Accessories and Printing Equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides an accessory and a printing device. The accessory can be attached to a receiving portion of the printing device in a detachable manner, the receiving portion is used to receive a printing medium, the accessory is configured to support a roll, the roll includes a wound printing medium, and the accessory includes: a housing having a substantially box shape, an upper opening of the housing, the housing being configured to receive the roll in a replaceable manner inside the housing; a coupling portion, which is provided to the housing and, when the housing is attached to the receiving portion, is detachably coupled to an engaged portion, the engaged portion being provided to the receiving portion; and a supporting portion, which is provided to the housing and configured to rotatably support the roll.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese patent application No. 2019-153341, filed on August 26, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to an accessory and a printing device. Background Art

[0004] In the prior art, there is known a printing apparatus having a pair of guide members configured to support a roll paper, each of which has a supporting portion inserted into an axial center hole of the roll paper and protruding in an annular shape.

[0005] However, the size of the inner diameter of the axial core hole varies depending on the type of roll paper, so that the roll paper may not be supported in some cases. If the diameter of the support portion is reduced, the roll paper may move eccentrically, causing poor delivery. Therefore, the diameter of the support portion cannot be simply reduced. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present disclosure provides an accessory by which a desired volume can be mounted to a printing apparatus even when the desired volume cannot be directly mounted to the printing apparatus, and provides a printing apparatus including the accessory.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an accessory is provided, which can be attached to a containing part of a printing device in a detachable manner, the containing part is used to contain a printing medium, the accessory is configured to support a roll, the roll includes the wound printing medium, and the accessory includes: a shell, the shell has a substantially box shape, the upper part of the shell is opened, the shell is configured to accommodate the roll in the interior of the shell in a replaceable manner; a coupling part, the coupling part is provided to the shell, and when the shell is attached to the containing part, the coupling part is configured to be detachably coupled to the engaged part, the engaged part is provided to the containing part; and a supporting part, the supporting part is provided to the shell, and the supporting part is configured to rotatably support the roll.

[0008] According to the above-mentioned accessory, even when the desired roll cannot be directly mounted to the accommodating portion of the printing device, the desired roll can be mounted to the accommodating portion by attaching the housing of the accessory to the accommodating portion of the printing device and supporting the roll by the supporting portion of the housing. When the housing is attached to the accommodating portion, the engaging portion of the housing engages with the engaged portion of the accommodating portion, so that the housing is correctly positioned relative to the accommodating portion. Thus, it is possible to prevent the housing from being mispositioned relative to the accommodating portion. Therefore, the printing device can smoothly print on the print medium pulled out from the roll supported by the housing.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a printing device including the above-mentioned accessory is provided.

[0010] The printing device of the present disclosure includes the above-mentioned accessories. Therefore, similar effects can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the printing apparatus 1;

[0012] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the printing apparatus 1 with its cover 3 opened;

[0013] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the roll holding mechanism 15;

[0014] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the printing apparatus 1 to which the accessory 100 is attached;

[0015] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the left holding portion 7, the right holding portion 8 and the attachment 100;

[0016] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the housing 30 viewed obliquely from the front right;

[0017] Figure 7 is a perspective view of the housing 30 viewed obliquely from the left front;

[0018] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the attachment 100;

[0019] Fig. 9 is a right side view of the attachment 100;

[0020] Fig.10 is a left side view of the attachment 100;

[0021] Fig.11 is a front view of the accessory 100;

[0022] Fig.12is a perspective view of the roll holding member 40 as seen obliquely from the left front;

[0023] Fig.13 is a perspective view of the roll retaining member 40 as seen obliquely from the front right;

[0024] Fig.14 is an exploded perspective view of the roll holding member 40 as viewed obliquely from the left front;

[0025] Fig.15 is an exploded perspective view of the roll holding member 40 as viewed obliquely from the front right;

[0026] Fig.16 is a perspective view of the printing apparatus 1 to which the accessory 200 is attached;

[0027] Fig.17 is a perspective view of the housing 60 viewed obliquely from the right front;

[0028] Fig.18 is a perspective view of the roll holding member 70 as seen obliquely from the left front;

[0029] Fig.19 is a perspective view of the roll retaining member 70 as viewed obliquely from the front right;

[0030] Fig. 20 is an exploded perspective view of the roll holding member 70 as viewed obliquely from the left front;

[0031] Fig.21 is an exploded perspective view of the roll holding member 70 as viewed obliquely from the front right;

[0032] Fig. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the rotating unit 72 viewed diagonally from the left front; and

[0033] Fig.23 It is an exploded perspective view of the rotation unit 72 as viewed diagonally from the front right. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Reference Figures 1 to 15 A first embodiment of the present disclosure is described. In the following description, left and right, front and rear, and up and down indicated using arrows in the drawings are used.

[0035] refer to Figures 1 to 3 The configuration of the printing apparatus 1 is described. Figures 1 to 3 The printing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is capable of printing print data stored in a memory on a print medium, or printing print data received from an external device (not shown) such as a PC terminal. The print medium is, for example, a thermal label. Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown in FIG. 1 , the printing apparatus 1 includes a main body portion 2, a cover 3, and a discharge portion 4. The main body portion 2 and the cover 3 are formed of, for example, a resin material. The discharge portion 4 is provided on the front surface of the printing apparatus 1, and is configured to discharge a tape (described later) printed inside the printing apparatus 1 to the outside of the printing apparatus. The discharge portion 4 is a slit elongated in the left-right direction. The discharge portion 4 is composed of a lower side forming portion 4A (described later) provided on the front of the main body portion 2 and an upper side forming portion 4B (described later) provided on the front of the cover 3.

[0036] The main body 2 has a substantially rectangular box shape. Figure 2 As shown in , the main body 2 constitutes the lower part of the printing device 1, and has a main body cover 10, a accommodating portion 11, a platen roller 13, and a roll holding mechanism 15. The main body cover 10 is a plate-shaped member that is disposed at the upper part of the main body 2 and is bent downward in an arc shape at the center when viewed from the side. The accommodating portion 11 is an internal space of the printing device 1 delimited by the main body cover 10. The roll M1 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 11 in a state where the axial center hole faces the left and right directions. The roll M1 is formed by bonding a thermal label to a base paper (release paper) with an adhesive and winding the label around a cylindrical core. The thermal label with the base paper is referred to as a "tape" hereinafter. The roll holding mechanism 15 is provided to the accommodating portion 11, and is configured to detachably support the roll M1. The platen roller 13 is disposed in front of the accommodating portion 11 at the upper part of the main body 2. The platen roller 13 is a cylindrical roller for conveying the tape in the front-rear direction and is disposed along the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the discharge portion 4. A lower side forming portion 4A having a concave shape when viewed from the front is provided in front of the platen roller 13. The lower side forming portion 4A forms a lower side portion of the discharge portion 4.

[0037] The cover 3 is pivotally supported so as to be openable / closable around an axis extending in the left-right direction at the rear upper portion of the main body portion 2. The thermal head 14 extends on the lower surface of the front portion of the cover 3 in the left-right direction. The thermal head 14 has a plurality of heating elements aligned in the left-right direction. The thermal head 14 is controlled by an electronic circuit board (not shown), and can print characters, etc. on a thermal label by heating. The upper side forming portion 4B is disposed in front of the thermal head 14. The upper side forming portion 4B forms the upper side portion of the discharge portion 4.

[0038] refer to Figure 3 The structure of the roll holding mechanism 15 is described. The roll holding mechanism 15 includes the left holding portion 7, the right holding portion 8, and the support frame 20, and has a substantially U-shape that is open upward when viewed from the front.

[0039] When viewed from the side, the left holding part 7 is a plate-like member having a substantially right-angled triangle shape. The left holding part 7 has a facing surface 17, a protrusion 171, a fan-shaped portion 172, a guide portion 173, a first engaged hole 174, a second engaged hole 175, a coupling portion 7A, etc. The facing surface 17 is a surface facing the right holding part 8. The protrusion 171 has a truncated cone shape protruding from the upper part of the facing surface 17 toward the right holding part 8. The fan-shaped portion 172 extends in the circumferential direction over an area corresponding to approximately half of the upper side around the protrusion 171, and protrudes from the facing surface 17 toward the right holding part 8. The protrusion amount of the fan-shaped portion 172 is less than the protrusion amount of the protrusion 171.

[0040] The guide portion 173 protrudes from the front of the left holding portion 7 toward the right holding portion 8. The first engaged hole 174 is provided on the front side of the facing surface 17 at the rear of the guide portion 173. The first engaged hole 174 is a circular hole penetrating in the left-right direction. The second engaged hole 175 is an elliptical hole provided on the rear side of the facing surface 17 and penetrating in the left-right direction, and its major diameter extends toward the center of the first engaged hole 174. The connecting portion 7A has a rectangular plate shape extending from the rear side of the lower end portion of the left holding portion 7 toward the right holding portion 8. The connecting portion 7A is fixed to the guide member 22 (described later) of the support frame 20 by screws via a guide groove (not shown) provided in the main body cover 10.

