The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-105350, which was filed on May 2, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field
The present disclosure relates to an adhesive tape cartridge capable of supplying an adhesive tape comprising an adhesive layer and a separation material layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tape printing devices that perform printing while feeding an adhesive tape (tag tape) comprising an adhesive layer and a separation material layer are already known. According to the tape printing device (tag label producing apparatus) of this prior art, the adhesive tape cartridge (tag tape roll body) is mounted to and used in a tape holder storage part. An adhesive tape roll, around which the adhesive tape is wound about an axis line in the substantially horizontal direction, is rotatably provided to the adhesive tape cartridge. Then, when the adhesive tape cartridge is mounted to the tape holder storage part, the adhesive tape is fed out and fed by the rotation of the adhesive tape roll. Preferred print is formed on the fed adhesive tape, generating an adhesive tape with print. At the time of use, the separation material layer is peeled from the generated adhesive tape with print by the user. Then, utilizing the adhesive force of the adhesive layer exposed by the peeling of the separation material layer, the adhesive tape with print is affixed to a suitable object to be affixed intended by the user.
From the viewpoint of improving the handling performance by the user, in a case where the separation material layer is to be peeled from the adhesive tape at the time of use as described above, conceivably the peeled separation material layer can also be formed into a roll similar to the adhesive tape, and these two rolls (the adhesive tape roll and the separation material roll) can be incorporated as a single cartridge. Nevertheless, with these two rolls just simply incorporated inside a cartridge, the feeding until the peeling of the separation material after feed-out from the adhesive tape roll as previously described (in other words, the feeding between the two rolls) is unstable, making it difficult to achieve smooth tape feeding.
It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide an adhesive tape cartridge that is capable of improving the handling performance of the adhesive tape roll and separation material roll by the user and achieving smooth tape feeding.
In order to achieve the above-described object, according to the aspect of the present application, there is provided an adhesive tape cartridge. The adhesive tape cartridge includes an adhesive tape roll around which an adhesive tape, which comprises an adhesive layer and a separation material layer that covers the adhesive layer, is wound about an axis line in the substantially horizontal direction, a separation material roll configured to wind the separation material layer around an axis line in the substantially horizontal direction, the separation material layer being peeled from the adhesive tape fed out from the adhesive tape roll and fed, a connecting arm that freely rotatably supports the adhesive tape roll on one side in the horizontal direction and freely rotatably supports the separation material roll on the other side in the horizontal direction, provided so as to connect the adhesive tape roll and the separation material roll, and a guide device configured to cause the adhesive tape fed from the adhesive tape roll to pass in a tape posture with a tape cross-section set to a substantially horizontal direction, substantially contact both tape width direction ends during the passing, and to guide the adhesive tape in the tape width direction, provided in a middle part of the connecting arm, between the adhesive tape roll and the separation material roll along a feeding path of the adhesive tape.
The adhesive tape cartridge of the present disclosure comprises an adhesive tape roll around which is wound an adhesive tape comprising an adhesive layer and separation material layer, a separation material roll around which is wound the separation material layer, and a connecting arm that freely rotatably supports these two rolls. After the adhesive tape fed out by the rotation of the adhesive tape roll is fed, the separation material layer is peeled, and the peeled separation material layer is wound to form the separation material roll.
According to the present disclosure, in a case where the separation material layer is thus peeled from the adhesive tape and used, the adhesive tape roll around which is wound the adhesive tape and the separation material roll around which is wound the peeled separation material layer are integrated via a connecting arm. With this arrangement, the user can simply perform various handling collectively, such as attach and detach these two rolls to and from the tape printing device side, making it possible to improve convenience.
Further, as previously described, the adhesive tape fed out from the adhesive tape roll positioned on one side in the horizontal direction is fed to the other side in the horizontal direction to the position where the peeling is performed, and then the peeling is executed. According to the present disclosure, in a configuration where the adhesive tape roll and separation material roll are integrated by a connecting arm as described above, a guide device is provided to the connecting arm to ensure that the tape feeding such as described above is performed smoothly. The guide device substantially contacts both tape width direction ends and guides the adhesive tape while causing the adhesive tape to pass with the tape transverse cross-section set to the substantially horizontal direction. With this arrangement, it is possible to reliably achieve smooth tape feeding.
Thus, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the handling performance by the user and ensure smooth feeding.
The following describes one embodiment of the present disclosure with reference to accompanying drawings. Note that, in a case where “Front,” “Rear,” “Left”, “Right,” “Up,” and “Down” are denoted in the drawings below, the terms front, rear, left, right, up, and down in the explanations within the description refer to the denoted directions.
