Printing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a printing apparatus that can easily resolve paper jams in the cutting medium, such as label paper. [Solution] A movable blade 189 and a fixed blade 33 are installed facing each other at a cutting position for cutting the label paper R. The movable blade 189 is attached to a movable blade unit (rotational movement mechanism) 180 that rotates around a pivot 165. The fixed blade 33 is attached to a separation unit (linear movement mechanism) 20 that moves linearly. When the separation unit 20 with the fixed blade 33 attached is moved from the cutting position, the movable blade unit 180 with the movable blade 189 attached becomes movable from the cutting position. The separation unit 20 moves linearly together with a roll storage unit 29 that stores the label roll 27 of the label paper R.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing device suitable for use in a cutter mechanism or the like of a label printer.

Background Art

[0002] A label printer is configured to cut the printed label paper by a cutting mechanism after printing on the label paper drawn out from a label roll. Here, the printing device of the label printer drives the platen roller while sandwiching the label paper between the platen roller and the printing head, for example, and thereby transfers the label paper toward the label discharge port while simultaneously performing printing by the printing head. Further, the cutting mechanism is configured such that, for example, a fixed blade and a movable blade are installed facing each other slightly downstream from the printing means (its label discharge port), the printed label paper is passed between them, and the printed label is cut by a shearing action by moving the movable blade in the direction of the fixed blade.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the label printer provided with the above-described conventional cutting mechanism, when the movable blade moves in the direction of the fixed blade, the label paper may be caught and the label paper may be clogged in the cutting mechanism.

[0005] Conventionally, when such a paper jam occurs, the solution is to manually operate a maintenance movable blade drive mechanism, which is pre-installed near the movable blade, to move the movable blade away from the fixed blade, thereby increasing the gap between the movable and fixed blades, removing the label paper that caused the jam, and restoring the machine's functionality.

[0006] However, the conventional method described above to clear a paper jam in the label paper is time-consuming and reduces printing efficiency.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and its purpose is to provide a printing apparatus that can easily resolve paper jams in the cutting medium, such as label paper. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The printing apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that a pair of blades are installed facing each other at a cutting position for cutting a medium to be cut, and each of the pair of blades is attached to a different moving mechanism, and when the linear moving mechanism to which one of the blades is attached is moved linearly from the cutting position, the rotational moving mechanism to which the other blade is attached becomes rotatable from the cutting position, and the linear moving mechanism moves linearly together with a storage section that stores the medium to be cut. According to the present invention, by simply moving one blade from the cutting position, the other blade can also be moved from the cutting position, so the two blades can be easily separated into a large gap, thereby easily resolving problems that occur in the cutting mechanism, such as paper jams. Furthermore, by moving one blade away from the cutting position in a linear direction, the other blade can be moved away from the cutting position in a rotational direction, thus allowing for a large gap between the two blades over a short distance.

[0009] Furthermore, in addition to the above features, the present invention is characterized in that, of the pair of blade bodies, the fixed blade is provided in the linear movement mechanism, and the invention includes a first biasing unit that biases the fixed blade in the direction of transport of the printing medium.

[0010] In addition to the above features, the present invention is further characterized in that, of the pair of blade bodies, the movable blade is provided by the rotational movement mechanism, and the movable blade is provided with a second biasing unit that biases the movable blade in the direction of transport of the medium to be cut.

[0011] Furthermore, in addition to the above features, the present invention is characterized in that the linear movement mechanism includes a limiting unit that limits the rotational movement of the rotational movement mechanism.