[0041] The right holding portion 8 is substantially bilaterally symmetrical with respect to the left holding portion 7. Although not shown in detail, the right holding portion 8 also includes a facing surface 18, a protrusion (not shown), a fan-shaped portion 182, a guide portion 183, a first engaged hole (not shown), a second engaged hole (not shown), a coupling portion 8A, etc., like the left holding portion 7. The coupling portion 8A is fixed to a guide member 23 (described later) of the support frame 20 by screws via a guide groove (not shown) provided in the main body cover 10.

[0042] The support frame 20 has a base 21, a guide member 22, a guide member 23, a pinion 24, a coil spring 28, a coil spring 29, a positioning tool 26, a nut 27, etc. The base 21 has a main body 201 and a front side support portion 202. The main body 201 has a substantially rectangular plate shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from above. The front side support portion 202 protrudes forward from the left portion of the front end portion of the main body 201 and has a substantially rectangular plate shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from above. The guide member 22, the guide member 23, the pinion 24, the coil springs 28 and 29, etc. are arranged on the upper surface of the main body 201.

[0043] The guide member 22 has a substantially rectangular plate shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from above, and is supported so as to be movable in the left-right direction on the upper rear side of the main body portion 201. A rack (not shown) is provided at the front end portion of the guide member 22. The guide member 23 has a substantially rectangular plate shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from above, and is supported so as to be movable in the left-right direction on the upper front side of the main body portion 201, similarly to the guide member 22. A rack (not shown) is provided at the rear end portion of the guide member 23. A locking portion 231 protruding forward is provided at the front end portion of the guide member 23.

[0044] The shaft of the pinion 24 is supported so as to be rotatable at approximately the center of the upper surface of the main body portion 201, and is rotatable between the front end portion of the guide member 22 and the rear end portion of the guide member 23. The pinion 24 meshes with a rack provided at the front end portion of the guide member 22, and a rack provided at the rear end portion of the guide member 23. Thus, when the guide member 23 moves to the right, the pinion 24 rotates in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from above, so that the guide member 22 moves to the left. As a result, the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 move away from each other. On the other hand, when the guide member 23 moves to the left, the pinion 24 rotates in the clockwise direction when viewed from above, so that the guide member 22 moves to the right. As a result, the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 move toward each other.

[0045] The coil spring 28 is provided between the right end portion of the main body portion 201 and the left end portion of the guide member 22, and always biases the guide member 22 to the right. The coil spring 29 is provided between the left end portion of the main body portion 201 and the right end portion of the guide member 23, and always biases the guide member 23 to the left. Thus, the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 are always biased toward each other by the coil springs 28 and 29.

[0046] The positioning tool 26 is arranged on the upper surface of the front side support part 202. The positioning tool 26 has a screw portion 261 and an operating portion 262. The screw portion 261 has a rod shape extending in the left-right direction and is rotatably supported on the upper surface of the front side support part 202. The operating portion 262 is provided perpendicular to the left end portion of the screw portion 261 and has a substantially disk shape. The rotation operation of the operating portion 262 causes the screw portion 261 to rotate.

[0047] The nut 27 engages with the screw portion 261 of the positioning tool 26 on the upper surface of the front side supporting portion 202. As the operating portion 262 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions, the nut 27 moves in the left-right direction.

[0048] As described above, since the guide member 23 is always biased to the left by the coil spring 29, the locking portion 231 is locked to the nut 27 from the right side. Since the position of the guide member 23 is determined to be at the position of the nut 27, the position of the right holding portion 8 is determined. When the position of the right holding portion 8 is determined, the position of the guide member 22 is relatively determined via the pinion 24, thereby also determining the position of the left holding portion 7. The user can appropriately adjust the spacing width between the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 by a rotation operation on the operating portion 262 of the positioning tool 26.

[0049] A method of operating the roll retaining mechanism 15 is described. Figure 2 As shown in , the user opens the cover 3 to expose the accommodating portion 11. In the accommodating portion 11, the user manually pushes and opens the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 away from each other (toward the outside in the left-right direction) against the biasing force of the coil springs 28 and 29. The user arranges the roll M1 in a state of being wound in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the right side surface between the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8. When the user releases the operation on the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8, the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 move to the following position, in which the fan-shaped portions 172 and 182 come into contact with the left and right end surfaces of the roll M1 by the biasing force of the coil springs 28 and 29. When the fan-shaped portions 172 and 182 come into contact with both end surfaces of the roll M1, the movement of the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 stops. The protrusion 171 of the left holding portion 7 and the protrusion of the right holding portion 8 fit in the axial center hole of the roll M1. As a result, the spacing distance between the fan-shaped portions 172 and 182 is substantially equal to the width of the roll M1. The user causes the tape to be pulled out from the roll M1, passes under the guide 173 of the left holding portion 7 and the guide 183 of the right holding portion 8, and arranges the tape near the discharge portion 4. The user closes the cover 3.

[0050] The printing operation of the printing apparatus 1 is described. In a state where the roll M1 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 11 and the cover 3 is closed, the thermal head 14 and the platen roller 13 are close to each other. The tape is arranged between the thermal head 14 and the platen roller 13. The thermal head 14 presses the tape toward the platen roller 13. The platen roller 13 is rotated by the drive of the conveying motor (not shown), thereby pulling the tape out of the roll M1 and conveying the tape pressed by the thermal head 14. The heating element of the thermal head 14 selectively generates heat so that the thermal head 14 prints characters, etc. in line units on the thermal label bonded to the tape. In a state where the cover 3 is closed, the discharge portion 4 discharges the tape to the outside of the printing apparatus 1, and the thermal label printed inside the printing apparatus 1 is bonded to the tape. At the same time, the printing apparatus 1 may include a cutting portion, which is provided to the discharge portion 4 and is configured to cut the printed tape, for example, at a predetermined position. As the cutting portion, for example, a cutting member having serrated teeth aligned in the left-right direction, a cutter mechanism having a cutting blade, etc., etc. can be adopted.

[0051] A case is described in which the roll cannot be supported by the roll holding mechanism 15 due to the size of the roll's axial center hole. For example, when the inner diameter of the roll's axial center hole is different from each of the inner diameters of the protrusion 171 of the left holding portion 7 and the protrusion of the right holding portion 8, a problem of poor conveyance may arise as in the prior art. As a result, the roll cannot be directly mounted to the roll holding mechanism 15. In this embodiment, the user can Figure 4 ) The roll is mounted on the roll holding mechanism 15. Meanwhile, the construction and operational effects of the attachment 100 will be described later.

[0052] The case where a roll including a linerless tape is used as a roll that cannot be directly mounted to the roll holding mechanism 15 is described. The linerless tape is a tape without a backing paper (release paper), unlike the above-mentioned tapes. Figure 4The roll M2 shown in FIG. 1 is constituted by winding a linerless tape around a tubular core in a state where a surface having an adhesive (hereinafter referred to as an 'adhesive surface') is arranged to be inside. Assume the following case in which the roll M2 is sandwiched between the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 of the roll holding mechanism 15, the same as the roll M1, and printing is performed by the printing apparatus 1. The linerless tape pulled out from the roll M2 and conveyed has an upper side and a lower side, the upper side being the printing surface and the lower side being the adhesive surface. After performing the printing operation, the printing apparatus 1 reverses the platen roller, thereby conveying the tape in the reverse direction before the next printing operation, so as to reduce the leading margin corresponding to the distance between the thermal head 14 and the cutting portion. At this time, as the tape is conveyed in the reverse direction, the tape comes loose. However, even if the loosening occurs, it does not cause a particular problem like the tape with the backing paper. On the other hand, in the case of the linerless tape, when the loosening occurs during conveyance in the reverse direction, the adhesive surface on the lower side of the linerless tape adheres to the conveyance path, so that a printing defect may be generated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the user mounts the roll M2 to the roll holding mechanism 15 by using the attachment 100 so as to be prevented from coming loose when the linerless tape is conveyed in the reverse direction.

[0053] refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The configuration of the accessory 100 is described. The accessory 100 includes a housing 30 and a roll holding member 40. The housing 30 is configured to house the roll M2 in a replaceable manner and to be detachably attached to the roll holding mechanism 15 of the printing apparatus 1. The roll holding member 40 is fitted into the axial center hole of the roll M2 and is attached to the housing 30, thereby rotatably supporting the roll M2.

[0054] refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 The structure of the housing 30 is described. Figures 5 to 7 The housing 30 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in a posture in which it is attached to the roll holding mechanism 15. The housing 30 has a generally box shape with its upper portion open, and can accommodate rolls of various sizes therein. The housing 30 has a bottom wall portion 31, a left wall portion 32, and a right wall portion 33. The bottom wall portion 31 has a generally rectangular shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from above, and its central portion is bent downward in a generally arc shape when viewed from the side.

