Cutter device and printer including a cutter device

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6405625
  • Patent Number
    6,405,625
  • Date Filed
    Monday, February 7, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 18, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A printer is provided with a cutter for cutting recording paper in arbitrary lengths or cutting recording paper with a part left after cutting. A pair of movable blades, at least one of which is displaced in a direction approximately orthogonal to the paper path, are driven in a cooperative relationship to effect a cutting operation with a fixed blade. The dispersion of force required for tearing off the cut recording paper is reduced, a torn trace of a left part after cutting the recording paper looks nice, and the position of a left part after cutting the recording paper can be arbitrarily set respectively without increasing the size in the direction of the recording paper width.
Description




TECHNICAL FIELD




The present invention relates to a printer used for a point-of-sale (POS) transaction for example such as an electronic cash register, and particularly relates to a printer provided with a cutter device for cutting recording paper so that it has arbitrary length or cutting recording paper with a left or remaining part after cutting partly provided.




BACKGROUND ART




Heretofore, for this type cutter device, a cutter device which is provided with a fixed blade and a movable blade installed with a transport path between them and which cuts recording paper by moving the movable blade and crossing it and the fixed blade is well-known.




The cutter device includes a movable blade formed by tilting its line to the tip by a predetermined angle with a direction in which the movable blade is moved, and recording paper is cut continuously from one side to the other side. Such a cutter device is disclosed in Japanese published unexamined patent application No. Hei4-365589.




Also, for another example showing prior art, a cutter device includes a movable blade with a notched line to the tip that is moved, and recording paper is cut from both sides. Such a cutter device is disclosed in Japanese published unexamined patent application No Hei1-289697 and Japanese published examined patent application No. Hei8-22517.




Further, a cutter device includes movable blades installed on the right and left sides of a transport path so that they can be turned, and recording paper is cut from both sides according to a clipping method. Such a cutter device is disclosed in Japanese published unexamined patent application No. Hei.5-104484.




However, such conventional type cutter devices have the following problems.




In the case of such types of cutters, it is required to prevent cut recording paper from being lost before an operator catches it, and the recording paper is partly left after cutting.




As for the cutter device disclosed in Japanese published unexamined patent application No. Hei4-365589, as a left part after cutting is on the side of the recording paper and a transport path is formed so that the width is slightly wider than the width of recording paper, there can be occurrences that the left part after cutting is wide because the position of the recording paper is biased right or left, and it is difficult to fix the width of a left part after cutting.




If a left part after cutting is wide, there is a problem that the recording paper on a transport path is pulled out when an operator tears off the left part after cutting the recording paper, a trace of the torn left part is diagonal, and a bad impression of it is made. Conversely, if a left part after cutting is too narrow, there is a problem that the left part is torn off before an operator catches it.




In the meantime, the cutter device disclosed in Japanese published examined patent application No. Hei.8-22517 does not have the above problems, however, as a left part after cutting is in the center of the width of the recording paper, there is a problem that cut recording paper is tilted right or left, its posture is not stable, and it is difficult for an operator to catch it. As the condition of right and left notched blades varies, a load applied to the movable blades becomes unbalanced, the movable blades are tilted, stable cutting is disabled, and the quality of cutting may be deteriorated if a left part after cutting is shifted from the center of the width of the recording paper to solve the above problem.




Also, as for the cutter device disclosed in Japanese published unexamined patent application No. Hei5-104484, as space is required on both right and left sides of a transport path to provide the rotating shaft of movable blades according to a clipping method on both sides of the transport path, there is a problem that the whole printer is large-sized in the direction of the width.




The present invention is made to solve the above problems of prior art, and the object is to provide a cutter device wherein the recording paper can be torn with a light stable force, a torn trace looks nice, and in addition, the position of a left part after cutting the recording paper can be set to a position shifted from the center of the width and the size in the direction of the width of the recording paper is miniaturized. A printer using the cutter device is also provided.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




A cutter device according to the present invention is provided with a fixed blade arranged in the vicinity of one side of a transport path for carrying recording paper, and a first movable blade moved from a position where the first movable blade is opposed to the fixed blade with the transport path toward a direction approximately orthogonal to the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade. A second movable blade is arranged adjacent the first movable blade at a predetermined position in a direction of the width of recording paper, which is moved from a position where the second movable blade is opposed to the fixed blade with the transport path toward a direction approximately orthogonal to the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade. A driving mechanism is provided for moving the first movable blade and the second movable blade.




