printer body(1) having an open surface and a receipt section(6) for holding a paper roller(5a); a cover(3) hinged to be rotatable at the open surface of the printer body, and which opens/shuts the open surface; a platen roller(9) installed to be rotatable within the cover, and which transfers a thermosensitive paper(5); a thermal head(11) supported by a spring(12) in the printer body, and which performs printing onto the thermosensitive paper by elastically and tightly contacting the platen roller; a paper guide extended from the open surface toward the interior of the printer body, and which guides ejection of the thermosensitive paper; and a paper ejection port(13) formed at the printer body, and which allows the thermosensitive paper passed through the paper guide to be ejected out of the printer body.

Description

Portable Thermal Printer

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable thermal printer, and more particularly, to a portable thermal printer which is easy to install, use and handle a paper, and can be carried in various ways.

The portable thermal printer is a printer in which a thermal paper treated with a special chemical is printed in black and white by a printing head, which is a heating element, in a manner similar to a thermal transfer method. A typical example is a portable printer that prints barcode labels while enabling wired communication with the system or short-range wireless data reception.

Conventional portable thermal printer has an opening and closing cover on the printer main body, it is possible to open the opening and closing cover to set the thermal paper wound in the shape of a roll, the means for printing on the thermal paper As a platen roller that transfers thermal paper and a thermal head that is in close contact with the platen roller and prints the thermal paper, the printer main body is provided in one set type. The setting was very difficult because the end of the thermal paper stored in the printer body had to be inserted into the narrow space between the thermal head and the platen roller while the cover was opened and the print head was manually separated from the platen roller. It was troublesome and uncomfortable.

In addition, since there is no consideration for easy removal of the thermal paper on the printer body, it is inconvenient to put the hand into the narrow space of the printer body when installing the thermal paper or replacing the thermal paper with a new one. In addition, there was no consideration to give the convenience of portability.

In addition, the conventional portable thermal printer can be carried only by one or two limited methods set in advance in the printer, and it is inconvenient to use the printer because it does not have to be prepared for impact such as a drop, and thus it is unsafe to use. there was.

The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable thermal printer that is easy to set and use thermal paper, easy to carry and handle.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a portable thermal printer according to the present invention, in which a cover is opened and a sheet is inserted.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of closing the opening and closing cover in the next operation of FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the opening and closing cover is completely closed in the next operation of FIG.

4 is a top view of FIG. 3

Figure 5 shows the external structure of the printer according to the present invention, a perspective view of the opening and closing cover viewed from above

Figure 6 shows the external structure of the printer according to the present invention, a perspective view viewed from the opposite side of the opening and closing cover upwards

7 is a view showing the configuration of the opening and closing cover for opening and closing the hook in the printer according to the present invention, shown on the basis of FIG.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1: Printer body 1a: Jam groove

2: opening surface 3: opening and closing cover

3a: Cutting portion 4, 10b: Hinge shaft

5: thermal paper 5a: paper roll

6: accommodating part 6a: guider

6b: relief groove 7: guide rib

8: paper guider 9: platen roller

10: battery 10a: battery cover

11: thermal head 12: spring

13: paper outlet 21: belt hanger

21a: support plate 21b: screw

23: button means 24: cutter

27: hook 28: protrusion

30: spring

The present invention for achieving the above object is a portable thermal printer to be discharged by performing printing in the printing unit while transferring the thermal paper wound on the paper roll sequentially, the opening surface is formed on one side and the paper roll inside A printer body having a receptacle which is releasably seated; An opening / closing cover which is hinged to one side of an opening surface of the printer body to be rotatable up and down to open and close the opening surface; A platen roller rotatably installed inside the opening / closing cover to transfer the thermal paper; A thermal head which is supported by a spring inside the printer body and is tightly adhered to the platen roller with the thermal paper interposed therebetween when the opening / closing cover is closed to print the thermal paper; A paper guider extending inclined toward the inside of the main body from the opening surface of the main body to guide discharge of the thermal paper; And a paper discharge port formed at one side of the main body as a passage through which the thermal paper passing through the paper guider is discharged. It is made to include the technical features.

The present invention divides the platen roller and the thermal head into the opening and closing cover and the main body while providing an opening / closing cover on the opening face of the main body so that the thermal paper is printed between the platen roller and the thermal head only by closing the opening and closing cover. It is to be positioned as easily as possible.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a structure of a portable thermal printer according to the present invention, a state in which a cover is opened and a sheet is inserted, and FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a process of closing the cover in the following operation of FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cover is completely closed in the next operation of FIG. 2.

As illustrated, the portable thermal printer according to the present invention has an opening surface 2 formed on one surface of the printer body 1, and an opening and closing cover for opening and closing the opening surface 2 on one side of the opening surface 2. (3) is hinged up and down by the hinge shaft 4 so that rotation is possible.