[0055] like Figure 7As shown in , the left wall portion 32 stands upright from the left end of the bottom wall portion 31 and has a generally heart-shaped shape when viewed from the left side. The lower end of the left wall portion 32 is bent in an arc shape. The upper end of the left wall portion 32 has a generally straight shape extending in the front-to-back direction except for the central portion in the front-to-back direction. The left wall portion 32 has a forward protruding portion 37, a guide portion 371, a locked groove 35, a tapered portion 351, a first protrusion 321, a second protrusion 322, a third protrusion 323, etc. The forward protruding portion 37 protrudes forward from the front end of the left wall portion 32 and has an elongated plate shape when viewed from the left side. The guide portion 371 protrudes to the right from the upper end of the forward protruding portion 37. The locked groove 35 has a rectangular shape that extends downward from the central portion of the upper end of the left wall portion 32 in the front-to-back direction and is vertically elongated when viewed from the side. The lower end of the locked groove 35 is located at a substantially central portion in the up-down direction of the left wall portion 32. Tapered portions 351 are formed at both the front and rear portions of the upper portion of the locked groove 35, and each of the tapered portions expands from bottom to top in a tapered shape.

[0056] The first protrusion 321, the second protrusion 322 and the third protrusion 323 are arranged on the left side surface (outer surface) of the left wall portion 32. The first protrusion 321 is arranged at the lower part of the front end of the left side surface of the left wall portion 32 and behind the forward protruding portion 37. The first protrusion 321 protrudes to the left in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The top end surface of the first protrusion 321 is provided with a pin 321A that further protrudes to the left. The second protrusion 322 is arranged at the substantially central part of the left side surface of the left wall portion 32 and before the lower part of the locked groove 35. The second protrusion 322 also protrudes to the left in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The top end surface of the second protrusion 322 is also provided with a pin 322A that further protrudes to the left. The third protrusion 323 is arranged at the lower part of the front end of the left side surface of the left wall portion 32, and is spaced apart from the first protrusion 321 to the rear. The third protrusion 323 also protrudes to the left in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The protrusion amounts in the left direction of the first protrusion 321, the second protrusion 322, and the third protrusion 323 are substantially the same. The outer diameter of the pin 321A is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the first engaged hole 174 of the left holding portion 7, and the outer diameter of the pin 322A is slightly smaller than the short diameter of the second engaged hole 175 of the left holding portion 7.

[0057] like Figure 6As shown in , the right wall portion 33 stands upright from the right end of the bottom wall portion 31. The right wall portion 33 is roughly symmetrical about the left wall portion 32, and has a roughly heart shape when viewed from the right side. Like the left wall portion 32, the right wall portion 33 has a forward protruding portion 38, a guide portion 381, an axle support groove 36, a tapered portion 361, a first protrusion 331, a second protrusion 332, a third protrusion 333, etc. The forward protruding portion 38 protrudes forward from the front end of the right wall portion 33, and has an elongated plate shape when viewed from the right side. The guide portion 381 protrudes to the left from the upper end of the forward protruding portion 38. The axle support groove 36 has a rectangular shape that extends downward from the central portion of the upper end of the right wall portion 33 in the front-to-back direction, and is vertically elongated when viewed from the side. The lower portion of the axle support groove 36 is located at the roughly central portion of the right wall portion 33 in the up-down direction, and is bent in a roughly arc shape. The width of the shaft support groove 36 is slightly larger than the width of the locked groove 35 of the left wall portion 32. The tapered portion 361 is formed at both the front and rear portions of the upper portion of the shaft support groove 36, and each tapered portion expands from bottom to top in a tapered shape. The top end surface of the first protrusion 331 is provided with a pin 331A that further protrudes to the right. The top end surface of the second protrusion 332 is also provided with a pin 332A that further protrudes to the right. The outer diameter of the pin 331A is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the first engaged hole (not shown) of the right holding portion 8, and the outer diameter of the pin 332A is slightly smaller than the short diameter of the second engaged hole (not shown) of the right holding portion 8.

[0058] refer to Figures 12 to 15 The structure of the roll holding member 40 is described. Fig.12 and Fig.13 The roll holding member 40 shown in FIG. 1 is constituted by combining five components described below, and the roll holding member 40 is a complex body having a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the left-right direction. Fig.14 and Fig.15 As shown in FIG. 1 , the roll holding member 40 has a holding shaft 41 , a torque limiter 42 , an intermediate member 43 , a torsion spring 44 , and a flange member 45 in corresponding order from the right.

[0059] The retaining shaft 41 is formed of a resin material and has a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the left-right direction. Figures 12 to 15As shown in , the retaining shaft 41 has a cylindrical portion 50, four external shape ribs 51, a circular flange 52, two reinforcing flanges 53, a left support shaft 54, a right support shaft 56, etc. The cylindrical portion 50 has a generally bottomed cylindrical shape extending in the left-right direction and opening to the left. The four external shape ribs 51 include four plates, each of which has a generally rectangular shape elongated in the left-right direction. When the retaining shaft 41 is viewed from the axial direction, the four external shape ribs 51 protrude from the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 50 in a cross direction, and intersect and connect with each other in a cross shape at a portion extending further to the right than the cylindrical portion 50. The circular flange 52 is arranged to be orthogonal to the right end of the four external shape ribs 51, and has a circular shape when viewed from the right side.

[0060] The two reinforcing flanges 53 each have a substantially circular shape when viewed in the axial direction, and are provided near the right end of the cylindrical portion 50 and in a substantially middle position between the cylindrical portion 50 and the circular flange 52, blocking each of the four external shape ribs 51 between the two reinforcing flanges. The reinforcing flange 53 reinforces the four external shape ribs 51. The left support shaft 54 ​​extends from the bottom 501 on the inner side of the cylindrical portion 50 (see Fig.14 ) protrudes to the left along the axis from the center of the circular flange 52. The left support shaft 54 ​​forms a center hole 541 extending from the left end surface to the right. The bottom 501 is provided with a slit 502. The slit 502 is a long hole extending on both sides in the radial direction, the left support shaft 54 ​​is located at the center of the slit 502, and the slit 502 penetrates in the left and right directions. The right support shaft 56 protrudes to the right along the axis from the center of the circular flange 52, and has a generally cylindrical shape.

[0061] The torque limiter 42 has a generally annular shape and has a size that can be inserted into the interior of the cylindrical portion 50. Meanwhile, a well-known torque limiter can be adopted as the torque limiter 42. The torque limiter 42 has a main body ring portion 421 and a driven ring portion 422. The main body ring portion 421 has a generally annular shape. The right end surface of the main body ring portion 421 is provided with a pair of convex portions 425 and 426 protruding to the right (see Fig.15 The pair of protrusions 425 and 426 are arranged in positions facing each other, with the central hole interposed between the pair of protrusions 425 and 426. The driven ring portion 422 has a substantially annular shape with a smaller diameter than the main body ring portion 421, and is inserted into the inner side of the central hole of the main body ring portion 421. The left end portion of the driven ring portion 422 protrudes to the left on the left end side of the main body ring portion 421 (refer to Fig.14 ). A pair of recesses 427 and 428 are provided at the left end portion of the driven ring portion 422. The pair of recesses 427 and 428 are provided in positions facing each other with the central hole interposed therebetween.

[0062] In the torque limiter 42, when the torque that rotates the driven ring portion 422 relative to the main body ring portion 421 is equal to or less than the set torque, for example, the rotational force of the driven ring portion 422 is transmitted to the main body ring portion 421. When the rotational torque exceeds the set torque, the driven ring portion 422 slips relative to the main body ring portion 421, thereby interrupting the transmission of the rotational force. When the driven ring portion 422 rotates relative to the main body ring portion 421, the set torque becomes a resistance force.

[0063] The intermediate member 43 has a main body tube portion 431, a shaft tube portion 433, a cylindrical rib 434, a pair of engagement ribs 435 and 436, a spring locking hole 437, and an engagement protrusion 438. The main body tube portion 431 has a short-axis cylindrical shape that opens to the left. The main body tube portion 431 has a generally annular bottom 432. The shaft tube portion 433 extends to the left from the inner edge portion of the central hole of the bottom 432 on the inner side of the main body tube portion 431 and has a generally cylindrical shape. The cylindrical rib 434 (refer to Fig.15 ) protrudes rightward from the outer peripheral edge of the outer surface (right surface) of the bottom 432. The pair of engaging ribs 435 and 436 extend toward the shaft tube portion 433 in a substantially straight line shape from a facing position facing the inner edge portion of the cylindrical rib 434, and protrude rightward from the outer surface of the bottom 432. The spring locking hole 437 is on the front side of the bottom 432 in the left-right direction and penetrates at a position overlapping with the inner edge portion of the cylindrical rib 434. When viewed from the left side, the engaging protrusion 438 (reference Fig.14 ) is provided on the inner surface of the bottom portion 432 near the clockwise side of the spring locking hole 437. The engaging protrusion 438 protrudes leftward.

