Printing device

Abstract

To provide a printer capable of suppressing defects on a printing tape due to nipping of a platen roller after the attachment of a cassette.SOLUTION: A printer includes: a housing to which a printing cassette can be attached; a print head extending from an internal part of the housing so as to approach a cassette fitting port; a platen roller facing the print head; a holder capable of moving to a nip position for holding either the print head or the platen roller, and nipping the printing tape with the print head and the platen roller, and a non-nipping position at which the print head and the platen roller do not nip the printing tape; and a cover capable of moving from a covered position where at least a portion of the cassette fitting port is covered, to an engaged position for engaging with the housing by rotating about a rotational axis parallel to a direction of being fitted to the cassette fitting port of the printing cassette. The holder moves from the non-nipping position to the nip position in linkage with movement from the covered position of the cover to the engaged position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a printing device. [Background technology]

[0002] In a printing device that prints on a print tape, a cassette that stores the print tape is attached to and detached from the main body of the printing device to replace and supply the print tape. In one known type of cassette, the operation of closing a cover that covers the cassette is linked to the operation of moving a platen roller to a position where the print tape is nipped (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-98731 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned printing device, the platen roller comes into contact with the print tape before the cover is completely closed, so if the user touches the cassette while closing the cover, the cassette may move with the platen roller still in contact with the print tape, which may cause problems such as twisting or bending of the print tape.

[0005] An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a printing device that can suppress defects in the print tape caused by the nip of the platen roller after a cassette is installed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a printing device comprising a cylindrical housing having a space at the top for attaching a printing tape from above, a print head provided within the housing, and a cover that can be attached to the housing in the vertical direction and can be moved from a covering position covering the top of the housing to an engaging position engaged with the housing by rotating around the axis of the housing, and in conjunction with the movement of the cover from the covering position to the engaging position, the printing device changes from a non-printing state in which the printing tape cannot be printed to a printing state in which the printing tape can be printed. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a printing cassette containing a printing tape is mounted through a cassette mounting port. a housing that can be mounted on the cassette; and a cassette extending from the inside of the housing to approach the cassette mounting opening. a platen roller disposed in the housing and facing the print head; a holder for holding one of the platen roller and the platen roller; and a cover that can be attached to the housing. It is a printing device equipped with

[0007] The holder is movable between a nip position where the print head and the platen roller nip the print tape and a non-nip position where the print head and the platen roller do not nip the print tape. The cover is movable from a covering position where it covers at least a part of the cassette mounting port to an engagement position where it engages with the housing by rotating about a rotation axis parallel to the mounting direction of the printing cassette into the cassette mounting port.

[0008] The holder moves from the non-nip position to the nip position in conjunction with the movement of the cover from the covering position to the engagement position.

[0009] With this configuration, the platen roller moves with the cover covering the cassette loading port, so it is possible to prevent the printing cassette from moving if the user touches the printing cassette with the platen roller in contact with the printing tape, etc. As a result, problems with the printing tape caused by the nip of the platen roller can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are schematic perspective views of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2A is a schematic oblique view showing the printing device of FIG. 1A with the cover in an engaged position, FIG. 2B is a schematic right side view of the printing device of FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2C is a schematic left side view of the printing device of FIG. 2A. [Diagram 3]3A is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line IIIA-IIIA in FIG. 2B, and FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line IIIB-IIIB in FIG. 2B. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a cover of the printing device of FIG. 1A. [Diagram 5] 5 is a schematic oblique view showing the printing device of FIG. 1A with the cover in the covering position, FIG. 5B is a schematic right side view of the printing device of FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5C is a schematic left side view of the printing device of FIG. 5A. [Figure 6] 6A is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VIA-VIA in FIG. 5B, and FIG. 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VIB-VIB in FIG. 5B. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the housing of the printing device of FIG. 1A when the cover is in the engaged position. [Figure 8] 8A is a schematic plan view of the internal structure of FIG. 7, and FIG. 8B is a schematic front view of the internal structure of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the housing of the printing device in FIG. 1A when the cover is in the covering position. [Figure 10] 10A is a schematic plan view of the internal structure of FIG. 9, and FIG. 10B is a schematic front view of the internal structure of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a printing cassette in the printing apparatus of FIG. 1A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] [1. First embodiment] [1-1. Configuration] The printer 1 shown in Figures 1A, 1B and 2A, 2B, and 2C includes a printer main body 10 and a printing cassette 100. The printer 1 is a device that prints on a tape-like printing medium. Note that in Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C, illustrations of the cover 12 are omitted except for the claw 12B.

