printer

Abstract

To provide a printer that can hold paper in the output tray with just the right amount of force, allowing it to be easily picked up. [Solution] The printer comprises a housing that houses a printing unit for printing on paper and a cutting unit for cutting the paper, and has a paper output port which is an opening for discharging the paper; a support unit that has a platform shape and partially has a recessed portion which supports the paper discharged from the paper output port from below; and a pressing unit that is positioned opposite the recess and presses down on the paper supported by the support unit from above, causing it to curve between itself and the recess.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a printer.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, printers that print on long paper, cut it, and discharge it have been used. In such printers, various structures for holding the paper after cutting at the paper discharge port have been proposed. However, since the desired holding state varies depending on the usage situation of the printer, further proposals are required.

[0003] For example, although the paper after cutting is held at the paper discharge port, the desire that the holding force should be such that the paper can be picked up and removed with a light force, that is, not strongly clamped, is difficult to satisfy.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a printer that can hold the paper at the paper discharge port with a force that can be easily picked up.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The printer according to the embodiment houses a printing unit that prints on paper and a cutting unit that cuts the paper, and has a housing having a paper discharge port that is an opening for discharging the paper, a support portion having a trapezoidal shape that supports the paper discharged from the paper discharge port from below and partially having a recessed portion that is a recessed part, and a pressing portion provided at a position facing the recessed portion that presses the paper supported by the support portion from above and curves it between the recessed portion.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a printer with its casing open. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a front view showing an example of the printer's appearance. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a front view showing an enlarged view of the paper output slot, support base, and clamping mechanism. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing an example of another type of retaining mechanism. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the retaining portion of Figure 5. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a front view showing an enlarged view of the retaining portion of Figure 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] The embodiments will be described using drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the external appearance of the printer 1 according to the embodiment. For the sake of explanation, a three-dimensional coordinate system is also shown in the drawing. In the three-dimensional coordinate system, the width direction (left-right direction) of the printer 1 is the X-axis direction, the depth direction (front-back direction) is the Y-axis direction, and the height direction (up-down direction) is the Z-axis direction. The three axes, X, Y, and Z, are orthogonal to each other. The positive direction of the Z axis is from bottom to top. The positive direction of the Y axis is from the front side to the back side of the printer 1, and the negative direction of the Y axis is "forward". The positive direction of the X axis is from left to right.

[0008] Printer 1 is a device for printing on paper (printing device) and comprises a main body 21, a lid 22, a touch panel display 3, an opening / closing button 4, etc. The main body 21 and the lid 22 constitute an example of the housing of Printer 1.

[0009] The main body 21 is a box-shaped container with an opening on its top surface. The lid 22 covers the opening of the main body 21. The touch panel display 3 is mounted on the top surface of the lid 22 and displays information for the operator and accepts various operations. The open / close button 4 accepts the operation to open and close the casing of the printer 1.

[0010] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the printer 1 with its casing open. The printer 1 further comprises a hinge section 23, a paper storage section 5, a print head 61, a platen 62, a fixed blade 71, and a movable blade 72. The print head 61 and platen 62 constitute an example of the printing section. The fixed blade 71 and movable blade 72 constitute an example of the cutting section.

[0011] The hinge portion 23 is located on the rear side (back side) of the housing and rotatably connects the lid portion 22 and the main body portion 21. As the lid portion 22 rotates relative to the main body portion 21, the housing opens and closes. The paper storage portion 5, print head 61, platen 62, fixed blade 71, and movable blade 72 are housed in the housing.

[0012] The paper storage section 5 stores and holds a roll of paper 9, which is made of strip-shaped paper 91 wound into a roll, so that it can rotate freely. As the paper 91 is pulled out, the roll of paper 9 rotates. The paper 91 is, for example, receipt paper or ticket paper. Ticket paper is thicker and stiffer (more resistant to bending) than receipt paper.

