Image forming system

Abstract

To increase the degree of freedom in installation. [Solution] In the image forming system 1, an image forming device 3 is placed on an upper loading section 11 of a loading table 2, and a roll paper holder 4 is placed on a lower loading section 12 located almost directly below the image forming device 3, with a transport guide 5 attached to the rear of the image forming device 3. This allows the image forming system 1 to smoothly transport paper P peeled off from a roll paper 7 held by the roll paper holder 4 along the guide surface 91 of the transport guide 5 to a supply port 41 of the image forming device 3. As a result, the image forming system 1 can perform continuous printing processing on paper P supplied sequentially from the roll paper 7 held by the roll paper holder 4, while significantly reducing the length in the front-to-rear direction compared to when the roll paper holder 4 is located behind the image forming device 3.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming system, and is suitable for use in forming an image by an image forming apparatus on a long sheet of paper wound in a roll, for example. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a known image forming system used primarily for specific business purposes rotatably supports roll paper (also called roll media) in which a long piece of media such as paper is wound into a roll, pulls out the paper from the roll as if peeling it off, and supplies it to a printer (also called an image forming device), which then prints an image on the paper.

[0003] Furthermore, the medium may be label paper, which is made of a backing made of release paper and has a label strip with an adhesive applied to the backside affixed to it. When this type of label paper is used, it is desirable that the conveyance path for conveying the medium be as straight as possible, and if it is curved, that the radius of curvature be as large as possible, in order to prevent the label strip from peeling off during printing.

[0004] Therefore, an image forming system has been proposed in which, for example, the media transport path inside the image forming device is configured in a generally straight line from the rear to the front, and a roll media holder that rotatably supports the roll media is positioned at the rear of the image forming device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-82626 A (Fig. 1, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in an image forming system with such a configuration, the media transport mechanism, multiple image forming units, fuser, etc. are arranged linearly inside the image forming device, so the length of the image forming device in the front-to-rear direction is relatively large (long). Therefore, in an image forming system, if the roll media and the holder that supports it are arranged behind the image forming device, the overall length in the front-to-rear direction becomes extremely long, which creates a problem of extremely low flexibility in installation.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose an image forming system that can increase the degree of freedom in terms of installation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve this problem, the image forming system of the present invention includes an image forming device that forms an image on media supplied to a media supply port, a roll media holder that rotatably supports the roll media, which is media wound in a roll shape, and has a holder side attachment portion for attaching it to an attachment target, a main body mounting portion on which the image forming device is placed, a holder mounting portion that is positioned overlapping the main body mounting portion in the vertical direction and on which the roll media holder is placed, a mounting table that has a mounting side attachment portion on which the holder side attachment portion of the roll media holder placed on the holder mounting portion is attached, and a guide portion that guides media pulled out from the roll media to the media supply port, and the holder mounting portion of the mounting table is provided with a holder positioning portion that matches the position of the roll media holder when the holder side attachment portion is attached to the mounting side attachment portion.

[0009] The present invention allows the image forming device and roll media holder to be placed on the mounting table in a position where they overlap vertically, and by providing a guide section at the point where the media runs, the media can be smoothly supplied from the roll media supported by the roll media holder to the image forming device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, an image forming system that can increase the degree of freedom in terms of installation can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of an image forming system; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of an image forming system; [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic side view showing the overall configuration of an image forming system; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a mounting table. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the roll paper holder and roll paper. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a roll paper holder. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a transport guide. [Figure 11] 10 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the image forming apparatus is placed on the upper placement portion of the placement table. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a schematic perspective view showing the roll paper holder being placed on the lower placement section of the placement table. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a conveying guide attached to the image forming apparatus. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an image forming apparatus with a conveying guide mounted thereon placed on a floor surface. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of an image forming system in which a roll paper holder is attached to an image forming apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] [1. Image formation system configuration] As shown in the schematic perspective views of Figures 1 and 2 and the schematic side view of Figure 3, image forming system 1 according to this embodiment is broadly composed of a mounting table 2, image forming device 3, roll paper holder 4, and transport guide 5. In the following, the left end portion in Figure 3 is considered to be the front of image forming device 3, and the following explanation will be given with the top-bottom direction, left-right direction, and front-rear direction defined when viewed from this front.

[0014] The mounting table 2 is configured as a hollow rectangular parallelepiped overall, with an upper mounting portion 11 on the upper side and a lower mounting portion 12 on the lower side arranged to be stacked in the vertical direction. The mounting table 2 also has the upper mounting portion 11 and the lower mounting portion 12 connected at their left ends, right ends, and rear ends by a left side portion 13, a right side portion 14, and a rear side portion 15, respectively. Furthermore, a hole 15H penetrating in the front-to-rear direction is formed in the center of the rear side portion 15.

[0015] The image forming device 3 is placed on the upper placement section 11 of the placement table 2. The image forming device 3 is an electrophotographic printer, and is broadly composed of a main body section 31 located at the front and a paper feed section 32 located at the rear. When paper is supplied to the image forming device 3 from a supply port 41 provided at the rear of the paper feed section 32, the paper feed section 32 appropriately cuts the paper and supplies it to the main body section 31, where an image is formed (i.e., printed) on the paper and the paper is discharged forward from a discharge port 46 at the front.

[0016] The roll paper holder 4 is placed on the lower loading section 12 of the loading table 2. This roll paper holder 4 rotatably supports rolled paper 7. As a roll medium, roll paper 7 is formed into a flat cylindrical shape (i.e., a roll shape) as a whole by winding up long sheets of paper P.

[0017] The paper P serving as a medium is so-called label paper, and is configured with multiple label pieces attached at predetermined intervals to the surface of a backing sheet. The backing sheet has a release surface that has been treated with a release agent, and is a long piece of paper that is sufficiently long in the printing direction in which it is transported during printing. On the other hand, the label pieces are adhesive paper (also called stickers or labels) with an adhesive applied to the backing sheet, and are sufficiently short in the printing direction compared to the backing sheet.