[0012] For example, a roll of paper may be used as the cutting medium, and a printing means such as one in which the roll of paper is sandwiched between a print head and a platen roller and printed while the roll of paper is fed out may be used. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and various other configurations of cutting mediums and printing means may be used. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, by simply moving one blade from the cutting position, the other blade can also be moved from the cutting position. Therefore, even if problems such as paper jams occur in the material to be cut, the pair of blades can be easily separated by moving them together, and the above-mentioned problems such as paper jams can be quickly removed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of label printer (weighing and attaching label printer) 1. [Figure 2] This is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of the printing device 10. [Figure 3] This is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of the printing apparatus 10 with the separation unit 20 extended. [Figure 4] This is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the printing apparatus 10 with the separation unit 20 extended. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of the fixed blade unit 30. [Figure 6] This is a schematic side view of the device body side member 100. [Figure 7]It is a perspective view of the device body side member 100 (description of the printing unit 220 is omitted). [Figure 8] It is an exploded perspective view of the device body side member 100 (description of the printing unit 220 is omitted). [Figure 9] It is a schematic enlarged side view of the main part in the vicinity of the movable blade 189 and the fixed blade 33. [Figure 10] It is an operation explanatory view of the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189. [Figure 11] It is an operation explanatory view of the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189. [Figure 12] It is a schematic enlarged side view of the main part in the vicinity of the movable blade 189 and the fixed blade 33.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a label printer (weighing attachment machine, product data processing device) 1 configured using a printing device equipped with a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This label printer 1 is a weighing label printer, for example, installed in the backyard of a store, and is a device that issues labels to be attached to various products or product containers. As shown in the figure, the label printer 1 has a display means 5 and a key operation section 7 installed on the upper surface of a base section 3, a printing device 10 arranged on the front surface of the base section 3, and a weighing section 9 for products further connected by a cable (wireless may also be used). After performing a desired setting (for example, setting the processing date, expiration date, etc.) using the display means 5 and the key operation section 7, the processed, packed, and packaged products are placed on the weighing section 9 for weighing, the price, etc. are calculated, and the content volume, price, etc. are displayed on the display means 5. When this weighing is completed, by pressing the printing key of the key operation section 7 or the like, a label (in this example, a linerless label) that has been subjected to desired printing and cut to a predetermined length is issued (discharged) from the label issuing port 11 of the printing device 10.

[0016] The printing device 10 has a label issuing port 11 and is provided with a lock release lever 13 at its lower part for pulling out the separation part 20 of the printing device 10 forward. When replacing the following label roll 27 for label printing or when the following cutting mechanism is clogged and needs to be restored, by lifting the lock release lever 13 upward to release the lock and pulling the separation part 20 forward, the separation part 20 can be pulled out linearly to the front side. After finishing the replacement of the label roll or the restoration of paper jamming, etc., when pushing the separation part 20 in, the lock release lever 13 is locked and returns to the state shown in the original FIG. 1. In the following description, the direction of pulling out the separation part 20 is expressed as the front (forward), and the direction of pushing it in is expressed as the rear (backward).

[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of the printing device 10, FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of the printing device 10 with the separation part 20 pulled out, and FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the printing device 10 with the separation part 20 pulled out. As shown in these figures, the printing device 10 is configured to include a separation part 20 located below and a device main body side member 100 located above. The printing device 10 is configured by housing and installing the separation part 20 and the device main body side member 100 in a recess (its inner peripheral wall) formed on the front surface of the base part 3 of the label printer 1. Hereinafter, the recess (its inner peripheral wall) formed on the front surface of the base part 3 is called a member (fixed side member) on the device main body side of the printing device 10 (or the label printer 1).

[0018] The separation part 20 is installed on a plate-shaped attachment body 21 attached to the member on the device main body side via a slider mechanism 23. The slider mechanism 23 is a mechanism that enables the separation part 20 to move (slide) linearly (in the horizontal direction in this example) over a predetermined distance with respect to the attachment body 21.

[0019] The separation unit 20 is constructed by providing a roll storage unit 29 for storing a label roll 27, which is made up of a long, strip-shaped label, at the rear upper part of a roughly rectangular frame 25, and installing a platen roller 31 and a blade (hereinafter referred to as "fixed blade") 33 at the front upper part of the frame 25. The platen roller 31 is pivotally supported on the left and right side plates 35, 37 which constitute part of the frame 25, and is configured to be rotatable by a drive mechanism (not shown). The fixed blade 33 is constructed with a blade 41 on its upper edge and is installed on the front side of the platen roller 31 (the discharge side, downstream side of the label paper R described below). The blade 41 is straight (horizontal) and is installed along the longitudinal direction of the platen roller 31. In addition, a fixed blade movement restricting hole 67 is provided through one of the side plates 35 for inserting a movement restricting unit 39 for the fixed blade 33 described below. The fixed blade movement restricting hole 67 is a roughly fan-shaped through hole, with the front side serving as the contact portion 69. Additionally, protrusions 36, 36 protrude from the front portion of the upper edges of both side plates 35, 37, and the rear vertical edges of these protrusions serve as guide portions 32, 32.

