Roll paper support and printer

Abstract

The invention discloses a roll paper holder and a printer. The roll paper holder and the printer can prevent loss of components for coping with various paper widths in the printer using the roll paper. A roll paper holder for holding a roll paper on which a strip-shaped sheet is wound at a position in the width direction, the roll paper holder being provided with: a housing part for housing the roll paper in a space surrounded by a circumferential surface part that is in contact with a cylindrical outer circumferential surface of the roll paper and a pair of surfaces that face each other with the circumferential surface part therebetween; the shaft part is erected between the pair of opposite surfaces; a plate-shaped pressing portion that presses an end portion of the roll paper; a gripping part that is provided continuously with the pressing part, grips the shaft part so as to be rotatable along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft part and movable in the longitudinal direction, and has a notch that continuously cuts off in the circumferential direction in a cylindrical shape surrounding the shaft part; and one or more positioning portions which are provided at an edge portion of the pressing portion and which determine a position of the pressing portion in a paper width direction by fitting with a concave-convex shape formed on the peripheral surface portion.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority from a Japanese application with an application date of January 24, 2024 and an application number of JP2024-008888, and incorporates the content of the above application by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a web paper holder and a printer. Background Art

[0003] In printers that use a web paper wound with a strip of paper, printers that can handle multiple paper widths have conventionally had structures such as a plate-like member called a platen for determining the position of the web paper in the width direction. The platen is installed at a position where it presses against the side end of the web paper for use.

[0004] Conventional platens can be attached and detached freely with respect to a specified position within a storage section for storing the web paper. For example, when using a web paper with a large width dimension, the platen is removed from the storage section, and when using a web paper with a small width dimension, the platen is installed on the storage section.

[0005] However, if the above structure is adopted, when the platen is not in use, it is removed from the storage section, for example, away from the printer. Therefore, the platen may be lost, and improvements are needed in this regard.

[0006] As an example of a printer with a platen that cannot be removed from the storage section, there are, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2. However, these methods are not suitable for installation in printers that were previously equipped with a detachable platen because they require too much space and have a complex structure.

[0007] [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-238635 [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-217862 Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a web paper holder and a printer that can prevent the loss of members for handling multiple paper widths in a printer that uses web paper.

[0009] To solve the above problems, in the web roll of the embodiment, the position in the width direction of the web roll around which a strip of paper is wound is determined and held. Among them, the web roll holder includes: a storage portion that stores the web roll in a space surrounded by a circumferential portion that contacts the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the web roll and a pair of opposing surfaces that sandwich the circumferential portion; a shaft portion that is spanned between the pair of opposing surfaces; a plate-shaped pressing portion that presses the end portion of the web roll; a gripping portion that is continuously provided with the pressing portion and that grips the shaft portion in a manner that can rotate along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion and can move in the length direction, and the gripping portion has a notch that truncates the continuity in the circumferential direction in a cylindrical shape around the shaft portion; and one or more positioning portions that are provided at the edge portion of the pressing portion and that determine the position of the pressing portion in the paper width direction by fitting with the concavo-convex shape formed on the circumferential portion.

[0010] According to the above web roll holder, loss of components for handling multiple paper widths can be prevented.

[0011] In the above web roll holder, the shaft portion is disposed on the side opposite to the conveying direction of the paper drawn out from the web roll.

[0012] According to the above web roll holder, the gripping portion can rotate along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion on the side opposite to the conveying direction of the paper drawn out from the web roll.

[0013] In the above web roll holder, the pressing portion includes a sub-pressing portion that is located between the printing position of the paper and the storage portion and that presses the end portion of the paper drawn out from the web roll.

[0014] According to the above web roll holder, the width direction position of the paper can be restricted between the printing position and the storage portion.

[0015] In the above web roll holder, the positioning portion is attached to and detached from the concavo-convex shape as the pressing portion rotates around the shaft portion.

[0016] According to the above web roll holder, by rotating the pressing portion around the shaft portion, attachment to and detachment from the concavo-convex shape can be achieved.

[0017] In the above web roll holder, the gripping portion, the pressing portion, and the positioning portion are continuous and made of resin.

[0018] According to the above web roll holder, the gripping portion can easily move in the length direction of the shaft portion.