[0012] In this embodiment, the direction parallel to the rotation axis of the platen roller 15 is defined as the up-down direction, the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction in which the printing tape is discharged from the printing device main body 10 is defined as the front-rear direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the up-down direction and the front-rear direction is defined as the left-right direction.

[0013] <Printing device body> The printing device body 10 includes a housing 11, a cover 12, and a power switch 25. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the printing device body 10 includes a print head 13, a head holding unit 14, a platen roller 15, a platen gear 16, a drive shaft 17, a holder 18, and a contact member 19.

[0014] (Housing) As shown in FIG. 2A, the housing 11 has a cassette loading opening 11A, an ejection opening 11B, a recess 11C, four grooves 11D, and four engagement portions 11E.

[0015] The cassette loading opening 11A is formed on an upper surface 11F of the housing 11. The housing 11 is configured so that a printing cassette 100 containing a printing tape can be loaded through the cassette loading opening 11A (i.e., penetrating the cassette loading opening 11A).

[0016] The ejection opening 11B ejects the print tape to the outside. The ejection opening 11B is formed on the front surface of the housing 11. The cassette loading opening 11A and the ejection opening 11B each communicate with a recess 11C.

[0017] The recess 11C accommodates at least a portion of the printing cassette 100. The recess 11C is provided inside the housing 11. The recess 11C has a function of positioning the printing cassette 100. The printing cassette 100 is attached to the recess 11C by being inserted downward from above the cassette attachment opening 11A toward the bottom of the recess 11C.

[0018] The housing 11 of this embodiment is cylindrical with a central axis parallel to the vertical direction. That is, the housing 11 has a circular upper surface 11F and a lower surface 11G (see FIG. 1B) that are perpendicular to the vertical direction. The diameter of the upper surface 11F and the diameter of the lower surface 11G are the same. However, the diameter of the upper surface 11F and the diameter of the lower surface 11G may be different. That is, the housing 11 may be frustum-shaped.

[0019] Each of the four grooves 11D is configured so that one of the claws 12B of the cover 12 can be inserted from above. Each groove 11D is configured so that the inserted claw 12B can move along the circumferential direction of the upper surface 11F. In other words, each groove 11D extends in the vertical direction and the circumferential direction of the housing 11, and has an opening that communicates with the upper side.

[0020] The four engagement portions 11E are arranged so as to overlap one of the four grooves 11D in the up-down direction. At least one of the four engagement portions 11E has a protrusion 11I that protrudes downward inside the groove 11D. This protrusion 11I is configured to engage with a claw 12B of the cover 12. In this embodiment, the protrusion 11I is provided on only one engagement portion 11E, but the protrusion 11I may be provided on all engagement portions 11E.

[0021] The engagement portion 11E is disposed at a position shifted in the circumferential direction of the housing 11 with respect to an opening communicating with the upper part of the groove 11D. In other words, the engagement portion 11E blocks a part of the groove 11D in the circumferential direction of the housing 11 from above.

[0022] (cover) 1A, cover 12 can be attached to housing 11 so as to cover upper surface 11F. Cover 12 is a cylindrical body with an upper end closed and a lower end open, as shown in FIG.