[0018] The roll paper 7 is wound with the print side, which is the side of the paper P where the labels are affixed to the release side of the backing and where the image is formed (i.e., printed), facing outward. Also, black Q marks (not shown) are printed on the back side of the backing (i.e., the side opposite the release side) in alignment with the positions of the labels affixed on the front side.

[0019] The conveying guide 5 is attached below the supply port 41 on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 3. The conveying guide 5 has a guide surface 91 formed of a smoothly continuous curved surface in a range from the lower surface through the rear surface to the upper surface.

[0020] In this image forming system 1, paper P is pulled from the outermost periphery of the paper roll 7 supported by the paper roll holder 4 and travels diagonally upward and rearward, passing through hole 15H formed in the rear portion 15 of the mounting table 2. This paper P travels approximately one-third of the way around from the underside of the conveying guide 5 along guide surface 91, then travels forward and is inserted into the supply port 41 of the image forming device 3. Incidentally, in the image forming system 1, when paper P is pulled from the paper roll 7, the paper roll 7 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3.

[0021] [2. Configuration of each part] Next, the mounting table 2, image forming device 3, roll paper holder 4, and conveyance guide 5 that make up the image forming system 1 will be described in order with reference to the drawings.

[0022] [2-1. Configuration of the mounting table] First, we will explain the configuration of the mounting table 2. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the mounting table 2 as seen from the same direction as Figure 1, omitting the image forming device 3, roll paper holder 4, and transport guide 5, as well as the right side portion 14.

[0023] The upper mounting portion 11 of the mounting table 2 is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped or plate-like shape that is thin in the vertical direction as a whole. The upper mounting portion 11 as a main body mounting portion is made of, for example, a steel plate having a sufficient thickness, and has sufficient strength to maintain its shape even when the image forming device 3 is placed on it.

[0024] 3, the length of the upper loading section 11 in the front-to-rear direction is approximately equal to the length of the image forming apparatus 3 in the front-to-rear direction, i.e., the length from the front surface 31F of the main body 31 to the rear surface 32E of the paper feed section 32. Furthermore, the length of the upper loading section 11 in the left-to-right direction is slightly longer than the length of the image forming apparatus 3 in the left-to-right direction.

[0025] A total of five positioning portions 21 (21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, and 21E) are provided on the top surface 11F of the upper placement portion 11. Each positioning portion 21 is formed in the shape of a long, thin cylinder extending in the vertical direction.

[0026] Positioning portion 21A is erected near the left end of upper surface 11F and near the front end. Positioning portion 21B is erected near the left end of upper surface 11F, i.e., directly behind positioning portion 21A and near the center in the front-to-rear direction. Positioning portion 21C is erected near the right end of upper surface 11F and near the front end. Positioning portion 21B is erected near the right end of upper surface 11F, i.e., directly behind positioning portion 21C and near the rear. Positioning portion 21E is erected near the rear end of upper surface 11F and near the right end.

[0027] A sliding shelf 11T is provided on the front side of the upper loading section 11. This sliding shelf 11T is configured to be able to slide back and forth, and when pushed rearward as shown in Fig. 4, it can be stored in the upper loading section 11. On the other hand, when the sliding shelf 11T is pulled forward as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1 and the solid line in Fig. 3, various items can be placed on its upper side. For example, by placing a tray (not shown) with an open top on this sliding shelf 11T, paper P discharged from the discharge port 46 of the image forming device 3 can be stored in the tray.

[0028] The lower mounting section 12 of the mounting table 2 is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped or plate-like shape that is thin in the vertical direction, similar to the upper mounting section 11. The lower mounting section 12 as a holder mounting section is also made of, for example, a steel plate with sufficient thickness, similar to the upper mounting section 11, and has sufficient strength to maintain its shape even when the roll paper holder 4 (see FIG. 1, etc.) that holds the roll paper 7 is placed on it.

[0029] The lower placing section 12 has the same length in the front-rear and left-right directions as the upper placing section 11, and is located directly below the upper placing section 11. In addition, a total of two positioning sections 22 (22A and 22B) are provided on the upper surface 12F of the lower placing section 12. Like the positioning sections 21, each positioning section 22 serving as a holder positioning section is formed in the shape of a long, thin cylinder extending in the up-down direction.

[0030] The positioning portion 22A is erected slightly to the right (inner side) of the left end of the upper surface 12F and slightly rearward from the front end. The positioning portion 22B is erected slightly to the left (inner side) of the right end of the upper surface 12F and slightly rearward from the front end. In other words, the positioning portions 22A and 22B are positioned approximately symmetrically to each other. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the positioning portions 22 (22A and 22B) are positioned forward of the front ends of the left side portion 13 and the right side portion 14.

[0031] In addition, in the mounting table 2, the upper mounting portion 11 and the lower mounting portion 12 are connected by a left side portion 13, a right side portion 14, and a rear side portion 15. Therefore, hereinafter, the left side portion 13, the right side portion 14, and the rear side portion 15 are also collectively referred to as a mounting connection portion.

[0032] The left side portion 13 (FIG. 4) is formed as a thin plate extending in the left-right direction, and connects the left end of the upper placement portion 11 with the left end of the lower placement portion 12. The right side portion 14 (FIG. 1, etc.) is also formed as a thin plate extending in the left-right direction, and connects the right end of the upper placement portion 11 with the right end of the lower placement portion 12.

[0033] The left side portion 13 and the right side portion 14 (FIG. 1, etc.) are each provided in approximately two-thirds of the rear area of ​​the mounting table 2, leaving approximately one-third of the front area open. Similarly to the upper mounting portion 11, the left side portion 13 and the right side portion 14 (FIG. 1, etc.) are made of, for example, a steel plate having a sufficient thickness, and further include, as appropriate, columnar portions extending in the vertical direction. Therefore, the left side portion 13 and the right side portion 14 can stably support the upper mounting portion 11 relative to the lower mounting portion 12, even when the image forming apparatus 3 is placed on the upper mounting portion 11.

