KR20220068493A - Portable printer for providing information of printing paper - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable printer for providing information of printing paper. More specifically, the present invention provides information of printing paper inputted to the printer through a cartridge, thereby guiding a correct use guide to a user.

Description

PORTABLE PRINTER FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION OF PRINTING PAPER

The present invention relates to a portable printer that provides information on printing paper, and more particularly, information on printing paper that can provide a user with a correct usage guide by providing information on printing paper that is put into the printer through a cartridge. It relates to a portable printer that provides

Recently, with the spread of various wireless communication terminals equipped with camera functions and computing functions, including smartphones, tablet PCs, or note pads, various application services are being provided by taking pictures with wireless communication terminals.

In addition, with the spread of portable printers, a variety of printed materials are being provided through immediate printing of photos taken by wireless communication terminals or linking with various application servers including social media.

For example, a portable printer such as a dye sublimation printer applies heat to an ink ribbon with a thermal print head (TPH) so that the dye impregnated (applied) in the ink ribbon is transferred to the printing paper.

1 and 2 , the dye sublimation printer 10 includes a printer case 11 , a cartridge 12 , and a printer engine 13 , and includes a printer engine 13 installed in the printer case 11 . By operating the cartridge 12, the dye impregnated in the ink ribbon is transferred to the printing paper.

The cartridge 12 includes a ribbon frame 12-R for supplying an ink ribbon impregnated with dye (applying), and a cassette 12-C connected to the ribbon frame 12-R and accommodating the printing paper. And, the cartridge 12 is mounted on the printer case 11 to supply the ink ribbon and printing paper.

A handle 12a is provided on the side of the cartridge 12 for mounting the cartridge 12 . In addition, a sliding insertion hole into which the cartridge 12 is inserted is formed on the side surface of the printer case 11 and includes a side cover 11b for opening and closing it. Accordingly, when printing is performed after the cartridge 12 is mounted, the printing paper is discharged through the discharge port 11a.

However, although the conventional cartridge 12 can supply printing paper of various uses and sizes, a means for classifying these printing papers is not provided, and related information such as checking the number of sheets remaining in the cartridge 12 . was not provided at all.

Therefore, when printing paper of the wrong purpose or size is installed, the user has to find the cartridge containing the desired printing paper and install it again, and to check the condition of the printing paper, the cartridge 12 must be removed and checked directly there was

Patent Publication 10-2015-0088402 Registered Patent 10-1507064 Patent Publication 10-2015-0088402 Registered Patent 10-1486327

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a portable printer that provides information on printing paper that can provide a correct usage guide to a user by providing information on printing paper that is put into the printer through a cartridge do.

To this end, a portable printer for providing information on printing paper according to the present invention includes: a cartridge for supplying an ink ribbon impregnated with a dye and a printing paper (SH) onto which the dye is transferred; a printer case into which the cartridge is inserted; a paper information module provided in the cartridge and recording information on the printing paper; a reader provided in the printer case and contacting when the paper information module is inserted and mounted to read information about the printing paper; and a communication module that transmits information on the printing paper read from the reader.

In this case, the cartridge includes a ribbon frame provided with a supply reel mounting unit and a take-up reel mounting unit; a supply reel mounted on the supply reel mounting unit and configured to supply an ink ribbon; a winding reel mounted on the winding reel mounting unit and configured to wind an ink ribbon; and a cassette connected to the ribbon frame from the front side of the supply reel, in which the printing paper is accommodated.

In addition, it is preferable that the printer case has an installation space in which the cartridge is mounted, and an insertion hole into which the cartridge is inserted and mounted in a sliding manner is formed on the side of the printer case.

In addition, it is preferable that the paper information module records information on at least any one or more of the type, number, size, and date of the printing paper accommodated in the cassette.

In addition, the paper information module is provided in a direction in which the cartridge is slidably inserted among the side surfaces of the cassette, and the reader contacts the paper information module when the paper information module is installed in the correct position inside the printer case. It is preferable to be provided in a position where

In addition, the paper information module includes an information storage chip for storing information on the printing paper; and a contact pad connected to a lead frame of the data storage chip.

Preferably, the plurality of contact pads are arranged in a line at regular intervals along the length direction of the cassette, and the reader includes a plurality of pogo pins respectively contacting the plurality of contact pads.

In addition, it is preferable that the reader analyzes the pin number of the pogo pin in contact with the contact pad and reads the mounting posture of the cartridge according to the contacted pin number.

In addition, when the reader detects a contact failure in a pogo pin provided at one end of a plurality of pogo pins arranged in a line, the other end of the cassette is determined to be twisted in a direction away from the inner wall surface of the printer case in which the reader is installed, and , It is preferable to determine that one end of the cassette is misaligned in a direction away from the inner wall surface of the printer case in which the reader is installed when detecting a contact defect in the pogo pin provided at the other end of the plurality of pogo pins arranged in a line.