[0064] The torsion spring 44 has a spiral shape and has a pair of arm portions 441 and 442. The pair of arm portions 441 and 442 are both end portions of the torsion spring 44. The top end portion of the arm portion 441 is bent to the left, and the top end portion of the arm portion 442 is bent to the right. When the pair of arm portions 441 and 442 move away from each other in the circumferential direction, that is, move in the direction of winding the torsion spring, the torsion spring 44 generates a biasing force that biases the pair of arm portions 441 and 442 toward each other, that is, in the direction of unwinding the torsion spring 44. The biasing force of the torsion spring 44 is adjusted to be weaker than the set torque of the torque limiter 42.

[0065] The flange member 45 has a disk portion 451, a rectangular portion 451, an axial hole 453, a first protrusion 455, a second protrusion 456, a spring locking hole 457, etc. The disk portion 451 has a substantially disk shape with a certain thickness in the left-right direction and has a size that can be inserted into the inside of the cylindrical portion 50. The rectangular portion 452 (refer to Fig.14) has a substantially rectangular shape extending radially on the left surface of the disk-shaped portion 451 when viewed from the left side surface, and protrudes leftward. The shaft hole 453 is formed to penetrate the center portion of the disk-shaped portion 451 and the rectangular portion 452. The first protrusion 455 and the second protrusion 456 (refer to Fig.15 ) protrude rightward at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction on the right surface of the disc-shaped portion 451. The interval angle between the first protrusion 455 and the second protrusion 456 around the shaft hole 453 is approximately 120°. The spring locking hole 457 is provided near the clockwise side of the second protrusion 456 when viewed from the right side, and penetrates the disc-shaped portion 451 in the left-right direction.

[0066] refer to Figures 12 to 15 An example of a method of assembling the roll retaining member 40 is described. Fig.14 and Fig.15 As shown in , the operator accommodates the torque limiter 42, the intermediate member 43, the torsion spring 44, and the flange member 45 inside the cylindrical portion 50 of the retaining shaft 41. First, the operator inserts the torque limiter 42 into the cylindrical portion 50 of the retaining shaft 41. The operator inserts the left support shaft 54 ​​extending from the bottom 501 of the cylindrical portion 50 into the central shaft hole of the driven ring portion 422 of the torque limiter 42. At this time, the operator engages the pair of protrusions 425 and 426 provided on the right end surface of the main body ring portion 421 of the torque limiter 42 to the slit 502 of the bottom 501. Thereby, the main body ring portion 421 of the torque limiter 42 is integrated with the retaining shaft 41, and the circumferential rotation of the retaining shaft 41 relative to the cylindrical portion 50 is restricted.

[0067] After that, the operator inserts the intermediate member 43 into the cylindrical portion 50 into which the torque limiter 42 has been inserted. The operator inserts the left support shaft 54 ​​into the inner side of the shaft tube portion 433 of the intermediate member 43. Thus, the intermediate member 43 is rotatably supported to the left support shaft 54. At this time, the pair of engagement ribs 435 and 436 provided on the outer surface (right surface) of the bottom portion 432 of the intermediate member 43 are engaged to the pair of recessed portions 427 and 428 provided at the left end portion of the driven ring portion 422 of the torque limiter 42. Thus, the intermediate member 43 is integrated with the driven ring portion 422.

[0068] After that, the operator inserts the torsion spring 44 into the cylindrical portion 50 into which the intermediate member 43 has been inserted. Then, the operator inserts the shaft tube portion 433 into the inside of the torsion spring 44. The torsion spring 44 is accommodated inside the main body tube portion 431 of the intermediate member 43. At this time, the operator inserts the top end portion of the arm portion 442 of the torsion spring 44 into the spring locking hole 437 of the intermediate member 43.

[0069] After that, the operator inserts the flange member 45 into the cylindrical portion 50 in which the torsion spring 44 has been inserted. The operator inserts the left support shaft 54 ​​into the shaft hole 453 of the flange member 45. Thus, the flange member 45 is rotatably supported to the left support shaft 54. The operator inserts the top end portion of the arm portion 441 of the torsion spring 44 into the spring locking hole 457 of the flange member 45. Thus, the torsion spring 44 moves in a direction in which the pair of arm portions 441 and 442 move away from each other, thereby generating a biasing force. Thus, the engaging protrusion 438 of the intermediate member 43 and the second protrusion 456 of the flange member come into contact in the circumferential direction.

[0070] In this way, the torque limiter 42, the intermediate member 43, the torsion spring 44 and the flange member 45 are accommodated inside the cylindrical portion 50 of the retaining shaft 41. At the same time, contrary to the above-mentioned accommodation method, for example, the torque limiter 42, the intermediate member 43, the torsion spring 44 and the flange member 45 can be first combined and integrated, and then inserted into the cylindrical portion 50. That is, the accommodation order can be changed. Finally, the operator fastens the screw (not shown) via a washer (not shown) into the center hole 541 of the left support shaft 54 ​​inserted into the shaft hole 453 of the flange member 45. Thereby, the torque limiter 42, the intermediate member 43, the torsion spring 44 and the flange member 45 are prevented from falling off relative to the left support shaft 54. In this way, the assembly of the roll retaining member 40 is completed.

[0071] The operator can fit the roll holding member 40 into the axial center hole of the roll M2 (refer to Figure 4 ). The outer end of each of the four outer shape ribs 51 of the retaining shaft 41 comes into contact with the inner surface of the axial center hole. Thus, the retaining shaft 41 of the roll retaining member 40 is integrated with the core of the roll M2. At the same time, a plurality of retaining shafts 41 of the roll retaining member 40 can be prepared according to the size of the inner diameter of the axial center hole of the roll, wherein the protrusion amount of the outer shape rib 51 varies.

[0072] refer to Figures 6 to 13 An example of a method of attaching the roll holding member 40 to the housing 30 is described. At the same time, the roll holding member 40 is fitted into the axial center hole of the roll M2 and then attached to the housing 30. At the left end portion of the roll holding member 40, a rectangular portion 452 protrudes leftward from the cylindrical portion 50 of the holding shaft 41 (refer to Fig.12 At the right end portion of the roll holding member 40, a right support shaft 56 protrudes rightward (refer to Fig.13 ). The user attaches the roll holding member 40 from the upper portion of the housing 30. Fig.10As shown in , the user inserts the rectangular portion 452 of the flange member 45 of the roll retaining member 40 into the locked groove 35 of the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30 from above. The rectangular portion 452 fits into the locked groove 35 without a significant gap. When the rectangular portion 452 is inserted into the locked groove 35, the tapered portion 351 guides the rectangular portion 452 to the locked groove 35. Thus, the rectangular portion 452 can be easily inserted into the locked groove 35. On the other hand, as Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 1 , the user inserts the right support shaft 56 of the roll holding member 40 into the shaft support groove 36 of the right wall portion 33 of the housing 30 from above. The right support shaft 56 is supported so as to be rotatable in the shaft support groove 36. The roll holding member 40 is rotatably supported inside the housing 30 (refer to FIG. 1 ). Fig.11 ). Thus, the attachment of the roll holding member 40 to the housing 30 is completed.

[0073] refer to Figures 3 to 5 An example of a method of attaching the housing 30 to the printing apparatus 1 is described. The user operates the roll holding mechanism 15 (see FIG. 1 ) in a manner similar to the case of mounting the roll M1 to the accommodating portion 11. Figure 3 ). The user overcomes the biasing force of the coil springs 28 and 29 to move the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 away from each other (outside in the left-right direction). The user arranges the housing 30 between the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 (refer to Figure 5 ). When the user releases the operation on the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8, the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 move toward each other by the biasing force of the coil springs 28 and 29.

[0074] At this time, the pin 321A of the first protrusion 321 provided on the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30 is engaged with the first engaged hole 174 of the left holding portion 7. The pin 322A of the second protrusion 322 provided on the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30 is engaged with the second engaged hole 175 of the left holding portion 7. In addition, the third protrusion 323 (refer to Figure 7 ) comes into contact with the facing surface 17 of the left holding portion 7. The sector 172 of the left holding portion 7 comes into contact with the outer surface of the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30.

[0075] On the other hand, the pin 331A of the first protrusion 331 provided on the right wall portion 33 of the housing 30 is engaged with the first engaged hole (not shown) of the right holding portion 8. The pin 332A of the second protrusion 332 provided on the right wall portion 33 of the housing 30 is engaged with the second engaged hole (not shown) of the right holding portion 8. In addition, the third protrusion 333 (refer to Figure 6) comes into contact with the facing surface 18 of the right holding portion 8. The sector 182 of the right holding portion 8 comes into contact with the outer surface of the right wall portion 33 of the housing 30.