[0034] The rear side portion 15 is formed in the shape of a thin plate in the front-to-rear direction, and connects the rear end of the upper loading section 11 to the rear end of the lower loading section 12. A relatively large rectangular hole 15H is formed in the center of the rear side portion 15. The left-to-right length of the hole 15H is sufficiently larger than the left-to-right length of the paper P (i.e., the paper width).

[0035] Further, a holder attachment portion 23 is provided on the rear side portion 15 from the lower side of the hole 15H toward the front. This holder attachment portion 23 is composed of a support plate 24 and an attachment plate 25. The support plate 24 is a thin plate in the vertical direction, and is provided in an upright position from the lower side of the hole 15H in the rear side portion 15 toward the front.

[0036] Mounting plate 25 is a flat plate that is thin in the front-to-rear direction and hangs downward from the front end of support plate 24. Mounting plate 25 is made of a steel plate, which is a magnetic material, and has sufficient thickness to provide sufficient strength and to attract a magnet. Furthermore, mounting plate 25 has a mounting base attachment part 26 on the front side. Mounting base attachment part 26, which serves as the mounting-side attachment part, has an attachment point 27 near the center in the left-to-right direction and positioning holes 28, which are holes that penetrate in the front-to-rear direction, drilled in two places on the left and right sides of that.

[0037] [2-2. Configuration of image forming device] Next, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 3 will be described. Figures 5 and 6 are schematic perspective views showing only the image forming apparatus 3 as viewed from different directions. Figure 7 is a schematic right side view of the image forming system 1, showing the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 3 by omitting some parts on the right side.

[0038] The image forming apparatus 3 is broadly composed of a main body 31 at the front and a paper feeder 32 at the rear, and is comprehensively controlled by an internal control unit 33. The main body 31 is configured in a relatively large rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an operation unit 34 and a display unit 35 are provided at the front of the upper part. The operation unit 34 is configured with, for example, multiple buttons and is a unit that accepts operations by the user. The display unit 35 is configured with, for example, a liquid crystal panel and is a unit that displays various information indicating the status of the image forming apparatus 3, etc.

[0039] The paper feed section 32 is configured in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is slightly smaller than the main body section 31, and is a section that mainly feeds the paper P, which is long paper, to the main body section 31 while appropriately cutting the paper P.

[0040] 7, inside the image forming apparatus 3, a transport path W is formed that runs roughly along the front-to-rear direction from a supply port 41 (hereinafter also referred to as a medium supply port) provided on the rear surface 32E of the paper feed unit 32 to an outlet 46 provided on the front surface 31F of the main body unit 31, and various components required for printing an image are arranged along this transport path W. Incidentally, the paper P is transported with the printing surface, on which an image is formed, facing upward.

[0041] Specifically, inside the main body 31 and the paper feed unit 32, a paper supply unit 42 is provided near a supply port 41, which is on the upstream side of the paper transport direction of the transport path W, and an image forming unit 43 is provided downstream in the paper transport direction (i.e., in front of) this paper supply unit 42. Also, inside the main body 31, a fixing unit 44 is provided downstream in the paper transport direction of the image forming unit 43, and a paper discharge unit 45 is provided downstream in the paper transport direction of this fixing unit 44.

[0042] The paper supply unit 42 is a unit that transports paper P inserted through the supply port 41 to the image forming unit 43. In this paper supply unit 42, a paper set detection sensor 50, a first transport roller pair 51, an optical sensor 52, a cutter 53, a second transport roller pair 54, and a writing sensor 55 are provided in this order from upstream in the paper transport direction along the transport path W. Incidentally, although the cutter 53, the second transport roller pair 54, and the writing sensor 55 are incorporated in the paper feed unit 32, they are positioned so as to be inside the main body unit 31 together with a portion of the paper feed unit 32.

[0043] The paper set detection sensor 50 is a sensor that detects whether or not paper P is present, and notifies the control unit 33 of the detection result. The first conveying roller pair 51 and the second conveying roller pair 54 are each composed of two conveying rollers arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction with the conveying path W in between, and convey the paper P by sandwiching it between the conveying rollers.

[0044] The optical sensor 52 is, for example, a transmission type photoelectric sensor that irradiates light from below the conveying path W and receives the light above the conveying path W, and detects the presence or absence of paper P and a Q mark provided on the paper P. The optical sensor 52 notifies the control unit 33 of the obtained detection result.

[0045] The cutter 53 cuts the paper P, for example, along the short side direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction, based on the control of the control unit 33. The writing sensor 55 is a sensor that detects the leading edge of the paper P, and the timing of image formation on the paper P by the image forming unit 43 (i.e., the writing timing) is set based on the detection result of this writing sensor 55.

[0046] The image forming section 43 is located downstream of the paper supply section 42 in the paper transport direction, and is a section that forms an image on the paper P transported from the paper supply section 42. Above the transport path W in the image forming section 43, a plurality of (e.g., three) image forming units 60 (60A, 60B, and 60C) are provided. Also, below the transport path W in the image forming section 43, a transfer belt 61 and a plurality of (e.g., three) transfer rollers 62 (62A, 62B, and 62C) are provided.

[0047] The three image forming units 60 (60A, 60B, and 60C) are arranged in a line in the front-to-rear direction along the conveying path W, and correspond to the three colors of toner handled by the image forming device 3. These three image forming units 60 form images (also called toner images) using the toner of each color on the respective photosensitive drums 63 (63A, 63B, and 63C) to be transferred to the paper P.

[0048] The transfer belt 61 is a circular belt that extends in the front-to-rear direction along the conveyance path W, and by running in the front-to-rear direction, conveys the paper P along the conveyance path W. Three transfer rollers 62 are arranged inside the transfer belt 61 in positions facing the three photosensitive drums 63, with the transfer belt 61 sandwiched between them. When the paper P passes between the transfer roller 62 and the photosensitive drum 63, each transfer roller 62 transfers the toner image of each color formed on the photosensitive drum 63 onto the surface of the paper P.

