Patent Application
20240327162
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-051714, priority filed on Mar. 28, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a printer and a paper conveyance apparatus.
In the printer that conveys and prints a paper sheet such as a label and a receipt, continuous paper wound in a roll shape is stored. For example, if the paper sheet set for printing is conveyed, the paper sheet is suddenly pulled and the tension between the conveyed paper sheet and the continuous paper increases, which may result in generation of an impact between the continuous paper and the paper sheet that is pulled out. In the case of the printer, the generated impact may affect print quality. Therefore, a damper having urging force is disposed in a printing path and the damper absorbs the tension generated if the paper sheet is pulled out by making the paper sheet that is pulled out abut on the damper, thereby alleviating the impact.
By the way, as the continuous paper, there are front-wound continuous paper in which a printing surface (surface that comes into contact with a print head) faces a front side (outside) of a wound paper sheet and back-wound continuous paper in which the printing surface faces a back side (inside) of the wound paper sheet. For this reason, a damper for front-wound continuous paper on which the front-wound continuous paper abuts and a damper for back-wound continuous paper on which the back-wound continuous paper abuts are respectively provided.
However, when loading a paper sheet pulled out from the front-wound continuous paper and back-wound continuous paper into an apparatus, since the paper sheets need to pass between the damper for front-wound continuous paper and the damper for back-wound continuous paper, setting the paper takes time and labor.
Embodiments provide a printer and a paper conveyance apparatus that can easily set paper even if stored continuous paper is front-wound continuous paper or back-wound continuous paper.
In general, according to one embodiment, there is provided a printer equipped with a storage portion capable of storing front-wound continuous paper with a printing surface on a front side and back-wound continuous paper with a printing surface on a back side, the printer including a main body, a cover capable of being opened and closed relative to the main body, a print head that prints on the printing surfaces of the front-wound continuous paper and the back-wound continuous paper pulled out from the storage portion, a damper for back-wound continuous paper provided in the main body and capable of being urged in a direction abutting on a non-printing surface of the back-wound continuous paper pulled out from the storage portion, and a damper for front-wound continuous paper provided on the cover and capable of being urged in a direction abutting on the printing surface of the front-wound continuous paper pulled out from the storage portion.
The first embodiment will be described below. In the first embodiment, a thermal printer will be described as an example of a printer. Further, a long receipt paper sheet made of thermosensitive paper and a long label paper sheet with a plurality of thermosensitive labels attached to a mount will be described as examples of continuous paper. The printer and the paper conveyance apparatus of an exemplary embodiment are not limited to the embodiments described below.
A thermal printer is a receipt printer that is connected to, for example, a POS terminal and prints on stored roll-shaped continuous paper (thermosensitive paper). The thermal printer is a label printer that prints, for example, on a plurality of labels (thermosensitive paper) arranged on stored roll-shaped continuous paper (mounting paper). The thermal printer includes a thermal head and a platen. In the thermal printer, the platen rotates to pull out the continuous paper and the thermal head prints on a printing surface. The printed continuous paper is discharged from a paper discharge port by rotation of the platen. An apparatus that conveys the continuous paper that is pulled out is referred to as a paper conveyance apparatus. The paper conveyance apparatus may be a thermal printer itself, or may be an apparatus that does not include the thermal head and supplies paper to the thermal printer, for example.
The hinge portion 11 is positioned at the rear part of the main body 10, and is a support shaft that rotatably attaches the cover 20 to an upper part of the main body 10. The cover 20 attached to the hinge portion 11 is rotatable between an open position and a closed position using the hinge portion 11 as a rotation fulcrum. The position illustrated in
The holding portion 12 pivotally supports the continuous paper. The storage portion 13 is an area that stores continuous paper. The holding portion 12 pivotally supports the continuous paper with the continuous paper stored in the storage portion 13. The continuous paper pivotally supported by the holding portion 12 can rotate around the holding portion 12 while being stored in the storage portion 13. The continuous paper may be of a throw-in type that is not pivotally supported by the holding portion 12. In this case, the holding portion 12 is not required, and the continuous paper is stored in the storage portion 13 without being pivotally supported.