[0076] In this way, the housing 30 is positioned relative to the first engaged hole 174 and the second engaged hole 175 of the left holding portion 7 by the pin 321A of the first protrusion 321 and the pin 322A of the second protrusion 322 provided on the outer surface of the left wall portion 32, and is positioned relative to the first engaged hole (not shown) and the second engaged hole (not shown) of the right holding portion 8 by the pin 331A of the first protrusion 331 and the pin 332A of the second protrusion 332 provided on the outer surface of the right wall portion 33. The housing 30 is sandwiched between the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 by the biasing force of the coil springs 28 and 29, and the coil springs are positioned relative to the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8. Thus, the housing 30 is stably attached without being misaligned between the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8. Finally, the user pulls the linerless tape forward from the roll M2 held by the roll holding member 40, and passes the linerless tape under the guide 371 of the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30 and under the guide 381 of the right wall portion 33 of the housing 30. Thus, the housing 30 can prevent the linerless tape from floating.

[0077] Meanwhile, when the housing 30 is attached to the roll holding mechanism 15, a slight gap is formed between the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 31 of the housing 30 and the upper surface of the main body cover 10 of the printing apparatus 1. Thus, the housing 30 is firmly attached to the roll holding mechanism 15 without coming into contact with the main body cover 10 even if there is a shape size error.

[0078] refer to Figure 4 and Figures 12 to 15 The rotation operation of the roll holding member 40 performed when printing the roll M2 is described. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 5 , in a state in which the roll holding member 40 is attached to the housing 30, the right support shaft 56 of the holding shaft 41 is supported by the shaft support groove 36 of the right wall portion 33 on the right end side of the roll holding member 40 (refer to FIG. 5 ). Fig. 9 ). On the left end side of the roll holding member 40, the rectangular portion 452 of the flange member 45 is fitted into the locked groove 35 of the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30 (refer to Fig.10 ). Therefore, the rectangular portion 452 is locked to the locked groove 35 around the left support shaft 54 ​​in the circumferential direction, thereby fixing the position of the flange member 45. That is, the flange member 45 does not rotate in the circumferential direction. The left support shaft 54 ​​(refer to Fig.14 ) is rotatably supported to the flange member 45 in a positionally fixed state. Thus, the holding shaft 41 can rotate relative to the housing 30, so that the roll M2 held by the holding shaft 41 can also rotate as a whole.

[0079] When the printing operation of the printing apparatus 1 is started, the platen roller 13 is rotated by the driving of the conveying motor (not shown). The linerless tape is pulled out from the roll M2 and conveyed forward (refer to FIG. 1 ). Figure 4 ). The linerless belt is pulled forward so that the retaining shaft 41 starts to rotate in the clockwise direction when viewed from the left side (refer to Fig.12 and Fig.13 In this connection, Fig.14 The torque limiter 42 and the intermediate member 43 shown in FIG. 4 also rotate integrally with the retaining shaft 41. The intermediate member 43 rotates, so that the arm 442 of the torsion spring 44 locked to the intermediate member 43 also rotates in the same direction, but the flange member 45 to which the arm 441 is locked does not rotate. Thereby, the torsion spring 44 bends in the winding direction, thereby biasing the intermediate member 43 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the retaining shaft 41 with a force weaker than the set torque of the torque limiter 42.

[0080] When the printing operation is started, the engaging protrusion 438 (refer to Fig.14 ) is located so that it contacts the second protrusion 456 of the flange member 45 (reference Fig.15 ). When the intermediate member 43 rotates relative to the flange member 45 together with the retaining shaft 41 in the clockwise direction when viewed from the left, the engaging protrusion 438 rotates around the left supporting shaft 54 ​​in the same direction. Thus, the engaging protrusion 438 rotates until it comes into contact with the first protrusion 455 of the flange member 45. Therefore, since the torsion spring 44 is bent in the winding direction, the torsion spring biases the intermediate member 43 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the retaining shaft 41.

[0081] When the engaging protrusion 438 comes into contact with the first protrusion 455, the intermediate member 43 is integrated with the flange member 45. Here, since the retaining shaft 41 continues to rotate but the intermediate member 43 does not rotate, a torque exceeding the set torque is applied to the torque limiter 42. At this time, the main body ring portion 421 engaged to the retaining shaft 41 slides relative to the driven ring portion 422 of the torque limiter 42 engaged to the intermediate member 43. Thus, when the linerless tape is pulled forward from the roll M2, the roll retaining member 40 can apply a predetermined tension to the linerless tape by the set torque of the torque limiter 42. Thus, when the linerless tape is pulled out, the force does not become uneven depending on the outer diameter of the roll M2 (the winding length of the linerless tape), so the accessory 100 can stabilize the conveying accuracy of the linerless tape.

[0082] After performing the printing operation, the printing apparatus 1 reverses the linerless tape before the next printing operation so as to reduce the upper margin corresponding to the distance between the thermal head 14 and the cutting portion. At this time, since the tension applied by the torque limiter 42 is released, the engaging protrusion 438 of the intermediate member 43 moves from the position where it contacts the first protrusion 455 of the flange member 45 to the position where it comes into contact with the second protrusion 456 by the biasing force of the torsion spring 44. That is, since the intermediate member 43 is reversed by the biasing force of the torsion spring 44, the torque limiter 42 and the retaining shaft 41 are also reversed. The retaining shaft 41 is reversed, so the linerless tape can be wound. Thus, since looseness is not caused in the linerless tape, the printing apparatus 1 can smoothly perform the next printing operation.

[0083] In the above description, Figure 3 The left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8 of the roll holding mechanism 15 shown in the figure are examples of the “holding portion” of the present disclosure. The first engaged hole 174 and the second engaged hole 175 provided to the left holding portion 7, and the first engaged hole and the second engaged hole provided to the right holding portion 8 are examples of the “engaged portion” of the present disclosure. The pin 321A of the first protrusion 321 and the pin 322A of the second protrusion 322 provided to the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30, and the pin 331A of the first protrusion 331 and the pin 332A of the second protrusion 332 provided to the right wall portion 33 are examples of the “engaging portion” of the present disclosure. The locked groove 35 provided to the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30 and the shaft support groove 36 provided to the right wall portion 33 are examples of the “support portion” of the present disclosure. The locked groove 35 is an example of the “locked portion” of the present disclosure. The left wall portion 32 and the right wall portion 33 of the housing 30 are examples of the “side wall portion” of the present disclosure. In the roll holding member 40, the left support shaft 54 ​​is an example of the "first support shaft" of the present disclosure. The flange member 45 is an example of the "rotation locking member" of the present disclosure. The right support shaft 56 is an example of the "second support shaft" of the present disclosure. The torque limiter 42 is an example of the "resistance applying portion" of the present disclosure. The torsion spring 44 is an example of the "biasing member" of the present disclosure.

[0084] As described above, the accessory 100 of the first embodiment is attached to the housing portion 11 of the printing apparatus 1 in a detachable manner, and supports a roll including a wound print medium. The accessory 100 includes a housing 30 and a roll holding member 40. The housing 30 has a substantially box shape with an upper portion thereof opened, and holds the roll inside thereof in a replaceable manner. The roll holding member 40 is attached to the housing 30 in a state of being internally fitted into the axial center hole of the roll. The housing 30 rotatably supports the roll holding member 40 internally fitted into the axial center hole of the roll by means of the locked groove 35 provided to the left holding portion 7 and the shaft support groove 36 provided to the right holding portion 8.

[0085] The outer surface of the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30 is provided with a first protrusion 321 and a second protrusion 322, and the outer surface of the right wall portion 33 is also provided with a first protrusion 331 and a second protrusion 332. The accommodating portion 11 of the printing apparatus 1 is provided with a roll holding mechanism 15. The roll holding mechanism 15 includes a left holding portion 7 and a right holding portion 8. The left holding portion 7 is provided with a first engaged hole 174 and a second engaged hole 175, and the right holding portion 8 is also provided with a first engaged hole and a second engaged hole.

[0086] The housing 30 is arranged between the left holding portion 7 and the right holding portion 8. At this time, the pin 321A of the first protrusion 321 of the left wall portion 32 is engaged to the first engaged hole 174 of the left holding portion 7, and the pin 322A of the second protrusion 322 of the left wall portion 32 is engaged to the second engaged hole 175 of the left holding portion 7. For the right wall portion 33, similarly, the pin 331A of the second protrusion 331 of the right wall portion 33 is engaged to the first engaged hole of the right holding portion 8, and the pin 332A of the second protrusion 332 of the right wall portion 33 is engaged to the second engaged hole of the right holding portion 8. Thus, in the accommodating portion 11, the housing 30 is determined to be a predetermined value in position. Therefore, even in a case where the roll cannot be directly mounted to the accommodating portion 11 of the printing apparatus 1, the roll can be mounted to the accommodating portion 11 by attaching the housing 30 to the accommodating portion 11 of the printing apparatus 1. Since the housing 30 is positionally determined to a predetermined position in the accommodating portion 11, the printing apparatus 1 can smoothly perform printing on the tape pulled out from the roll without misalignment.

[0087] refer to Figures 16 to 23 The second embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Fig.16 The accessory 200 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a modified embodiment of the accessory 100 of the first embodiment. The accessory 200 includes a housing 60 and a roll holding member 70. With the accessory 200, a user can mount a roll that cannot be directly mounted to the roll holding mechanism 15. Likewise, the roll M2 is mounted to the roll holding mechanism 15 of the printing apparatus 1, thereby being able to prevent the linerless tape from coming loose during conveyance in the reverse direction, as in the first embodiment.