[0049] The fixing device 44 is located downstream of the image forming unit 43 in the paper transport direction, and has a heating roller and a pressure roller positioned opposite each other across the transport path W. The fixing device 44 fixes the toner image onto the paper P by applying heat and pressure to the paper P on which the toner image has been transferred.

[0050] The paper discharge unit 45 is located downstream of the fixing unit 44 in the paper transport direction, and a discharge sensor 66 and a third transport roller pair 67 are provided near the discharge port 46 on the transport path W. The discharge sensor 66 is provided between the fixing unit 44 and the third transport roller pair 67, and detects the presence or absence of paper P and notifies the control unit 33 of the detection result. When the discharge sensor 66 detects paper P, this means that the paper P has been discharged from the image forming device 3.

[0051] The third conveying roller pair 67 is composed of two conveying rollers arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction across the conveying path W, and conveys the paper P that has passed through the fixing unit 44 and been detected by the discharge sensor 66 by sandwiching it between the conveying rollers, thereby discharging it outside the main body 31 through the discharge outlet 46.

[0052] 6, the image forming apparatus 3 is provided with an image forming mounting section 36 on the rear surface 32E of the paper feed section 32, below the supply port 41. The image forming mounting section 36, which serves as the main body-side mounting section, is made of a magnetic metal material and has a flat rear surface. The image forming mounting section 36 is provided with an adsorption section 37 near the center in the left-right direction, and positioning holes 38, which are holes that penetrate in the front-rear direction, are drilled at two locations on the left and right sides of the adsorption section 37.

[0053] This image forming mounting section 36 is configured similarly to the mounting table mounting section 26 (FIG. 4) of the mounting table 2. Specifically, the spacing between the positioning holes 38 and the size and shape of each positioning hole 38 are configured to be equivalent to the spacing between the positioning holes 28 in the mounting table mounting section 26 and the size and shape of each positioning hole 28, respectively.

[0054] [2-3. Configuration of the roll paper holder and roll paper] Next, we will explain the configuration of the roll paper holder 4 and roll paper 7. Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of the roll paper holder 4 and roll paper 7 separated, viewed from slightly above the front right. Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of the roll paper holder 4 supporting the roll paper 7, viewed from slightly above the rear right.

[0055] The roll paper holder 4, which serves as a roll medium holder, is broadly composed of a holder base 71, two holder sections 72, and a guide roller 73. The holder base 71 has a bottom plate 71B, a rear plate 71E, a left plate 71L, and a right plate 71R, each made of a sufficiently thick steel plate. In other words, the holder base 71 is shaped like a hollow rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the front-to-rear direction, with the top and front sides omitted.

[0056] The left and right side plates 71L and 71R each have a large cutout at the top or front, giving them an overall shape resembling a triangle or trapezoid. The rear plate 71E of the holder base 71 has a through-hole 71EH drilled in the front-to-rear direction, slightly below the top edge. The through-hole 71EH is rectangular and has a sufficient length in the left-to-right direction.

[0057] Furthermore, a holder mounting portion 75 is provided below the insertion hole 71EH on the rear surface of the rear plate 71E of the holder base 71. The holder mounting portion 75, which serves as a holder-side mounting portion, has an adsorption portion 77 located near the center in the left-right direction, and positioning protrusions 78 that protrude rearward are provided on both the left and right sides of the adsorption portion 77.

[0058] The attraction portion 77 is a magnet, and at least the rear surface thereof is magnetic. Therefore, the attraction portion 77 can be attracted to a magnetic body. Each positioning protrusion 78 is formed in a cylindrical shape along the front-rear direction and protrudes rearward beyond the rear surface of the attraction portion 77. The spacing between each positioning protrusion 78 is approximately the same as the spacing between the positioning holes 28 in the stage mounting portion 26 (FIG. 4) of the stage 2.

[0059] The holder portion 72 is formed by cutting and bending a plurality of steel plates having sufficient thickness into a predetermined shape and assembling them appropriately to form a bottom plate 72B and side plates 72S. The bottom plate 72B is a plate that is thin in the vertical direction and is attached to the bottom plate 71B of the holder base portion 71 with predetermined screws (not shown) or the like. The side plates 72S are plate-like and thin in the horizontal direction and are erected upward on the upper surface of the bottom plate 72B. Furthermore, a downward-facing rectangular bearing recess 72SB is provided near the center of the upper edge of the side plate 72S.

[0060] The holder sections 72 are attached to the left and right sides of the bottom plate 71B of the holder base 71, toward the rear, in symmetrical orientations. The holder sections 72 are also configured so that their left-right positions relative to the bottom plate 71B can be adjusted. Specifically, the attachment positions of the holder sections 72 relative to the bottom plate 71B are appropriately adjusted so that the distance between the side plates 72S is slightly greater than the left-right length of the paper roll 7, which will be described later.

[0061] The guide roller 73 is formed in a relatively long and thin cylindrical shape with its central axis aligned in the left-right direction, and is located slightly forward of the rear plate 71E of the holder base 71 and slightly below the upper ends of the left plate 71L and right plate 71R. The guide roller 73 is rotatably supported by the left plate 71L and right plate 71R.

[0062] On the other hand, the roll paper 7 has, in addition to the paper P, a central body 81, a roll rotation shaft 82, and a shaft mounting portion 83. The central body 81 is formed in a cylindrical shape with its central axis aligned in the left-right direction, and has a central hole 81H that penetrates in the left-right direction in its center. The paper P is wound spirally around the peripheral surface of this central body 81.

[0063] A roll rotation shaft 82 is inserted through the center hole 81H of the central body 81. The roll rotation shaft 82 is formed as an elongated cylinder extending in the left-right direction, and its length in the left-right direction is greater (longer) than that of the central body 81. The roll rotation shaft 82 serves as the center (hereinafter also referred to as the winding center) around which the paper P is wound around the circumferential surface of the central body 81. This allows the central body 81 and the paper P wound around it to rotate smoothly relative to the roll rotation shaft 82 in the paper roll 7.