[0020] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a fixed blade unit 30, which consists of a fixed blade 33 and a support body 43 that supports it. As shown in the figure, the fixed blade 33 is made of metal and is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape, with a blade 41 provided on its upper edge. A small projection-shaped movement restricting portion 39 protrudes from one of the left and right sides of the fixed blade 33. The support body 43 is composed of a fixed blade holder 45 to which the fixed blade 33 (the rear side) is attached, a mounting base 49 that pivotally supports the fixed blade holder 45, and a biasing means 51 that elastically propels the fixed blade holder 45 forward.

[0021] The fixed blade holder 45 is constructed by forming synthetic resin into a roughly plate-like shape, and a pair of protrusions forming a shaft portion 47 protrudes from both the left and right sides near its lower edge. The fixed blade 33 is fixed to the front surface of the fixed blade holder 45 by fixing means such as screws 53, and in this case, the blade 41 of the fixed blade 33 protrudes upward from the upper edge of the fixed blade holder 45.

[0022] The mounting base 49 is constructed by molding synthetic resin into a roughly plate-like shape, with a pair of pivot support protrusions 57 projecting from the upper surfaces of both its left and right sides, and each pivot support protrusion 57 is provided with a circular concave pivot support portion 59 (only the front pivot support portion 59 is shown in Figure 5). In addition, a pair of groove-shaped spring end locking portions 61 are provided in the center of the upper surface of the mounting base 49 to lock the left and right spring ends 64 of the biasing means 51 described below.

[0023] The biasing means 51 is composed of two coil portions 63, a spring central portion 65 formed by bending the central connecting portion of both coil portions 63 into a U-shape and projecting radially outward, and a pair of spring ends 64 formed by projecting radially outward from the outer ends of both coil portions 63.

[0024] Then, the two shaft portions 47 of the fixed blade holder 45 to which the fixed blade 33 is attached are rotatably engaged with the two shaft support portions 59 of the mounting base 49, and the pair of spring ends 64 of the biasing means 51 are locked to the spring end locking portions 61 of the mounting base 49. As a result, the fixed blade 33 is pivotably supported around the shaft portion 47 and is biased forward (in the direction in which the separation portion 20 separates) by the biasing means 51.

[0025] As shown in Figure 4, the fixed blade unit 30 is attached to the upper surface of the frame 25 in front of the platen roller 31 (between the side plates 35 and 37) by fixing means (not shown). At this time, the fixed blade 33 is made movable (oscillated) in the direction of movement of the separation unit 20 within a predetermined range by inserting the movement restricting portion 39 of the fixed blade 33 into the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67 provided in one side plate 35 of the frame 25. Furthermore, the biasing force of the biasing means 51 causes the front surface of the movement restricting portion 39 of the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67 to elastically contact the contact portion 69 of the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67. In other words, the fixed blade 33 is restricted from moving forward by the restricting means formed by the contact portion 69 of the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67 and the movement restricting portion 39.

[0026] The device body side member 100 is constructed by attaching a movable blade unit 180 to the front of a plate-shaped mounting body 110 attached to the device body side by a pair of support bodies 160, and attaching a printing unit 220 below the mounting body 110. Here, Figure 6 is a schematic side view of the device body side member 100, Figure 7 is a perspective view of the device body side member 100 from a different angle (however, the printing unit 220 is not shown), and Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the device body side member 100 shown in Figure 7.

[0027] As shown in these figures, the mounting body 110 is constructed by bending the four sides of a roughly flat rectangular metal plate downwards to form side walls 111, 113, 115, and 117. A rectangular opening 119 is provided in the front side wall 111, with a locking portion 121 projecting upward from the center of the lower edge of its inner circumference. A rectangular opening 123 is provided in the lower center of the rear side wall 113. These locking portions 121 and openings 123 are formed to lock the printing unit 220. A pair of rectangular openings 127 are provided on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the mounting body 110, and the base portion of a tongue-shaped spring receiving portion 129 that projects from the front edge of its inner circumference is bent downwards and further diagonally forward. A first support locking portion 131 and a second support locking portion 133 are formed on the left and right outer sides of both openings 127. The first support locking portion 131 and the second support locking portion 133 are formed on the same straight line (in the linear movement direction of the separation portion 20). The first support locking portion 131 is substantially convex in shape and is formed by connecting a narrow support portion 137 extending in the linear direction to the front side of a wide spring insertion portion 135 extending in the linear direction. The second support locking portion 133 is substantially convex in shape and is formed by connecting a narrow support portion 141 extending in the linear direction to the front side of a wide insertion portion 139, one end of which extends to the outer periphery of the mounting body 110. The width dimensions of the spring insertion portion 135 and the insertion portion 139 are formed to be the same, and the width dimensions of both support portions 137 and 141 are formed to be the same.