[0023] The cover 12 is attached to and detached from the housing 11 by rotating about a rotation axis L1 that passes through the center of the cover 12. The rotation axis L1 of the cover 12 is parallel to the attachment direction (i.e., downward) of the printing cassette 100 to the cassette attachment port 11A. The cover 12 has a pressing portion 12A and four claws 12B.

[0024] The cover 12 can move from a covering position where it covers at least a portion of the cassette loading port 11A (the entire cassette loading port 11A in this embodiment) to an engaging position where it engages with the housing 11 by rotating about a rotation axis L1. In the following, the clockwise direction as viewed from above the printing device main body 10 is defined as a first rotation direction D1, and the counterclockwise direction is defined as a second rotation direction D2.

[0025] The pressing portion 12A presses the printing cassette 100 downward when the cover 12 is in the engagement position or between the covering position and the engagement position. In addition, the pressing portion 12A is always in contact with a pressed portion 111 of the printing cassette 100, which will be described later, while the cover 12 is moving from the covering position to the engagement position.

[0026] The pressing parts 12A protrude downward from the top surface 12C of the cover 12. The pressing parts 12A are arranged apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L1 of the cover 12 (that is, in the front-rear and left-right directions when the cover 12 is attached to the housing 11).

[0027] Specifically, the pressing portion 12A has a cylindrical shape whose axial direction is parallel to the rotation axis L1 of the cover 12, and is disposed so as to surround the rotation axis L1. In other words, the pressing portion 12A is disposed away from the rotation axis L1 in the radial direction of the cover 12.

[0028] When the cover 12 is attached to the housing 11 (i.e., when the cover 12 is in the engaged position), each of the four claws 12B overlaps in the vertical direction with one of the four engagement portions 11E of the housing 11. The four claws 12B are disposed at equal intervals along the rotational direction of the cover 12 (i.e., the circumferential direction).

[0029] When the cover 12 is in the covering position, as shown in Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C, each of the claws 12B of the cover 12 is inserted into the groove 11D from above. When the cover 12 is rotated in the first rotation direction D1 from this covering position, each of the claws 12B moves in the groove 11D in the first rotation direction D1. Note that in Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C, similar to Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C, illustrations of the cover 12 are omitted except for the claws 12B.

[0030] As each of the claws 12B moves in the first rotation direction D1, it vertically overlaps with the engagement portion 11E in the groove 11D. Specifically, each of the four claws 12B has a recess into which the protrusion 11I of the engagement portion 11E fits.

[0031] 2A, 2B, and 2C, when the cover 12 is in the engaged position, a recess of at least one of the claws 12B overlaps with an engagement portion 11E having a protrusion 11I in the vertical direction, so that the claw 12B engages with the engagement portion 11E and the movement of the claw 12B is restricted. This locks the cover 12 in the engaged position.

[0032] (Print head) The print head 13 shown in FIG. 3A is a device for printing on the print tape held by the printing cassette 100.

[0033] The print head 13 is provided in the housing 11 and extends from the inside of the housing 11 toward the cassette mounting opening 11A. Specifically, the print head 13 has a plate shape arranged so that the thickness direction is parallel to the left-right direction.

[0034] The print head 13 has multiple heating elements whose heat generation is individually controlled. The print tape is transported to a position overlapping with the print head 13 by a platen roller 15 (described later), and is pressed against the print head 13, whose heating elements have generated heat, via the ink ribbon. As a result, some of the ink arranged on the surface of the ink ribbon is transferred to the print tape, and characters, symbols, etc. are printed on the print tape.

[0035] (Head holding part) The head holding part 14 holds the print head 13. The head holding part 14 is a metal plate arranged so that its thickness direction is parallel to the left-right direction, and the print head 13 is attached to the left-hand plate surface. The head holding part 14 functions as a heat sink that dissipates heat from the print head 13.

[0036] (Platen roller) The platen roller 15 is a roller for transporting the printing tape from inside to outside the printing cassette 100. The rotation axis of the platen roller 15 is parallel to the vertical direction.