[0064] Additionally, shaft mounting parts 83 are attached to both the left and right ends of the roll rotation shaft 82. The shaft mounting parts 83 are formed in a relatively small rectangular parallelepiped shape, with a length in the front-to-rear direction that is slightly smaller (shorter) than the length in the front-to-rear direction of the bearing recesses 72SB provided in the holder part 72. Therefore, when the left and right shaft mounting parts 83 of the paper roll 7 fit into the bearing recesses 72SB of the left and right holder parts 72, respectively, the roll paper holder 4 can rotatably hold the paper roll 7.

[0065] [2-4. Transport guide configuration] Next, the configuration of the transport guide 5 will be described. Fig. 10(A) is a schematic perspective view showing the transport guide 5 as viewed from slightly above on the front right side. Fig. 10(B) is a schematic perspective view showing the transport guide 5 as viewed from slightly above on the rear right side.

[0066] 2 and other figures, the conveying guide 5 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is sufficiently smaller overall than the image forming device 3. The left-right length of this conveying guide 5 is slightly shorter than the left-right length of the paper feed unit 32, the up-down length is approximately equal to the length from the supply port 41 on the rear surface 32E of the paper feed unit 32 to the vicinity of the lower end, and the front-rear length is approximately equal to the up-down length.

[0067] 3 and other figures, the conveying guide 5 has a shape in which the vicinity of the upper rear vertex and the vicinity of the lower rear vertex are both rounded when viewed from the left and right. In other words, the conveying guide 5 has a curved surface that continuously connects the upper side, rear side, and lower side in a range from the upper side to the rear side and down. Hereinafter, this curved surface will be referred to as a guide surface 91.

[0068] Guide surface 91 is made by bending a single steel plate and has a metal-plated surface. The radius of curvature of guide surface 91 is equal to or greater than the radius of curvature of the outer periphery of central body 81 of roll paper 7 (FIG. 8), i.e., the radius of curvature of paper P wound on the innermost periphery.

[0069] The rear portion of the guide surface 91 is provided with spacing protrusions 92 at two locations near the center in the up-down direction and near both the left and right ends. The spacing protrusions 92 as protrusions are, for example, screw heads, and protrude so that their rear ends are positioned approximately 3 to 5 mm rearward from the rear surface of the guide surface 91. The distance between the spacing protrusions 92 in the left-right direction is also sufficiently larger (wider) than the length (i.e., width) of the paper P in the left-right direction.

[0070] Meanwhile, a transport guide mounting portion 95 is provided on the front side of the transport guide 5. The transport guide mounting portion 95, which serves as a guide-side mounting portion, has an adsorption portion 97 located near the center in the left-right direction, and is provided on both the left and right sides with positioning protrusions 98 that protrude rearward. This transport guide mounting portion 95 is configured similarly to the holder mounting portion 75 (FIG. 9), and the adsorption portion 97 and positioning protrusion 98 are configured similarly to the adsorption portion 77 and positioning protrusion 78, respectively.

[0071] [3. Placing on the table] Next, the placement of the image forming device 3 and roll paper holder 4 on the table 2 and the attachment of the transport guide 5 to the image forming device 3 will be described.

[0072] The image forming apparatus 3 is placed on the upper placement section 11 of the placement table 2. As shown in the schematic plan view of Fig. 11, the image forming apparatus 3 is placed on the top surface 11F of the upper placement section 11 to the right of the positioning sections 21A and 21B, to the left of the positioning sections 21C and 21D, and in front of the positioning section 21E. In other words, the image forming apparatus 3 is placed on the top surface 11F of the upper placement section 11 at a position surrounded by the positioning sections 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, and 21E.

[0073] As a result, on the upper surface 11F of the upper loading section 11, the image forming device 3 has its movement range restricted to the left by positioning sections 21A and 21B, its movement range restricted to the right by positioning sections 21C and 21D, and its movement range restricted to the rear by positioning section 21E.

[0074] The roll paper holder 4 is placed on the lower tray 12. When viewed from the tray 2, the tray 2 is the object to be attached (hereafter also referred to as the attachment target). As shown in the schematic perspective view of FIG. 12 , the roll paper holder 4 is first positioned near the rear end of the holder base 71 between the positioning sections 22A and 22B on the top surface 12F of the lower tray 12. The roll paper holder 4 is then pushed rearward, sliding rearward along the top surface 12F. Eventually, the positioning projections 78 of the holder attachment section 75 are inserted into the positioning holes 28 of the tray attachment section 26, and the suction sections 77 are attached to the suction points 27, thereby attaching the holder attachment section 75 to the tray attachment section 26 and fixing its position relative to the lower tray 12.

[0075] When the roll paper holder 4 is placed on the lower loading section 12 in this manner, in the image forming system 1, the bearing recess 72SB in the roll paper holder 4 is located further forward than the front ends of the left side section 13 and right side section 14, making it easily visible from the side, as shown in Figure 3. Also, in this state, in the image forming system 1, the distance between the upper end of the side plate 72S in the roll paper holder 4 and the underside of the upper loading section 11 is slightly longer than the radius of the roll paper 7.

[0076] Therefore, in the image forming system 1, the roll paper 7 can be easily attached to the roll paper holder 4 placed on the lower loading section 12 by lifting the shaft mounting portion 83 of the roll paper 7 slightly above the upper end of the side plate 72S, displacing it from the front to the rear, and dropping the shaft mounting portion 83 into the bearing recess 72SB.

[0077] 1 to 3, a transport guide 5 is attached to the rear surface 32E of the paper feed unit 32 in the image forming apparatus 3. The transport guide 5 is positioned slightly behind the image forming apparatus 3 by a user's manual operation or the like, and then moved forward, thereby approaching the image forming apparatus 3. Eventually, as shown in the schematic right side view of FIG. 13, the positioning protrusion 98 of the transport guide attachment portion 95 is inserted into the positioning hole 38 of the image forming apparatus attachment portion 36, and the suction portion 97 is attached to the suction point 37, thereby attaching the transport guide attachment portion 95 to the image forming apparatus 3, and the position of the transport guide 5 relative to the image forming apparatus 3 is fixed.

