Label printer

Abstract

To provide a label printer that reduces the occurrence of conveyance failure arising when erroneous opening / closing procedures are performed.SOLUTION: A label printer has an undercover, a top cover, a label peel-off unit, an interference part support member, an interference member, and an interference object member. The undercover is a rectangular parallelepiped case in which a part of its front face and its upper face are opened. The top cover moves between a first position of opening and a second position of closing with respect to the undercover. The label peel-off unit moves between a third position of opening and a fourth position of closing with respect to the undercover. The interference part support member is connected to the interference member. The interference member abuts on the label peel-off unit when the top cover moves between the first position and the second position. The interference object member is a part of an exterior member of the label peel-off unit, and protrudes to an upstream side in a label conveyance direction and abuts on the interference member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a label printer. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Label printers are known that print information on the printing surfaces of labels on a continuous label strip wound in a roll and then issue the labels by peeling the printed labels off a backing sheet.

[0003] In such a label printer, when issuing a printed label in a peeled-off state, a label peel-off unit that pulls the label to bend the backing is provided in a part of the front cover of the label printer in an openable and closable manner. In some label printers, in order to properly peel the label off the backing paper, it is necessary to close in the proper order the top cover, which presses the label during printing, and the label peel-off unit, which pulls the label to peel it off the backing paper. In such a label printer, if the closing sequence is incorrect, the label may not be placed in the correct position and may not be peeled off properly, which may cause a transport problem. Therefore, if a printing operation is performed without noticing that an incorrect closing procedure has been performed, the label may not be peeled off properly and may cause a transport problem. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-075445 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a label printer that reduces the occurrence of transport problems caused by improper peeling of a label even when an incorrect opening and closing procedure is performed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the label printer of this embodiment has an undercover, a top cover, a label peel-off unit, an interference portion support member, an interference member, and an interference-receiving member. The undercover is a rectangular parallelepiped case with a portion of the front surface and the top surface open, and protects the printer body. The top cover moves between a first position where it opens relative to the undercover, and a second position where it closes. The label peel-off unit is located downstream of the undercover in the label transport direction, and the under The cover moves between a third position where it is open and a fourth position where it is closed. The interference portion support member is provided on the top cover and connected to the interference member. The interference member interferes with the exterior part of the label peel-off unit. The interfered member is a part of the exterior part of the label peel-off unit, protrudes toward the upstream side in the label transport direction, and abuts against the interference member. In this label printer, when the top cover moves from the first position to the second position with the label peel-off unit in the fourth position, the interference member connected to the interference portion support member abuts against the interfered member of the label peel-off unit, causing the top cover to interfere with the label peel-off unit and pushing the label peel-off unit from the fourth position to the third position. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a label printer according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a top cover and a label peel-off unit of the label printer shown in FIG. 1 are opened. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a continuous label strip is housed in a label printer according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the front end portion of the label printer according to the first embodiment with both the top cover and the label peel-off unit open. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the front end portion of the label printer according to the first embodiment with a top cover and a label peel-off unit closed. [Figure 6] 5 is an enlarged view of the front end portion in a state where the top cover is closed first from the state shown in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 7]5 is an enlarged view of the front end portion in a state where the label peel-off unit is closed first from the state shown in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is an enlarged view of the front end portion in a state where the top cover has been moved from the state in FIG. 7 to a position where it abuts against the label peel-off unit. [Figure 9] 13 is an enlarged front view of a front end portion of a top cover according to a second embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, a label printer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a label printer according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the label printer shown in FIG. 1 with a top cover open, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the label printer according to the first embodiment with a continuous label strip accommodated therein.

[0010] 1 to 3, the label printer 1 in the first embodiment is mainly composed of a printer body 21, an undercover 7 that houses the printer body 21, a top cover 2 that is rotatably supported relative to the printer body 21 by a rotation support portion 6a and a rotation support portion 6b and covers the upper part of the printer body 21, and a label peel-off unit 10 that is rotatably supported relative to the printer body 21 by a rotation support portion (not shown) and covers the front surface of the printer body 21. The printer body 21 is housed inside a space formed by the top cover 2, the undercover 7, and the label peel-off unit 10. When the printer body 21 is housed inside the space formed by the top cover 2, the undercover 7, and the label peel-off unit 10, a space is formed between the printer body 21 and the label peel-off unit 10 in a closed state, and this space is open to the paper discharge port 11.