[0037] The platen roller 15 is disposed inside the housing 11 so as to face the print head 13. The platen roller 15 is movable between a position spaced apart from the print head 13 as shown in Fig. 6A and a position where the print tape is pressed against (i.e., nips) the print head 13 as shown in Fig. 3A.

[0038] (Platen gear) The platen gear 16 is provided inside the housing 11, and is drivingly connected to the platen roller 15. The platen gear 16 is movable between a position spaced apart from an output gear 106 of the printing cassette 100 (described later) shown in Fig. 6B, and a position engaged with the output gear 106 shown in Fig. 3B. In this embodiment, the rotation axis of the platen gear 16 is aligned on the same line as the rotation axis of the platen roller 15.

[0039] (Drive shaft) As shown in Fig. 3A, the drive shaft 17 is disposed inside the housing 11. The rotation axis of the drive shaft 17 is parallel to the vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 7, the drive shaft 17 is rotated about the rotation axis by a drive source (e.g., a motor) 26. The driving force of the drive source 26 is transmitted to the drive shaft 17 by a drive transmission mechanism 27 including a plurality of gears.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3A, when the printing cassette 100 is attached to the housing 11, the drive shaft 17 is inserted into the input spool 105 of the printing cassette 100 and engages with the input gear 107, causing the input spool 105 and the input gear 107 to rotate.

[0041] (holder) The holder 18 is a member for changing the relative position between the print head 13 and the platen roller 15 to switch the nip state of the print tape.

[0042] The holder 18 holds the platen roller 15 and is configured to be movable between a nip position (see Figure 3A) where the print head 13 and platen roller 15 nip the print tape, and a non-nip position (see Figure 6A) where the print head 13 and platen roller 15 do not nip the print tape.

[0043] Specifically, the holder 18 is attached to a shaft portion 11H provided at the left rear inside the housing 11. The holder 18 is rotatable with respect to the housing 11 about a rotation axis that is parallel to the up-down direction.

[0044] The platen roller 15 and the platen gear 16 are rotatably attached to a front end 18A (i.e., the end opposite to the shaft portion 11H) of the holder 18. The platen gear 16 is separated from the output gear 106 when the holder 18 is in the non-nip position, and is engaged with the output gear 106 when the holder 18 is in the nip position.

[0045] 6A, the movement direction D0 of the holder 18 from the non-nip position to the nip position (i.e., the rotation direction of the holder 18) intersects with the mounting direction of the printing cassette 100 into the housing 11 (i.e., the downward insertion direction into the cassette mounting opening 11A). The entire holder 18 is always located inside the outer surface of the housing 11.

[0046] The holder 18 moves from the non-nip position to the nip position in conjunction with the movement of the cover 12 from the covering position to the engagement position. Specifically, the holder 18 moves from the non-nip position toward the nip position by the movement of the contact member 19.

[0047] Holder 18 is wound around shaft portion 11H of housing 11 and is biased from the nip position toward the non-nip position (i.e., toward the outside of housing 11) by a torsion coil spring 31 whose end is connected to holder 18. Holder 18 moves from the nip position to the non-nip position in conjunction with movement of cover 12 from the engagement position to the covering position.

[0048] (Contact member) The contact member 19 contacts one of the four claws 12B of the cover 12 and is movable between a pressing position (see FIG. 3B) in which it presses the holder 18 toward the nip position and a non-pressing position (see FIG. 6B) in which it does not press the holder 18.

[0049] The contact member 19 moves from the pressed position to the pressing position in conjunction with the movement of the cover 12 from the covering position to the engaging position (i.e., the movement of the claw 12B in the first rotation direction D1). Also, the contact member 19 moves from the pressing position to the pressed position in conjunction with the movement of the cover 12 from the engaging position to the covering position (i.e., the movement of the claw 12B in the second rotation direction D2).