[0088] refer to Fig.17 The structure of the housing 60 is described. Fig.17 The housing 60 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in a posture in which it is attached to the roll holding mechanism 15. The housing 60 has a generally box shape with its upper portion opened, and can accommodate rolls of various sizes therein, similar to the housing 30 of the first embodiment. The housing 60 has a bottom wall portion 61, a left wall portion 62, and a right wall portion 63. The bottom wall portion 61 has a generally rectangular shape elongated in the front-rear direction when viewed from above, and its central portion is bent downward in a generally arc shape when viewed from the side.

[0089] The left wall portion 62 stands upright upward from the left end of the bottom wall portion 61 and has a generally heart-shaped shape when viewed from the left side. The lower end of the left wall portion 62 is bent in an arc shape. The upper end of the left wall portion 62 has a generally straight shape extending in the front-to-back direction except for the central portion in the front-to-back direction. The left wall portion 62 has a forward protruding portion 67, a guide portion 671, a groove 65, an axis support plate portion 66, a first protrusion (not shown), a second protrusion (not shown), a third protrusion (not shown), etc. The forward protruding portion 67 protrudes forward from the front end of the left wall portion 62 and has an elongated plate shape when viewed from the left side. The guide portion 671 protrudes to the right from the upper end of the forward protruding portion 67. The groove 65 has a rectangular shape that extends downward from the central portion of the upper end of the left wall portion 62 in the front-to-back direction, and is vertically elongated when viewed from the side, and its lower end is bent in an arc shape. The shaft support plate portion 66 is arranged on the lower side of the groove 65 along the left end side on the thickness of the inner edge portion, and has a roughly U-shaped shape when viewed from the left side. The inner peripheral portion of the shaft support plate portion 66 is formed with a shaft support groove portion 661, which has a roughly U-shaped shape when viewed from the left side. In the inner edge portion of the lower end portion of the groove 65, the right portion except the shaft support plate portion 66 is provided with a locked portion 651, which has a gear shape. The first protrusion, the second protrusion and the third protrusion are arranged on the left side surface (outer surface) of the left wall portion 62, and are identical to the first protrusion 321, the second protrusion 322 and the third protrusion 323 (reference 140) provided to the left wall portion 32 of the first embodiment. Figure 7 ) are in the same position and protrude to the left.

[0090] The right wall portion 63 stands upright from the right end of the bottom wall portion 61. The right wall portion 63 is roughly symmetrical with respect to the left wall portion 62, and has a roughly heart-shaped shape when viewed from the right side. The right wall portion 63 also has a forward protruding portion 68, a guide portion 681, an axle support groove 69, a widening portion 691, a first protrusion 631, a second protrusion 632, a third protrusion 633, etc., which are the same as the left wall portion 62. The forward protruding portion 68 protrudes forward from the front end of the right wall portion 63, and has an elongated plate shape when viewed from the right side. The guide portion 681 protrudes to the left from the upper end of the forward protruding portion 68. The axle support groove 69 has a rectangular shape that extends downward from the central portion of the upper end of the right wall portion 63 in the front-rear direction, and is vertically elongated when viewed from the side. The lower portion of the axle support groove 69 is located at the roughly central portion of the right wall portion 63 in the up-down direction, and is bent in a roughly arc shape. The width of the shaft support groove 69 is substantially the same as the width of the shaft support groove portion 661 of the left wall portion 62. The widened portion 691 is provided on the upper side of the shaft support groove 69 and is formed wider than the shaft support groove 69.

[0091] The first protrusion 631, the second protrusion 632, and the third protrusion 633 are provided on the right side surface (outer surface) of the right wall portion 63, in a position similar to the first protrusion 331, the second protrusion 332, and the third protrusion 333 provided to the right wall portion 33 of the first embodiment (refer to Figure 6 ) at the same position and protrudes rightward in a substantially cylindrical shape. The top end surface of the first protrusion 631 is provided with a pin 631A that further protrudes rightward. The top end surface of the second protrusion 632 is also provided with a pin 632A that further protrudes rightward. At the same time, the first protrusion, the second protrusion, and the third protrusion provided on the left wall portion 62 are symmetrical with respect to the first protrusion 631, the second protrusion 632, and the third protrusion 633 provided to the right wall portion 63.

[0092] refer to Figures 18 to 23 The structure of the roll holding member 70 is described. Fig.18 and Fig.19 The roll holding member 70 shown in FIG. 1 is constituted by combining a plurality of components described below, and is a complex body having a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the left-right direction. Fig. 20 and Fig.21 As shown in FIG. 1 , the roll holding member 70 has, in corresponding order from the right, a holding shaft 71, a rotating unit 72, and a supporting shaft 73. The rotating unit 72 is constituted by combining five components described below.

[0093] like Fig. 20 and Fig.21 As shown in FIG. 1 , the retaining shaft 71 is formed of a resin material and has a cylindrical portion 710, four external shape ribs 711, four locking teeth 715 ( Fig. 20 The cylindrical portion 710 has a generally bottomed cylindrical shape extending in the left-right direction and opening to the left. The four external shape ribs 711 protrude radially outward from four positions spaced evenly apart in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 710, and extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical portion 710. The four locking teeth 715 are provided in four positions spaced evenly apart in the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 710, and have a gear shape. The right support shaft 716 (refer to Fig.21 ) protrudes rightward from the central portion of the outer surface of the bottom wall portion 717 provided on the right side of the cylindrical portion 710, and has a substantially short-axis cylindrical shape smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical portion 710. The right support shaft 716 is formed with a center hole 718 extending in the left-right direction and communicating with the inner side of the cylindrical portion 710.

[0094] refer to Fig. 22 and Fig.23The structure of the rotating unit 72 is described. The rotating unit 72 has a fixed pipe portion 81, a torque limiter 42, an intermediate member 43, a torsion spring 44, a flange member 85, etc. in corresponding order from the right. Meanwhile, since the torque limiter 42, the intermediate member 43, and the torsion spring 44 are the same components as those of the first embodiment, their description is omitted.

[0095] The fixed pipe part 81 has a main body 811, a gear part 812, a bottom wall part 813, an axial hole 814, a slit 815, etc. The main body 811 has a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape that opens to the left. The main body 811 has a size that can accommodate the torque limiter 42, the intermediate member 43, and the torsion spring 44 therein. The gear part 812 is arranged on the left end side of the outer peripheral surface of the main body 811 in the circumferential direction, and has a gear shape including a plurality of teeth. The bottom wall part 813 is arranged at the right end of the main body 811, and has a substantially circular shape when viewed from the right side. The axial hole 814 is formed at the central part of the bottom wall part 813. The slit 815 is a long hole extending from the axial hole 814 toward both radial sides, and penetrates in the left and right directions.

[0096] The flange member 85 is formed in a disc shape and has an axial hole 851, a gear portion 852, a first protrusion 855, a second protrusion 856, and a spring locking hole 853. The axial hole 851 is formed to penetrate the central portion of the flange member 85 in the left-right direction. The gear portion 852 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the flange member 85 and has a gear shape including a plurality of teeth. The first protrusion 855 and the second protrusion 856 (refer to Fig.23 ) protrude rightward at a plurality of positions spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction on the right surface of the flange member 85. The spacing angle between the first protrusion 855 and the second protrusion 856 around the shaft hole 851 is about 120°. The spring locking hole 853 is formed to penetrate in the left-right direction near the rear side of the second protrusion 856.

[0097] like Fig. 20 and Fig.21 As shown in , the support shaft 73 is formed of resin and has a cylindrical shaft portion 731 extending in the left-right direction and a flange-shaped head 732 formed at the left end. The shaft portion 731 is formed with a shallow groove 733 to fit a snap ring at a position slightly left from the center in the left-right direction. The dimension between the head 732 and the shallow groove 733 in the left-right direction is slightly larger than the dimension of the rotating unit 72 in the left-right direction. Similarly, the outer diameter of the right end portion of the shaft portion 731 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the center hole 718.

[0098] refer to Fig. 22 and Fig.23An example of a method of assembling the rotating unit 72 is described. The operator accommodates the torque limiter 42, the intermediate member 43, the torsion spring 44, and the flange member 85 inside the main body portion 811 of the fixed pipe portion 81. First, the operator inserts the torque limiter 42 into the main body portion 811 of the fixed pipe portion 81. At this time, the operator engages the pair of protrusions 425 and 426 provided on the right end surface of the main body ring portion 421 of the torque limiter 42 to the slit 815 of the bottom wall portion 813. Thereby, the main body ring portion 421 of the torque limiter 42 is integrated with the fixed pipe portion 81, and the circumferential rotation relative to the main body portion 811 is restricted.