[0011] Inside the printer body 21, a storage section for storing a continuous label strip 27 composed of a backing paper 26 and labels 25 peelably attached to the backing paper is provided at the rear end of the printer body 21. The continuous label strip 27 is transported in the direction of the dashed arrow T shown in FIG. 3 (hereinafter referred to as the label transport direction). At the front end of the printer body 21, a platen roller 18 and a peeling bar 9 are provided. The platen roller 18 is connected to a drive motor via a gear or the like as a drive source (not shown). In addition, at the front end of the printer body 21, there are a space formed between the printer body 21 and the label peel-off unit 10 in the closed state, and openings 20a and 20b that open to the top surface of the printer body 21.

[0012] The under cover 7 is a rectangular parallelepiped case with the top and part of the front open, and the top is covered by the top cover 2, and the front is covered by the label peel-off unit 10, thereby protecting the printer body 21 inside. The under case 7 is provided with a connection terminal (not shown) for supplying power to the printer body 21 inside.

[0013] The top cover 2 is movable between an open state (hereinafter referred to as a first position) in which the continuous label strip 27 can be stored inside the printer body 21, and a closed state (hereinafter referred to as a second position) in which printing can be performed on the labels 25. The top cover 2 is provided with a control panel 3 consisting of operation buttons 4 and a display unit 5, and an operator can use the operation buttons 4 to perform various operations and check various information on the display unit 5.

[0014] The top cover 2 has a thermal head 17 and an interference part support member 15. The thermal head 17 prints by sandwiching a label 25 between the thermal head 17 and a platen roller 18. The interference part 16 interferes with the label peel-off unit 10 in the closed state. The interference part 16a and the interference part support member 15a and the interference part support member 15b are connected to each other as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. When the top cover 2 is in the second position, the interference part support member 15a and the interference part support member 15b fit into the opening 20a and the opening 20b provided at the tip of the printer body 21. The interference part 16a and the interference part 16b abut against a part of the label peel-off unit 10. The interference part 16 is, for example, a protrusion such as a boss or a high friction part, and the abutment surface is a curved surface or an inclined surface. The interference part 16a and the interference part 16b are positioned facing each other. The interference part 16 is also positioned outside the paper width of the mount 26. The interference portion support member 15 may be integrally molded with the interference member 16, or may be configured as a separate member. When the top cover 2 is in the second position, the interference members 16a and 16b are positioned within the space formed between the openings 20a and 20b and the printer main body 21 and the label peel-off unit 10 in the closed state.

[0015] The label peel-off unit 10 moves between an open position (hereinafter referred to as a third position) for inserting the backing paper 26 into the paper discharge port 11 and a closed position (hereinafter referred to as a fourth position) for a nip roller 19 of the label peel-off unit 10 to abut against the platen roller 18 and clamp the backing paper 26. The label peel-off unit 10 includes the nip roller 19. When the label peel-off unit 10 is located at the fourth position, the nip roller 19 abuts against the platen roller 18 to cooperate in peeling the label 25 from the backing paper 26 and transporting the backing paper 26 after peeling to the paper discharge port 11. A part of the exterior member of the label peel-off unit 10 facing the printer body 21 includes an interfered member 10a and an interfered member 10b that abut against the interference portion support member 15. The interfered member 10a and the interfered member 10b are, for example, an inclined surface, a protrusion such as a boss, or the like. Moreover, the interfered member 10a and the interfered member 10b may be formed integrally with the label peel-off unit 10, or may be formed of separate members.

[0016] The nip roller 19 is a driven roller having no driving source that is rotatably provided in the label peel-off unit 10. When the nip roller 19 is located at the fourth position, it presses the backing paper 26 from the downstream side in the label transport direction as seen from the peeling bar 9, thereby bringing the backing paper 26 into contact with the peeling bar 9 and bending the backing paper 26 to an angle required for the peeling bar 9 to peel the label 25 from the backing paper 26.

[0017] A gap is provided between the upper end of the label peel-off unit 10 and the lower tip of the top cover 2, and a label discharge port 8 through which the printed label 25 is discharged is provided in this gap.

[0018] The paper discharge outlet 11 is provided at the bottom of the label peel-off unit 10 and discharges the backing paper 26 from which the label 25 has been peeled off by the peeling bar 9.

[0019] Next, the operation of the interfering member 16 and the interfered members 10a and 10b will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0020] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the front end of the label printer according to the first embodiment with both the top cover and the label peel-off unit open, Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the front end of the label printer according to the first embodiment when it is closed, Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the front end in a state where the top cover is closed first from the state in Figure 4, Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the front end in a state where the label peel-off unit is closed first from the state in Figure 4, and Figure 8 is an enlarged view of the front end in a state where the top cover has been moved from the state in Figure 7 to a position where it abuts the label peel-off unit.

[0021] In order for the label printer 1 to perform printing, the top cover 2 and the label peel-off unit 10 are moved to the second position and the fourth position, which are the respective closed positions, as shown in FIG.