[0050] The contact member 19 has a rotating portion 20 and a converting portion 21 . 7 and 8A, the rotating portion 20 extends along the rotation direction of the cover 12. The rotating portion 20 is disposed on the outer side of the holder 18 in the radial direction of the housing 11.

[0051] The rotating part 20 rotates together with the claw 12B about the rotation axis L1 of the cover 12. Specifically, as the claw 12B moves in the first rotation direction D1, the rotating part 20 is pushed by the claw 12B and moves in the first rotation direction D1 from the position shown in FIG. 6B to the position shown in FIG. 3B.

[0052] The conversion unit 21 is connected to the rotating unit 20 and the holder 18 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the up-down direction. In other words, the conversion unit 21 constitutes a link that connects the rotating unit 20 and the holder 18.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 8B, the conversion unit 21 has a base unit 21A connected to the rotation unit 20, and a first plate unit 21B and a second plate unit 21C arranged so as to sandwich a part of the holder 18 from above and below. The first plate portion 21B and the second plate portion 21C extend from the upper end and the lower end of the base portion 21A toward the holder 18, respectively, and are rotatably connected to the front end 18A of the holder 18.

[0054] The conversion unit 21 converts the rotation of the claw 12B in contact with the rotation unit 20 into a movement of the holder 18 from the non-nip position to the nip position. As shown in Fig. 9 and Figs. 10A and 10B, the acute angle α (see Fig. 6B) formed by the straight line connecting the two rotation central axes of the conversion unit 21 (i.e., the link direction) and the front-rear direction when the holder 18 is in the non-nip position is smaller than the acute angle α (see Fig. 3B) when the holder 18 is in the nip position.

[0055] When the holder 18 is in the non-nip position, the first plate portion 21B and the second plate portion 21C move toward the inside in the radial direction of the housing 11 in conjunction with the rotation of the base portion 21A accompanying the rotation of the rotating portion 20 in the first direction D1. As a result, the front end portion 18A of the holder 18 is pushed toward the inside in the radial direction, and the holder 18 moves to the nip position.

[0056] <Power switch> 1B is a switch for switching on and off the power supply to the drive source 26 of the printing device 1. The power switch 25 is provided on a bottom surface 11G of the housing 11 opposite to a top surface 11F on which the cassette loading port 11A is provided.

[0057] <Printing cassette> The printing cassette 100 stores printing media. The printing cassette 100 is detachable from the printing device main body 10. By replacing the printing cassette 100, it is possible to replenish printing media and change the type of printing media (e.g., color, material, etc.).

[0058] As shown in FIG. 11, the printing cassette 100 includes a case 110, a first roll 101, a first supply spool 102, a second roll 103, a second supply spool 104, an input spool 105, an output gear 106, an input gear 107, an idle gear 108, and a clutch spring holder 109.

[0059] (case) The case 110 houses the rolls, spools, and gears. The case 110 is a rectangular parallelepiped having sides parallel to the up-down direction, sides parallel to the front-rear direction, and sides parallel to the left-right direction. The case 110 is composed of a first section 110A, a second section 110B, a third section 110C, and a fourth section 110D that are combined in the up-down direction.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 2A, the case 110 has a pressed portion 111 that receives a pressing force from the pressing portion 12A of the cover 12 when the printing cassette 100 is attached to the printing apparatus main body 10. The pressed portion 111 is disposed on the upper surface of the cover 12. The upper end of the pressed portion 111 is located higher than the upper end of the housing 11.

[0061] (1st roll) 11 is a first roll 101 in which the printing tape on which printing is to be performed is wound around a first supply spool 102. Printing is performed on the surface of the printing tape by the print head 13 and ink ribbon of the printing device main body 10.

[0062] (1st supply spool) The first supply spool 102 is rotatable about its axis of rotation. The first supply spool 102 rotates in association with the transport of the printing tape by the platen roller 15 of the printing apparatus main body 10, thereby supplying the printing tape to the print head 13.