According to the above configuration, as the first and second movable blades which are moved from a position where the first movable blade is opposed to the fixed blade with the transport path toward a direction approximately orthogonal to the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade, a left part after cutting of recording paper can be set to a position other than the side of the recording paper, and the dispersion of the width of the left part is reduced, pulling recording paper with stable force is enabled, and it is enabled to make a torn trace look nice.




In addition, in the case of the present invention, as the first and second movable blades are separately included and the condition of cutting is independent, the difference in the condition of cutting between both blades has no bad effect upon each, even if a left part after cutting is shifted from the center of the width of the recording paper.




Further, according to the present invention, as two movable blades approximately equal to the width of recording paper are included, a small-sized cutter can be provided.




Also, a cutter device according to the present invention is provided with a fixed blade arranged in the vicinity of one side of a transport path for carrying recording paper, and a first movable blade pivotally supported about a pivot so that the first movable blade is moved from a position where the first movable blade is opposed to the fixed blade with the transport path toward a direction across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade. A second movable blade is moved from a position where the second movable blade is opposed to the fixed blade toward a direction approximately orthogonal to the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade. A driving mechanism is provided for moving the first movable blade and the second movable blade.




According to the above configuration, as the so-called scissors-type movable blade is used for the first movable blade, a driving force for moving the first movable blade can be reduced, particularly, if the first and second movable blades are included so that they are interlocked, the driving mechanism can be simplified, and a driving force for moving both movable blades can be reduced. Further, as only the first movable blade is of a scissors type, the size in the direction of the width of recording paper is not required to be increased, and in addition, the cutter with the sharpness of the blades can be provided.




It is also effective that the present invention is included so that the first and second movable blades are interlocked by the link mechanism.




According to the above configuration, the first and second movable blades can be driven by one driving motor, and a cutter with a simple configuration can be acquired.




It is also effective that the present invention is included so that an engaging part is provided to the first and second movable blades, and the first and second movable blades are interlocked by engaging the engaging portions.




According to the above configuration, as the link mechanism is not required, a cutter device with a further simple configuration can be acquired.




Further, in the case of the present invention, as a fixed blade supporting mechanism by which the fixed blade can be separated from the first and second movable blades is provided, setting of recording paper is facilitated, and removal of jammed paper in a paper jam is also easy.




With a printer incorporating the cutter device of the invention, the size in the direction of the width of recording paper is not required to be increased, a force required for tearing off the recording paper hardly varies, a torn trace of a left part after cutting of the recording paper looks nice, and in addition, the position of the left part of the recording paper can be arbitrarily set.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view showing the appearance of a first embodiment of a printer according to the present invention,




FIGS.


2


(


a


) and


2


(


b


) are a plan view and a front view showing the configuration of a cutter device in this embodiment, and




FIGS.


3


(


a


) and


3


(


b


) are a plan view and a front view showing the arrangement and the fitting of a fixed blade and a movable blade in this embodiment.





FIG. 4

is a plan view showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention,




FIGS.


5


(


a


) and


5


(


b


) are a front view showing the configuration of a cutter device in this embodiment and a sectional view showing a part in which a pressure shaft is mounted, and





FIG. 6

is a side view showing the configuration of the cutter device in this embodiment.





FIG. 7

is a plan showing the configuration of a third embodiment of the present invention.




FIGS.


8


(


a


) and


8


(


b


) are a plan and a side view respectively showing the configuration of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring to the drawings, embodiments of a cutter device according to the present invention and a printer using it will be described in detail below.





FIG. 1

is a perspective view showing a printer.




As shown in

FIG. 1

, a printer


1


is a dot impact printer applied to an electronic cash register used for POS transactions and others and include the body


2


of the printer from which a ribbon cassette


3


can be detached and the housing


2




a


of recording paper S provided at the back of the body


2


.




A print head (not shown) for executing predetermined printing on recording paper S, a paper feeding mechanism (not shown) for feeding the recording paper S to a printing position, and a cutter device


4


for cutting the printed recording paper S are secured to the body


2


.




As shown in

FIG. 1

, the cutter device


4


is provided above the body


2


.




FIG.


2


(


a


) is a plan view showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the cutter device according to the present invention, and a cutter device cover


6


covering the upper surface is not shown to show the internal structure. FIG.