[0022] At this time, in order to maintain the label 25 in an appropriate printing position, first the top cover 2 is moved to the second position (see FIG. 6). After that, the label peel-off unit 10 is moved to the fourth position to be in the state shown in FIG. 5. In this order of operations, the interference portion support member 15 and the interference member 16, which are located closer to the printer body 21 than the interfered members 10a and 10b formed on the label peel-off unit 10, are positioned at the second position first. Therefore, the interfered members 10a and 10b are not interfered with by the interference member 16 during the process of moving the top cover 2 from the first position to the second position.

[0023] A case will be described in which the label peel-off unit 10 is first moved to the fourth position as shown in Fig. 7. After the label peel-off unit 10 is moved from the state shown in Fig. 4 to the state shown in Fig. 7, the top cover 2 is moved to the second position, and the top cover 2 reaches the state shown in Fig. 8 on the way to the second position. In the state shown in Fig. 8, the interference member 16 is subjected to a force in the downward direction shown by the dashed arrow in Fig. 8 because the top cover 2 has moved to the second position. In response to this, the label peel-off unit 10 is pushed to the left direction shown by the solid arrow in Fig. 8 by the force from the interference member 16 being applied to the interfered member 10a and the interfered member 10b. If the force from the interference member 16 continues to be applied to the interfered member 10a and the interfered member 10b, the label peel-off unit 10 is pushed to the third position.

[0024] Next, the operation for the label printer 1 to print a label will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0025] First, the procedure for properly peeling off the label 25 will be described. The operator performs the printing operation when the top cover 2 and the label peel-off unit 10 are released as shown in Figure 4 or Figures 2 and 3. At this time, if the printer body 21 does not contain the continuous label strip 27, it will be contained when the top cover 2 and the label peel-off unit 10 are released. Before moving the top cover 2 to the second position, the operator pulls out the backing paper 26 to a length that allows it to be inserted into the paper outlet 11. After performing the above operations, the operator moves the top cover 2 to the second position.

[0026] The operator places the backing paper 26 in a position that is aligned with the label transport direction T. After the backing paper 26 is inserted from the paper discharge port 11 to the outside, the operator moves the label peel-off unit 10 to the fourth position while pulling the backing paper 26 that has been pulled out. By performing the above operation, printing can be performed while the peeling bar 9 maintains the angle required to properly bend the label 25 from the backing paper 26.

[0027] Next, a case will be described where an erroneous operation has been performed that results in the label 25 not being properly peeled off. The operator performs the printing operation in a state where the top cover 2 and the label peel-off unit 10 are released as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

[0028] First, a description will be given of a case where the top cover 2 does not have the interference portion support member 15 and the interference member 16, and the label peel-off unit 10 does not have the interfered member 10a and the interfered member 10b, as in this embodiment. In this case, even if the label peel-off unit 10 is moved to the fourth position and then the top cover 2 is moved to the second position, the interference portion support member 15 and the interference member 16, and the interfered member 10a and the interfered member 10b for the top cover 2 to abut against the label peel-off unit 10 are not formed, so that the top cover 2 will not interfere with the label peel-off unit 10 even if the top cover 2 is moved to the second position. In such a case, the label 25 and the backing paper 26 are sandwiched between the platen roller 18 and the nip roller 19 without being pressed between the thermal head 17 and the platen roller 18 of the top cover 2, so that the backing paper 26 is deflected due to the rigidity of the backing paper 26 and is not in contact with the peeling bar 9. In this state, the label 25 and backing paper 26 are not placed in the appropriate position, and the peeling bar 9 cannot bend the backing paper to the angle required to peel the label, resulting in incomplete peeling. If the label 25 is transported to the paper exit 11 in this state, it will stick to the nip roller 19 or the inner wall formed along the space formed between the label peel-off unit 10 and the printer body 21, causing a transport failure.

[0029] Next, a case where the label printer 1 in this embodiment is operated erroneously will be described. The operator performs the printing operation when the top cover 2 and label peel-off unit 10 are in the released state as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. First, if the printer body 21 does not contain the continuous label strip 27, it will be contained when the top cover 2 and label peel-off unit 10 are in the released state. Before moving the top cover 2 to the second position, the operator pulls out the backing paper 26 to a length that allows it to be inserted into the paper discharge opening 11. Next, after inserting the backing paper 26 into the paper discharge opening 11, the operator moves the label peel-off unit 10 from the third position to the fourth position. The operator moves the top cover 2 from the first position to the fourth position. two At this time, as shown in Figure 8, the interference member 16 connected to the interference portion support member 15 of the top cover 2 comes into contact with the interfered member 10a and the interfered member 10b of the label peel-off unit 10, so that the top cover 2 interferes with the label peel-off unit 10, and the label peel-off unit 10 is automatically pushed out from the fourth position to the third position.