[0063] (2nd roll) The second roll 103 is formed by winding an ink ribbon used for printing on the print tape around a second supply spool 104 .

[0064] The ink ribbon is superimposed on the printing tape and is subjected to printing by the print head 13 . The ink ribbon used for printing is taken up on an input spool 105. A clutch spring held by a clutch spring holder 109 applies rotational resistance to the second roll 103.

[0065] (2nd supply spool) The second supply spool 104 is rotatable about its axis of rotation. The second supply spool 104 rotates in association with the winding of the ink ribbon by the input spool 105, thereby supplying the ink ribbon to the print head 13.

[0066] (Input spool) The input spool 105 is rotatable about its axis of rotation. The input spool 105 has an inner peripheral surface with spline teeth. The drive shaft 17 of the printing device main body 10 is connected to the spline teeth. The input spool 105 is rotated by the drive shaft 17 and takes up the ink ribbon.

[0067] (Output gear) The output gear 106 is a gear for outputting the driving force for transporting the print tape to the outside. The output gear 106 transmits the driving force to the platen roller 15 via the platen gear 16 of the printing apparatus main body 10.

[0068] A portion of the output gear 106 is located outside the case 110. The output gear 106 engages with the platen gear 16 when the printing cassette 100 is attached to the printing apparatus main body 10.

[0069] (Input gear) The input gear 107 indirectly engages with the output gear 106 via an idle gear 108, and transmits the driving force to the output gear 106. The input gear 107 receives the driving force from the driving source 26 of the printing apparatus main body 10.

[0070] The input gear 107 has an external gear 107A and a cylindrical spool 107B that is fixed to the external gear 107A and has spline teeth on its inner circumferential surface. The external gear 107A rotates integrally with the spool 107B by a driving force input to the spool 107B.

[0071] The rotation axis of the input gear 107 passes through the hollow portion of the input spool 105. That is, the drive shaft 17 is inserted through the input spool 105 and the input gear 107 at the same time. As a result, the input gear 107 is not directly connected to the input spool 105, but is rotated by the drive source 26 (i.e., the drive shaft 17) shared with the input spool 105.

[0072] (Idol Gear) The idler gear 108 is drivingly connected (ie, engaged) with the input gear 107 and the output gear 106 , and transmits the driving force input to the input gear 107 to the output gear 106 .

[0073] The idle gear 108 is a stepped gear in which a first gear 108A engaged with the input gear 107 and a second gear 108B engaged with the output gear 106 are arranged side by side on the same axis. The second gear 108B has a smaller diameter than the first gear 108A.

[0074] With the printing cassette 100 attached to the printing device main body 10, the drive shaft 17 engages with the input gear 107 and the platen gear 16 engages with the output gear 106. With the printing cassette 100 attached, the input gear 107 is rotated by the drive shaft 17 to rotate the output gear 106, which in turn rotates the platen gear 16, which in turn rotates the platen roller 15.

[0075] <Removing and installing the printing cassette> The following describes the procedure for mounting the printing cassette 100 in the printing device main body 10. First, with the cover 12 removed from the housing 11, the printing cassette 100 is inserted from above into the cassette mounting opening 11A.

[0076] In this state (that is, when the cover 12 is neither in the covering position nor in the engaging position), the contact member 19 is in the non-pressing position, as shown in Fig. 9. Also, the holder 18 is in the non-nip position.

[0077] After inserting the printing cassette 100, as shown in Fig. 5A, the four claws 12B are inserted from above into the grooves 11D of the housing 11, and the cover 12 is placed in a covering position covering the cassette mounting opening 11A. At this point, the contact members 19 are in a non-pressing position.

[0078] Next, by rotating the cover 12 in the first direction D1, the four claws 12B are advanced in the groove 11D in the first direction D1 to the engagement position shown in Fig. 2A. At this time, one of the claws 12B rotates the rotating portion 20 of the contact member 19 in the first direction D1.