[0028] The movable blade unit 180 is formed in a roughly rectangular box shape, and a pair of support members 160 are rotatably attached to both sides thereof. The support members 160 are molded from synthetic resin and, as shown in Figure 8, are molded in a roughly L-shape, with the front part being the movable blade side support member 161 and the rear part being the device body side support member 163. The movable blade side support member 161 is plate-shaped, and its upper part is rotatably attached to the upper pivot support members 165 on the left and right sides of the movable blade unit 180. The device body side support member 163 is roughly rod-shaped and installed horizontally, with a pair of support member holding members 167 and 169 protruding from its upper surface. A concave spring insertion part 164 is provided between the pair of support member holding members 167 and 169 on the upper surface of the device body side support member 163. The front support member holding member 167 is T-shaped, and is configured with a wide retaining part 173 on top of a narrow guide insertion part 171. The width of the guide insertion portion 171 is formed to allow insertion into the support portion 137 of the first support locking portion 131, and the width of the retaining portion 173 is formed to allow insertion into the spring insertion portion 135 of the first support locking portion 131. A spring support portion 175, consisting of a projection, is provided on the rear side of the guide insertion portion 171. The rear support holding portion 169 is also T-shaped, and is configured with a wider retaining portion 179 on top of a narrower guide insertion portion 177. The width of the guide insertion portion 177 is formed to allow insertion into the support portion 141 of the second support locking portion 133, and the width of the retaining portion 179 is formed to allow insertion into the insertion portion 139 of the second support locking portion 133. The end face of the device body side support portion 163 on the movable blade unit 180 side, which protrudes toward the opposing side of the pair of movable blade side support portions 161, is the movable blade unit contact portion 166.

[0029] The movable blade unit 180 is constructed, for example, as shown in Figure 4, by attaching a roughly U-shaped mounting plate 183 to the rear surface of a roughly rectangular box-shaped drive mechanism 181. The drive mechanism 181 has a portion of the movable blade drive motor 185 housed inside exposed on its front surface, and a portion of the manual operation knob 187 of the maintenance movable blade drive mechanism housed inside also exposed on its front surface. A single blade body (hereinafter referred to as "movable blade") 189 protrudes from the lower surface of the drive mechanism 181 along its longitudinal direction. As shown in Figure 9 below, the movable blade 189 is attached by screws 192 to a movable blade holding member 191 that protrudes from the lower surface of the drive mechanism 181, and moves up and down by driving the movable blade drive motor 185. As shown in Figure 4, the lower end edge of the movable blade 189 is formed in a diagonally inclined straight line, and a blade 193 is formed on this lower end edge. One end of the blade 193 (the end that protrudes the most downward) is provided with a small, protruding blade guide portion 195 that extends downward from the blade 193 and curves forward. The mounting plate 183 is constructed by bending both the left and right sides of a roughly rectangular metal plate forward to provide side portions 197. The lower part of the mounting plate 183 protrudes downward from the drive mechanism portion 181, and the inner portions of the left and right side portions 197 on the lower front of the mounting plate 183 are guided portions 199 that come into contact with the guide portion 32 of the separation portion 20.

[0030] The printing unit 220 is configured by mounting a print head (hereinafter referred to as "thermal head") 223, etc., on the lower surface of a mounting plate 221, as shown in Figures 4 and 6. In reality, various other components necessary for printing besides the thermal head 223 are also mounted, but for the sake of explanation, their description is omitted. The mounting plate 221 is a roughly flat rectangular metal plate body, and both the left and right sides are bent downward to form side walls 225 (only the front side wall 215 is shown in Figures 4 and 6). A locking piece 227, bent upward in an inverted L shape, is provided approximately in the center of the outer periphery on the front side of the mounting plate 221, and a pair of spring receiving pieces 229, bent diagonally forward and upward, are provided on both the left and right sides of the locking piece 227. The locking piece 227 is shaped and sized to be inserted into the opening 119 of the mounting body 110, and an opening (not shown) is formed inside it to lock the locking portion 121 of the mounting body 110. Furthermore, a locking portion 231 is formed approximately in the center of the outer periphery on the rear side of the mounting plate 221, which protrudes convexly and is inserted into and locked into the opening 123 of the mounting body 110. The thermal head 223 is approximately rod-shaped (block-shaped) and has a length that extends approximately the entire length of the platen roller 31, with its lower surface serving as the thermal head portion.