[0030] The interference member 16 interferes with the interfered member 10a and the interfered member 10b of the label peel-off unit 10, thereby reducing the occurrence of transport problems caused by inappropriate peeling of the label even when an incorrect opening and closing procedure is performed.

[0031] Second embodiment 9 is an enlarged front view of the front end portion of the top cover according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it is composed of an interference member 16 connected to an interference portion support member 15 and a rotatable rotation member 30.

[0032] In this configuration, the interference member 16 serves as a rotation shaft, and is provided with a rotation member 30 that can rotate on the rotation shaft. The rotation member 30a is connected to the interference portion support member 15a, and the rotation member 30b is connected to the interference portion support member 15a. Even in this configuration, the interference portion support member 15 and the interference member 16 can interfere with the interfered member 10a and the interfered member 10b via the rotation member 30. In addition, since the rotation member 30 connected to the interference portion support member 15 is freely rotatable, less friction occurs between the interfered member 10a and the interfered member 10b than with the interfering member 16, and the label peel off unit 10 is efficiently moved from the fourth position to the third position.

[0033] In addition, in this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which, when the top cover 2 and the label peel-off unit 10 are moved from an open state to a closed state to perform a printing operation, the label peel-off unit 10 is automatically placed in the open state when the top cover 2 is moved to a position where the label peel-off unit 10 is placed in the closed state first. In addition, when replacing the continuous label strip 27, the label peel-off unit 10 is automatically released by opening the top cover 2 first. As shown in Fig. 5, the interfering member 16 that interferes with the label peel-off unit 10 is located closer to the printer body 21 than the interfered members 10a and 10b, and the interfered members 10a and 10b are located on the path of the interfering member 16 when the top cover 2 is opened. Therefore, there is interference not only when the top cover 2 is changed from the open state to the closed state, but also when it is changed from the closed state to the open state.

[0034] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, even if an incorrect opening / closing procedure is performed, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of transport failures caused by improper peeling of the label. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. The interference portion support member 15 and the interference member 16 used in the first embodiment may be configured to be integrally molded. Also, the interference member 16 may not be a protrusion, but may be, for example, a rotatable ball fitted therein.

[0035] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Label printer 2. Top cover 3. Control Panel 4. Operation buttons 5...Display section 7. Undercover 8…Label outlet 9…Peeling bar 10…Label peel-off unit 10a...Interfered member 10b...Interfered member 11...Paper outlet 15a...Interference portion support member 15b...Interference portion support member 16a...Interference member 16b...Interference member 17…Thermal head 18...Platen roller 19...Nip roller 21…Printer body 25…Label 26…Paper 30a...Rotating member 30b...Rotating member

Claims

1. Undercover and a top cover that moves between a first position where it is open relative to the under cover and a second position where it is closed relative to the under cover; a label peel-off unit that is located downstream of the undercover in a label conveying direction and moves between a third position where the undercover is opened and a fourth position where the undercover is closed; an interference portion support member provided on the top cover; an interference member that abuts against an exterior portion of the label peel-off unit and is connected to the interference portion support member; an interference member that is a part of an exterior member of the label peel-off unit and that protrudes toward the upstream side in the label conveying direction and is located at a position where it comes into contact with the interference member; Equipped with When the top cover moves from the first position to the second position with the label peel-off unit in the fourth position, the interference member connected to the interference portion support member comes into contact with the interfered member of the label peel-off unit, causing the top cover to interfere with the label peel-off unit and pushing the label peel-off unit from the fourth position to the third position. Label printer.

2. Undercover and a top cover that moves between a first position where it is open relative to the under cover and a second position where it is closed relative to the under cover; a label peel-off unit that is located downstream of the undercover in a label conveying direction and moves between a third position where the undercover is opened and a fourth position where the undercover is closed; an interference member having an inclined surface provided on the top cover and protruding toward a downstream side in the label conveying direction, the interference member being in contact with an exterior part of the label peel-off unit; an interference member that is a part of an exterior member of the label peel-off unit and that protrudes toward the upstream side in the label conveying direction and is located at a position where it comes into contact with the interference member; Equipped with When the top cover moves from the first position to the second position with the label peel-off unit in the fourth position, the interference member comes into contact with the interfered member of the label peel-off unit, causing the top cover to interfere with the label peel-off unit and pushing the label peel-off unit from the fourth position to the third position. Label printer.

3. The interference member is positioned outside the label paper width; 3. The label printer according to claim 1, further comprising: the interference member positioned outside a width of the label paper.

4. an interference member configured as a member separate from the interference portion support member; 2. The label printer according to claim 1, further comprising an interference member formed of a member separate from the label peel-off unit.

5. The interference member is a rotatable member.

2. The label printer of claim 1.

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