The printer body 1 is provided with accommodating portions 6 in which the paper rolls 5a of the thermal paper 5 are releasably seated. Both sides of the accommodating portions 6 are provided on both sides of the paper rolls 5a. The guider 6a is formed to support the relief guide 6a, which has a relief groove 6b upwardly opened in an approximately " U " shape so that a finger can be inserted for easy installation and replacement of the paper roll 5a. ) Is formed.

Inside the opening and closing cover 3, a guide rib 7 for suppressing the lifting phenomenon of the thermal paper 5 drawn out by pressing the paper 5 drawn out from the paper roll 5a of the accommodating part 6 is provided. Formed. A cutout portion 3a for discharging the paper is formed at the distal end of the opening / closing cover 3 to form a paper discharge hole 13 between the distal end of the cutout portion 3a and the opening surface 2 of the main body 1. The paper guider 8 which extends inclined toward the inside of the main body 1 from the opening surface 2 of the printer main body 1 corresponding to the cutout 3a to guide the discharge of the thermal paper 5. Is formed.

On the inner surface of the opening / closing cover 3, a platen roller 9 for conveying paper is rotatably installed by a motor (not shown) such as a known portable printer. Its platen roller 9 is provided on the guide rib 7 of the opening and closing cover 3, as in the illustrated embodiment, in accordance with the preferred direction of the invention. In addition, when the closing cover 3 is closed inside the printer main body 1, the thermal head 11, which is a printing head, is elastically supported by the spring 12 at a position close to the platen roller 9. do. As such, one of the platen roller 9 and the thermal head 11 is installed at the printer body 1 side and the other is installed at the opening / closing cover 3 side so that the platen roller 9 and the thermal head 11 are in close contact with each other when the opening and closing cover 3 is closed. By opening and closing the cover (3) by pulling the end of the thermal paper (5) to the outside of the paper guider (8) in the state of securing a large space and then the platen roller (9) with a simple operation of closing the opening and closing cover (3) The paper is set between and the thermal head 11.

A saw-tooth cutter 24 is formed at the end of the cutout portion 3a of the opening / closing cover 3 so as to facilitate cutting of the thermal paper 5 discharged through the paper outlet 13. (Parallel to FIG. 4). In the present embodiment, the toothed cutter 24 is integrally formed at the end of the cutout portion 3a of the opening / closing cover 3.

In addition, as can be seen through Figures 1 and 4, one side of the printer body (1) is provided with a battery cover (10a) is hinged rotatably open and closed by the hinge shaft (10b) to the printer body (1) The battery cover 10a has a power supply battery 10 built therein so that the battery cover 10a can be easily used while being carried even without a separate power supply line connected to the printer.

In the illustrated example, a long hole 10c is formed on the side of the battery cover 10a, and the hinge shaft 10b is coupled to the printer body 1 by passing through the long hole 10c thereof, thereby providing a battery cover 10a. Pull it open to install the battery 10, and then push again to close.

4 to 7 show the external structure of the portable thermal printer according to the present invention. 1 to 3 will be described in parallel.

As shown, a printer power switch 14 is provided on one side of the printer main body 1, and a feeding switch 15 for driving the motor of the platen roller 9 to transfer the thermal paper 5 is provided. Equipped. Adjacent to the power switch 14 is an LED 16 for displaying the power state of the printer. Adjacent to the feeding switch 15 is an LED 17 for displaying an error state of the printer. And an optical receiver 18 capable of receiving wireless data from an external device such as a handheld scanner.

In addition, the other side of the printer main body 1 is provided with a wired communication unit 19 capable of receiving wired data with an external device such as a handy terminal or a handy scanner, and on the opposite side of the opening surface 2 of the printer main body 1. An RF receiver 20 is attached to enable external device and near field wireless data reception.

And, as can be seen through Figure 6, on the opposite side of the opening surface 2 of the printer main body 1 is provided with a belt hanger 21 which can be worn on the user's waist belt. According to a preferred direction of the present invention, the belt hanger 21 has its support plate 21a detachably fastened to the printer body 1 with a screw 21b, and the support plate 21a is rotated in a different direction. In the screw 21b is also possible to fasten, the printer can be worn on the user's waist belt in four directions.

In addition, at least one neck strap hole 22 is formed at one side of the printer main body 1 so as to be connected to the neck or shoulder of the user through a strap to be worn.

