Patent Grant
9409421
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a printer apparatus which carries out printing on paper and then issues the printed paper.
In a printer apparatus used as a receipt issuing apparatus and the like, pre-determined items are printed on long-sized roll paper drawn out from paper wound into a roll shape. It is necessary to replenish the roll paper newly in a case in which the roll paper is used up. However, in a case of carrying out paper replenishment, it is necessary to nip the front end of the replenished roll paper between a print head which carries out printing on the roll paper and a platen roller arranged opposite to the print head. Thus, there is known a method that the roll paper is loaded into the printer apparatus main body in a state of being placed in a cassette. In a case of replenishing the roll paper, the front end of the replenished roll paper can be nipped easily if the print head and the platen roller are separated from each other. However, even if the print head and the platen roller are separated from each other, if the platen roller exists in the replenishment path of the roll paper, a user has to avoid the platen roller to replenish the roll paper, which may lead to a problem that only the roll paper having a small diameter can be replenished.
In accordance with one embodiment, a printer apparatus comprises a main body section configured to include a first printer cover; an opening and closing unit configured to include a second printer cover which is fixed to be rotatable with respect to the main body section; a print head configured to be held by the main body section; a platen roller configured to be held by the opening and closing unit and arranged at a position opposite to the print head in a closing state of the second printer cover; and a platen roller moving mechanism configured to move the platen roller away from the position opposite to the print head in an opening state of the second printer cover.
Hereinafter, the printer apparatus according to the present embodiment is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A reference numeral 2 in
The roll paper 2 includes a first paper surface 5 and a second paper surface 6 opposite to the first paper surface 5, and a thermosensitive layer which generates color if heated is arranged on the first paper surface 5 only.
An idler roller 7 which applies tension to the conveyed roll paper 2 is supported in the printer apparatus 1 in a rotatable manner.
At the downstream side of the idler roller 7 are arranged a thermal print head 8 and a platen roller 10 opposite to the thermal print head 8 across a paper conveyance path 9. The platen roller 10 is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). A printing section 11 consisting of the thermal print head 8 and the platen roller 10 carries out printing on the first paper surface 5 of the roll paper 2.
The printer apparatus 1 further includes a paper discharge port 12 at the downstream side of the printing section 11, and the printed roll paper 2 is discharged to the outside of the printer apparatus 1 from the paper discharge port 12. Further, a paper cutting edge 13 is arranged nearby the paper discharge port 12, and a user cuts the printed roll paper 2 manually using the paper cutting edge 13. In addition, it is exemplified in the present embodiment that the printed roll paper 2 is cut using the paper cutting edge 13; however, it is not limited to this. For example, a cutter may be arranged at the downstream side of the printing section 11 in the paper conveyance direction to cut the roll paper 2.
Next, a platen roller moving mechanism is described with reference to
The platen roller moving mechanism 19 is arranged nearby the platen roller 10. The platen roller moving mechanism 19 consists of a rotation shaft 15, a substantially U-shaped platen holder 14 of which one part extends obliquely, a holder spring 16, a long hole 17 and a platen spring 18.
As shown in
In a case of replenishing the roll paper 2 due to paper out and the like, the user of the printer apparatus 1 opens the hook (not shown) to release the fixation of the printer cover 3 and the printer cover 3-1.
The platen holder 14 is energized in a clockwise direction in
As stated above, in a case of replenishing the roll paper 2, the fixation of the printer cover 3 and the printer cover 3-1 is released, and the printer cover 3-1 is rotated. The platen roller moving mechanism 19 is arranged in the printer apparatus 1, and the platen roller 10 is moved as the printer cover 3-1 is rotated.
If there is no platen roller moving mechanism 19 arranged in the printer apparatus 1, the diameter of the roll paper 2 that can be replenished is C. In contrast, the diameter of the roll paper 2 that can be loaded into the printer apparatus 1 provided with the platen roller moving mechanism according to the present embodiment is D shown in
Hereinafter, the second embodiment is described with reference to
Further, for the user of the printer apparatus 1 who desires to use the loaded roll paper 2 having a longer diameter, it is possible to cope with the situation only by changing the part of the printer cover 3-1 merely, and the printer cover 3 may be common no matter what kind of roll paper 2 is used.
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 invention. 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 invention. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6118469 | Hosomi | Sep 2000 | A |
| 20130293655 | Sekino et al. | Nov 2013 | A1 |