[0078] 13, when the image forming system 1 is installed with its rear side close to the wall surface WL, there is a possibility that the transport guide 5, which protrudes furthest to the rear, may come into contact with the wall surface WL. However, as described above, the transport guide 5 is positioned so that the rear end portion of the spacing maintaining protrusion 92 protrudes rearward beyond the guide surface 91 at the rear portion.

[0079] Therefore, when the rear side of the image forming system 1 is brought closest to the wall surface WL, the rear end of the gap maintaining protrusion 92 comes into contact with the wall surface WL, forming a gap between the wall surface WL and the guide surface 91. This allows the image forming system 1 to smoothly run the paper P without it being pinched between the conveying guide 5 and the wall surface WL and stopping.

[0080] Furthermore, when the conveying guide 5 is attached to the rear side of the image forming device 3, the upper surface of the guide surface 91 is positioned slightly below the supply port 41, and the lower surface of the guide surface 91, which is the lowest part of the conveying guide 5, is positioned above the lower surface of the image forming device 3.

[0081] 14, when the transport guide 5 is removed from the table 2 together with the image forming apparatus 3 and placed on the floor surface FL, for example, for the purpose of maintenance work or the like, while still attached to the rear side of the image forming apparatus 3, the lower portion does not come into contact with the floor surface FL but is slightly raised. In other words, the transport guide 5 will not be separated from the image forming apparatus 3 due to force from the floor surface FL, and there is no need to separate it in advance to avoid damage due to contact with the floor surface FL.

[0082] Additionally, if there is an installation space with sufficient length in the front-to-rear direction available for the image forming device 3 and roll paper holder 4, an image forming system 101 such as the one shown in Figure 15 can be configured. In this image forming system 101, the roll paper holder 4 is placed behind the image forming device 3, and the roll paper holder 4 is rotated half a turn on a horizontal plane from the orientation in the image forming system 1 (Figure 1, etc.), and the holder mounting portion 75 of the roll paper holder 4 is then mounted in the image forming mounting portion 36 of the image forming device 3. In other words, in the image forming system 101, when viewed from the roll paper holder 4, the image forming device 3 is the object to be mounted (the mounting target).

[0083] In this image forming system 101, when paper P is pulled out from the roll paper 7 supported by the roll paper holder 4, the roll paper 7 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 15, similar to the image forming system 1 (Figure 3).

[0084] [4. Effects, etc.] In the above configuration, the image forming system 1 according to this embodiment has an image forming device 3 placed on the upper loading section 11 of the loading table 2 and a roll paper holder 4 placed on the lower loading section 12, and a conveying guide 5 attached to the rear side of the image forming device 3 (see Figure 1, etc.).

[0085] Of these, the roll paper holder 4 is originally designed on the assumption that it will be mounted (attached) to the rear side of the image forming device 3, with the holder mounting section 75 facing forward, as in the image forming system 101 (Figure 15).

[0086] However, in this embodiment, in the image forming system 1 (see FIG. 1, etc.), the roll paper holder 4 is placed almost directly below the image forming device 3, and the roll paper holder 4 is placed in a position rotated halfway on a horizontal plane. In addition, in the image forming system 1, a transport guide 5 is attached to the rear of the image forming device 3.

[0087] This allows the image forming system 1 to position the roll paper holder 4 almost directly below the image forming device 3, and smoothly transport the paper P peeled off from the roll paper 7 held by the roll paper holder 4 along the guide surface 91 of the transport guide 5 to the supply port 41 (Figure 2, etc.) of the image forming device 3.

[0088] As a result, the image forming system 1 can perform continuous printing processing on paper P supplied from the roll paper 7 held by the roll paper holder 4, while significantly reducing the length in the front-to-rear direction compared to the image forming system 101 (Figure 15).

[0089] In particular, in the image forming system 1, the position where the roll paper 7 is held by the roll paper holder 4 is relatively forward, and the bearing recess 72SB of the roll paper holder 4 placed on the lower loading section 12 is positioned further forward than the front ends of the left side section 13 and right side section 14 (see Figure 3, etc.). Therefore, in the image forming system 1, when replacing the roll paper 7, the user can efficiently perform the replacement work from the front side without having to move to the rear side of the image forming device.

[0090] In addition, the lower mounting section 12 of the mounting table 2 has positioning portions 22A and 22B near the front end on the upper surface 12F. Therefore, in the image forming system 1, when placing the roll paper holder 4 on the lower mounting section 12 of the mounting table 2, all that is required is to perform the extremely simple task of positioning the vicinity of the lower rear end of the holder base 71 (FIG. 9) between the positioning portions 22A and 22B and then displacing it directly rearward. This allows the image forming system 1 to easily insert the positioning protrusion 78 of the holder mounting portion 75 into the positioning hole 28 of the mounting table mounting portion 26, and also allows the suction portion 77 of the holder mounting portion 75 to be attached to the suction point 27 of the mounting table mounting portion 26, allowing the roll paper holder 4 to be placed in the appropriate position.

[0091] Furthermore, the upper loading section 11 of the loading table 2 is configured to load the image forming device 3 at a position that matches the positioning sections 21 (21A-21E) provided on the top surface 11F (FIGS. 4 and 11). This allows the image forming system 1 to easily adjust the left-right position of the image forming device 3 to a position suitable for the paper P pulled out from the roll paper 7 held by the roll paper holder 4.

[0092] Furthermore, the upper mounting section 11 of the mounting table 2 is provided with positioning sections 21 at positions on the top surface 11F that are close to or abut the left side, front side, and rear side of the image forming device 3, i.e., positions that are outside the image forming device 3 (FIGS. 4 and 11). Therefore, in the image forming system 1, there is no need to change the shape or structure compared to the image forming device 3 that is used alone without being placed on the mounting table 2, and the image forming device 3 can be used in common.