[0019] In the above web roll holder, the width of the notch of the gripping portion is narrower than the thickness of the shaft portion.

[0020] According to the above-described web support, damage can be avoided when an excessive force is applied to the gripping portion.

[0021] In the above-described web support, the notch of the gripping portion is provided at a portion where, when the gripping portion is rotated and the pressing portion is lifted from the accommodating portion, the gripping portion is pulled via the pressing portion and a force is applied by the shaft portion.

[0022] According to the above-described web support, damage to the gripping portion can be effectively prevented.

[0023] In the above-described web support, the concavo-convex shape of the accommodating portion is a plurality of accommodating portion holes provided along the width direction of the peripheral surface portion and into which the positioning portion is fitted.

[0024] According to the above-described web support, the pressing portion can be stably positioned at a plurality of positions.

[0025] In the above-described web support, a pressing portion hole for an operator to hook a finger is provided at the central portion of the pressing portion.

[0026] According to the above-described web support, the operation for changing the position of the pressing portion becomes easy.

[0027] Another printer of the present invention includes: the above-described web support; a print head for printing on a sheet drawn out from the web support; and a paper feed roller for feeding the sheet sandwiched between it and the print head.

[0028] According to the above-described web support, a printer can be provided that can prevent loss of components for handling various sheet widths. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the printer according to the embodiment.

[0030] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of the printer.

[0031] Figure 3 is a view of the printer with the cover opened.

[0032] Figure 4 is a view of the printer with the sheet width guide lifted.

[0033] Figure 5 is a side view of the sheet width guide.

[0034] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the mounting state of the sheet width guide.

[0035] Figure 7 It is a partial cross-sectional perspective view in which the shaft portion and the gripping portion are enlarged.

[0036] Figure 8 It is a perspective view of the gripping portion showing a modified example.

[0037] Explanation of reference numerals

[0038] 1... Printer, 2... Housing, 3... Cover, 4... Holding portion (an example of a roll paper holder), 41... Storage portion, 411... Peripheral surface portion, 412... Side wall, 42... Concavo-convex shape (424... Hole (storage portion hole)), 5... Paper width guide, 51... Shaft portion, 52... Pressing portion, 521 - 524... Concavo-convex shape (an example of a positioning portion), 525... Hole (pressing portion hole), 526... Sub-pressing portion, 53... Gripping portion, 531... Notch, 55... Gripping portion, 551... Notch, 6... Print head, 7... Paper pressing roller, 8... Cutting unit, 81... Fixed blade, 82... Movable blade, 9... Paper discharge port. Detailed description of the embodiments

[0039] (First embodiment) The embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the printer 1 according to the embodiment. Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of the printer 1. The printer 1 includes a housing 2, a cover 3, a holding portion 4, a print head 6, a paper pressing roller 7, a cutting unit 8, etc.

[0040] Here, Figure 1 The perspective view shows a state in which the front and right sides of the printer 1 are visible while the left side and the back side of the printer 1 are not visible. The printer 1 is mainly used in a setting mode in which the cover 3 is facing upward as shown in Figure 1 or in a setting mode in which the front face in Figure 1 is facing upward.

[0041] Figure 3 It is a view of the printer 1 showing a state in which the cover 3 is open. The housing 2 is a container having an opening portion that is opened and closed by the cover 3. The cover 3 is rotatably mounted at the end of the opening portion of the housing 2 about a shaft 31 provided at one end portion, and as it rotates, the cover 3 moves between a position where it closes the opening portion of the housing 2 (closed position) and a position where it opens the opening portion (open position). In a state where the cover 3 is in the closed position, a paper discharge port 9 is formed between the other end portion (the end portion opposite to the one end portion) of the cover 3 and the housing 2.

[0042] The holding part 4 is an example of a web holder, which determines and holds the position of the web in the width direction. The web is a paper wound with a strip of paper. The paper is ordinary paper such as bill paper; paper formed by pasting labels of a specified size on a strip of liner paper; strip-shaped labels without a liner paper, etc.

[0043] The print head 6 prints on the paper sandwiched between it and the paper feed roller 7, and is, for example, a line thermal print head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged in the width direction of the paper. The paper feed roller 7 is a roller with an elastic surface, and conveys the paper sandwiched between it and the print head 6 by being rotationally driven.