[0013] The print head 61 is fixed to the inner surface of the lid 22 and, when the lid 22 is in a position to close the opening of the main body 21, it contacts the outer surface of the platen 62 and is biased by a spring or the like in a direction that pressurizes the outer surface. The print head 61 is, for example, a line thermal head and is equipped with a plurality of heating elements arranged in parallel, and prints on the paper 91 sandwiched between the platen 62 using the heat from the heating elements. The platen 62 is a roller whose surface is covered with an elastic material and rotates when a driving force such as a motor built into the printer 1 is transmitted, thereby transporting the paper 91 sandwiched between the print head 61. In the printing section of this embodiment, the paper 91 is transported with the printing surface (printing surface) facing upwards and the back surface of the printing surface facing downwards.

[0014] The fixed blade 71 is fixed to the inner surface of the lid 22, and the movable blade 72 slides over it. The movable blade 72 is built into the main body 21 and moves up and down when a driving force such as a motor is transmitted to it, and slides against the fixed blade 71 as it moves. This sliding cuts the paper 91 that is sandwiched between the fixed blade 71 and the movable blade 72.

[0015] Figure 3 is a front view showing an example of the external appearance of printer 1. The paper output tray 25, support tray 26, and presser foot 27 will be described in conjunction with Figure 3, referring to Figure 1.

[0016] The paper output port 25 for ejecting the paper 91 is formed on the front of the housing, between the main body 21 and the lid 22. The main body 21 is equipped with a support base 26 below the paper output port 25 on the front. The lid 22 is equipped with a retaining portion 27 above the paper output port 25 on the front.

[0017] The support base 26 is a cantilevered, platform-like portion that protrudes from the front of the main body 21, and is located below the paper output slot 25, supporting the paper 91 ejected from the paper output slot 25 from below. More specifically, the support base 26 contacts and supports the underside (back side of the printable surface) of the paper 91 ejected from the paper output slot 25.

[0018] The support base 26 has a recess 265. In this embodiment, the recess 265 has a notched shape, such that a part of the front end of the support base 26 (for example, the center in the width direction) is cut out (or recessed from front to back). The support base 26 supports the paper 91 with the portion other than the recess 265.

[0019] Figure 4 is a front view showing an enlarged view of the paper discharge port 25, the support base 26, and the pressing portion 27. The pressing portion 27 presses the upper surface (printing surface, front surface) of the sheet of paper 91 supported by the support base 26. The pressing portion 27 is provided such that the lower end (tip) 275 faces the concave portion 265. The height (position in the Z-axis direction) of the lower end 275 of the pressing portion 27 is lower than the height of the portion of the support base 26 that supports the sheet of paper 91 (that is, the portion excluding the concave portion 265). The height difference g in the height direction is, for example, about 3 to 5 mm. The height difference g is the depth of pressing down the sheet of paper 91 in a direction approaching the concave portion 265.

[0020] Further, the pressing portion 27 is provided to protrude forward and downward from above the paper discharge port 25, and a predetermined range including the portion facing the paper discharge port 25 is inclined with respect to the discharge direction of the sheet of paper 91 (the traveling direction of the sheet of paper 91 discharged from the paper discharge port 25). The direction of this inclination is such that the tip of the sheet of paper 91 that contacts the pressing portion 27 and moves along the inclination is guided downward. By providing this inclination, the occurrence of jams due to the pressing portion 27 blocking the front of the paper discharge port 25 is prevented.

[0021] Note that the angle formed between the inclined portion (the inclined portion of the pressing portion 27 that receives the tip of the sheet of paper 91) and the traveling direction of the sheet of paper 91 is, for example, 45° or less (preferably about 30°). The above-described inclined portion may be planar (linear in a side view), but it does not have to be. The inclined portion of the present embodiment is a concave curved surface (curved in a side view), and the inclination angle with respect to the traveling direction of the sheet of paper 91 gradually increases from top to bottom, guiding the tip of the sheet of paper 91 more downward.

[0022] The illustrated concave portion 265 and the pressing portion 27 are generally located at the center in the width direction of the support base 26, but are not limited to this in practice. For example, if the width of the sheet of paper 91 used in the printer 1 is constant, it is preferable to position the concave portion 265 and the pressing portion 27 at the center in the width direction of the sheet of paper 91. For example, if a sheet of paper 91 with a width of 50 mm is used on one side basis, it is preferable that the pressing portion 27 is provided at a position 25 mm from the reference position.