[0031] Next, the assembly method for the device body side member 100 will be explained. First, the device body side support portions 163 of the pair of support bodies 160 shown in Figure 8 are placed on the lower side of the mounting body 110. At this time, the retaining portions 173 and 179 of the support bodies 160 are inserted into the spring insertion portions 135 and 139 of the mounting body 110, respectively. Then, the support bodies 160 are slid forward so that the guide insertion portions 171 and 177 of the support bodies 160 are inserted into the support body support portions 137 and 141 of the support bodies 160. Then, the coil springs 240, which are biasing means, are inserted into the spring insertion portions 135 of the mounting body 110 (and the spring insertion portions 164 of the support bodies 160), and one end is inserted into each spring support portion 175 for support. This results in the state shown in Figure 7. At this time, the pair of coil springs 240 elastically expand in a direction that separates one end face of the support holder portion 167 from the rear side of the spring insertion portion 135, thereby biasing the pair of support bodies 160 and the movable blade unit 180 forward relative to the mounting body 110.

[0032] Next, the pair of spring receiving portions 129 of the mounting body 110 are inserted into one end of the pair of coil springs 250, which are biasing members, and fixed in place, as shown in Figure 6. Then, the printing unit 220 is placed at the bottom of the mounting body 110, the locking piece 227 of the printing unit 220 is inserted into the opening 119 of the mounting body 110, the locking portion 121 is locked into the opening (not shown) of the locking piece 227, and the locking portion 231 of the printing unit 220 is locked into the opening 123 of the mounting body 110. At this time, the other end of the coil spring 250 elastically contacts the spring receiving piece 229, thereby biasing the printing unit 220 diagonally downward and forward relative to the mounting body 110. This completes the assembly of the device body side member 100. It goes without saying that the above assembly procedure is just one example, and various other different assembly procedures may be used.

[0033] The printing device 10 is then constructed by fixing the mounting body 21 attached to the lower part of the separation unit 20 to the inner lower surface of a recess provided on the front surface of the base unit 3 of the label printer 1, and fixing the mounting body 110 of the device body side member 100 to the inner upper surface of the recess. Figure 2 shows the separation unit 20 in the closed state, i.e., the printable state, while Figures 3 and 4 show the separation unit 20 pulled out from the recess of the label printer 1, i.e., when replacing the label roll 27 or when the cutting mechanism, which consists of a fixed blade 33 and a movable blade 189, etc., is jammed and needs to be restored.

[0034] Figure 9 is a schematic side view of the main parts near the movable blade 189 and the fixed blade 33 in the printable state shown in Figure 2 (however, the printing unit 220 is not shown). At this time, the movable blade 189 and the fixed blade 33 are in a cutting position for cutting label paper. As shown in the figure, the rear surface of the mounting plate 183 of the movable blade unit 180 abuts against the movable blade unit contact portion 166 of the support 160 (see Figures 7 and 8), thereby restricting the rotation of the movable blade unit 180 backward. At the same time, the pair of left and right guide portions 32 of the separation portion 20 abut against the pair of left and right guided portions 199 of the mounting plate 183, thereby restricting the rotation of the movable blade unit 180 forward and moving the movable blade unit 180 and the support 160 slightly backward relative to the mounting body 110 against the biasing force of the coil spring 240. In other words, the movable blade unit 180 and the support body 160 (i.e., the movable blade 189) are pressurized by the coil spring 240. This pressurization ensures that even if the relative position of the separation unit 20 with respect to the main body member 100 is not precisely positioned, the relative position of the movable blade 189 with respect to the separation unit 20 can be precisely positioned. On the other hand, as mentioned above, the fixed blade 33 is biased by the biasing means 51 so that its movement restricting portion 39 is elastically in contact with the contact portion 69 of the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67. In other words, the fixed blade 33 is always biased to a position where it is in contact with the contact portion 69 of the fixed blade movement restricting hole 67, so that the position of the fixed blade 33 in the separation unit 20 can be precisely set to the same position. These measures ensure precise positioning between the pair of blade bodies (between the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189). At this time, the thermal head portion on the lower surface of the thermal head 223, which is not shown in Figure 9, is in contact with the platen roller 31 (elastic contact due to the biasing force of the coil spring 250).