[0093] Furthermore, the radius of curvature of the guide surface 91 of the transport guide 5 (FIG. 10) is set to be equal to or greater than the radius of curvature of the outer periphery of the central body 81 (FIG. 8) of the roll paper 7. This allows the image forming system 1 to prevent the label piece from peeling off from the backing paper when the paper P runs while being curved along the guide surface 91.

[0094] Furthermore, the conveying guide 5 (FIG. 10) is provided with a gap maintaining protrusion 92 on the rear side that protrudes further rearward than the guide surface 91. Therefore, even if the image forming system 1 is installed so that the rear end abuts against the wall surface WL, a gap can be formed between the wall surface WL and the guide surface 91, and the paper P can be allowed to travel smoothly through this gap.

[0095] Additionally, in image forming system 1, holder mounting section 75 on the rear side of roll paper holder 4 and transport guide mounting section 95 on the front side of transport guide 5 are identical in shape. This allows image forming device 3 to have roll paper holder 4 mounted in place of transport guide 5 in image forming mounting section 36 on the rear side. In other words, image forming system 101 (Figure 5) can be configured using only image forming device 3 and roll paper holder 4, or image forming system 1 can be configured by combining them with mounting table 2 and transport guide 5.

[0096] With the above configuration, in the image forming system 1 according to this embodiment, the image forming device 3 is placed on the upper loading section 11 of the loading table 2, the roll paper holder 4 is placed on the lower loading section 12 located almost directly below the image forming device 3, and the transport guide 5 is attached to the rear of the image forming device 3. This allows the image forming system 1 to smoothly transport paper P peeled off from the roll paper 7 held by the roll paper holder 4 along the guide surface 91 of the transport guide 5 to the supply opening 41 of the image forming device 3. As a result, the image forming system 1 can perform continuous printing processing on paper P supplied sequentially from the roll paper 7 held by the roll paper holder 4, while being significantly shorter in length in the front-to-rear direction than when the roll paper holder 4 is located behind the image forming device 3.

[0097] 5. Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the positioning portions 22 (22A and 22B) provided on the upper surface 12F of the lower mounting portion 12 of the mounting table 2 are formed in the shape of a long, thin cylinder extending in the vertical direction (see FIG. 4, etc.). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the positioning portions 22 may have various shapes, such as a rectangular parallelepiped or plate shape extending in the front-rear direction. The same applies to the positioning portions 21 (21A to 21E) provided on the upper surface 11F of the upper mounting portion 11. Furthermore, if an uneven shape is formed on the bottom surface of the image forming device 3, the positioning portions 21 may be provided in a position and shape that engages with the uneven shape.

[0098] In the above-described embodiment, the positioning portion 22 on the upper surface 12F of the lower mounting portion 12 of the mounting table 2 is located near the front end of the upper surface 12F. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the position in the front-rear direction may be various positions, such as positions equivalent to the front ends of the left side portion 13 and the right side portion 14. Furthermore, the positioning portion 22 in the front-rear direction may be located in a continuous range extending in the front-rear direction or in multiple locations dispersed in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, in these cases, the distance between the positioning portions 22 in the left-right direction may be narrower from the front to the rear.

[0099] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the adsorption points 27 and 37 are formed by magnetic plate-like members in the mount table attachment portion 26 of the mount table 2 and the image forming attachment portion 36 of the image forming device 3, and the magnetic adsorption points 77 and 97 are provided in the holder attachment portion 75 of the roll paper holder 4 and the transport guide attachment portion 95 of the transport guide 5. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the mount table attachment portion 26 of the mount table 2 and the image forming attachment portion 36 of the image forming device 3 may be provided with magnetic adsorption points, and the holder attachment portion 75 of the roll paper holder 4 and the transport guide attachment portion 95 of the transport guide 5 may be formed with magnetic material. The key is to use magnetic force to easily attach and detach the mount table attachment portion 26 of the mount table 2 and the image forming attachment portion 36 of the image forming device 3 to the holder attachment portion 75 of the roll paper holder 4 and the transport guide attachment portion 95 of the transport guide 5. Furthermore, for example, if there is no need to configure an image forming system 101, the shape of the table mounting portion 26 of the table 2 may be different from the shape of the image forming mounting portion 36 of the image forming device 3, and the shape of the holder mounting portion 75 of the roll paper holder 4 may be different from the shape of the conveying guide mounting portion 95 of the conveying guide 5.

[0100] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, two positioning holes 28 and 38 are provided in the table mounting portion 26 of the table 2 and the image forming device mounting portion 36 of the image forming device 3, and two positioning protrusions 78 and 98 are provided in the holder mounting portion 75 of the roll paper holder 4 and the transport guide mounting portion 95 of the transport guide 5. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, positioning protrusions may be provided in the table mounting portion 26 of the table 2 and the image forming device 36, and positioning holes may be provided in the holder mounting portion 75 of the roll paper holder 4 and the transport guide mounting portion 95 of the transport guide 5. Positioning protrusions and positioning holes may also be provided in combination. In these cases, each positioning protrusion may have various shapes and sizes, and different shapes and sizes may be combined. Furthermore, the number of positioning protrusions may be one or three or more. The position and shape of each positioning hole may correspond to the corresponding positioning protrusion.

[0101] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the suction portion 77 and suction point 27 are magnetically attached between the platform mounting portion 26 of the platform 2 and the holder mounting portion 75 of the roll paper holder 4 to position them in the front-to-back direction, and the positioning projection 78 is inserted into the positioning hole 28 to position them in the up-down and left-to-right directions. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various well-known engagement structures can be used to easily attach and detach the roll paper holder 4 to and from the platform 2.