[0079] While the cover 12 is being rotated in the first direction D1, a part of the pressing portion 12A continues to contact the pressed portion 111 of the printing cassette 100. Therefore, the printing cassette 100 continues to be pressed downward while the cover 12 moves from the covering position to the engaging position and after it moves to the engaging position.

[0080] The rotation of the converting portion 21 due to the rotation of the rotating portion 20 starts to press the holder 18 toward the nip position. When the claw 12B reaches the engagement position, as shown in FIG. 7, the contact member 19 moves to the pressing position and the holder 18 moves to the nip position.

[0081] By engaging the claw 12B with the housing 11, the contact member 19 is held in the pressing position, and the holder 18 is also held in the nipping position. As a result, the printing tape of the printing cassette 100 is nipped by the print head 13 and the platen roller 15, and the platen gear 16 and the output gear 106 are held in an engaged state. As a result, the printing device 1 is ready to print.

[0082] Next, a description will be given of a procedure for removing the printing cassette 100 from the printing apparatus main body 10. First, the cover 12 is rotated in the second direction D2 to move the four claws 12B back from the engagement position shown in FIG.

[0083] This releases the pressure applied to the holder 18 by the claw 12B via the contact member 19. As a result, the holder 18 moves to the non-nip position due to the urging force. As the holder 18 moves to the non-nip position, the contact member 19 moves to the non-pressing position.

[0084] After the tab 12B is retracted to a position where it can be pulled out of the groove 11D, the cover 12 is lifted upward, and thereby the cover 12 is removed from the housing 11. After the cover 12 is removed, the printing cassette 100 is removed from the printing device body 10 by pulling the printing cassette 100 upward from the cassette mounting opening 11A.

[0085] [1-2. Effects] According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following effects can be obtained. (1a) Because the platen roller 15 moves with the cover 12 covering the cassette loading opening 11A, it is possible to prevent the printing cassette 100 from moving if the user touches the printing cassette 100 while the platen roller 15 is in contact with the printing tape. As a result, problems with the printing tape caused by the nip of the platen roller 15 can be prevented.

[0086] (1b) By providing the contact member 19 that moves the holder 18 from the non-nip position to the nip position by rotating the claw 12B of the cover 12, the locking operation of the cover 12 and the movement operation of the holder 18 can be performed simultaneously.

[0087] (1c) The cover 12 has a plurality of claws 12B that are equally spaced along the rotation direction, which makes it easy to orient the cover 12 relative to the housing 11. This reduces the effort required to attach the cover 12.

[0088] (1d) Since the cover 12 has the pressing portion 12A that presses the printing cassette 100 in the mounting direction, the platen roller 15 can be nipped with the printing cassette 100 held in a specified mounting position. Therefore, movement of the printing cassette 100 after nipping can be suppressed.

[0089] (1e) Since the pressing portion 12A is cylindrical, the pressing portion 12A can be brought into contact with the pressed portion 111 of the printing cassette 100 regardless of the rotational orientation of the cover 12 when attached to the housing 11.

[0090] (1f) Since the housing 11 is cylindrical or truncated cone-shaped and the printing cassette 100 is rectangular, it is possible to prevent the printing cassette 100 from being inserted into the cassette mounting opening 11A in the wrong orientation.

[0091] (1g) Providing the power switch 25 on the bottom surface 11G of the housing 11 can improve the design of the printing device 1. In addition, malfunction of the power switch 25 when the housing 11 falls over can be suppressed.

[0092] 2. Other embodiments Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can take various forms.

[0093] (2a) In the printing device of the above embodiment, the cover does not necessarily have to cover the entire cassette loading opening, but may cover only a portion of the cassette loading opening. Also, the cover does not necessarily have to have a pressing portion.

[0094] (2b) In the printing device of the above embodiment, the contact member does not necessarily have to be composed of a rotating part and a converting part. The contact member may be composed of one independent part, or may be composed of a combination of three or more parts.