In addition, as is well understood through FIGS. 1, 6, and 7, a hinge spring 4 of the opening / closing cover 3 provides a resilience force in an opening direction in the opening / closing cover 3. Is equipped. On both sides of the opening and closing cover 3, button means 23 for locking and releasing the opening and closing cover 3 are provided. Its button means 23 is provided with a hook 27 having a projection 28 and a slanted surface 28a thereof, which can be inserted and detached into the engaging groove 1a of the printer body 1, as can be seen in FIG. The hook 27 is slid under the guidance of the guide 29 protruding from the opening and closing cover 3, and is locked in the locking direction (a hook protrudes outward) through a spring 30 between the opening and closing cover 3. Direction) to support the shot.

In the present invention, the guard 25 is attached to the corner of the printer main body 1, thereby preventing damage to the printer from the impact such as the printer main body 1 falls. The guard 25 is preferably made of a soft rubber material (Rubber material).

Portable thermal printer of the present invention made as described above is a very convenient printer, such as easy to attach and detach the thermal paper (5), easy to operate, can be worn in a variety of ways, such as wearing on the belt or hanging on the neck. First, in the operation of installing the thermal paper 5 in the printer main body 1, when the hook 27 provided on the button means 23 on both sides of the cover 3 is pressed, the hook 27 is slid while the hook 27 slides. Locking is released when the 28 is released from the locking groove 1a of the main body 1, and the unlocking opening / closing cover 3 is rotated upward by the ball spring 26 provided on the hinge shaft 4 thereof. .

When the open / close cover 3 is opened and the ends of the paper roll 5a on which the thermal paper 5 is wound are grasped and seated on the accommodating part 6 of the main body 1, both sides of the accommodating part 6 are provided. Since the relief groove 6b is formed in the guider 6a, a finger can be placed in the relief groove 6b thereof, so that even a narrow space can be easily installed without any interference.

After seating the paper roll (5a) as described above, the thermal paper (5) is pulled out from the paper roll (5a) to fully pull out the end of the thermal paper (5) outside the paper guider (8) and then the opening and closing cover (3) ), The platen roller 9 provided on the side of the guide rib 7 is closed while the guide rib 7 formed inside the opening / closing cover 3 is pushed down while the thermal paper 5 is pulled down appropriately. Is in contact with the thermal head 11 provided on the main body 1 side with the thermal paper 5 interposed therebetween. Since the thermal head 11 is elastically supported by the spring 12, the thermal head 11 and the platen roller 9 are elastically adhered to each other so that the thermal paper 5 can be printed. Thereby, the setting of the thermal paper 5 is automatically made simply by simply closing the opening / closing cover 3.

In addition, in the process of closing the opening and closing cover 3 as described above, the projection 28 formed on the hook 27 on both sides of the opening and closing cover 3 is in contact with the main body 1, the inclined surface 28a of the projection 28 By overcoming the elastic force of the spring 30 by sliding the hook 27 inwards, the moment the closing cover 3 is completely closed, the projection 28 of the hook 27 is the locking groove of the main body ( 1a) is inserted by the restoring force of the spring 30 while locking the opening / closing cover 3.

After the setting of the thermal paper 5 is completed as described above, when the power switch 14 is turned ON in order to perform printing, data is received from the external device such as a handy scanner to the printer and the thermal head 11 ) Receives power from the battery 10 and prints it on the thermal paper. When one line of printing is completed on the thermal paper 5, the platen roller 9 is driven one pitch by a motor using the battery 10 as a power source, and the thermal paper 5 is conveyed.

The printed thermal paper 5 is formed between the cutout portion 3a of the opening and closing cover 3 and the opening surface 2 along the paper guider 8 formed on the opening surface 2 of the printer body 1. It is discharged through the outlet 13. The discharged thermal paper (5) can be easily cut using the serrated cutter (24) formed at the end of the cutout (3a) of the opening and closing cover (3).

On the other hand, the portable printer according to the present invention can be used in the state worn by the user, can be used in the state worn on the user's belt through the belt hanger 21 on the opposite side of the opening surface 2 of the main body Or, it can be used while hanging on the neck or worn on the shoulder by hanging a string to the at least one neck strap hole 22 provided on one side of the body (1). When the printer is worn on the belt, the belt hanger 21 is fixed by setting the desired direction in the disassembled state by releasing the screw 21b holding the support plate 21a of the belt hanger 21 and then tightening it again with the screw 21b. ) Can be changed to obtain a variety of wearing conditions according to the user's convenience.

In addition, the printer of the present invention can also be used on the ground, such as a desk, without the user directly wearing as described above, in this case, various places of the printer body (1) in a state in which the belt hanger 21 is seated on the ground as appropriate Supporting is possible, and in a more preferred method, it is used in a stable state in which the flat bottom of the main body 1 is seated on the ground while the belt hanger 21 is completely removed from the main body 1 by loosening the screw 21b. do.