General Configuration of Adhesive Tape Printer
First, the general configuration of the adhesive tape printer will be described based on
In
An adhesive tape cartridge TK is mounted at this time in an attachable and detachable manner to a first predetermined position 8 below the first opening/closing cover 3 (in a closed state) of the housing 2, as shown in
With the mounting of the above described adhesive tape cartridge TK, the first storage part 5 receives from above the above described first roll R1, wherein a print-receiving adhesive tape 150 is wound around an axis O1 in the substantial horizontal direction (refer to
The first opening/closing cover 3 at this time is capable of opening and closing above the first storage part 5 by pivoting around a predetermined pivot axis K provided to the rear side end of the housing 2. Specifically, the first opening/closing cover 3 is pivotable from a closed position where the rear side of the housing 2 is covered (the state of
Further, the print head 10 and the above described feeding roller 11 are disposed vertically facing each other on the upper side of the substantial middle of the housing 2 interior communicated with the first storage part 5 and the third storage part 7.
The feeding roller 11 feeds the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 fed out from the above described first roll R1 stored in the above described first storage part 5 in a tape posture in which the tape width direction is the left-right direction (in other words, in a tape posture where the tape transverse cross-section is set as the substantially horizontal direction; refer to
The print head 10 is provided to an area of the first opening/closing cover 3 substantially upwardly facing the feeding roller 11 so that it sandwiches the fed above described print-receiving adhesive tape 150 in coordination with the feeding roller 11 (refer to
That is, the ribbon cartridge RK is mounted in an attachable and detachable manner to a second predetermined position 9 below the first opening/closing cover 3 (in a closed state) of the housing 2 and above the above described adhesive tape cartridge TK, as shown in
Then, the ink ribbon IB fed out from the ribbon supply roll R4 (that rotates in direction D in
The second storage part 6 receives a second roll R2 from above, storing the second roll R2. The second roll R2 winds the tape from which the separation material layer 151 was peeled from the aforementioned adhesive tape 150′ with print (that is, a tape that includes the adhesive layer 152 and the base layer 153; hereinafter suitably and simply referred to as the “adhesive tape 152, 153 with print”) around the above described axis O2 in the horizontal direction (specifically, the left-right direction). At this time, a core member 45 (details described later) for forming the second roll R2 is provided inside the housing 2 on the second opening/closing cover 4 side. Then, the second roll R2 is rotatably supported inside the second storage part 6 with this core member 45 supported by a support bracket RB. That is, the second roll R2 is connected to a take-up motor M3 via a gear mechanism (not shown) and driven to execute take-up by the take-up motor M3. This take-up motor M3 is provided below in the substantial middle of the second storage part 6 and the third storage part 7.
Further, the second opening/closing cover 4 at this time is capable of opening and closing above the second storage part 6 by pivoting around a predetermined first pivot axis K1 provided to the front side end of the housing 2. Specifically, the second opening/closing cover 4 is pivotable from a closed position where the second storage part 6 of the housing 2 is covered (the state of
With the mounting of the above described adhesive tape cartridge TK, the third storage part 7 receives the above described third roll R3 from above, storing the third roll R3. The third roll R3 winds the separation material layer 151, which was peeled from the adhesive tape 150′ with print in a way that separates it from the aforementioned adhesive tape 152, 153 with print, around the above described axis O3 in the horizontal direction (specifically, the left-right direction). The third roll R3 is connected to a take-up motor M2 for driving the take-up of the third roll R3 via a gear mechanism (not shown). The take-up motor M2 is provided below the above described feeding motor M1.
Note that the housing 2 is in the shape of a box with a narrow width, as shown in
Then, as shown in
Further, a cutter mechanism 14 for cutting the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print after the separation material layer 151 was peeled is disposed to an area that is further on the rear side than the second roll R2 of the second opening/closing cover 4 when the second opening/closing cover 4 is closed.
Hence, the first roll R1, the second roll R2, and the third roll R3 are respectively wound around the axes O1, O2, and O3 in the substantial horizontal direction, as described above. When the tape is cut by the cutter mechanism 14 at this time, a tensile force of a certain degree is preferably applied to the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print subject to cutting, pulling the tape surface tight. Here, according to this embodiment, the height direction position of the axis O2 of the second roll R2 supported by the support bracket RB disposed inside the second storage part 6 below the second opening/closing cover 4 in a closed state is configured to be higher than a height direction position of the axis O3 of the third roll R3 that winds the separation material layer 151 inside the third storage part 7 of the adhesive tape cartridge TK mounted to the first predetermined position 8 below the first opening/closing cover 3 in a closed state, by an amount equivalent to a distance h (refer to
Summary of Apparatus Movement
In the above described configuration, when the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 fed out from the first roll R1 (rotating in direction A in
On the other hand, the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print from which the separation material layer 151 was peeled are further fed toward the front side, introduced to the second storage part 6, and wound inside the second storage part 6, forming the second roll R2 (that rotates in direction B in
Detailed Structure of Each Component
Next, the detailed structure of each component of the adhesive tape printer 1 of a general configuration such as described above will be described in order.
Detailed Structure of Adhesive Tape Cartridge
As shown in the above described
The first bracket parts 22 and 22 hold the first roll R1 rotatably around the axis O1, sandwiching the first roll R1 from both the left and right sides. These first bracket parts 22 and 22 are connected by a first connecting part 23 provided in an extended manner in the substantially horizontal direction on the upper end.