[0044] The print head 6 is provided in the housing 2, the paper feed roller 7 is mounted on the cover part 3, and the print head 6 and the paper feed roller 7 come into contact with and separate as the cover part 3 rotates and moves. In addition, the paper conveyance path is opened by separating the print head 6 and the paper feed roller 7.

[0045] The cutting unit 8 is mounted on the cover part 3 and is located on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction with respect to the print head 6 and the paper feed roller 7, and cuts the printed paper.

[0046] The cutting unit 8 has, for example, a fixed blade 81 and a movable blade 82. The fixed blade 81 and the movable blade 82 oppose each other's cutting blades and are arranged sandwiching the paper conveyance path in the paper thickness direction. The fixed blade 81 is fixed in the housing 2. The movable blade 82 is mounted on the cover part 3 and moves in a direction to come into contact with and separate from the fixed blade 81 by receiving a driving force. The cutting blade of the movable blade 82 slides on the cutting blade of the fixed blade 81, thereby cutting the paper sandwiched therebetween.

[0047] (Details of the holding part 4) Here, the holding part 4 includes a storage part 41 and a paper width guide 5. Figure 4 It is a view of the printer 1 showing a state where the paper width guide 5 is lifted.

[0048] The storage part 41 stores the web in a space surrounded by a peripheral surface part 411 and a pair of side walls 412. The above space is provided in the housing 2 and is opened and closed by the cover part 3. The cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the web contacts the peripheral surface part 411. The side walls 412 constitute a pair of surfaces opposing each other across the peripheral surface part 411.

[0049] Figure 5 It is a side view of the paper width guide 5. Figure 6 It is a perspective view showing an example of the installation state of the paper width guide 5. The paper width guide 5 includes a shaft part 51, a pressing part 52, a gripping part 53, and a positioning part.

[0050] A hole 525 (pressing portion hole) is formed in the center of the pressing portion 52, and the hole 525 is used for the operator to easily hook the finger to install and remove the pressing portion 52 when changing the position of the pressing portion 52. In addition, the pressing portion 52 is provided with a sub-pressing portion 526 located between the printing position of the paper and the storage portion 41. The sub-pressing portion 526 presses the side end of the paper drawn out from the roll paper, and restricts the width direction position of the paper before reaching the print head 6 and the platen roller 7.

[0051] The positioning portion is one or more concave-convex shapes 521 to 524 provided on the edge of the pressing portion 52. The positioning portion (concave-convex shapes 521 to 524) is formed on the peripheral surface portion 411 of the storage portion 41 by contacting with the concave-convex shape 42 (for example Figure 4 and Figure 6 The position of the pressing portion 52 in the paper width direction is determined by engaging with the hole 424 shown in the figure, etc., to limit the movement in the paper width direction. The concave-convex shape 42 is set at a position corresponding to the type of paper width used by the printer 1. When the roll paper with the largest width among the roll papers used by the printer 1 is held in the holding portion 4, the pressing portion 52 is placed at a position in contact with the side wall 412.

[0052] A plurality of holes 424 (housing holes) are arranged in a row along the width direction of the peripheral surface 411. In any of these plurality of holes 424, a concave-convex shape 524 as a positioning portion is inserted. Similarly, the concave-convex shape 42 other than the hole 424 is also a housing hole, and a plurality of housing holes are arranged in a row along the width direction of the peripheral surface 411. In any of them, a corresponding positioning portion, i.e., the concave-convex shapes 521 to 523, is inserted.

[0053] The paper width guide 5 of this embodiment has at least four positioning parts (concavoconvex shapes 521 to 524). The concavoconvex shapes 521 to 524 are protrusions inserted into the concavoconvex shape 42, i.e., the hole formed on the peripheral surface portion 411. The concavoconvex shape 524 is inserted into the hole 424. In addition, the front end of the concavoconvex shape 521 has a hook shape. The hook shape at the front end of the concavoconvex shape 521 is hooked on the edge of the hole when the concavoconvex shape 521 is inserted into the hole as one of the concavoconvex shapes 42.

[0054] Figure 7 4 is a partially sectional perspective view of the enlarged shaft portion 51 and the grip portion 53. The shaft portion 51 is a cylindrical member spanned between a pair of side walls 412. The shaft portion 51 is arranged on the opposite side of the direction in which the paper drawn out from the roll is conveyed. In other words, the shaft portion 51 is located on the opposite side of the printing position of the paper (the position where the print head 6 and the platen roller 7 are located) across the roll paper stored in the storage portion 41.

