Printing apparatus

Abstract

A printing apparatus has an apparatus body including a platen roller, a thermal head, a storage in which a ribbon cartridge is stored exchangeably through an opening, and a cover of the apparatus body that covers the opening so as to be opened and closed. A gap is secured between an edge portion of the cover provided for the apparatus body in a state in which the cover is fitted onto the apparatus body to close the apparatus body and an edge portion of the opening of the storage. The gap is a slot for inserting an optical disk in its upright position to the apparatus body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This object and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view in which an optical disc is about to be mounted on the printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover provided for the apparatus body of the printing apparatus is opened;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the cover provided for the apparatus body of the printing apparatus is opened;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the cover provided for the apparatus body of the printing apparatus is closed;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view showing states in which the cover provided for the apparatus body of the printing apparatus is opened and closed;

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view showing states in which the cover provided for the apparatus body of the printing apparatus is opened and closed;

FIG. 8 is a front view showing an example of a print on an optical disc printed by the printing apparatus;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a printing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view according to a third embodiment of a printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view along line 11-11 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view showing states in which the cover provided for the apparatus body of the printing apparatus is opened and closed.

FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view showing states in which the cover provided for the apparatus body of the printing apparatus is opened and closed.

FIG. 13A is a plan view showing states in which the cover provided for the apparatus body of the printing apparatus of the fourth embodiment of the present invention is opened and closed.

FIG. 13B is a plan view showing states in which the cover provided for the apparatus body of the printing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is opened and closed.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus having: a conveyance unit that conveys a print target to be subjected to a printing operation;a print unit that performs printing on the print target;an apparatus body that has a conveyance path for conveying the print target, a storage in which an expendable item to be used in printing is stored, and an opening formed on an upper face of the storage; anda cover provided for the apparatus body which covers the opening so that the opening can be opened and closed,the printing apparatus comprising:a slot formed by securing a gap between an edge portion of the cover provided for the apparatus body in a state in which the cover is fitted onto the apparatus body to close the apparatus body and an edge portion of the opening of the storage, so that when the print target is inserted through the gap to the conveyance path, a part of the print target projects to the outside the apparatus body; anda slot cover that is movable to a closed position to cover the slot and an opened position to open the slot.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a slot cover movement mechanism that moves together with the movement of the cover provided for the apparatus body to open the opening of the storage and moves the slot cover to the open position from the closed position.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the slot cover movement mechanism comprises: a pressing member that presses the slot cover towards the open position from the closed position; andan operational chip that, by being inserted into the pressing member, moves the slot cover to the closed position from the open position.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance unit conveys an ink ribbon, which is the expendable item, together with the print target;the print unit performs printing on the print target by the ink ribbon; andthe slot cover comprises: an opening movement mechanism that is pushed by the print target being loaded on the apparatus body and moves to the open position from the closed position;an opening that moves to the closed position from the open position when the print target is loaded from such a direction as in parallel with the direction of conveyance of the ink ribbon; andan opening inhibition mechanism that inhibits insertion of the print target into the apparatus body when the print target is inserted from such a direction as in perpendicular to the direction of the conveyance of the ink ribbon.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cushion member is provided on at least any one of the edge portion of the slot cover and the edge portion of the opening of the storage.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print target is a data-recordable recording medium.