2


(


b


) is a front view showing the configuration of the cutter device. FIG.


3


(


a


) is a plan view showing the arrangement and the fitting of a fixed blade and a movable blade in this embodiment, and FIG.


3


(


b


) is its front view.




As shown in FIGS.


2


(


a


) and


2


(


b


), the cutter device


4


in this embodiment is provided with a housing including a cutter frame


5


and a cutter cover


6


.




The cutter frame


5


includes a box-type member made by bending a metallic plate such as a plated steel plate and as shown in

FIG. 3

, the fixed blade


7


made of stainless steel is fixed to one side with a longer edge. In this embodiment, the fixed blade


7


includes a long member.




On the opposite side of the fixed blade


7


with the transport path R of recording paper S between them, a first movable blade


8


and a second movable blade


9


respectively made of stainless steel and formed substantially in the shape of a triangle are provided. In this embodiment, as a left part after cutting is set off from the center of the width of recording paper, the first movable blade


8


is formed so that it is larger than the second movable blade


9


.




At each end of the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


off the transport path R, movement guiding parts


8




b


and


9




b


protruded on the side of the fixed blade


7


are formed, and these movement guiding parts


8




b


and


9




b


are constituted so that the movable blades


8


and


9


are also above the fixed blade


7


on standby. Each line to the tip of the cutting parts


8




a


and


9




a


of the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


is tilted by a predetermined angle with a line to the tip of the cutting part


7




a


of the fixed blade


7


so that an interval between the cutting part


7




a


of the fixed blade


7


and the cutting part


8




a


or


9




a


of the first or second movable blades


8


or


9


becomes longer toward the center from both ends of the fixed blade


7


.




As shown in FIG.


2


(


a


), the first movable blade


8


and the second movable blade


9


are arranged apart by a predetermined distance K in the vicinity of the center of the fixed blade


7


. By such constitution, each line to the tip of the cutting parts


8




a


and


9




a


of the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


is formed so that a line to the tip of the cutting part


7




a


of the fixed blade


7


forms a substantially V shape.




In this embodiment, the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


are driven by a driving mechanism


10


having the following structure. As shown in FIG.


2


(


a


), the driving mechanism includes a driving motor M, a motor gear


11


for transmitting the torque of the driving motor M to the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


, a reduction gear


12


, a worm


13


and a driving gear


14


. In this embodiment, the driving mechanism


10


is attached to the cutter cover


6


.




The driving motor M is fixed to a mounting plate


6




a


bent from the cutter cover


6


with screws and the like. The reduction gear


12


and the worm


13


are supported by a metallic reduction shaft


26


put between the mounting plates


6




a


and


6




b


and fixed to them so that the reduction gear and the worm can be rotated. A clutch


20


is formed on the respective opposite end faces of the worm


13


and the reduction gear


12


. In detail, the clutch


20


includes mutually engaged ratchets formed in the rotational direction of the respective end faces opposite to the worm


13


and the reduction gear


12


, though the ratchets are not shown in the drawing, and a clutch spring


18


for pressing the reduction gear


12


which can be moved on the reduction shaft


26


in the axial direction on the worm


13


.




The disc-like driving gear


14


engaged with the worm


13


is mounted around a spindle


14




a


fixed to the cutter cover


6


so that the driving gear can be turned, and a driving pin


15


is provided to the upper surface of the driving gear


14


. A long metallic link lever


16


is attached to the cutter frame


5


via a spindle


16




a


so that the link lever can be turned, a long hole


16




b


formed at the end of the link lever


16


and the driving pin


15


of the driving gear


14


are fitted and the link lever


16


is constituted so that it is turned as the driving gear


14


is turned.




Further, a long hole


16




c


formed in the middle of the link lever


16


and a slide driving pin


22


provided to a slide plate


19


described later are fitted so that the slide plate


19


is reciprocated as the link lever


16


is turned.




As shown in FIG.


3


(


a


), the slide plate


19


includes a square metallic member and in the center, the slide driving pin


22


is provided. Three long holes


19




b


extended in the longitudinal direction and four projections


19




c


protruded on the upper side are also provided to the slide plate


19


. The long hole


19




b


of the slide plate


19


is formed so that it is fitted to a projection


5




b


protruded on the upper side from the cutter frame


5


, and the projections


19




c


of the slide plate


19


are formed so that they are respectively fitted into holes


8




d


and


9




d


provided to the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


.