The platen 14 is made of rubber, for example, and has a cylindrical shape, and is provided at a position facing a print head 21, which will be described later. The platen 14 rotates to convey the continuous paper from the storage portion 13 toward the print head 21. The guide portion 16 is a plate-shaped member that forms a conveyance path that guides the continuous paper stored in the storage portion 13 to the platen 14 and the print head 21.
The damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 is rotatably attached to the main body 10. The damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 is positioned between the storage portion 13 and the platen 14.
The damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 is urged by a torque spring (not illustrated). The damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 is rotated by urging force and is made to abut on back-wound continuous paper Pa (details will be described later with reference to
The cover 20 has a substantially square shape, has the bottom side open, and closes an opening of the main body 10 while being closed to the main body 10. The cover 20 is attached to the rear upper part of the main body 10 by the hinge portion 11. The cover 20 is rotatable using the hinge portion 11 as a fulcrum. If the cover 20 is opened relative to the main body 10, an opening of the main body 10 is exposed, and if the cover 20 is closed relative to the main body 10, the opening of the main body 10 is closed.
The cover 20 includes the print head 21 and a damper for front-wound continuous paper 22. The print head 21 is, for example, a thermal head in which heating elements are arranged in a line in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of continuous paper (arrow Ya direction (see
The damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 is rotatably attached to the cover 20. The damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 is positioned between the storage portion 13 and the print head 21 while the cover 20 is being closed.
The damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 is urged by a torque spring (not illustrated). The damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 is rotated by the urging force and is made to abut on front-wound continuous paper Pb (details will be described later with reference to
From here on, continuous paper will be described. The continuous paper is a roll-shaped paper sheet that is wound around a long paper sheet. As the continuous paper, there are the back-wound continuous paper Pa and the front-wound continuous paper Pb. The back-wound continuous paper Pa refers to continuous paper whose printing surface (the surface on which the print head 21 is made to abut and prints) is the back side (inside) of the wound paper sheet. The front-wound continuous paper Pb refers to continuous paper whose printing surface is the front side (outside) of the wound paper sheet.
Hereinafter, when referring to both the back-wound continuous paper Pa and the front-wound continuous paper Pb, or when either of the back-wound continuous paper Pa or the front-wound continuous paper Pb may be used, the back-wound continuous paper Pa and the front-wound continuous paper Pb will be referred to as continuous paper P.
The main body 10 is equipped with a drive motor 19. The drive motor 19 is, for example, a stepping motor. The drive motor 19 is a motor that serves as a drive source for rotating the platen 14. That is, the drive motor 19 is a conveyance motor that conveys the continuous paper P.
The print head 21, the damper for front-wound continuous paper 22, and a paper detection sensor 23 are attached to the cover 20. The paper detection sensor 23 detects the presence or absence of continuous paper P. Specifically, the paper detection sensor 23 detects the presence or absence of the paper sheets Paa and Pba pulled out from the continuous paper P and set while the cover 20 is being closed relative to the main body 10.
As illustrated in
From here on, the configurations of the damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 and the damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 will be described.
The damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 is attached to the main body 10. The damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 includes a pair of support shaft portions 151 (first support shaft), a pair of arm portions 152, and an abutment portion 153. The support shaft portions 151 are attached to both sides of the guide portion 16 of the main body 10 so as to be rotatable with respect to the main body 10.
The arm portions 152 are arms extending from both the support shaft portions 151 toward the storage portion 13, respectively. The abutment portion 153 is formed to connect both arm portions 152 at an extending end, and has a curved surface. The curved surface of the abutment portion 153 abuts on the back-wound continuous paper Pa. A length of the abutment portion 153 in the width direction of the paper sheet is longer than a width of the back-wound continuous paper Pa conveyed in the direction of arrow Ya.