The present invention as described above includes a reader provided in a paper information module and a printer case in which various information about the corresponding printing paper is recorded in a cartridge containing the printing paper, and reading the information recorded in the paper information module and providing it to the user. . Accordingly, it is possible to provide a correct usage guide to the user by providing information on the printing paper to be fed into the printer through the cartridge.

1 is a perspective view showing a dye sublimation printer according to the prior art.
2 is an exploded view showing a cartridge and a printer engine according to the prior art.
3 is a diagram illustrating a portable printer according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the cartridge of the present invention.
5 is a partial view showing a paper information module and a reader according to the present invention.
6 is a diagram illustrating a printing paper information window provided to a user according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a portable printer that provides information on printing paper according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, hereinafter, a dye sublimation printer will be described as an example of a portable printer to which the present invention is applicable.

However, the present invention is applicable to a dye melting type or thermal activation method such as Zink™, as long as the cartridge is mounted on a printer case and used.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the portable printer 100 providing information on printing paper according to the present invention includes a cartridge 110 , a printer case 120 , a paper information module 130 , a reader 140 , and a communication module 150 . ) is included. In addition, a printer engine 160 is further included as a basic configuration for driving the printer.

As shown in Figure 4, the cartridge 110 is a supply reel (111a), a winding reel (111b), a supply guide (111c), a winding guide (111d), a fitting frame to the ribbon frame 111 to supply the ink ribbon as an embodiment. A 111e and a tension guide 111f are provided.

In addition, the cartridge 110 is connected to the front end of the ribbon frame 111 and further includes a cassette 112 in which a plurality of printing paper (SH) are stacked and accommodated. Therefore, the cassette 112 is coupled to the ribbon frame 111 to constitute the cartridge 110 as a whole.

The cartridge 110 is inserted and mounted in the printer case 120 .

In an embodiment, the printer case 120 has a space in which the cartridge 110 and the printer engine 160 are installed, and a slot-type insertion hole in which the cartridge 110 is inserted and mounted is formed on the side of the cartridge 110. ) is installed by sliding insertion method.

Cartridge 110 largely includes a ribbon frame 111 for supplying an ink ribbon and a cassette 112 for supplying printing paper (SH), and this cartridge 110 is refillable, and when used, the printer case ( 120) is inserted and mounted.

Ink (dye) impregnated (or applied) in the ink ribbon by the cartridge 110 mounted on the printer case 120 is transferred to the printing paper (SH) by heat applied from a thermal print head (TPH). transferred and printed.

The ribbon frame 111 includes a pair of left and right frames spaced apart in the width direction, and the supply guide 111c and the winding guide 111d are connected to cross the ribbon frame 111 in a state spaced apart in the front-rear direction. .

The supply reel 111a is rotatably installed on the ribbon frame 111, and the ink ribbon is guided through the supply guide 111c. The winding reel 111b is rotatably installed on the ribbon frame 111 from the rear of the supply reel 111a to wind the ink ribbon guided by the winding guide 111d.

The fitting frame 111e is provided between the supply guide 111c and the winding guide 111d based on the transfer direction of the ink ribbon, more precisely, in the front part of the winding guide.

The tension guide 111f is detachably assembled to the fitting frame 111e. Accordingly, a transport path of the ink ribbon is formed by the supply guide 111c, the tension guide 111f, and the winding guide 111d.

The cassette 112 is provided at the front end of the ribbon frame 111 and is coupled to the ribbon frame 111 in an assembling manner in an embodiment, and through this, the cassette 112, the supply reel from the front side (the left side of the drawing) 111a and the take-up reel 111b are sequentially arranged.

In an embodiment, the cassette 112 is fitted to the ribbon frame 111 from the front side of the supply reel 111a so as to be detachably assembled to the ribbon frame 111 . An elastic fitting protrusion is provided at the rear end of the cassette 112 for coupling, and a bracket having fitting holes is formed in the front portion of the ribbon frame 111 to protrude downward.

The printer engine 160 includes a servo motor, various power transmission devices such as a gear assembly, and a contact roller for drawing, and takes out the printing paper SH one by one, and in synchronization therewith, the supply reel 111a and the take-up reel 111b ) is driven.

Since the driving method of the printer engine 160 can be known in more detail through Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-0081776, which the present applicant applied for, a more detailed description thereof will be omitted below.

Meanwhile, the paper information module 130 is provided in the cartridge 110 as described above, and information on the printing paper SH is recorded. The information on the printing paper SH includes the type of the printing paper SH.