A pressure shaft


17


is provided in the vicinity of the center of fittings mounted with them overlapped with the first or second movable blade


8


or


9


. As shown in FIG.


3


(


b


), the pressure shaft


17


pierces a long hole


5




a


of the cutter frame


5


, the hole


19




a


of the slide plate


19


and a hole


8




c


or


9




c


of the first or second movable blade


8


or


9


via a washer


17




a.






The first and second movable blades


8


and


9


press the cutter frame


5


, the movement guiding parts


8




b


and


9




b


, and the cutting parts


8




a


and


9




a


of the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


on the fixed blade


7


via the slide plate


19


by stopping a helical compression spring


21


wound on the pressure shaft


17


with a retaining ring


25


via a washer


24


.




The strength of the helical compression spring


21


is set according to the degree of the respective inclination, the shear angle and the like of the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


.




As shown in FIG.


3


(


b


), the slide plate


19


is formed so that it is thinner than the thickness of the fixed blade


7


, and a suitable tilt angle is applied to the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


.




As shown in FIG.


2


(


b


), a detector


23


is attached to the cutter cover


6


above the driving gear


14


, and the waiting position of the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


is detected depending upon whether the detector


23


is in contact with a cam


14




b


provided to the driving gear


14


or not.




In this embodiment provided with such configuration, when the driving motor M is driven, its torque is transmitted to the driving gear


14


via the motor gear


11


, the reduction gear


12


and the worm


13


, the driving gear


14


is rotated and as a result, the link lever


16


is moved from a position shown by a full line in FIG.


2


(


a


) to a position shown by an alternate long and two short dashes line. In this case, as the long hole


19




b


of the slide plate


19


is guided in a direction shown by an arrow A by the projection


5




b


of the cutter frame


5


, the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


fitted to the slide plate


19


are also moved in the direction shown by the arrow A, and when the cutting parts


8




a


and


9




a


of the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


are slid on the cutting part of the fixed blade


7


by distance L, recording paper S is cut.




When a foreign matter and the like are put between the first or second movable blades


8


or


9


and the fixed blade


7


and they are locked during cutting, the members composing the cutter device are protected because a slide occurs in the clutch between the reduction gear


12


and the worm


13


.




As described above, according to this embodiment, as a left part after cutting of recording paper S can be set so that it is in a position other than the side of the recording paper S and in addition, it is fixed because the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


which can cross the fixed blade


7


and can be slid on the fixed blade


7


are provided, the length of the left part after cutting is fixed even if the recording paper S is cut with it biased on either side of the right or the left in a transport path, and the impression of a cut part can be enhanced without increasing a force for pulling paper when the recording paper is cut.




In addition, in this embodiment, as the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


are separately included, the condition of cutting of the movable blade and the fixed blade is unchanged even if loads on the respective blades are different if the left part after cutting is off the central part of the width of recording paper S, a problem such as a failure of cutting where the recording paper is drawn between the movable blade and the fixed blade because the pressure of one movable blade is reduced by unbalance, such as occurs in prior art, does not occur, and the quality of cutting is not deteriorated.




Further, according to this embodiment, as the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


comply with a sliding method, the movement of the movable blade can be limited to a range approximately equal to the width of recording paper S, and a small-sized cutter device can be provided.




In addition, according to this embodiment, as the link lever


16


composing a link mechanism is fitted to the first and second movable blades


8


and


9


, a cutter device of a simple configuration can be acquired.





FIG. 4

is a plan view showing the configuration of a second embodiment of the cutter device according to the present invention. A cutter cover


6


covering the upper surface is not shown to show the internal structure. FIG.


5


(


a


) is a front view showing the configuration of the cutter device, FIG.


5


(


b


) is a sectional view showing the fittings of the pressure shaft of the cutter device, and

FIG. 6

is a side view showing the configuration of the cutter device. Parts common to those in the above embodiment will be described below using the same reference numbers.




A cutter device


4


A equivalent to this embodiment includes a so-called scissors-type first movable blade


8


A in a driving mechanism


10


A. As shown in

FIG. 4

, in this embodiment, a fixed blade


7


is provided to one edge of a cutter frame


5


, and the first movable blade


8


A having a predetermined length is provided to the base


70


of the fixed blade


7


so that the first movable blade can be turned with a pivot


80


in the center.




As shown in FIG.