[0035] In this state, the label paper pulled from the label roll 27 stored in the roll storage section 29 of the separation section 20 is passed between the platen roller 31 and the thermal head 223. The platen roller 31 is rotated while the thermal head 223 performs printing, and the printed label paper is passed between the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189 and discharged. The discharged label paper is cut by the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189. In other words, at least the platen roller 31 and the thermal head 223 constitute a printing means for printing on the label paper, and at least the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189 constitute a cutting mechanism for cutting the printed label paper.

[0036] Figures 10 and 11 are enlarged schematic diagrams of the main parts of the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189. Figure 10 shows the state when the movable blade 189 is not driven (when it is raised), and Figure 11 shows the state when the movable blade 189 is driven (when it is lowered). In both figures, both blades 33 and 189 are in a cutting position. That is, as shown in Figure 10, when the movable blade 189 is not driven, a gap S is formed between the blade 41 of the fixed blade 33 and the blade 193 of the movable blade 189, allowing the label paper R to pass through. When the movable blade drive motor 185 is driven, the movable blade 189 shown in Figure 10 is lowered in a straight line downwards, and the blade guide portion 195 provided at one end of the lower edge of the movable blade 189 causes the fixed blade 33 to rotate against the biasing means 51, and the label paper R is cut by the blades 193 and 41 as shown in Figure 11. In this case, the clamping pressure between the blade 193 and the blade 41 that holds the label paper R is kept constant by the biasing means 51. Therefore, even if changes occur over time, such as blade wear, a constant and good shearing action can always be maintained for cutting the label paper R.

[0037] Next, if a paper jam occurs during printing, the lock is released by lifting the lock release lever 13 shown in Figure 1 upwards, and the separation unit 20 is pulled out in a straight line towards the user. At this time, as shown in Figure 12, the guide part 32 of the separation unit 20 separates from the guided part 199 of the mounting plate 183, so the movable blade unit 180 can rotate forward as shown by the arrow in Figure 12. Therefore, the movable blade 189 can be easily pulled far away from the fixed blade 33, thereby easily resolving problems that occur in the cutting mechanism, such as paper jams. In particular, if, for example, the movable blade 189 does not return to its original position from the position shown in Figure 11 due to a paper jam, if the movable blade 189 cannot be moved, the separation unit 20 cannot be pulled out due to the engagement between the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189. However, according to the mechanism of this embodiment, the movable blade 189 can move in the direction of movement of the separation unit 20, so even in such cases the separation unit 20 can be easily pulled out and the paper jam can be resolved.

[0038] In this embodiment, the fixed blade 33 moves linearly by its moving mechanism (linear movement mechanism), which is the separation unit 20, and the movable blade 189 moves rotationally by its moving mechanism (rotational movement mechanism), which is the movable blade unit 180. Therefore, by simply moving the fixed blade 33 linearly away from the cutting position, the movable blade 189 moves rotationally away from the cutting position, and the gap between the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189 can be widened over a short distance, making it easier to resolve paper jams and the like.

[0039] After clearing a paper jam or replacing the label roll 27, the separation unit 20 is pushed back towards the main body of the device to return it to the cutting position shown in Figure 2, and the lock release lever 13 is locked. At this time, as shown in Figure 9, the guide part 32 of the separation unit 20 engages with the guided part 199 of the movable blade unit 180, guiding and fixing the movable blade unit 180 to the cutting position. In other words, simply by returning the separation unit 20 to the cutting position, the movable blade unit 180 is automatically guided and fixed to the cutting position in conjunction with its movement. When the guide part 32 contacts and engages with the guided part 199, the movable blade unit 180 and the support body 160 move slightly backward relative to the mounting body 110, against the biasing force of the coil spring 240, and return to their original position. That is, as described above, the movable blade unit 180 and the support body 160 are pressurized by the coil spring 240, and this pressurization accurately positions the relative position of the movable blade 189 with respect to the separation unit 20.