The second bracket parts 24 and 24 hold the third roll R3 rotatably around the axis O3, sandwiching the third roll R3 from both the left and right sides. These second bracket parts 24 and 24 are connected by a second connecting part 25 provided in an extended manner in the substantially horizontal direction on the upper end.
Then, the above described first bracket parts 22 and 22 and the above described first connecting part 23 on the rear side, and the above described second bracket parts 24 and 24 and the above described second connecting part 25 on the front side are connected by a pair of left and right roll connecting beam parts 26 and 26.
Further, a pair of left and right guide parts 27 is provided to an area of the above described connecting arm 21 that is in the middle of the first roll R1 and the third roll R3 along the tape feeding path (the first connecting part 23 in this example) so as to protrude downward from the first connecting part 23 (refer to
Peeling Part
Further, the connecting arm 21, as shown in
At this time, as shown in
Further, at this time, as shown in
Note that, as previously described, in
Detailed Structure of Cutter Mechanism
As shown in
The guide plate 31 is provided in an extended manner in the tape width direction to the inside of the releasing edge side of the second opening/closing cover 4, further on the downstream side in the tape transport direction than the feeding roller 11. This guide plate 31 is supported by a pair of left and right support plates 35a and 35b with respect to the second opening/closing cover 4. Then, the guide plate 31 contacts and guides the upper surface of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print (in other words, the upper surface of the base layer 153; corresponding to the surface of the one side end in the thickness direction) fed by the feeding roller 11 inside the above described housing 2 in a posture in which the tape width direction is the left-right direction (refer to the imaginary lines in
The above described movable blade 32 is disposed below the guide plate 31 so that a blade edge 32a vertically faces the guide plate 31 (so that the blade edge 32a points upward in this example). The movable blade 32 is guided by the guide rail 34, traveling in the tape width direction along the guide plate 31 by the above described freely traveling carriage 33, and performs cutting (refer to arrow C in
The movable blade 32 advances toward the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print from the adhesive layer 152 of the lowermost layer by the above described travel of the carriage 33 along the guide rail 34, while sandwiching the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print between itself and the guide plate 31, performing the above described cutting. At that time, the above described movable blade support part 33a supports the carriage 33 so that the movable blade 32 slopes (slopes downward in this example) toward the above described travel direction along the tape width, in a way that causes the blade edge 32a (refer to
Note that a shoot 15 for switching the feeding path of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print between a side toward the second roll R2 and a side toward the discharging exit 12 is provided further on the downstream side than the guide plate 31 along the tape transport direction (the function of this shoot 15 will be described later).
Detailed Structure of Support Bracket
In
That is, the support bracket RB is pivotably configured from a use position (the position shown in
Then, the support bracket RB, as shown in
The dimension of the base part 41a of the first bracket RB1 along the above described second pivot axis K2 is larger than the base part 41b of the second bracket RB2. Then, a cylindrical-shaped guide protrusion 42a is provided in a protruding manner along the above described second pivot axis K2 direction to the inside of the base part 41a (the side of the second bracket RB2 facing the base part 41b; the lower right side in
The base part 41b of the second bracket RB2 bends in a substantial L shape corresponding to the structure of the first bracket RB1 such as described above (refer to
With the above described structure, when the second roll R2 is in the above described removal position (refer to
Further, a substantially C-ring shaped interlocking groove 43 is provided to the radial center of the above described circular parts 39a and 39b of the first bracket RB1 and the second bracket RB2. In the above described use position (the position shown in
Core Member
Hence, as previously described, the above described second roll R2 is generated by the winding of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print on the outer peripheral side of the above described core member 45. Then, with the core member 45 rotatably supported by the above described first bracket RB1 and the second bracket RB2, the second roll R2 is rotatable inside the second storage part 6. The following described the details thereof.