5


(


a


), a helical compression spring


81


for pressing the first movable blade


8


A on the fixed blade


7


is wound on the pivot


80


. A spacer


71


between the fixed blade


7


and the first movable blade


8


A is fixed to the base


70


of the fixed blade


7


on the side of the pivot


80


opposite from the cutting part


8




a


of the first movable blade


8


A to tilt the first movable blade


8


A to the fixed blade


7


. As shown in

FIG. 4

, a long hole


810


fitted to a driving pin


15


of a driving gear


14


and a driving pin


82


protruded upward in the vicinity are provided to the first movable blade


8


A.




A second movable blade


9


A in this embodiment includes a substantially square member, and a cutting part


9




a


and a movement guiding part


9




b


respectively similar to those in the above embodiment are formed. As for the second movable blade


9


A, a long hole


91


extended in a direction shown by an arrow A is formed in the vicinity of the front end, and a long hole


90


extended in the direction shown by the arrow A is formed in the vicinity of the rear end opposite from the long hole


91


. Further, a driving pin


32


protruded upward is provided.




As shown in FIG.


5


(


b


), a pressure shaft


92


is attached to the cutter frame


5


and pierces the long hole


90


. A helical compression spring


93


for pressing the second movable blade


9


A on the fixed blade


7


and supporting sections


50


and


51


(described later) is wound via a pressure washer


94


on the pressure shaft


92


.




As shown in

FIG. 4

, the second movable blade


9


A is arranged so that its movement guiding part


9




b


is on the fixed blade


7


and is supported by the supporting sections


50


and


51


provided to the cutter frame


5


. In this case, if the thickness of the fixed blade


7


is a, the thickness of the supporting section


50


is b and the thickness of the supporting section


51


is c, it is desirable that relationship among them is set to “a>b>c”. That is, by composing as described above, a line to the tip of the cutting part


9




a


of the second movable blade


9


A is tilted toward the fixed blade


7


, the condition of crossing and sliding required for cutting recording paper S is secured, and stable cutting of the recording paper S is enabled.




Also, the long hole


91


extended in the direction shown by the arrow A is formed at one edge of the second movable blade


9


A, and a spindle


31


which pierces the long hole


91


is provided to a part of the cutter frame


5


corresponding to the long hole


91


. A long link lever


30


is provided to the spindle


31


so that the link lever can be turned. A long hole


33


is provided to the central side of the link lever


30


, and the long hole


33


is fitted to a driving pin


32


of the second movable blade


9


A.




Further, a long hole


34


is provided to the end of the link lever


30


, and a link mechanism is defined by fitting the driving pin


82


of the first movable blade


8


A and the long hole


34


of the link lever


30


.




In this embodiment, when the driving motor M is driven, its torque is transmitted to the driving gear


14


via the motor gear


11


, the reduction gear


12


and the worm


13


, the driving gear


14


is rotated, and the first movable blade


8


A is rotated in a direction shown by an arrow B. Simultaneously, the link lever


30


is rotated in a direction shown by an arrow C, and the second movable blade


9


A is moved by distance L in the direction shown by the arrow A. As a result, the first and second movable blades


8


A and


9


A are moved from a position shown by a full line in

FIG. 4

to a position shown by an alternate long and two short dashes line, and the recording paper S is cut. In this case, the cutting part


8




a


of the first movable blade


8


A and the cutting part


9




a


of the second movable blade


9


A are separated by a predetermined distance (width left after cutting) K in a part in which they are adjacent, and recording paper S is cut with the recording paper left by the predetermined width K left after cutting.




As described above, according to this embodiment, as the so-called scissors-type first movable blade


8


A is used, a left part after cutting of recording paper S can be set to a position other than the side of the recording paper S as in the above embodiment, and a driving force for moving the first and second movable blades


8


A and


9


A can be reduced. Further, as only the first movable blade is a scissors type, the size in the direction of the width of recording paper S is not required to be increased, and the cutter device with the sharpness of the blades can be provided.




As the other configuration, action and effect are the same as those in the above embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.





FIG. 7

is a plan showing the configuration of a third embodiment of the cutter device according to the present invention.




In this embodiment, a second movable blade


9


B is moved without using a link lever in a driving mechanism


10


B, and the same reference numbers are allocated to parts common to the parts in the above embodiment.