[0055] The pressing portion 52 is a plate-like member that presses the side end portion of the roll paper. The holding portion 53 and the positioning portion (concave and convex shapes 521 to 524) are provided at the edge portion of the pressing portion 52. The holding portion 53 is continuous with the pressing portion 52 and the positioning portion 54.

[0056] The holding portion 53 holds the shaft portion 51 in such a manner that it can rotate along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 51 and can move in the length direction. In addition, the holding portion 53 has a cylindrical shape formed with a notch 531. The notch 531 is formed by partially cutting the cylinder along the axial direction of the cylinder, and truncates the continuity in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical holding portion 53. The width of the notch 531 is generally narrower than the thickness of the shaft portion 51.

[0057] The holding portion 53 and the pressing portion 52 and the positioning portion 54 continuous therewith are made of resin. Since the holding portion 53 is made of resin and has the shape with the notch 531, it has elasticity that can allow the width of the notch 531 to change. The resistance when the holding portion 53 moves in the length direction of the shaft portion is reduced, and it is easy to move. The degree of elasticity of the holding portion 53 is such that when a force in the direction of twisting the holding portion 53 relative to the shaft portion 51 is applied to the holding portion 53, the notch 531 can be fully opened to the thickness degree of the shaft portion 51. Thus, when the pressing portion 52 is moved along the shaft portion 51, even if a force in the direction of twisting the holding portion 53 relative to the shaft portion 51 is applied, the shaft portion 51 will disengage from the holding portion 53 through the opened notch 531. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the bad situation of the holding portion 53 being damaged by applying excessive force.

[0058] It should be noted that the "state of lifting the paper width guide 5" in the above Figure 4 description refers to the state of taking out the pressing portion 52 from the storage portion 41. More specifically, it is the state in which the holding portion 53 is rotated relative to the shaft portion 51 so that the pressing portion 52 is separated from the circumferential surface portion 411. That is to say, it is the state in which the holding portion 53 is rotated to lift the pressing portion 52 from the storage portion 41. The positioning portion (concave and convex shapes 521 to 524) is attached to and detached from the concave and convex shape 42 of the circumferential surface portion 411 as the pressing portion 52 rotates around the shaft portion 51.

[0059] In the printer 1 configured in this way, the paper width guide 5 restricts the movement of the roll paper stored in the storage portion 41 in the width direction.

[0060] The pressing portion 52 presses the side end portion of the roll paper and the paper drawn out from the roll paper, and determines the position in the width direction of the paper. When the width of the roll paper used in the printer 1 is changed, an operation for changing the position of the pressing portion 52 to a position corresponding to the width dimension of the roll paper is performed. This change operation is performed as follows.

[0061] The operator hooks a finger or the like into the hole 525 to apply a force to the pressing portion 52 in a direction away from the storage portion 41. As a result, the pressing portion 52 rotates around the shaft portion 51, and the concavo-convex shapes 521 to 524 as positioning portions are separated from the concavo-convex shape 42. In this state, the restriction on the movement of the pressing portion 52 in the paper width direction is released, and the pressing portion 52 can move freely in the paper width direction.

[0062] Next, the operator moves the pressing portion 52 in the paper width direction. At this time, the gripping portion 53 moves along the shaft portion 51. In addition, at this time, when a torsional force not along the shaft portion 51 is applied to the gripping portion 53, the force causes the gripping portion 53 to elastically deform, and the notch 531 is opened. When the notch 531 is opened to a degree exceeding the thickness of the shaft portion 51, the shaft portion 51 is disengaged from the notch 531, and the gripping state of the shaft portion 51 by the gripping portion 53 is released. In other words, the pressing portion 52 is disengaged. In this way, accidental damage to the gripping portion 53 when the pressing portion 52 moves is avoided.

[0063] Next, the operator applies force to the pressing portion 52 that has reached the desired position along the shaft portion 51 in the direction of being accommodated in the accommodating portion 41. The pressing portion 52 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 41 by rotating around the shaft portion 51. When the pressing portion 52 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 41, the concavo-convex shapes 521 to 524 as positioning portions are fitted into the corresponding concavo-convex shapes 42. Thus, the position of the pressing portion 52 is determined.