[0102] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a cylindrical spacing maintaining protrusion 92 is provided on the conveying guide 5 by the head portion of a screw. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the spacing maintaining protrusion 92 may be configured in various shapes and made of various other materials, or the spacing maintaining protrusion 92 may be omitted.

[0103] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a guide surface 91 is provided by a metal plate in a range from the top of the conveyance guide 5 through the rear to the bottom. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a roller with a central axis aligned in the left-right direction may be provided inside the conveyance guide 5, and the range from near the top end through the rear to near the bottom end may be exposed to the outside of the guide surface. This reduces sliding resistance between the conveyance guide 5 and the sheet P, allowing the sheet P to be guided extremely smoothly.

[0104] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when the transport guide 5 is attached to the rear side of the image forming device 3, the lower end of the transport guide 5 is positioned above the lower end of the image forming device 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the lower end of the transport guide 5 may be positioned below the lower end of the image forming device 3.

[0105] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming device 3 is placed on the upper loading section 11, and the roll paper holder 4 is placed on the lower loading section 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the roll paper holder 4 may be placed on the upper loading section 11, and the image forming device 3 may be placed on the lower loading section 12. In this case, the paper P can be guided smoothly by attaching a transport guide 5, for example, to the upper rear side 15 of the loading table 2.

[0106] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a label sheet having a plurality of label pieces attached along the length of a backing sheet is used as the sheet P. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and media having various configurations, such as a film made of a resin material or plain paper, may be used as the sheet P.

[0107] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus 3 is provided with image forming units 60 for three colors. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and image forming units 60 for two or less colors or four or more colors may be provided.

[0108] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the paper feed unit 32 is attached to the main body 31 of the image forming apparatus 3, and the two are integrated (FIGS. 5 to 7). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the paper feed unit 32 may be configured as an optional part that is detachable from the main body 31. In this case, for example, the paper feed unit 32 may not be fixed to the main body 31, but may be placed adjacent to the rear side of the main body 31. In this case, however, it is sufficient that the paper feed unit 32 is electrically connected to the main body 31 by cables or the like, so that detection signals from various sensors can be supplied to the main body 31, and the first conveyor roller pair 51 of the paper feed unit 32 can be controlled by the control unit 33 or the like of the main body 31.

[0109] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming unit 60 provided in the image forming section 43 of the main body 31 is of a so-called direct transfer type, and a configuration has been described in which a toner image is directly transferred from the photosensitive drum 63 to the paper P (FIG. 7). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the image forming unit may be of a so-called intermediate transfer type, and after the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 63 to an intermediate transfer belt, the toner image may be transferred again from the intermediate transfer belt to the paper P.

[0110] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other embodiments, and the scope of application of the present invention extends to embodiments in which the above-described embodiments and other embodiments are combined in part or in whole, or in which only a part of the above-described embodiments is extracted.

[0111] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming system 1 is configured with the image forming device 3 as the image forming device, the roll paper holder 4 as the roll medium holder, the mounting table 2 as the mounting table, and the transport guide 5 as the guide unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming system may be configured with an image forming device, a roll medium holder, a mounting table, and a guide unit having various other configurations. [Industrial Applicability]

[0112] The present invention can be used when an image is printed by an image forming apparatus on a long sheet of paper P pulled out from a roll of paper. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 1, 101...image forming system, 2...loading table, 3...image forming device, 4...roll paper holder, 5...transport guide, 7...roll paper, 11...upper loading section, 12...lower loading section, 13...left side, 14...right side, 15...rear side, 21...positioning section, 22...positioning section, 26...loading table mounting section, 31...main body, 31F...front side, 32...paper feed section, 32E...rear side, 36...image forming mounting section, 41...supply port, 46...discharge port, 71...holder base, 72...holder section, 72SB...bearing recess, 75...holder mounting section, 81...center body, 82...roll rotation axis, 91...guide surface, 92...spacing maintaining protrusion, 95...transport guide mounting section, P...paper.

Claims

1. an image forming device that forms an image on a medium supplied to a medium supply port; a roll medium holder that rotatably supports the roll medium, in which the medium is wound in a roll shape, and has a holder-side mounting portion for mounting the medium on a mounting target; a mounting table having a main body mounting section on which the image forming device is mounted, a holder mounting section on which the roll medium holder is mounted, the holder mounting section being positioned above and below the main body mounting section, and a mounting side receiving section on which the holder side mounting section of the roll medium holder mounted on the holder mounting section is attached; a guide portion that guides the medium drawn from the roll medium to the medium supply port; Equipped with The holder placement portion of the placement table is provided with a holder positioning portion that aligns with the position of the roll medium holder when the holder-side attachment portion is attached to the placement-side attachment portion. An image forming system comprising:

2. the image forming apparatus is provided with a main body side mounting portion, The guide portion is attached to the main body-side attachment portion of the image forming apparatus.

2. The image forming system according to claim 1.

3. When the image forming apparatus is removed from the stand, the holder-side mounting portion of the roll medium holder removed from the stand can be mounted to the main body-side mounting portion.

3. The image forming system according to claim 2.

4. When the guide portion is attached to the main body-side attachment portion, the lower end of the guide portion is positioned above the lower end of the image forming apparatus.

3. The image forming system according to claim 2.

5. The guide portion has a protruding portion that protrudes beyond a guide surface that guides the medium in a direction away from the image forming apparatus, on the opposite side of the guide-side mounting portion that is mounted to the main body-side mounting portion.

3. The image forming system according to claim 2.

6. the guide portion has a guide surface that guides the medium, The radius of curvature of the guide surface is equal to or greater than the radius of curvature of the innermost portion of the roll medium.

2. The image forming system according to claim 1.

7. The roll medium has a roll axis at the center of the medium winding, the roll medium holder supports the roll medium via the roll shaft; The mounting table has the main body mounting section disposed above the holder mounting section, and a mounting connection section connecting the holder mounting section and the main body mounting section is provided on the mounting-side receiving section side of the roll axis of the roll medium holder mounted on the holder mounting section.

2. The image forming system according to claim 1.

Images