As shown in

FIG. 7

, in this embodiment, an engaging portion


85


is formed at the end of a first movable blade


8


B, and two engaging portions


93


and


94


for engaging with the engaging portion


85


of the first movable blade


8


B are formed in the second movable blade


9


B. The engaging portions


93


and


94


of the second movable blade


9


B are formed at a predetermined interval, and the engaging portion


85


comes in contact with the engaging portions


93


and


94


of the second movable blade


9


B by turning the first movable blade


8


B.




Also, in this embodiment, a guide pin


5




c


is provided to a cutter frame


5


, and the guide pin


5




c


is fitted into a guide hole


95


extended in a direction shown by an arrow A and formed on the second movable blade


9


B.




In this embodiment, when a driving motor M is driven, its torque is transmitted to a driving gear


14


via a motor gear


11


, a reduction gear


12


and a worm


13


, the driving gear


14


is rotated, and the first movable blade


8


B is rotated in a direction shown by an arrow B. As a result, a part on one side of recording paper S is cut by the cutting part


8




a


of the first movable blade


8


B, the second movable blade


9


B is moved in the direction shown by the arrow A by engaging the engaging portion


85


of the first movable blade


8


B to the engaging portions


93


of the second movable blade


9


B, a part on the other side of the recording paper S is cut, and the recording paper S is cut with only the predetermined width K after cutting left.




As described above, according to this embodiment, as no link lever is used, a left part after cutting of recording paper S can be set to a position other than the side of the recording paper S, and the configuration can be further simplified. As the other configuration, action and effect are the same as those in the above embodiments, the detailed description thereof is omitted.




FIGS.


8


(


a


) and


8


(


b


) show the configuration of a fourth embodiment of the cutter device according to the present invention. FIG.


8


(


a


) is a plan view showing the cutter device according to the present invention, a cutter cover


6


C covering the upper surface is not shown to show the internal structure, and FIG.


8


(


b


) is a front view showing the configuration of the cutter device. In this embodiment, a fixed blade


72


is included so that it can be moved from a cutting position opposite to movable blades


8




c


and


9




c


to a position in which the fixed blade is separated from the movable blades. The same reference numbers are allocated to parts common to those in the above embodiments.




As shown in FIG.


8


(


b


), the fixed blade


72


is attached to a fixed blade frame


75


supported by the spindle


77


of a base


78


so that the fixed blade can be turned. A first movable blade


8


C is attached to a pivot


80


via a movable blade supporting part


79


having the same thickness as the fixed blade


72


. A spacer


71


is fixed to the movable blade supporting part


79


to tilt the first movable blade


8


C toward the fixed blade


72


.




As shown in FIG.


8


(


a


), the first movable blade


8


C is provided with a twisted part


850


in the vicinity of the pivot


80


, while the fixed blade


72


is provided with a convex portion


72




a


opposite to the twisted part


85


near the twisted part when the fixed blade


72


is located in a cutting position. Hereby, when the first movable blade


8


C is turned in a direction shown by an arrow B, a clipping type cutting condition is secured by locating a convex portion


86


of the first movable blade


8


C on a concave portion


72




b


of the fixed blade


72


.




A second movable blade


9


C is provided with a convex portion


96


outside a transport path and the fixed blade


72


is provided with a convex portion


72




c


having a slope for guiding the second movable blade


9


C upward in a position opposite to the convex portion


96


. Hereby, when the second movable blade


9


C is moved in a direction shown by an arrow A, a slide-type cutting condition is secured by locating the convex portion


96


on the convex portion


72




c.






The second movable blade is supported by supporting sections


50


,


51


and


52


provided to a cutter frame


5


C, and if the thickness of the respective supporting sections is b, c and d and the thickness of the fixed blade


72


is e, it is desirable that relationship among them is set to “e>d>c”.




A convex portion


72




d


and a concave portion


72




e


are provided to the fixed blade


72


, the convex portion


72




d


of the fixed blade is fitted into a fixed blade supporting part


75




a


provided to a fixed blade frame


75


so that the convex portion


72




d


can be swung, and the concave portion


72




e


of the fixed blade


72


is fitted to a projection


75




c


provided to the fixed blade frame


75


to decide the right and left positions of the fixed blade


72


. The fixed blade


72


is pressed on the fixed blade frame


75


by plate springs


73


and


74


provided to the cutter frame


5


C.




As shown in FIG.


8


(


b


), as to the fixed blade frame


75


, a position when recording paper is cut is decided by pressing a notch


75




b


on a stopper shaft


76


provided to the base


78


.