[0064] Then, the operator puts the roll paper of a desired width into the storage section 41, positions the paper drawn out from the roll paper to be sandwiched between the print head 6 and the platen roller 7, and closes the cover 3. At this point, the preparation of the roll paper for the printer 1 is completed.

[0065] Thus, according to the present embodiment, the pressing portion 52 can move in the paper width direction in the storage portion 41. Thus, it is not necessary to remove the pressing portion 52 from the storage portion 41. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pressing portion 52 from being lost. In addition, in the structure of the portion where the pressing portion 52 is connected to the holding portion 53, there is a concern that the holding portion 53 may be damaged when the pressing portion 52 moves. However, since the notch 531 is formed in the holding portion 53, the holding portion 53 is detached from the shaft portion 51 before being damaged. Thus, it is possible to avoid damage to the holding portion 53.

[0066] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a structure capable of preventing loss of components for handling a plurality of paper widths in a printer using roll paper.

[0067] (Variation) The above-described embodiments can be implemented in a modified manner as appropriate by changing a part of the structure or function of each of the above-described devices.

[0068] For example, Figure 8It is a perspective view showing the holding part 55 in the modified example. As Figure 8 shown, the holding part 55 of the modified example has a notch 551.

[0069] The notch 531 formed in the holding part 53 of the embodiment opens inwardly more than the shaft part 51 when viewed from the pressing part 52 side, but the notch 551 of the modified example opens toward the pressing part 52 side. The notch 531 and the notch 551 are provided at a portion where, in the state where the pressing part 52 is lifted from the storage part 41 as Figure 4 shown, a force is applied to the shaft part 51 by pulling or pressing the holding parts 53 and 55 via the pressing part 52. Thereby, breakage of the holding parts 53 and 55 can be effectively prevented.

[0070] As described above, several embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the above embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above new embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The above embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the solutions described in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A web paper holder that determines and holds the position of a web paper wound with a strip of paper in the width direction, wherein, The web paper holder includes: a storage portion that stores the web paper in a space surrounded by a circumferential portion that contacts the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the web paper and a pair of opposing surfaces that sandwich the circumferential portion; a shaft portion that is spanned between the pair of opposing surfaces; a plate-shaped pressing portion that presses an end portion of the web paper; a gripping portion that is continuously provided with the pressing portion, grips the shaft portion in a manner that can rotate along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion and can move in the longitudinal direction, and the gripping portion has a notch that truncates the continuity in the circumferential direction in a cylindrical shape surrounding the shaft portion; and one or more positioning portions that are provided at the edge portion of the pressing portion and determine the position of the pressing portion in the paper width direction by fitting into the concavo-convex shape formed on the circumferential portion.

2. The web paper holder according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion is disposed on the opposite side of the conveying direction of the paper drawn from the web paper.

3. The web paper holder according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion includes a sub-pressing portion that is located between the printing position of the paper and the storage portion and presses the end portion of the paper drawn from the web paper.

4. The web paper holder according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portion is detachably attached to and detached from the concavo-convex shape as the pressing portion rotates about the shaft portion.

5. The web paper holder according to claim 1, wherein the gripping portion, the pressing portion, and the positioning portion are continuous and made of resin.

6. The web paper holder according to claim 5, wherein the width of the notch of the gripping portion is narrower than the thickness of the shaft portion.

7. The web paper holder according to claim 6, wherein the notch of the gripping portion is provided at a portion that is subjected to a force from the shaft portion when the gripping portion is rotated and the pressing portion is lifted from the storage portion by pulling the gripping portion via the pressing portion.

8. The web paper holder according to claim 5, wherein the concavo-convex shape of the storage portion is a plurality of storage portion holes that are provided along the width direction of the circumferential portion and into which the positioning portion is fitted.

9. The web paper holder according to claim 1, wherein a pressing portion hole for an operator to hook a finger is provided at the central portion of the pressing portion.

10. A printer, comprising: the web paper holder according to any one of claims 1 to 9; a print head for printing on the paper drawn from the web paper holder; and a paper feed roller for conveying the paper sandwiched between it and the print head.

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