[0040] Incidentally, the above cutting mechanism is equipped with a cutting position detection means, and this cutting position detection means controls the movable blade 189 to return to its initial position if at least one of the separation unit 20 or the movable blade unit 180 is not in a cutting position. Specifically, this cutting position detection means comprises a separation unit position detection sensor S1-1 and a detection unit S1-2 consisting of a part of the frame 25 (both constitute the first cutting position detection means), shown by dotted lines in Figures 2 and 3, and a movable blade unit position detection sensor S2-1 and detection unit S2-2 (both constitute the second cutting position detection means), shown by dotted lines in Figures 9 and 12. In addition, although not shown, a movable blade sensor is built into the drive mechanism 181 of the movable blade unit 180 to detect whether the movable blade 189 is in the protruding cutting position or in the retracted initial position.

[0041] The separation unit position detection sensor S1-1 is composed of, for example, a photointerrupter (a sensor having opposing light-emitting and light-receiving units, which detects the position (presence or absence) of the detection unit S1-2 by detecting when the detection unit S1-2 blocks light from the light-emitting unit), and is attached to a component on the main body side of the device (not shown). As shown in Figure 2, when the detection unit S1-2 is detected by the separation unit position detection sensor S1-1, it is detected that the separation unit 20 is in the cuttable position shown in Figure 2. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3, when the detection unit S1-2 is not detected by the separation unit position detection sensor S1-1, it is detected that the separation unit 20 is moving away from the cuttable position.

[0042] The movable blade unit position detection sensor S2-1 is also composed of, for example, a photointerrupter and is attached to a component on the movable blade unit 180 side (for example, a cover or decorative plate that covers the front of the movable blade unit 180 and moves [oscillates] together with the movable blade unit 180). When the detection unit S2-2 attached to a component on the device body side is detected by the separation unit position detection sensor S2-1, it is detected that the movable blade unit 180 is in the cutting position shown in Figure 9 (the sensor is not shown in Figure 9). As shown in Figure 12, when the detection unit S2-2 is not detected by the separation unit position detection sensor S2-1, it is detected that the movable blade unit 180 has moved away from the cutting position.

[0043] The control means that controls each of these sensors and the movable blade drive motor 185 determines whether the separation unit 20 or the movable blade unit 180 is in a cutting position. If it is determined that the separation unit 20 or the movable blade unit 180 is not in a cutting position, and the movable blade sensor determines that the movable blade 189 is not in its initial position, the control means drives the movable blade drive motor 185 to return the movable blade 189 to its initial position. In other words, for example, during maintenance such as when label paper R gets jammed between the fixed blade 33 and the movable blade 189, or when replacing label paper R, the separation unit 20 and the movable blade unit 180 are moved away from the cutting position, as described above. At that time, the cutting mechanism (printing device 10) detects the positions of the separation unit 20 and the movable blade unit 180, and if either one has moved away from the cutting position, it automatically returns the movable blade 189 to its initial position. This eliminates the need to manually drive the movable blade 189 separately, shortening the working time and effort, and making maintenance work easier. Furthermore, by using the movable blade sensor built into the movable blade unit 180, if the printing device 10 is powered on and it is determined that the movable blade 189 is not in its initial position, the control may be performed to return the movable blade 189 to its initial position, even if the separation unit 20 and the movable blade unit 180 are in the cutting position.

[0044] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, specification, and drawings. Furthermore, any shape, structure, or material not directly described in the specification and drawings is within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention as long as it achieves the function and effect of the present invention. For example, in the above example, a fixed blade is installed on the separation part side and a movable blade is installed on the device body side member, but both blades may be installed on opposite sides. Alternatively, instead of a movable blade and a fixed blade as a pair of blades, both may be movable blades.

[0045] In the example above, label paper, a printing medium, was used as the medium to be cut, but other printing media used for other purposes, or various other cutting media such as tape or film, may also be used. In short, any medium that is cut and used will work. Also, the medium to be cut does not have to be pulled from a roll.

[0046] In the above example, a linear movement mechanism and a rotational movement mechanism were used as different movement mechanisms, but both could be linear movement mechanisms, both could be rotational movement mechanisms, or movement mechanisms other than linear and rotational. In short, any cutting mechanism is acceptable as long as it is configured such that when one movement mechanism to which one blade is attached is moved from the cutting position, the other movement mechanism to which the other blade is attached becomes movable from the cutting position. In the above embodiment, as described above, one movement mechanism is a linear movement mechanism and the other movement mechanism is a rotational movement mechanism, thereby creating a large gap between the two blades over a short distance, but even if both movement mechanisms are rotational movement mechanisms, a large gap between the two blades can also be created over a short distance. However, since a linear movement mechanism allows for smoother replacement of label rolls, etc., in the above embodiment, for convenience, one of the movement mechanisms is a linear movement mechanism that allows for smooth storage of label rolls, etc.