[0023] If sheets of paper 91 with multiple widths are used, the recess 265 and the pressing part 27 are not necessarily located at the center in the width direction for the convenience of being arranged at positions where effects can be obtained for any of the sheets of paper 91 to be used. In that case, it is desirable that the amount of deviation from the center in the width direction is set to be small for the sheet of paper 91 with a narrow width and large for the sheet of paper 91 with a wide width.

[0024] As a specific example, in the printer 1, if sheets of paper 91 with widths of 50 mm and 80 mm are used on one side as a reference, for example, the pressing part 27 is provided at a position about 30 mm from the reference position. In this case, the amount of deviation from the center in the width direction of the position where the pressing part 27 presses the sheet of paper 91 is about 5 mm for the sheet of paper 91 with a width of 50 mm and about 10 mm for the sheet of paper 91 with a width of 80 mm.

[0025] Here, prior to the description of the operation of the printer 1, a modified example of the pressing part 27 is shown. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of another pressing part 28. FIGS. 6 and 7 are a plan view and a front view showing the pressing part 28 enlarged.

[0026] The pressing part 28 is obtained by replacing the lower end 275 of the pressing part 27 with a roller 29. The pressing part 28 is provided with a roller 29 at its tip. The rotation axis 295 of the roller 29 is located above the paper discharge port 25. The lower end 275 of the pressing part 27 corresponds to the lower end of the roller 29. That is, the height of the lowest position of the outer peripheral surface of the roller 29 (the position in the Z-axis direction) is, for example, about 3 to 5 mm lower than the height of the part of the support base 26 that supports the sheet of paper 91 (that is, the part excluding the recess 265).

[0027] FIGS. 5 and 7 show the sheet of paper 91 pressed by the pressing part 28. The sheet of paper 91 is curved in a substantially V-shaped (or substantially U-shaped) manner when viewed from the front by being pressed by the pressing part 28. The part that forms the valley of this curvature is shown by a broken line as the bending part 915.

[0028] In this type of printer 1, the paper 91 is transported by the rotation of the platen 62 and printed on by the print head 61. As the printed paper 91 is transported, it protrudes out of the casing from the paper output slot 25 and, after printing is complete, is cut by being sandwiched between the fixed blade 71 and the movable blade 72.

[0029] The paper 91 that exits the casing from the paper output slot 25 is supported at two points on its underside by the support base 26, and the portion between these two points is pressed down from above by the pressing part 28, causing it to be transported in a curved, valley-like shape.

[0030] After cutting, the paper 91 is held between the support base 26 and the pressing part 28 by its stiffness (the property of resisting bending) which causes it to return to its original curved state.

[0031] Furthermore, as described above, the paper 91 is handled between the support base 26 and the pressing part 28 during transport. This straightens out (corrects) any curl in the paper 91.

[0032] The pressing portion 27 described earlier also has substantially the same effect as the pressing portion 28. That is, the pressing portion 27, at its lower end 275, presses the paper 91 from top to bottom, forming a bent portion 915, and holds the paper 91 in the paper output slot 25.

[0033] The presser foot 27 has a lower manufacturing cost configuration compared to the presser foot 28. Although the presser foot 28 has a higher manufacturing cost than the presser foot 27, it has the advantage that its tip is a roller 29, which makes rolling contact with the paper 91 and does not rub the printed surface of the paper 91.

[0034] As described above, the printer 1 of this embodiment can hold the cut paper 91 in the paper output slot 25 with a holding force that is sufficient to allow the paper 91 to be picked up and removed with light force. In other words, the paper 91 can be held in the paper output slot 25 with just enough force to be easily picked up. This prevents the cut paper 91 from being lost or soiled by falling out of the paper output slot 25.

[0035] Furthermore, the printer 1 of this embodiment can straighten the paper 91 so that it is not curled. Since the cut paper 91 is given to customers as tickets or receipts, it is undesirable if it remains curled. This embodiment reduces the effort required of store staff to straighten out the curl.