The type of printing paper SH includes various types of paper, such as paper for simple printing of various contents such as photos, and special paper having a nail-shaped incision for nail art.

Furthermore, the information on the printing paper SH may include more various information such as the number of sheets, size, and date. For example, the number of sheets may inform the user of the number of sheets remaining when the cartridge 110 is mounted and thereafter.

The size of the printing paper (SH) is also related to the paper type, and it provides information on the size or shape of the printing paper (SH) currently being printed, and the date informs the user of the cartridge 110 installation date to indicate the usage time. make it possible to check

The paper information module 130 contacts the reader 140 to be described later and transmits information in a contact manner. Therefore, as long as there is no interference with the operation, it may be installed anywhere in the ribbon frame 111 or the cassette 112 constituting the cartridge 110 .

However, since the paper information module 130 provides information on the printing paper, it is preferable to be installed in the cassette 112 in which the printing paper SH is accommodated. In addition, the cassette 112 can accommodate a variety of printing paper (SH), and since it is detachably assembled to the ribbon frame 111, it is preferable to be installed in the cassette 112.

At this time, the paper information module 130 is provided in the direction in which the cartridge 110 is inserted among the side surfaces of the cassette 112 . For example, when the cassette 112 has a thin rectangular housing shape, it is installed on the side in the sliding insertion direction among the four sides.

Therefore, when inserting the cartridge 110 in a sliding manner so that it is inserted into the printer case 120 from the side of the cartridge 110, the paper information module 130 faces the entry direction, and when it is inserted to the end and installed in the correct position, the reader 140 to be described later. come into contact with

When the paper information module 130 is inserted and mounted, the reader 140 comes into contact with it and reads the information about the printing paper recorded in the paper information module 130, and receives information data about the printing paper SH upon contact. .

The reader 140 is mounted on the printer case 120 . More specifically, it is mounted on the inner sidewall of the printer case 120 , and is provided at a position in contact with the paper information module 130 when the paper information module 130 is installed in the correct position.

In an embodiment, when the paper information module 130 is provided in the cassette 112 which is one component of the cartridge 110 and is installed on the side in the direction in which the cartridge 110 is inserted, the inner side of the end in the insertion direction It is installed to face the inlet side from the wall.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5 , the paper information module 130 includes an information storage chip 131 for storing information on printing paper and a contact pad 132 connected to a lead frame of the information storage chip 131 . It may be composed of

The information storage chip 131 is composed of a semiconductor chip such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), so that even if the power supply is cut off, information on the printing paper SH recorded in each address is maintained.

The contact pad 132 corresponds to a terminal of the data storage chip 131 , and may include a power terminal and a data terminal, and is connected to a lead frame inside the semiconductor chip package to connect to the outside.

In this case, the reader 140 includes a pogo pin 141 in contact with the contact pad 132 . The pogo pin 141 reads data (printing paper information) by contacting the contact pad 132 of the paper information module 130 as a contact terminal having a probe at the end.

As described above, the printing paper (SH) information read by the reader 140 is provided to a user terminal such as a smart phone by a communication module 150 to be described later.

However, the number of contact pads 132 of the paper information module 130 is at least two or more for data transmission and reception. It includes a pin 141 .

In particular, a plurality of contact pads 132 are arranged in a line at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the cassette 112 . Accordingly, the pogo pins 141 of the reader 140 are also arranged in a line, and information on the mounting posture of the cassette 112 can be provided to the user according to the contact state in the longitudinal direction as will be described later.

That is, the reader 140 generates information capable of analyzing the pin number (Pin ID) of the pogo pin 141 in contact with the contact pad 132 . The generated information can be processed by the reader 140 itself or performed by the receiving terminal, and the connection to the pogo pin 141 among the plurality of contact pads 132 can be read through the analysis of the connected pin number. can

Through this, when all of the pogo pins 141 come into contact with the contact pad 132, the mounting state can be checked, and when none of the pogo pins 141 are in contact, the non-mounted state can be checked, and when only a part of the pogo pins 141 is in contact, it is possible to identify a mounting defect or a defective state.

For example, when detecting a contact failure in a pogo pin provided at one end of a plurality of pogo pins arranged in a line, the other end of the cassette 112 moves away from the inner wall surface of the printer case 120 in which the reader 140 is installed. judged to be wrong

On the other hand, one end of the cassette 112 is directed away from the inner wall surface of the printer case 120 in which the reader 140 is installed when a contact failure is detected at the pogo pin provided at the other end of the plurality of pogo pins arranged in a line. judged to be wrong

The posture information of the cassette 112 is provided to the user's wireless communication terminal, and the posture information is provided in the form of characters or images, so that the user can correct the correct posture by remounting the cartridge 110 or correcting the posture. .