In
The above described cylindrical part 45c is integrally formed in this example to the one flange 45a. An extending part 45d designed with a slightly smaller diameter than the cylindrical part 45c is provided to one axial side end (the lower right side in
Then, the extending part 45f is interlocked with the above described extending part 45d on the outside and the locking pieces 45g engage with the locking holes 45e, thereby forming the above described core member 45 of a bobbin (or drum) shape. Then, the core member 45 in the assembled state as shown in
Note that the width direction dimension of the above described cylindrical part 45c substantially corresponds to the width of the above described adhesive tape 152, 153 with print. The example shown in the above described
Step-Shape of Core Member
According to this embodiment, it is also possible to further improve the take-up performance of the above described adhesive tape 152, 153 with print by devising a transverse cross-sectional shape of the above described core member 45. The following describes an example of such the core member 45 with reference to
In
Hence, in this example, as shown in
Further, a pair of middle wall parts 52 and 52 is provided further on the radial inside than the pair of introduction wall parts 51 and 51, facing each other on one side and the other side in the above described axial direction. These middle wall parts 52 and 52 are formed by concave parts 53 and 53 that respectively cave in further on either axial end side (the left side or right side in
Furthermore, an inner cylindrical surface 54 is provided further on the radial inside than the above described pair of middle wall parts 52 and 52, in an extended manner in an axial direction so as to connect the radial inside ends of the pair of middle wall parts 52 and 52. The inner cylindrical surface 54 is an area for sequentially affixing and winding the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print introduced via the above described introduction wall part 51 and the above described middle wall part 52. The inner cylindrical surface 54 comprises a concave groove 55 of a dimension w3 in the axial direction that is substantially equal to the tape width W of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print. Note that an inner peripheral surface 54k that is on the side opposite the concave groove 55 of the inner cylindrical surface 54 fulfills the same function as the aforementioned inner peripheral surface 45k. That is, the core member 45 in this example is mounted to the outer peripheral side of the rotating part 47a while the above described inner peripheral surface 54k is joined to the above described protrusion 47k of the rotating part 47a of the aforementioned first bracket RB1.
Note that, as shown in
As described above, in the core member 45 shown in
Note that the core member 45 of this example shown in
Cartridge Release Processing Part
Hence, a release processing part for temporarily tacking (reseparably adhering) the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print generated by the cutting process by the aforementioned cutter mechanism 14 is provided to the aforementioned adhesive tape cartridge TK. This release processing part will now be described with reference to
In
When the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print are cut by the cutter mechanism 14 as previously described, the user may, for example, remove and move the adhesive tape cartridge TK from the housing 2, etc. The adhesive layer 152 of the above described adhesive tape 152, 153 with print at this time is exposed by the peeling of the separation material layer 151 from the print-receiving adhesive tape 150. Accordingly, when the user carelessly performs handling during the above described removal and moving, the leading edge of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print after the above described cutting as well as the adhesive layer 152 positioned nearby may mistakenly self adhere to another area of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print or stick to the third roll R3 or another cartridge area as is.
Hence, in this embodiment, a release processing part 70 configured to reseparably adhere the above described adhesive tape 152, 153 with print is provided to the position of the peeling part 13 of the above described connecting arm 21 (in this example, the shaded section in a substantial sideways “C” shape shown in
Further, according to this embodiment, a rectangular cover member 71 that hangs down in a canopy shape from the position of the peeling part 13 is further provided to cover an area of the third roll R3 on the side of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print generated by the peeling part 13. Release processing similar to the above described release processing part 70 is performed on the entire surface (or a part of the surface) of this cover member 71. With this arrangement, the cover member 71 is capable of reseparably adhering the adhesive layer 152 positioned on the lower side of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print discharged from the peeling part 13 to the surface of the cover member 71.
Further, a hole 72 comprising a width direction dimension that is smaller than the width of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print is provided to the cover member 71. The adhesive tape 152, 153 with print are reseparably adhered across both sides of the hole 72 along the tape length direction. When the above described adhesive tape 152, 153 with print adhere across this hole 72 comprising a small width direction dimension as described above, the user can access the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print exposed on the third roll R3 side by operation with a finger.
Note that, in a case where there is no possibility of sticking to the third roll R3 side (or in a case where no such considerations need be made), the cover member 71 may be omitted.
Note that the above described release processing part 70 and cover member 71 are shown only in
Switching the Path of the Adhesive Tape with Print
As already described, according to this embodiment, the shoot 15 for switching the feeding path of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print (or sometimes the adhesive tape 150′ with print which includes the separation material layer 151; described later) between the side toward the second roll R2 and the side toward the discharging exit 12 is provided further on the downstream side than the cutter mechanism 14 along the tape transport direction. The path switching of this shoot 15 will now be described with reference to
According to this embodiment, the feeding of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print or the adhesive tape 150′ with print (hereinafter suitably and simply referred to as the “adhesive tape 152, 153 with print, etc.”) is generally classified into two modes according to whether or not there is winding of the second roll R2 inside the second storage part 6, and can be switched to three modes by further switching the above described shoot 15.
Switching Details of Shoot
First, the switching of the shoot 15 will be described. The above described shoot 15 is provided further on the upstream side along the feeding path than the second roll R2 stored in the second storage part 6, and further on the downstream side along the feeding path than the print head 10. This shoot 15 is configured to be selectively switchable between an upper position (corresponding to a regular feeding mode described later) that guides the feeding path of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print, etc., to the second storage part 6, and a lower position (corresponding to a feeding mode for external discharge described later) that guides the feeding path of the adhesive tape 150′ with print (in which the separation material layer 151 is not separated but included) to the discharging exit 12 of the housing 2.
The switching of the position of this shoot 15 is specifically performed by a switching lever 16, as shown in
Further, a hinge protrusion 17B that serves as an action point is formed on the front side of the slide arm 17. The above described switching lever 16 at this time is formed into a substantial L-shape, and is provided in a back-and-forth rockable manner to the housing 2 by the fulcrum shaft 16A positioned in a middle section thereof. A long hole 16B is formed on the rear side of the switching lever 16, and the hinge protrusion 17B of the slide arm 17 is fit to this long hole 16B so that there is play therebetween.