[0036] In the prior art (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2), the paper is held in place inside the paper output slot, whereas the printer 1 of this embodiment has a structure that curves the paper 91 outside the paper output slot 25. Inside the paper output slot 25, the print head 61 and platen 62 are close to the position where they grip the paper 91, making it difficult to curve the paper 91 sufficiently. Furthermore, if the paper is curved too strongly at that position, it can cause jams at the cutting section or the paper output slot 25. According to this embodiment, the structure that curves the paper 91 is located a certain distance away from the nip position between the print head 61 and platen 62, so the paper 91 can be bent into a desired trough shape (V-shape, U-shape).

[0037] The distance between the position where the pressing parts 27 and 28 press down on the paper 91 and the paper output slot 25, the distance between the paper output slot 25 and the cutting position, and the distance between the cutting position and the printing position are, for example, about 1 cm. The length of the paper 91 remaining inside the casing after cutting is, for example, about 10 to 15 mm. Since the length of receipts in recent years is at least about 50 mm, the estimated minimum length of the paper 91 coming out of the paper output slot 25 in the printer 1 of this embodiment is about 35 mm.

[0038] The above embodiment uses a printer 1 that uses roll paper 9 as an example, but the implementation is not limited to this, and for example, a printer 1 that uses fanfold paper in which the paper 91 is folded may also be used.

[0039] Furthermore, in implementation, the recess 265 may be, for example, a recess (indentation) in which a part of the support base 26 (for example, the central part in the width direction) is indented from top to bottom. If the recess 265 is notched, it has the advantage of making it easier to pick up the paper 91.

[0040] Furthermore, although the edge of the recess 265 shown in the drawing is roughly V-shaped, including a straight line oblique to the conveying direction in a plan view, the implementation is not limited to this. For example, the aforementioned straight portion may be roughly U-shaped, aligned with the conveying direction in a plan view, or it may have any other shape.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the height difference g (see Figure 4) was set to approximately 3 to 5 mm, for example, but the implementation is not limited to this. In implementation, the height difference g should be 0 mm or more, and the height of the lower end 275 of the pressing portion 27 should be set appropriately so as to be less than or equal to the height of the part of the support base 26 that supports the paper 91 (the part other than the recess 265 that contacts and supports the back surface of the paper 91).

[0042] Furthermore, if the printer 1 supports paper 91 of multiple widths, and the reference position of the paper 91 is not in the center in the width direction but on one side, the presser parts 27 and 28 may be configured to be movable to multiple locations aligned with the center position of each paper width, and to be attachable to and detachable from the housing.

[0043] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 1…Printer, 21...Main unit (composed of an example of a housing), 22...Lid (constitutes an example of a housing), 23...Hinge section, 25... Paper output slot, 26...support base, 265...recess, 27...Pressing part, 275...Lower end, 28...Pressing part, 29...Roller, 295...Rotating shaft, 3…Touch panel display, 4…Open / close button, 5...Paper storage section, 61...Print head (composed of an example of the printing unit), 62...Platen (consisting of an example of the printing section), 71... Fixed blade (constitutes an example of a cutting section), 72...Movable blade (constitutes an example of a cutting section), 9... Roll paper, 91...Paper, 915...Bend. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0045] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-034459 [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-203521

Claims

1. A housing that houses a printing unit for printing on paper and a cutting unit for cutting the paper, and has a paper discharge port which is an opening for discharging the paper, A support portion having a platform-like shape that supports the paper ejected from the paper output slot from below, and partially having a recessed portion, A pressing portion is provided at a position opposite to the recess, and presses down on the paper supported by the support portion from above, causing it to bend between itself and the recess, A printer equipped with the following features.

2. The lower end of the pressing portion is located at a height that matches or is lower than the height of the portion of the support portion that supports the paper. The printer according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned retaining portion is provided so as to protrude forward and downward from above the slit-shaped paper output opening, and a predetermined range including the portion facing the paper output opening is inclined with respect to the paper output direction. The printer according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned pressing portion has a roller at its tip, and the axis of rotation of the roller is located above the paper output opening. The printer according to claim 3.

5. The predetermined range of the pressing portion that is inclined with respect to the paper discharge direction has a concave, curved shape. The printer according to claim 3.

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