The support shaft portion 151 is provided with a built-in torque spring (not illustrated). The torque spring urges the arm portion 152 and the abutment portion 153 to rotate in the direction of arrow Yb. That is, the damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 is urged in the direction of arrow Yb by the torque spring. The direction of arrow Yb is a direction in which the damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 is made to abut on the front surface Pac (non-printing surface) of the paper sheet Paa and is a direction in which the abutting front surface Pac (non-printing surface) is pushed toward the back surface Pab (printing surface), if the paper sheet Paa is pulled out from the back-wound continuous paper Pa attached to the holding portion 12 and set. In
The damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 is attached to the cover 20. The damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 includes a pair of support shaft portions (second support shaft) 221, a pair of arm portions 222, and an abutment portion 223. The support shaft portions 221 are attached to both sides of the cover 20 so as to be rotatable with respect to the cover 20.
The arm portions 222 are arms extending from both the support shaft portions 221 toward the storage portion 13, respectively. The abutment portion 223 is formed to connect both arm portions 222 at an extending end, and has a curved surface. The curved surface of the abutment portion 223 abuts on the front-wound continuous paper Pb. A length of the abutment portion 223 in the width direction of the paper sheet is longer than a width of the front-wound continuous paper Pb conveyed in the direction of arrow Ya.
The support shaft portion 221 is provided with a built-in torque spring (not illustrated). The torque spring urges the arm portion 222 and the abutment portion 223 to rotate in the direction of arrow Yc. That is, the damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 is urged in the direction of arrow Yc by the torque spring. The direction of arrow Yc is a direction in which the damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 is made to abut on the front surface Pbb (printing surface) of the paper sheet Pba and is a direction in which the abutting front surface Pbb (printing surface) is pushed toward the back surface Pbc, if the paper sheet Pba is pulled out from the front-wound continuous paper Pb attached to the holding portion 12 and set. In
A distance from the abutment portion 153 to the platen 14 and a distance from the abutment portion 223 to the platen 14 are desirable to be as same as possible. By adopting such a configuration, the degree of impact alleviation by the damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 and the degree of impact alleviation by the damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 become approximately the same. Therefore, printing quality of approximately the same degree can be ensured when using the back-wound continuous paper Pa and when using the front-wound continuous paper Pb.
In
If the platen 14 rotates in this state and starts conveying the set paper sheet Paa, the tension of the paper sheet Paa increases. However, the back-wound continuous paper Pa is still in a stopped state. If this state continues, there is a possibility that an impact may be generated due to the back-wound continuous paper Pa being suddenly pulled by the increased tension, but as illustrated in
In
If the platen 14 rotates in this state and starts conveying the set paper sheet Pba, the tension of the paper sheet Pba increases. However, the front-wound continuous paper Pb is still in a stopped state. If this state continues, there is a possibility that an impact may be generated due to the front-wound continuous paper Pb being suddenly pulled by the increased tension, but as illustrated in
As described above, the thermal printer 1 of the first embodiment is the thermal printer 1 including the storage portion 13 capable of storing the front-wound continuous paper Pb with a printing surface on a front side and the back-wound continuous paper Pa with a printing surface on a back side, and includes the main body 10, the cover 20 capable of being opened and closed relative to the main body 10, the print head 21 that prints on the printing surfaces of the front-wound continuous paper Pb and the back-wound continuous paper Pa pulled out from the storage portion 13, the damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 provided in the main body 10 and capable of being urged in a direction abutting on the front surface Pac of the back-wound continuous paper Pa pulled out from the storage portion 13, and the damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 that is provided on the cover 20 and capable of being urged in a direction abutting on the front surface Pbb of the front-wound continuous paper Pb pulled out from the storage portion 13.
According to the thermal printer 1 of the first embodiment, if the cover 20 is opened from the main body 10, the damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 and the damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 are separated, and thus the paper sheets (paper sheet Paa and paper sheet Pba) can be easily set even if the stored continuous paper P is the front-wound continuous paper Pb or the back-wound continuous paper Pa.