With the above described configuration, the slide arm 17 moves when the user operates an upward extending operation part 16C of the switching lever 16 in direction F in
Switching the Feeding Path
Next, the three feeding paths realized by the presence or non-presence of the winding of the second roll R2 described above and the switching of the above described shoot 15 will be described in order.
That is, first, the regular representative feeding mode performed with the shoot 15 switched to the above described upper position is the feeding mode already described. That is, as shown in
Note that the regular feeding mode performed with the shoot 15 switched to the above described upper position as described above is also sometimes configured so that the third roll R3 is not made to function. In such a case, as shown in
On the other hand, in a case where the shoot is switched to the above described lower position (in this case, the third roll R3 is made not to function as described above), the mode changes to the feeding mode for external discharge. In this case, the adhesive tape 150′ with print is discharged in a tape mode from the discharging exit 12 (refer to
Note that the switching of the above described shoot 15 is performed before winding work (or discharging work) of the above described adhesive tape 152, 153 with print, etc., is newly performed, that is, with tape feeding stopped. During that switching, the tape leading edge of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print, etc., cut during the previous winding work (or discharging work) is stopped at the position of the above described cutter mechanism 14. Correspondingly, according to this embodiment, when the shoot 15 is switched from the above described upper position to the lower position, the leading edge position of the shoot 15 is configured to be closer to the side near the cutter mechanism 14 side (one side). That is, in the upper position shown in
As described above, in this embodiment, in the flow of the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 and the adhesive tape 150′ with print (the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print and the separation material layer 151) from the first storage part 5, through print formation by the print head 10, to the third storage part 7 and the second storage part 6, etc., the feeding by the feeding roller 11 is all performed with a tape posture in which the tape width direction is set to the left-right direction, in other words, with the tape surface turned sideways. That is, the first roll R1, the second roll R2, and the third roll R3 are respectively wound around the axes O1, O2, and O3 in the substantially horizontal direction. Then, the first storage part 5 configured to store the first roll R1 is disposed on the rear side of the housing 2, the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 from the first roll R1 is fed toward the front side of the housing 2, and the adhesive tape 150′ with print after print formation is guided toward the second storage part 6, the third storage part 7, etc., provided on the front side of the housing 2. The feeding path when the adhesive tape 150′ with print is formed from the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 is thus a feeding path from the rear side to the front side of the housing 2. Further, the first roll R1, the second roll R2, and the third roll R3 are so-called drop-in types that are respectively inserted from above and stored in the corresponding first storage part 5, the second storage part 6, and the third storage part 7. Moreover, the feeding motor M1 for driving the feeding roller 11 is provided in the middle of the first storage part 5 and the second storage part 6, which are disposed in a divided manner into a rear side and a front side as previously described. With such a configuration of each component, in the adhesive tape printer 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to design the housing 2 which contains each of the above described components with a narrow width shape comprising a long dimension in the front-rear direction, and a short dimension in the left-right direction (refer to
Further, the first opening/closing cover 3 capable of opening and closing the first storage part 5, and the second opening/closing cover 4 capable of opening and closing the second storage part 6 are provided to the upper part of the housing 2. Then, the first storage part 5 can be exposed by opening the first opening/closing cover 3 provided to the rear end of the housing 2, and the second storage part 6 can be exposed by opening the second opening/closing cover 4 provided to the front end of the housing 2. That is, it is possible to individually and independently expose the first storage part 5 and the second storage part 6, respectively. With this arrangement, when the adhesive tape 150′ with print is wound inside the second storage part 6, forming the second roll R2, for example, it is also possible to open the second opening/closing cover 4 based on suitable timing and remove and use the second roll R2 wound inside the second storage part 6, regardless of the consumed state of the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 of the first roll R1 inside the first storage part 5. Thus, it is possible to improve user convenience.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, during printing execution, the first roll R1 and the third roll R3 are stored and used in the first predetermined position 8 below the first opening/closing cover 3 for each of the adhesive tape cartridges TK. With this arrangement, the user can simply attach and detach these two rolls R1 and R3 and perform other handling collectively, thereby making it possible to improve convenience.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, the ink ribbon IB used for printing is stored and used in the second predetermined position 9 below the first opening/closing cover 3 and above the adhesive tape cartridge TK for each of the above described ribbon cartridges RK. With this arrangement, the user can simply perform the handling of the ink ribbon IB required during print formation separately from the adhesive tape cartridge TK, thereby making it possible to improve convenience.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, the structure of the aforementioned first opening/closing cover 3 and the second opening/closing cover 4 makes it possible to replace the ribbon cartridge RK based on suitable timing by opening the first opening/closing cover 3, regardless of the winding and layering state of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print of the second roll R2. With this arrangement, when the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print are wound to the second roll R2, the ribbon cartridge RK, for example, can be replaced in the middle of the process to change the print color, etc., thereby making it possible to further improve convenience.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, the second roll R2 can be attached to and detached from the second storage part 6 by opening the second opening/closing cover 4, even with the first opening/closing cover 3 in a closed state as is. With this arrangement, even in a case where the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 of the first roll R1 is barely consumed and replacement of the first roll R1 is not yet required, the user can open the second opening/closing cover 4 based on suitable preferred timing and reliably remove the second roll R2 with the first roll R1 left inside the first storage part 5 as is. Thus, it is possible to further improve convenience.