[0099] After that, the operator sequentially inserts the intermediate member 43 and the torsion spring 44 into the main body 811 into which the torque limiter 42 has been inserted. Meanwhile, since the method of assembling the intermediate member 43 and the torsion spring 44 into the main body 811 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0100] After that, the operator inserts the flange member 85 into the main body portion 811 into which the torsion spring 44 has been inserted. The operator inserts the top end portion of the arm portion 441 of the torsion spring 44 into the spring locking hole 853 of the flange member 85. In this way, the torque limiter 42, the intermediate member 43, the torsion spring 44 and the flange member 85 are accommodated inside the main body portion 811 of the fixed pipe portion 81, thereby completing the assembly of the rotation unit 72 (refer to Fig. 20 ).

[0101] refer to Fig. 20 An example of a method for assembling a retaining shaft 71, a rotating unit 72, and a supporting shaft 73 is described. The operator first assembles the rotating unit 72 and the supporting shaft 73, and then fits the retaining shaft 71 into the rotating unit 72. The following will be described in order. The operator inserts and penetrates the shaft portion 731 of the supporting shaft 73 from the shaft hole 851 of the flange member 85 of the rotating unit 72 to the right. When the shaft portion 731 is inserted into a position where the head 732 of the supporting shaft 73 comes into contact with the flange member 85, the shallow groove 733 is exposed from the right side surface of the fixed pipe portion 81 of the rotating unit 72. Therefore, the operator fits a snap ring (not shown) into the shallow groove 733. Thus, the rotating unit 72 is supported to the supporting shaft 73 so as to be rotatable but immovable in the left-right direction (axial direction).

[0102] The operator inserts the rotating unit 72 into the cylindrical portion 710 of the retaining shaft 71 from the fixed pipe portion 81 side. Similarly, the operator pushes the right end of the shaft portion 731 of the support shaft 73 into the center hole 718 of the right support shaft 716. At this time, the gear portion 812 of the fixed pipe portion 81 engages with the four locking teeth 715 provided on the inner side of the cylindrical portion 710. Thus, the fixed pipe portion 81 is integrated with the retaining shaft 71 and limits the circumferential rotation of the cylindrical portion 710 relative to the retaining shaft 71. Similarly, since the outer diameter of the shaft portion 731 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the center hole 718, the shaft portion 731 pushed into the center hole 718 is slightly press-fitted. Therefore, the support shaft 73 is fixed so that it does not separate from the retaining shaft 71.

[0103] The flange member 85 positioned on the left end side of the rotating unit 72 protrudes from the left end side of the cylindrical portion 710 of the retaining shaft 71 (refer to Fig.18 ). In this way, the holding shaft 71, the rotating unit 72 and the supporting shaft 73 are combined with each other, thereby completing the assembly of the roll holding member 70 (refer to Fig.18 ).

[0104] An example of a method of attaching the roll holding member 70 to the housing 60 is described. At the same time, the roll holding member 70 is attached to the housing 60 while being internally fitted into the axial center hole of the roll M2. At the left end portion of the roll holding member 70, the head portion 732 of the support shaft 73 and the gear portion 852 of the flange member 85 protrude leftward from the cylindrical portion 710 of the holding shaft 71 (refer to Fig.18 At the right end portion of the roll holding member 70, a right support shaft 716 protrudes rightward (refer to Fig.19 ). The user will Fig.18 The head 732 of the support shaft 73 of the roll holding member 70 shown in FIG. Fig.17 The head 732 is supported so as to be rotatable in the shaft supporting groove portion 661. The gear portion 852 of the flange member 85 is engaged to the locked portion 651 of the left wall portion 62 of the housing 60.

[0105] The user places the right support shaft 716 (refer to Fig.19 ) is inserted from above into the shaft support groove 69 of the right wall portion 63 of the housing 60. The right support shaft 716 is supported so as to be rotatable in the shaft support groove 69. In this way, the attachment of the roll holding member 70 to the housing 60 is completed.

[0106] The rotation operation of the roll holding member 70 performed when printing on the roll M2 is described. Fig.16As shown in FIG. 1 , the housing 60 is attached to the roll holding mechanism 15 of the printing apparatus 1. Since the attachment method of the housing 60 to the roll holding mechanism 15 is the same as the attachment method of the housing 30 to the roll holding mechanism 15 of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. The user pulls the linerless tape forward from the roll M2 held by the roll holding member 70, and passes the linerless tape under the guide portion 671 of the left wall portion 62 of the housing 60 and under the guide portion 681 of the right wall portion 63 of the housing 60. Thus, the housing 60 can prevent the linerless tape from floating.

[0107] In a state in which the roll holding member 70 is attached to the housing 60, the right support shaft 716 of the holding shaft 71 is supported so as to be rotatable within the shaft support groove 69 of the right wall portion 63 on the right end side of the roll holding member 70. On the left end side of the roll holding member 70, since the gear portion 852 of the flange member 85 is engaged to the locked portion 651 of the left wall portion 62 of the housing 60, the position of the flange member 85 is fixed. The support shaft 73 is rotatably supported to the flange member 85 in a position-fixed state. Thus, since the holding shaft 71 can rotate relative to the housing 60, the roll M2 held by the holding shaft 71 also rotates as a whole.

[0108] When the printing operation of the printing apparatus 1 is started, the platen roller 13 is rotated by the driving of the conveying motor (not shown). The linerless tape is pulled out from the roll M2 and conveyed forward (refer to FIG. 1 ). Fig.16 As the linerless belt is pulled forward, the retaining shaft 71 begins to rotate in a clockwise direction when viewed from the left side (refer to Fig.18 and Fig.19 In this connection, Fig. 22 The torque limiter 42 and the intermediate member 43 of the rotating unit 72 shown in FIG. 7 also rotate integrally with the retaining shaft 71. The intermediate member 43 rotates, so that the arm portion 442 of the torsion spring 44 locked to the intermediate member 43 also rotates in the same direction, but the flange member 45 to which the arm portion 441 is locked does not rotate. Thereby, the torsion spring 44 bends in the winding direction, thereby biasing the intermediate member 43 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the retaining shaft 71 with a force weaker than the set torque of the torque limiter 42.

[0109] When the printing operation starts, the engaging protrusion 438 (refer to Fig. 22 ) is located at the second protrusion 856 (reference Fig.23). When the intermediate member 43 rotates relative to the flange member 85 together with the retaining shaft 71 in the clockwise direction when viewed from the left, the engaging protrusion 438 rotates around the supporting shaft 73 in the same direction. Thus, the engaging protrusion 438 rotates until it comes into contact with the first protrusion 855 of the flange member 85. The torsion spring 44 is bent in the winding direction so that it biases the intermediate member 43 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the retaining shaft 71.

[0110] When the engaging protrusion 438 comes into contact with the first protrusion 855, the intermediate member 43 and the flange member 85 are integrated. Here, since the retaining shaft 41 continues to rotate but the intermediate member 43 does not rotate, a torque exceeding the set torque is applied to the torque limiter 42. At this time, the main body ring portion 421 engaged to the retaining shaft 41 slides relative to the driven ring portion 422 of the torque limiter 42 engaged to the intermediate member 43. Thus, when the linerless tape is pulled forward from the roll M2, the roll retaining member 70 can apply a predetermined tension to the linerless tape by the set torque of the torque limiter 42, as in the first embodiment.

[0111] After performing the printing operation, the printing apparatus 1 reverses the linerless tape before the next printing operation so as to reduce the upper margin corresponding to the distance between the thermal head 14 and the cutting portion. At this time, since the tension applied by the torque limiter 42 is released, the engaging protrusion 438 of the intermediate member 43 rotates from the position where it contacts the first protrusion 855 of the flange member 85 to the position where it comes into contact with the second protrusion 856 by the biasing force of the torsion spring 44. In this way, the holding shaft 71 is reversed, so that the linerless tape can be wound. Thus, since looseness is not caused in the linerless tape, the printing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment can also smoothly perform the next printing operation, the same as the first embodiment.

[0112] In the above description, the locked portion 651 provided to the left wall portion 62 of the housing 60 is an example of the "locked portion" of the present disclosure. In the roll holding member 70, the support shaft 73 and the right support shaft 716 are examples of the "support shaft" of the present disclosure. The flange member 85 is an example of the "rotation locking member" of the present disclosure, and the gear portion 852 is an example of the "locking portion" of the present disclosure.

[0113] As described above, the accessory 200 of the second embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

[0114] The attachment of the printing apparatus of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0115] In the first embodiment, the accessory 100 includes a housing 30 having a substantially box-like shape with its upper portion opened. However, instead of the housing 30, for example, the bottom wall portion 31 of the housing 30 may be omitted, and a pair of side wall members corresponding to the left wall portion 32 and the right wall portion 33 may constitute the housing. At the same time, this also applies to the housing 60 of the second embodiment.

[0116] In the first embodiment, although the bottom wall portion 31 of the housing 30 has a shape such that the central portion is bent downward in a substantially arc shape when viewed from the side, the bottom wall portion 31 of the housing 30 may have a flat shape. Preferably, when the bottom wall portion 31 is bent in accordance with the shape of the main body cover 10, the bottom wall portion 31 can be closer to the upper surface of the main body cover 10, so that a wider space inside the housing 30 can be ensured. At the same time, this also applies to the housing of the second embodiment.