[0095] (2c) In the printing device of the above embodiment, the holder does not necessarily have to move in conjunction with the tab of the cover. For example, the holder may move to the nip position in conjunction with the movement of a portion of the cover other than the tab.

[0096] (2d) In the printing device of the above embodiment, the number of claws on the cover is not limited to four. In other words, the cover may have three or fewer claws or five or more claws. In addition, the multiple claws do not necessarily have to be disposed at equal intervals along the rotation direction of the cover.

[0097] (2f) In the printing device of the above embodiment, the housing is not limited to being cylindrical or truncated cone. In other words, the housing may be prismatic or pyramidal. (2g) In the printing device of the above embodiment, the holder may hold the print head instead of the platen roller. In other words, the printing device may be configured to nip the print tape by moving the print head relative to the platen roller fixed to the housing.

[0098] (2h) The function of one component in the above embodiments may be distributed among multiple components, or the functions of multiple components may be integrated into one component. In addition, a part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be omitted. In addition, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be added to or substituted for the configuration of another of the above embodiments. Note that all aspects included in the technical idea identified from the wording of the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1...printing device, 10...printing device main body, 11...housing, 11A...cassette mounting port, 11B...Discharge port, 11C...Recess, 11D...Groove, 11E...Engagement part, 11F...Top surface, 11G...underside, 11H...shaft, 12...cover, 12A...pressure portion, 12B...claw, 12C: top surface; 13: print head; 14: head holder; 15: platen roller; 16: platen gear; 17: drive shaft; 18: holder; 19: contact member; 20...rotating portion, 21...conversion portion, 21A...base portion, 21B, 21C...plate portion, 25...power switch, 31...torsion coil spring, 100...printing cassette, 101: first roll; 102: first supply spool; 103: second roll; 104...second supply spool, 105...input spool, 106...output gear, 107: input gear, 108: idle gear, 110: case, 111: pressed portion.

Claims

1. A cylindrical housing with a space at the top to attach the printing tape from above, A print head provided within the housing; a platen roller provided within the housing and facing the print head; a cover that can be attached to the housing in a vertical direction and that can be moved from a covering position that covers an upper portion of the housing to an engagement position that engages with the housing by rotating about an axis of the housing; A printing device comprising: In conjunction with the movement of the cover from the covering position to the engagement position, the printing device changes from a state in which the printing tape is not nipped between the print head and the platen roller to a state in which the printing tape is nipped between the print head and the platen roller.

2. a holder that holds one of the print head and the platen roller and is movable between a nip position where the print head and the platen roller nip the print tape and a non-nip position where the print head and the platen roller do not nip the print tape; The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the holder moves from the non-nip position to the nip position in conjunction with movement of the cover from the covering position to the engagement position.

3. the cover has a claw that engages with the housing when the cover is in the engagement position; a contact member that is in contact with the claw and is movable between a pressing position where the contact member presses the holder toward the nip position and a non-pressing position where the contact member does not press the holder; 3. The printing device of claim 2, wherein the contact member moves from the non-pressing position to the pressing position in conjunction with movement of the cover from the covering position to the engaging position, and moves from the pressing position to the non-pressing position in conjunction with movement of the cover from the engaging position to the covering position.

4. The contact member is a rotation part that rotates together with the claw about the axis of the housing as a central axis; a conversion portion rotatably connected to the rotation portion and the holder, and converting the rotation of the claw into a movement of the holder from the non-nip position to the nip position; The printing device of claim 3 .

5. 5. The printing device according to claim 2, wherein the holder is biased from the nip position toward the non-nip position and moves from the nip position to the non-nip position in conjunction with movement of the cover from the engagement position to the covering position.

6. the cover has a plurality of claws that engage with the housing when the cover is in the engaged position; The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of claws are disposed at equal intervals along a rotation direction of the cover.

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