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, the height direction position of the axis O2 of the second roll R2 configured to wind the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print inside the second storage part 6 is higher than the height direction position of the axis O3 of the third roll R3 configured to wind the separation material layer 151 inside the third storage part 7 by an amount equivalent to the distance h. With this arrangement, it is possible to reliably peel the separation material layer 151 downward from the adhesive tape 150′ with print fed to the front side as previously described, and reliably introduce the remaining adhesive tape 152, 153 with print separated from the separation material layer 151 to the second storage part 6 without interference with the third roll R3. Further, due to the above described positional relationship, it is possible to apply sufficient tensile force to pull the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print tight after the peeling of the separation material layer 151, between the peeling position of the separation material layer 151 and the outer peripheral part of the second roll R2 wound to the second roll R2 inside the second storage part 6. As a result, it is possible to smoothly and favorably perform the cutting by the above described cutter mechanism 14.
Further, according to the adhesive tape cartridge TK provided in this embodiment, in a case where the separation material layer 151 is peeled from the adhesive tape 150′ with print generated from the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 and used, the first roll R1 around which is wound the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 and the third roll R3 around which is wound the separation material layer 151 peeled as described above are integrated via the connecting arm 21. With this arrangement, the user can simply attach and detach these two rolls to and from the adhesive tape printer 1 side and perform various handling collectively, making it possible to improve convenience. The guide parts 27 provided to the connecting arm 21 at this time substantially contact both tape width direction ends and guide the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 while causing the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 to pass with its tape width direction set to the left-right direction. With this arrangement, it is possible to reliably perform smooth tape feeding. As a result of the above, it is possible to improve the handling performance by the user and ensure smooth feeding.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, it is possible to smoothly and reliably peel the separation material layer 151 from the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 fed out from the first roll R1 and fed toward the front side by the peeling part 13 provided further on the downstream side than the guide part 27, along the tape feeding path.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, the feed-out of the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 and the take-up of the separation material layer 151 are performed while the first roll R1 and the third roll R3 rotate in mutually opposite directions (in direction A, i.e., the counterclockwise direction, in
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, the connecting arm 21 of the adhesive tape cartridge TK, with the aforementioned configuration (the first bracket parts 22 and 22, the second bracket parts 24 and 24, the first connecting part 23, the second connecting part 25, and the roll connecting beam parts 26 and 26) is designed with the required minimum structure for connecting and integrating the first roll R1 around which is wound the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 and the third roll R3 around which is wound the peeled separation material layer 151 while supporting these in a rotatable manner. With this arrangement, it is possible to set each of the rolls R1 and R3 in a largely exposed state in an area other than the connecting arm 21 of the adhesive tape cartridge TK. As a result, it is possible to simplify and lighten the structure of the overall adhesive tape cartridge TK.
Further, according to the adhesive tape cartridge TK provided in this embodiment, the mutual relationship between the position of the above described peeling part 13 and the take-up position WP to the third roll R3 when the separation material layer 151 is peeled and taken up as described above is set so that favorable peeling is performed as previously described. Specifically, the position of the peeling part 13 in the above described predetermined direction (direction of arrow A-B in
Note that the position of the above described predetermined direction (arrow A-B direction) of the peeling part 13 may be set further on the above described one side (arrow A side) than the axis O3 of the third roll R3. In this case, the separation material layer 151 bends at an even smaller angle when peeled at the above described peeling part 13, making it possible to more reliably sufficiently peel the separation material layer 151.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, the first roll R1 feeds out the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 from the outer peripheral part while rotating in the above described counterclockwise direction, as already described. On the other hand, the third roll R3 brings in and takes up the separation material layer 151 peeled by the peeling part 13 on the roll outer peripheral part in a direction substantially opposite the transport direction of the print-receiving adhesive tape 150 while rotating in the above described clockwise direction. With this arrangement, it is possible to reasonably and smoothly wind the separation material layer 151 acutely bent at an acute angle as previously described. Further, in a case where the third roll R3 rotates in the same direction (that is, the aforementioned counterclockwise direction) as the first roll R1 and brings in the separation material layer 151 on the roll outer peripheral part as shown in
Further, according to this embodiment, in the cutter mechanism 14, due to the support mode of the above described movable plate support part 33a, the movable blade 32 cuts from the adhesive layer 152 of the lowermost layer to the upper layer while the upward-pointing and downward-sloping blade edge 32a lifts the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print upward from below as the movable blade 32 travels, as previously described. At that time, the lowermost layer (that is, on the blade edge 32a side) and not the uppermost layer of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print is the adhesive layer 152, making it possible to prevent the adhesive layer from sticking to the guide plate 31 that presses and contacts the upper surface of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print (in other words, the upper surface of the base layer 153) due to the above described cutting. As a result, the movable blade 32 advances in the tape width direction as the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print are reliably sandwiched and stabilized from above and below by the guide plate 31 and the movable blade 32, making it possible to perform cutting smoothly and sharply.