[0117] In the first embodiment, the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30 is provided with the first protrusion 321 and the second protrusion 322, but for example, any one or two or more protrusions may be provided. When two or more protrusions are provided, the left wall portion 32 can be prevented from rotating and misaligning relative to the facing surface 17 of the left holding portion 7 of the roll holding mechanism 15. At the same time, this also applies to the right wall portion 33 of the housing 30 and the housing 60 of the second embodiment.

[0118] In the first embodiment, the shape of each of the first protrusion 321, the second protrusion 322, and the third protrusion 323 is not limited to the embodiment and can be freely changed, and can have a substantially cylindrical shape, for example, the same as the first protrusion 631 and the second protrusion 632 of the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the pin 321A of the first protrusion 321 is engaged to the first circular engaged hole 174 of the left holding portion 7 of the roll holding mechanism 15. However, for example, the first engaged hole 174 can also be made to have a rectangular shape and engaged to the first protrusion 321. At the same time, this also applies to the right wall portion 33 of the housing 30 and the housing 60 of the second embodiment.

[0119] In the first embodiment, the roll holding member 40 has the holding shaft 41, the torque limiter 42, the intermediate member 43, the torsion spring 44, and the flange member 45 which are combined with each other in the corresponding order from the right. However, for example, the corresponding structure may be changed to a left-right symmetrical structure so that the holding shaft 41, the torque limiter 42, the intermediate member 43, the torsion spring 44, and the flange member 45 are combined with each other in the corresponding order from the left. In this case, since the rectangular portion 452 of the flange member 45 is arranged at the right side, the right wall portion 33 of the housing 30 may be provided with a locked groove, and the right wall portion 33 may be provided with a shaft supporting groove. At the same time, this also applies to the roll holding member 70 of the second embodiment.

[0120] In the accessory 100 of the first embodiment, the rectangular portion 452 of the flange member 45 is fitted into the locked groove 35 of the left wall portion 32 of the housing 30. However, the structure for limiting the circumferential rotation around the left support shaft 54 ​​of the flange member 45 may be another structure, for example, the structure of the second embodiment.

[0121] The roll holding member 40; 70 has a torque limiter 42 as a "resistance applying portion" of the present disclosure. However, there may also be another member, and for example, a clutch spring may also be used.

Claims

1. An accessory, the accessory being detachably attachable to a receiving portion of a printing device, the receiving portion being used to receive a printing medium, the accessory being configured to support a roll, the roll including the wound printing medium, the accessory comprising: a housing having a substantially box shape, an upper portion of which is open, and the housing is configured to receive the roll in an interior of the housing in a replaceable manner; an engaging portion provided to the housing and configured to be detachably engaged to an engaged portion provided to the housing portion when the housing is attached to the housing portion; and a pair of support portions configured to rotatably support the roll, wherein the pair of support portions are respectively provided in a pair of side wall portions of the housing, the pair of side wall portions facing each other, The appendix further includes: a roll holding member rotatably supported by the pair of supporting portions and configured to hold the roll, wherein one of the pair of supporting portions includes a locked portion, and wherein the roll retaining member comprises: a retaining shaft configured to be non-rotatably internally fitted into the axial center hole of the roll and configured to retain the roll; a first support shaft, the first support shaft extending axially outward from one end of the retaining shaft; a rotation locking member rotatably supported by the first supporting shaft and supported by the one supporting portion in a state locked to the locked portion; a second support shaft extending axially outward from the other end of the retaining shaft on the side opposite to the one end of the retaining shaft and rotatably supported by the other support portion of the pair of support portions; an intermediate member disposed between the retaining shaft and the rotation locking member and rotatably supported by the first support shaft; a resistance applying portion disposed between the retaining shaft and the intermediate member and configured to apply a resistance force to relative rotation of the retaining shaft and the intermediate member; and a biasing member arranged between the rotation locking member and the intermediate member, and configured to apply a biasing force to the intermediate member when the rotation locking member is locked to the locked portion and the rotation of the rotation locking member is stopped, the biasing force being weaker than the resistance force applied by the resistance applying portion, and the biasing force being in a rotation direction opposite to the rotation direction when the printing medium is pulled out from the roll.

2. An accessory, the accessory being detachably attachable to a receiving portion of a printing device, the receiving portion being used to receive a printing medium, the accessory being configured to support a roll, the roll including the wound printing medium, the accessory comprising: a housing having a substantially box shape, an upper portion of which is open, and the housing is configured to receive the roll in an interior of the housing in a replaceable manner; an engaging portion provided to the housing and configured to be detachably engaged to an engaged portion provided to the housing portion when the housing is attached to the housing portion; and a pair of support portions configured to rotatably support the roll, wherein the pair of support portions are respectively provided in a pair of side wall portions of the housing, the pair of side wall portions facing each other, The appendix further includes: a roll holding member rotatably supported by the pair of supporting portions and configured to hold the roll, wherein one of the pair of supporting portions includes a locked portion, and wherein the roll retaining member comprises: a retaining shaft configured to be non-rotatably internally fitted into the axial center hole of the roll and configured to retain the roll; a support shaft extending outwardly in the axial direction from both ends of the retaining shaft, wherein both ends of the support shaft are rotatably supported by the pair of support portions respectively; a rotation locking member rotatably supported by one end portion of the support shaft and having a locking portion locked to the locked portion; an intermediate member rotatably supported by the support shaft, the intermediate member being arranged between the retaining shaft and the rotation locking member and being rotatable by a predetermined angle relative to the rotation locking member; a resistance applying portion disposed between the retaining shaft and the intermediate member and configured to apply a resistance force to relative rotation of the retaining shaft and the intermediate member; and A biasing member is arranged between the rotation locking member and the intermediate member, and is configured to apply a biasing force to the intermediate member when the locking portion of the rotation locking member is locked to the locked portion and the rotation of the rotation locking member is stopped, the biasing force being weaker than the resistance force applied by the resistance applying portion, and the biasing force is in a rotation direction opposite to the rotation direction when the printing medium is pulled out from the roll.

3. An accessory according to claim 1 or 2, The engaging portion is disposed on an outer surface of a side wall portion of the housing, and is configured to be detachably engaged with the engaged portion disposed to a retaining portion, the retaining portion constituting the accommodating portion, and the retaining portion is configured to retain the print medium.

4. The accessory according to claim 3, The engaging portion includes two engaging portions provided on the outer surface of the side wall portion.

5. The accessory according to claim 1 or 2, The housing includes a guide portion configured to guide the print medium pulled out from the roll into the housing when the roll is accommodated inside the housing.

6. An accessory according to claim 1 or 2, The housing comprises: a first side wall portion; a second side wall portion; and A bottom wall portion connects the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion.

7. An accessory according to claim 1 or 2, The housing comprises: a first side wall portion; and a second side wall portion; and The engaging portion includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion, wherein the first protrusion protrudes outward from an outer surface of the first side wall portion, and the second protrusion protrudes outward from an outer surface of the second side wall portion.

8. An accessory according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pair of side wall portions of the housing comprises: a first side wall portion; and a second side wall portion; and The pair of support portions includes a first groove provided to the first side wall portion and opening upward, and a second groove provided to the second side wall portion and opening upward.

9. A printing device comprising the accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A printing device, comprising: A receiving portion, the receiving portion being used to receive a printing medium; an accessory detachably attachable to the accommodating portion, the accessory being configured to support a roll including the wound print medium; a first holding portion and a second holding portion, the first holding portion and the second holding portion being provided to the accommodating portion, the first holding portion and the second holding portion being used to hold the roll accommodated in the accommodating portion between the first holding portion and the second holding portion from both sides in the width direction of the roll, the attachment comprising: a housing having a substantially box shape, an upper portion of the housing being open, the housing being capable of being received in the receiving portion, and the housing being configured to receive the roll in an exchangeable manner inside the housing; an engaging portion provided to the housing and configured to be detachably engaged to an engaged portion provided to the housing portion when the housing is attached to the housing portion; and a supporting portion provided to the housing and configured to rotatably support the roll accommodated inside the housing, wherein the first holding portion includes a first roll holding portion and a first accessory holding portion, the first roll holding portion being used to hold the roll from one side in the width direction relative to the roll, and the first accessory holding portion being used to hold the accessory from the one side in the width direction relative to the housing, wherein the second holding portion includes a second roll holding portion and a second accessory holding portion, the second roll holding portion being used to hold the roll from the other side in the width direction relative to the roll, and the second accessory holding portion being used to hold the accessory from the other side in the width direction relative to the housing, wherein the roll is held by the accessory in a state where the accessory is held by the first accessory holding portion and the second accessory holding portion, and Wherein, in a state where the accessory is detached from the accommodating portion, the roll is held by the first roll holding portion and the second roll holding portion.

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