The paper conveyance apparatus of the first embodiment is a paper conveyance apparatus equipped with the storage portion 13 capable of storing the front-wound continuous paper Pb with a printing surface on a front side and the back-wound continuous paper Pa with a printing surface on a back side, and includes the main body 10, the cover 20 capable of being opened and closed relative to the main body 10, the damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 provided in the main body 10 and capable of being urged in a direction abutting on the front surface Pac of the back-wound continuous paper Pa pulled out from the storage portion 13, and the damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 that is provided on the cover 20 and capable of being urged in a direction abutting on the front surface Pbb of the front-wound continuous paper Pb pulled out from the storage portion 13.
According to the paper conveyance apparatus of the first embodiment, if the cover 20 is opened from the main body 10, the damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 and the damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 are separated, and thus the paper sheets (paper sheet Paa and paper sheet Pba) can be easily set even if the stored continuous paper P is the front-wound continuous paper Pb or the back-wound continuous paper Pa.
From here on, the second embodiment will be described. In the thermal printer 1 of the second embodiment, the print head 21 and the platen 14 are provided on opposite sides compared to the thermal printer 1 of the first embodiment. That is, in the thermal printer 1 of the second embodiment, the print head 21 is attached to the main body 10, and the platen 14 is attached to the cover 20. The print head 21 is attached at the position of the platen 14 of the first embodiment, and the platen 14 is attached at the position of the print head 21 of the first embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the damper for back-wound continuous paper 15 of the first embodiment is read as the damper for front-wound continuous paper 15. Further, the damper for front-wound continuous paper 22 of the first embodiment is read as the damper for back-wound continuous paper 22. That is, the damper for front-wound continuous paper 15 is attached to the main body 10, and the damper for back-wound continuous paper 22 is attached to the cover 20. The structures of the damper for front-wound continuous paper 15 and the damper for back-wound continuous paper 22 are the same as in the first embodiment. The damper for front-wound continuous paper 15 abuts on the front surface Pbb of the front-wound continuous paper Pb. The damper for back-wound continuous paper 22 abuts on the front surface Pac of the back-wound continuous paper Pa. The method of alleviating the impact using the damper for front-wound continuous paper 15 and the damper for back-wound continuous paper 22 is the same as that illustrated in
Such a thermal printer 1 of the second embodiment is the thermal printer 1 including the storage portion 13 capable of storing front-wound continuous paper Pb with a printing surface on a front side and back-wound continuous paper Pa with a printing side on a back side, and includes the main body 10, the cover 20 capable of being opened and closed relative to the main body 10, the print head 21 that prints on the printing surfaces of the front-wound continuous paper Pb and the back-wound continuous paper Pa pulled out from the storage portion 13, the damper for back-wound continuous paper 22 provided on the cover 20 and capable of being urged in a direction abutting on the front surface Pac of the back-wound continuous paper Pa pulled out from the storage portion 13, and the damper for front-wound continuous paper 15 provided in the main body 10 and capable of being urged in a direction abutting on the front surface Pbb of the front-wound continuous paper Pb pulled out from the storage portion 13.
In the thermal printer 1 of the second embodiment having such a configuration, the damper for front-wound continuous paper 15 abuts on the front surface Pbb of the front-wound continuous paper Pb. Further, the damper for back-wound continuous paper 22 abuts on the front surface Pac of the back-wound continuous paper Pa.
According to the paper conveyance apparatus of the second embodiment, if the cover 20 is opened from the main body 10, the damper for front-wound continuous paper 15 and the damper for back-wound continuous paper 22 are separated, and thus the paper sheets (paper sheet Paa and paper sheet Pba) can be easily set even if the stored continuous paper P is the front-wound continuous paper Pb or the back-wound continuous paper Pa.
While the first and second embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
For example, in the embodiments, the printer is described as the thermal printer 1 using a thermal head. However, the printer of an exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto, and the printer may be any other printer that uses continuous paper P, such as an inkjet printer or a wire dot printer.
Furthermore, in the embodiments, the platen 14 is rotated to convey the paper sheet. However, the printer of an exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto, and may be provided with a mechanism for conveying a paper sheet in addition to the platen 14.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-051714 | Mar 2023 | JP | national |