Further, in particular, in this embodiment, the guide plate 31 comprises the slit 31a for guiding the travel of the movable blade 32 by the carriage 33. With this arrangement, during the cutting of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print, it is possible to reliably and smoothly make the movable blade 32 supported by the guide plate 31 and the carriage 33 travel in the tape width direction.
Further, in this embodiment, the second opening/closing cover 4 pivotable between the above described closed position and the above described open position is provided to the front side of the housing 2. In the above described closed position, the front side of the above described housing 2 is covered by the second opening/closing cover 4, and in the above described open position, the front side of the above described housing 2 is exposed. Then, the above described second roll R2 is rotatably supported via the core member 45 and the support bracket RB in the front side interior of the housing 2. The support bracket RB is pivotably configured between the above described use position, which is on the closed direction side of the above described second opening/closing cover 4, and the above described removal position, which is on the open direction side of the above described second opening/closing cover 4. As a result, it is possible to expose the front side of the housing 2 (refer to
At this time, the support bracket RB is configured so that the second roll R2 is not attachable or detachable in the above described use position (refer to
With the above, in this embodiment, after the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print are wound, forming the second roll R2 as previously described, the user opens the second opening/closing cover 4 based on suitable timing and pivots the support bracket RB to the removal position as described above, making it possible to smoothly and simply remove the wound second roll R2. Further, similar to the above, when the second roll R2 is to be newly mounted as well, the user opens the second opening/closing cover 4 and pivots the support bracket RB to the above described removal position as described above, making it possible for the user to smoothly and simply mount the second roll R2. Further, subsequently the support bracket RB is rotated to the above described use position and the user closes the second opening/closing cover 4, thereby completely printing preparation.
As described above, in this embodiment, in a state where the user has opened the second opening/closing cover 4 to expose the front side interior of the housing 2 and further pivots the support bracket RB to the above described removal position in the open direction of the above described second opening/closing cover 4, the user can attach and detach the second roll R2 to and from the support bracket RB. That is, the user can attach and detach the second roll R2 not inside the internal space of the housing 2 with the second opening/closing cover 4 in a closed state, but outside the space. With this arrangement, a manual operation space for roll attachment and detachment no longer needs to be secured in the interior of the housing 2, making it possible decrease the size of the housing 2. In consequence, according to this embodiment, it is possible to simply attach and detach the second roll R2 around which are wound the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print while preventing an increase in the size of the housing 2.
Further, in particular, in this embodiment, when the support bracket RB is pivoted from the use position to the removal position, it is possible to relatively separate the first bracket RB1 and the second bracket RB2 away from each other as previously described (refer to
Further, in particular, in this embodiment, it is possible to pivot the support bracket RB from the removal position to the use position, thereby transmitting the driving force from the take-up motor M3 to the second roll R2 via the driven gear and rotating part 47a of the first bracket RB1 as previously described. As a result, it is possible to reliably take up and wind the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print on the second roll R2.
Further, in particular, in this embodiment, the first pivot axis K1 of the second opening/closing cover 4 and the second pivot axis K2 of the support bracket RB are in the same position. With this arrangement, the arc trajectory drawn by each component of the second opening/closing cover 4 when the second opening/closing cover 4 pivots between the above described closed position and the above described open position, and the arc trajectory drawn by each component of the support bracket RB when the support bracket RB pivots between the above described use position and the above described removal position are trajectories of the same center. As a result, it is possible to make interference not readily occur between the second opening/closing cover 4 and the support bracket RB during pivoting. Further, a common shaft member is used by the second opening/closing cover 4 and the support bracket RB at the axes K1 and K2 of the above described same position, thereby making it possible to simplify the structure compared to a case where separate shaft members are used.
Further, in particular, in this embodiment, the cutter mechanism 14 is provided further on the rear side (that is, the upstream side along the feeding path) than the second roll R2, and this cutter mechanism 14 cuts the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print fed upon print formation as previously described. With this arrangement, the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print are cut based on preferred timing, making it possible for the user to remove and acquire the second roll R2, around which are wound the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print at a preferred length, from the front side of the housing 2.