Through this, the printing paper SH accommodated in the cassette 112 is also supplied in parallel with the ink ribbon and the thermal transfer head, thereby improving print quality. In particular, in the case of the printing paper SH on which a plurality of nail-shaped incision lines are formed so as to attach the printed matter to the nail, it can be accurately printed within the corresponding incision line.

The communication module 150 transmits information on the print paper read by the reader 140, and the receiving end includes the portable printer 100 itself or a wireless communication terminal (not shown) possessed by the user.

When the receiving side is the portable printer 100, the printing paper (SH) information is transmitted to the display mounted on the portable printer itself. In this case, a wired communication module 150 may be used, and data is transmitted to the display through a wired line.

On the other hand, when the receiving side is a user's wireless communication terminal, the communication module 150 is a wireless communication module 150 that supports short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth, and a printing paper ( SH) provide information.

6 shows a screen for providing printing paper (SH) information provided by the execution of an application (app) on the user's smartphone, and whether the printing paper (SH) information provided through the communication module 150 is installed or not, time information (year/month/day), model information, supplier, use, type and size, as well as the above-described posture information, etc. are included.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a correct usage guide to the user through various information related to the printing paper.

In the above, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the spirit and scope of the present invention are not limited to these specific embodiments, but various modifications and variations are possible within the scope that does not change the gist of the present invention. You will understand when you grow up.

Therefore, since the embodiments described above are provided to fully inform those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs the scope of the invention, it should be understood that they are exemplary in all respects and not limiting, The invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

110: cartridge
111: ribbon frame
112: cassette
120: printer case
130: paper information module
131: paper information chip
132: contact pad
140: reader
141: pogo pin (pogo pin)
150: communication module
160: printer engine
SH: printing paper
TPH: Thermal head

Claims (9)

a cartridge 110 for supplying an ink ribbon impregnated with a dye and a printing paper SH on which the dye is transferred;
a printer case 120 in which the cartridge 110 is inserted and mounted;
a paper information module 130 provided in the cartridge 110 and in which information on the printing paper SH is recorded;
a reader 140 provided in the printer case 120 and contacting when the paper information module 130 is inserted and mounted to read information about the printing paper; and
and a communication module (150) for transmitting the information on the printing paper read by the reader (140). According to claim 1,
The cartridge 110,
a ribbon frame 111 provided with a supply reel mounting unit and a winding reel mounting unit;
a supply reel (111a) mounted on the supply reel mounting unit and configured to supply an ink ribbon;
a winding reel (111b) mounted on the winding reel mounting unit and configured to wind an ink ribbon; and
A portable printer providing information on printing paper, comprising a; a cassette 112 connected to the ribbon frame 111 from the front side of the supply reel 111a and accommodating the printing paper SH. . According to claim 1,
The printer case 120,
It has an installation space in which the cartridge 110 is mounted,
A portable printer providing information on printing paper, characterized in that the side has an insertion hole into which the cartridge 110 is inserted and mounted in a sliding manner. According to claim 1,
The paper information module 130,
A portable printer providing information on printing paper, characterized in that it records information on at least any one or more of the type, number, size, and date of the printing paper (SH) accommodated in the cassette (112). According to claim 1,
The paper information module 130 is provided in a direction in which the cartridge 110 is slidably inserted among the sides of the cassette 112,
The reader 140 is provided at a position in contact with the paper information module 130 when the paper information module 130 is installed in the correct position inside the printer case 120. Information about portable printers. According to claim 1,
The paper information module 130,
an information storage chip 131 for storing information on the printing paper; and
and a contact pad (132) connected to a lead frame of the information storage chip (131). 7. The method of claim 6,
A plurality of the contact pads 132 are arranged in a line at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the cassette 112,
The reader (140) comprises a plurality of pogo pins (pogo pins, 141) each in contact with the plurality of contact pads (132). 8. The method of claim 7,
The reader 140,
Provides information on printing paper, characterized in that by analyzing the pin number of the pogo pin 141 in contact with the contact pad 132 and reading the mounting posture of the cartridge 110 according to the contacted pin number portable printer. 9. The method of claim 8,
The reader 140,
When a contact failure is detected in a pogo pin provided at one end of a plurality of pogo pins arranged in a line, the other end of the cassette 112 moves away from the inner wall surface of the printer case 120 in which the reader 140 is installed. judged to be wrong,
One end of the cassette 112 moves away from the inner wall surface of the printer case 120 in which the reader 140 is installed when a contact defect is detected at the pogo pin provided at the other end of the plurality of pogo pins arranged in a line A portable printer that provides information on printing paper, characterized in that it is determined to be wrong.

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