In this embodiment, when recording paper S is set in a printer, the fixed blade frame


75


is turned in a direction shown by an arrow D and the fixed blade


72


is separated from the first and second movable blades


8


C and


9


C. Rolled paper for example is housed in a housing not shown via an opening, and the setting of recording paper is completed by turning the fixed blade frame


75


in a direction reverse to the direction shown by the arrow D with the upper end of recording paper S pulled out upward from a cover frame


6


C until the fixed blade frame is touched to the stopper shaft


76


.




As described above, according to the present invention, since paper is not required to pass the narrow clearance between the first or second movable blade


8


C or


9


C and the fixed blade


72


when recording paper S is set, the design of a transport path of recording paper S is facilitated, paper jam is not a concern, and the setting of recording paper is also simplified. Further, even if paper jam occurs, the fixed blade frame


75


is turned in the direction shown by the arrow D, and jammed paper can be easily removed.




The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be varied.




For example, in the first embodiment, the first and second movable blades are different in size, however, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first and second movable blades can be also included so that the length of each cutting part of the first and second movable blades is equal, and a central part in the width of paper is left after cutting. In the above embodiment, for a cutting method, a sliding type is adopted, however, one movable blade may be also formed so that it is another type such as Guillotine cutter device with sawteeth. Also, the fixed blade is shared by the first and second movable blades, however, the fixed blade can be also individually provided to each movable blade.




Further, in the above embodiments, the example of the cutter device for cutting one recording paper is described, however, the present invention is not limited to this and can be also applied to a cutter device for cutting two parallel mediums of recording paper. However, the present invention is most effective applied to a cutter device for cutting one medium of recording paper with a part left after cutting as in the above embodiments.




Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to not only a dot impact printer but various printers such as a thermal printer and an ink-jet printer.