Here, the attachment and detachment of the second roll R2 performed by pivoting the support bracket RB to the removal position as previously described are performed before winding work of the above described adhesive tape 152, 153 with print is newly performed (that is, in a state where tape feeding is stopped). That is, during that switching, the tape leading edge cut during the previous above described winding work is stopped at the position of the above described cutter mechanism 14. Correspondingly, according to this embodiment, an end of a connecting tape piece 46 is connected to the core member 45 (specifically, to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 45c, for example).
Then, in a case where the winding of the second roll R2 is to be newly performed, the user mounts the above described core member 45 to the support bracket RB and pivots the support bracket RB to the use position, and then adheres and connects the leading edge of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print cut and generated as described above to the other end of the above described connecting tape piece 46 (to the end on the side opposite the side that connects to the core member 45).
Further, according to the core member 45 provided in this embodiment and shown in
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, when the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print are affixed to the inner cylindrical surface 54, they are affixed to the bottom surface of the concave groove 55 while introduced to the concave groove 55 provided to the inner cylindrical surface 54. With this arrangement, it is possible to position and guide the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print in the width direction even during introduction to the concave groove 55, making it possible to execute take-up with even higher accuracy.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, the size relationship between the above described axial direction dimensions w1, w2, and w3 of the above described introduction wall part 51, the middle wall part 52, and the inner cylindrical surface 54, respectively, is w3 (≈W)<w1 and w1<w2. With this arrangement, in the introduction wall part 51, it is possible to reliably introduce the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print based on a certain degree of width direction positioning accuracy using the dimension w1. Further, in the inner cylindrical surface 54, it is possible to affix the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print based on high positioning accuracy using the dimension w3.
Further, in the adhesive tape cartridge TK of this embodiment, when the user handles the adhesive tape cartridge TK as previously described, it is possible to adhere the above described adhesive tape 152, 153 with print (particularly, the leading edge and nearby area) to the above described release processing part 70 and the cover member 71, thereby preventing the tape leading edge and nearby area from mistakenly sticking to each location. Further, since the release processing is performed on the release processing part 70 and cover member 71 as previously described, in a case, for example, where the adhesive tape cartridge TK is mounted to the adhesive tape printer 1 and the print process is to be started, etc., the user can simply peel the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print from the release processing part 70 and the cover member 71, and then execute setup to a predetermined mode for the print process (for example, affix the other end of the aforementioned connecting tape piece 46, etc.). As a result of the above, in this embodiment, it is possible to improve the handling performance of the overall adhesive tape cartridge TK and improve user convenience.
Further, in particular, in this embodiment, either a release processing area is formed in a corresponding area of the connecting arm 21 or a release processing member is provided as a separate member to the connecting arm 21, as the release processing part 70. With this arrangement, even if a new member for adherence is not prepared separately from the connecting arm 21, it is possible for the user to separably adhere the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print.
Further, in particular, in this embodiment, the cover member 71 of the above described configuration is provided, making it possible to reliably prevent the above described adhesive layer 152 of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print from mistakenly sticking to the third roll R3.
Further, in particular, in this embodiment, the cover member 71 comprises the hole 72 of the above described configuration. With this arrangement, when the user wants to once again peel the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print that were temporarily adhered to the cover member 71, the user can simply perform the peeling by a finger operation from the hole 72. As a result, it is possible to further improve user convenience.
Further, in this embodiment, as previously described, the user can freely select whether to acquire the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print, etc., wound into a roll shape as the second roll R2 or acquire the adhesive tape 150′ with print in a tape-like shape as is via the discharging exit 12 by switching the shoot 15 in accordance with his or her preference (and setting whether or not the third roll R3 is to be made to function or not). As a result, it is possible to improve user convenience.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, in the above described regular feeding mode in which the shoot 15 is switched to the upper position, it is possible to peel the separation material layer 151 from the adhesive tape 150′ with print and form the third roll R3 by making the third roll R3 function. As a result, the handling of the separation material layer 151 that will be discarded becomes more convenient, thereby making it possible to improve user convenience.
Further, in particular, according to this embodiment, when the shoot 15 is switched to the lower position, the leading edge position of the shoot 15 is configured to be closer to the side near the cutter mechanism 14 side. With this arrangement, when the tape leading edge of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print, etc., that has been cut during the previous winding work (or discharging work) and stopped at the position of the cutter mechanism 14 is fed, the shoot 15 is capable of reliably seizing the tape leading edge of the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print, etc. As a result, it is possible to reliably guide the adhesive tape 152, 153 with print, etc., to the discharging exit 12 and reliably discharge them to outside the housing 2.
Note that while the above has described an illustrative scenario in which the adhesive tape 150′ with print is formed using the print-receiving adhesive tape 150, which is an adherable tape, as the tape subject to feeding, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. That is, the aforementioned configuration may be applied to a case where print tape on which preferred print is formed, such as advertisement ribbon, for example, is formed using print-receiving tape that is not adhesive.
Other than those previously described, approaches according to each of the above embodiments may be utilized in combination as appropriate.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2012-105350 | May 2012 | JP | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20130292061 A1 | Nov 2013 | US |