Furthermore, since the guard 25 is attached to the corner of the printer main body 1 in accordance with the present invention, when the printer falls by mistake or hits another object, such as when the printer is impacted, the guard 25 The damage to the printer can be reduced by absorbing the shock.

As described above, according to the portable thermal printer according to the present invention, the opening and closing cover is provided on the opening face of the printer body, the opening and closing cover and the opening face thereof are provided to the paper outlet, and the platen roller and the thermal head are opened and closed. The present invention provides a printer having a structure in which a cover and a main body are separately disposed and a sufficient space for seating the thermal paper inside the main body. As a result, the present invention is not only convenient to install the thermal paper, but also the thermal paper is positioned between the platen roller and the thermal head in a printable state only by closing the opening / closing cover. As a result, in the related art, when setting the thermal paper, the setting process was very complicated because the thermal paper had to be passed through a small gap formed by separating the platen roller from the printing head, but this inconvenience is eliminated by the present invention. .

In addition, the present invention provides a button means in the opening and closing cover to facilitate the locking and unlocking of the opening and closing cover, easy removal of the battery due to the rotating hinge structure of the battery cover, and in various directions by the removable structure of the belt hanger and the main body I can wear it. In addition, if the belt hanger is removed, the printer can be installed and used stably on the ground such as a desk, and can be worn on the neck or shoulder by connecting the strap through the neck hole, and by applying a protector to the corner of the main body Can be protected safely.

Claims (12)

In a portable thermal printer configured to discharge the thermal paper (5) wound around the paper roll (5a) in sequence while printing the paper at the printing unit, A printer body (1) having an opening portion (2) formed at one side thereof and having an accommodating portion (6) in which the paper roll (5a) is releasably mounted; An opening / closing cover (3) which is hinged to one side of the opening surface (2) of the printer body (1) so as to be rotatable upward and downward to open and close the opening surface (2); A platen roller 9 rotatably installed inside the opening / closing cover 3 to transfer the thermal paper; It is supported by a spring 12 inside the printer main body 1, and when the opening and closing cover 3 is closed, the thermal paper (5) sandwiched between the platen roller (9) in close contact with the thermal paper ( A thermal head 11 which prints to 5); A paper guider (8) extending inclined from the opening surface (2) of the main body (1) toward the inside of the main body (1) to guide the discharge of the thermal paper (5); And A paper discharge port 13 formed at one side of the main body 1 as a passage through which the thermal paper 5 passing through the paper guider 8 is discharged; Portable thermal printer, characterized in that comprises a. The method of claim 1, Portable thermal printer, characterized in that the power supply battery 10 is built in one side of the printer body (1). The method of claim 2, Portable thermal printer, characterized in that the battery cover (10a) is opened and rotated hinged by the hinge shaft (10b) on one side of the printer main body (1) to facilitate the removal of the battery (10). The method of claim 1, Inside the opening and closing cover 3, a guide rib 7 is formed to press the thermal paper 5 drawn out from the paper roll 5a in the accommodating part 6 to prevent the thermal paper 5 from being lifted out. Portable thermal printer characterized in that. The method according to claim 1 or 4, Guides 6a for guiding both ends of the paper roll 5a are formed at both sides of the accommodating part 6, and the guiders 6a are upwardly opened to prevent interference when the paper roll 5a is mounted. Portable thermal printer, characterized in that the relief groove (6b) is formed. The method of claim 1, The paper discharge port (13) is a portable thermal printer, characterized in that formed on the opening surface (2) of the printer body (1). The method according to claim 1 or 6, The paper discharge port 13 is a portable thermal type, characterized in that formed as a gap between the opening surface 2 of the printer body 1 and the cutout portion 3a formed at the tip of the opening and closing cover 3. printer. The method of claim 1, On both sides of the opening and closing cover 3, when closing the opening and closing cover 3, the hook 27 is caught on the printer main body 1, the button means 23 is released from the main body 1 when pressing the hook 27 Portable thermal printer characterized in that) is provided. The method of claim 8, The hook 27 is slidably supported on the opening and closing cover 3 while being elastically supported by the spring 30, and a protrusion 28 is formed at one side of the hook 27, and the main body 1 Portable thermal printer, characterized in that the engaging groove (1a) that the projection 28 is removable. The method of claim 1, Portable thermal printer, characterized in that the belt hanger (21) that can be attached to the waist belt of the user on the opposite side (2) of the printer main body (1). The method of claim 10, The belt hanger 21 is provided on a plate-like support plate 21a, the support plate 21a of which is configured to be fixed while changing the direction by the screw 21b to the printer body (1) Thermal printer. The method of claim 1, Portable thermal printer, characterized in that formed on one side of the printer body (1) at least one neck hole (22) that can be connected by passing through a string such as a neck strap and shoulder muscles.