Claims
  • 1. A cutter device for cutting recording paper on a transport path, the cutter device comprising:a fixed blade disposed on a first side of the transport path; a first movable blade generally disposed facing the fixed blade, the first blade being displaceable between a waiting position spaced from the fixed blade on a second side of the transport path and a cutting position across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade; a second movable blade disposed adjacent the first movable blade in a width direction of the recording paper and generally disposed facing the fixed blade, the second blade being displaceable between a waiting position spaced from the fixed blade on the second side of the transport path and a cutting position across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade; and a driving mechanism coupled with at least one of the first movable blade and the second movable blade via a pivotally mounted link lever, the driving mechanism pivoting the link lever to move the first movable blade and the second movable blade between the waiting position and the cutting position, wherein at least one of the first movable blade and the second movable blade is rectilinearly displaceable in a direction approximately orthogonal to the transport path.
  • 2. A cutter device according to claim 1, wherein both of the first movable blade and the second movable blade are rectilinearly displaceable in a direction approximately orthogonal to the transport path.
  • 3. A cutter device according to claim 1, wherein the first movable blade and the second movable blade are interlocked by a link mechanism.
  • 4. A cutter device according to claim 1, wherein the first movable blade and the second movable blade comprise engaging portions, the first and second movable blades being interlocked by engaging with the engaging portions.
  • 5. A cutter device according to claim 1, wherein the fixed blade comprises a fixed blade supporting mechanism that separates the fixed blade from the first movable blade and the second movable blade.
  • 6. A cutter device for cutting recording paper on a transport path, the cutter device comprising:a fixed blade disposed on a first side of the transport path; a first movable blade generally disposed facing the fixed blade, the first blade being pivotally supported about a fixed pivot and pivotally displaceable between a waiting position spaced from the fixed blade on a second side of the transport path and a cutting position across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade; a second movable blade disposed adjacent the first movable blade in a width direction of the recording paper and generally disposed facing the fixed blade, the second blade being rectilinearly displaceable in a direction approximately orthogonal to the transport path between a waiting position spaced from the fixed blade on the second side of the transport path and a cutting position across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade; and a single driving mechanism coupled with at least one of the first movable blade and the second movable blade, the single driving mechanism moving the first movable blade and the second movable blade between the waiting position and the cutting position.
  • 7. A cutter device according to claim 6, wherein the first movable blade and the second movable blade are interlocked by a link mechanism.
  • 8. A cutter device according to claim 6, wherein the fixed blade comprises a fixed blade supporting mechanism that separates the fixed blade from the first movable blade and the second movable blade.
  • 9. A cutter device according to claim 6, wherein the first movable blade and the second movable blade comprise engaging portions, the first and second movable blades being interlocked by engaging with the engaging portions.
  • 10. A cutter device according to claim 9, wherein the single driving mechanism is coupled with the first movable blade, and wherein the engaging portion of the first movable blade engages the engaging portion of the second movable blade to drive the second movable blade between the waiting position and the cutting position.
  • 11. A cutter device for cutting recording paper on a transport path, the cutter device comprising:a fixed blade disposed on a first side of the transport path; a first movable blade generally disposed facing the fixed blade, the first blade being displaceable between a waiting position spaced from the fixed blade on a second side of the transport path and a cutting position across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade; a second movable blade disposed adjacent the first movable blade in a width direction of the recording paper and generally disposed facing the fixed blade, the second blade being displaceable between a waiting position spaced from the fixed blade on the second side of the transport path and a cutting position across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade; and a driving mechanism coupled with at least one of the first movable blade and the second movable blade, the driving mechanism moving the first movable blade and the second movable blade between the waiting position and the cutting position, wherein at least one of the first movable blade and the second movable blade is rectilinearly displaceable in a direction approximately orthogonal to the transport path, the first movable and the second movable blade including engaging portions, with the first and second movable blades being interlocked by engaging with the engaging portions, wherein the driving mechanism is coupled with the first movable blade, and wherein the engaging portion of the first movable blade engages the engaging portion of the second movable blade to drive the second movable blade between the waiting position and the cutting position.
  • 12. A printer for printing recording paper on a transport path, the printer comprising:a printer body; a print head secured to the printer body for printing on the recording paper; and a cutter device for cutting the recording paper, wherein the cutter device comprises: a fixed blade disposed on a first side of the transport path, a first movable blade generally disposed facing the fixed blade, the first blade being displaceable between a waiting position spaced from the fixed blade on a second side of the transport path and a cutting position across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade, a second movable blade disposed adjacent the first movable blade in a width direction of the recording paper and generally disposed facing the fixed blade, the second blade being displaceable between a waiting position spaced from the fixed blade on the second side of the transport path and a cutting position across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade, and a driving mechanism coupled with at least one of the first movable blade and the second movable blade via a pivotally mounted link lever, the driving mechanism pivoting the link lever to move the first movable blade and the second movable blade between the waiting position and the cutting position, wherein at least one of the first movable blade and the second movable blade is rectilinearly displaceable in a direction approximately orthogonal to the transport path.
  • 13. A printer for printing recording paper on a transport path, the printer comprising:a printer body; a print head secured to the printer body for printing on the recording paper; and a cutter device for cutting the recording paper, wherein the cutter device comprises: a fixed blade disposed on a first side of the transport path; a first movable blade generally disposed facing the fixed blade, the first blade being pivotally supported about a fixed pivot and pivotally displaceable between a waiting position spaced from the fixed blade on a second side of the transport path and a cutting position across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade; a second movable blade disposed adjacent the first movable blade in a width direction of the recording paper and generally disposed facing the fixed blade, the second blade being rectilinearly displaceable in a direction approximately orthogonal to the transport path between a waiting position spaced from the fixed blade on the second side of the transport path and a cutting position across the transport path to slidably cross the fixed blade; and a single driving mechanism coupled with at least one of the first movable blade and the second movable blade, the single driving mechanism moving the first movable blade and the second movable blade between the waiting position and the cutting position.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
10-043163 Feb 1998 JP
PCT Information
Filing Document Filing Date Country Kind
PCT/JP99/00865 WO 00
Publishing Document Publishing Date Country Kind
WO99/43503 9/2/1999 WO A
US Referenced Citations (6)
Number Name Date Kind
3691890 Kuchyt Sep 1972 A
3777608 Kopf et al. Dec 1973 A
5058473 Yamada Oct 1991 A
5090285 Kondo Feb 1992 A
5105703 Kondo Apr 1992 A
5347699 Ward Sep 1994 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (7)
Number Date Country
0 775 585 May 1997 EP
663958 Jan 1952 GB
1-289697 Nov 1989 JP
4-365589 Dec 1992 JP
5-104484 Apr 1993 JP
9-19886 Jan 1997 JP
9-19887 Jan 1997 JP
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 31, No. 5, entitled “Receipt Paper Cutoff Mechanism”, Oct. 1988, pp. 414-415.