[0047] Furthermore, the movable blade unit (rotational movement mechanism) may also be equipped with a biasing member that biases the movable blade unit away from the cutting position. With this configuration, when the separation unit (one blade) is moved, the movable blade unit (the other blade) can also be moved automatically and easily by this biasing member. For example, if the separation unit is moved away in a linear direction from the cutting position, the movable blade unit will be automatically moved away upward from the linear movement direction by the biasing member, thus eliminating the risk of the other blade interfering with the linear movement of one blade. In the above embodiment, the biasing means (coil spring) is installed on the rear side of one blade attached to the device body when viewed from the operator's side, but it may instead be installed on the front side of this one blade.

[0048] Furthermore, although the above example uses a weighing and labeling printer as the printing device, it can be similarly installed in various other devices, such as POS registers, kitchen printers, and ticket vending machines. Also, although photointerrupters were used as the position detection sensors S1-1 and S2-1 in the above example, other types of position detection sensors such as optical sensors or magnetic sensors with other structures may be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1. Label printer (weighing and labeling machine, product data processing device) 3 Base part 5 Display means 7 Key operation section 9 Scale section 10 Printing device 11 Label dispenser 13. Unlock lever 20. Separation section (linear movement mechanism, movement mechanism) 21 Mounting body 23 Slider mechanism 25 Frame 27 Label Roll 29 Roll storage section 30 Fixed blade unit 31 Platen roller (printing means) 32 Guide section 33 Fixed blade (blade body, cutting mechanism) 35,37 Side plate 36 Projection part 39 Movement restriction part 41 Blade 43 Support 45 Fixed blade holder 47 Shaft part 49 Mounting base 51 Biasing means 53 Screw 57 Projection for pivot support 59 Axle support 61 Spring end locking part 63 Coil section 64 Spring end 65 Spring center 67 Fixed blade movement regulating hole 69 Contact portion 100 Device body side member 110 Mounting body 111,113,115,117 side wall 119 Opening 121 Locking part 123 Opening 125 Locking part 127 Opening 129 Spring support 131 First support locking part 133 Second support locking part 135 Spring insertion part 137 Support part 139 Insertion part 141 Support part 160 Support body 161 Movable blade side support part 163 Support part on the main body of the device 164 Spring insertion part 165 Axle support section 166 Movable blade unit contact section 167,169 Support holder section 171 Guide insertion section 173 Retaining part 175 Spring support part 177 Guide insertion section 179 Retaining section 180 Movable blade unit (rotational movement mechanism, movement mechanism) 181 Drive mechanism 183 Mounting plate 185 Movable blade drive motor 187 Drive knob 189 Movable blade (blade body, cutting mechanism) 191 Movable blade holding member 192 Screws 193 Blades 195 Blade guide section 197 Side section 199 Guided part 215,225 Side wall 220 Printing unit 221 Mounting plate 223 Thermal head (print head, printing method) 227 Locking piece 229 Spring receiving piece 231 Locking part 240 Coil spring 250 coil springs R Label paper (printing medium, cutting medium) S Gap S1-1 Separation part position detection sensor (means for detecting the position where cutting is possible) S1-2 Detection unit (means for detecting the position where cutting is possible) S2-1 Movable blade unit position detection sensor (means for detecting the cutting position) S2-2 Detection unit (means for detecting the position where cutting is possible)

Claims

1. A pair of blades are positioned opposite each other at a cutting position that cuts the material to be cut. The pair of blades are each attached to different moving mechanisms. When the linear movement mechanism to which one of the blades is attached is moved linearly from the cutting position, the rotational movement mechanism to which the other blade is attached becomes capable of rotational movement from the cutting position. The printing apparatus is characterized in that the linear movement mechanism moves linearly together with a storage unit that houses the medium to be cut.

2. Of the pair of blade bodies, the fixed blade is provided in the linear movement mechanism, The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first biasing unit that biases the fixed blade in the direction of transport of the printing medium.

3. Of the pair of blade bodies, the movable blade is provided by the rotational movement mechanism. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a second biasing unit that biases the movable blade in the direction of transport of the medium to be cut.

4. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the linear movement mechanism includes a limiting unit that limits the rotational movement of the rotational movement mechanism.

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