Printer card feeder

Abstract

To make it possible to enjoy a merit of a bottom paper feeding system capable of easily replenishing an unprinted card, while enjoying an original merit of a top paper feeding system.SOLUTION: A card feeding device of a printer includes: an elevation mechanism 2 elevating by an elevation driving part 3 and having a hopper table 4 allowing placing of multiple unprinted cards C... stacked on an upper face; a card feeding mechanism 5 having a pick-up roller 6 arranged above the hopper table 4 of the most elevated position Xu so as to feed an unprinted card Cu of an upper end position of the multiple stacked unprinted cards C... to a printing part Pp; and a flapper mechanism 8 arranged between the pick-up roller 6 and the hopper table 4 of the most lowered position Xd, and having first displacement mechanisms 7p, 7q pressed by at least unprinted cards C... displaced upward and causing escaping displacement resisting elasticity and having flapper parts 8p, 8q for placing the unprinted cards C... on an upper face.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a card supplying device for a printer that supplies cards one by one from a stack of multiple unprinted cards to a printing section in a subsequent stage. [Background technology]

[0002] Card printers for printing various cards such as credit cards are generally known, and typically include a card supply device that supplies cards one by one from a stack of multiple unprinted cards to a downstream printing section.

[0003] Conventionally, as this type of card supply device, a card supply device for a printer described in Patent Document 1 and a card recording device described in Patent Document 2 are known. The card supply device in Patent Document 1 is intended to avoid problems such as slippage between the feed roller and the card, prevent card contamination, stabilize the feed operation, and allow a large number of cards to be stored in the card hopper section with ease, and specifically, is configured to include a card feed mechanism having a feed roller that is disposed at least below the card hopper section and is capable of feeding the bottom card (bottom card) of the card group stored in the card hopper section to the printing section one by one, an upper card group holding mechanism that holds a card group (upper card group) above a card located at a predetermined height in the card group stored in the card hopper section and is capable of reducing the load applied downward or releasing the holding, and a control unit that controls the upper card group holding mechanism to hold the upper card group at least from the start of feeding to the end of feeding when the bottom card is fed from the card hopper section.

[0004] Furthermore, the card recording device of Patent Document 2 is intended to enable cards to be replenished into the cassette body of the card storage cassette even while the card is being pulled out when the bottom card is pulled out by rotating a pickup roller from a card storage cassette in which multiple cards are stacked vertically with the card faces approximately horizontal. Specifically, the card storage cassette is provided with a card storage cassette that is detachably placed on a cassette mounting stand that is exposed and formed on the right side of the exterior casing of the card recording device, and the card storage cassette is structured so that the cassette body and cassette cover are separated vertically and framed into a box shape via a vertical guide means, while the cassette cover is detachable from the cassette body along the vertical guide means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-084389 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2009-143728 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the card supplying device in the above-mentioned conventional printer has the following problems to be solved.

[0007] That is, the supply method of supplying blank cards one by one from a stack of multiple blank cards to the printing section employs a bottom-feed method in which the blank card at the lowest position is supplied first, so when new blank cards are replenished, the card hopper is replenished from the top in order, i.e., first-in, first-out, which has the advantage of making it easy to replenish blank cards, but on the other hand, if a card jam occurs, the cards in the card hopper must be temporarily removed to the outside or a lid that can be opened and closed for maintenance must be provided, which leads to a complicated structure and complicated jam clearing work. Moreover, when clearing a jam, the new blank cards are easily touched by the hands, which has the disadvantage of easily causing card stains and printing defects.

[0008] On the other hand, to solve this problem, a top-feeding method could be adopted in which the top card of a stack of blank cards is fed first, but this would cause problems inherent to the top-feeding method, such as the inability to feed cards first in, first out, etc. In the end, both the top-feeding method and the bottom-feeding method have their advantages and disadvantages, and there is room for further improvement in terms of eliminating the disadvantages of both methods and simultaneously securing the advantages of both methods.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a card supplying device for a printer which overcomes the problems existing in the background art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the card supply device 1 of the printer according to the present invention is configured to supply a card one by one from a stack of a plurality of unprinted cards C... to a subsequent printing section Pp, and includes a lifting mechanism section 2 which is lifted and lowered by a lifting drive section 3 and has a hopper table 4 on whose upper surface the stacked plurality of unprinted cards C... can be placed, and a card supply mechanism section 5 which has a pickup roller 6 which is disposed above the hopper table 4 at the highest position Xu and supplies an unprinted card Cu at the top end position of the stacked plurality of unprinted cards C... to the printing section Pp. The card ejection device is characterized in that it is equipped with a flapper mechanism unit 8 having first displacement mechanisms 7p, 7q which are disposed between the pickup roller 6 and the hopper table 4 at the lowest position Xd, and which generate a displacement to escape against elasticity when pressed by at least an unprinted card C... which is displaced upward, and a flapper mechanism unit 8 having flapper units 8p, 8q on whose upper surface an unprinted card C... can be placed, and which has second displacement mechanisms 9p, 9q which generate a displacement to escape against elasticity when pressed by the unprinted cards C... when a plurality of stacked unprinted cards C... are placed on the upper surface of the hopper table 4.

[0011] In this case, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the flapper mechanism 8 can be disposed at a vertical position Xf selected through which part or all of the hopper table 4 passes when raised and where a predetermined number of unprinted cards C... remain on the upper surface of the hopper table 4, and a pair of flapper parts 8p, 8q can be symmetrically disposed on both sides of the unprinted cards C.... Furthermore, the second displacement mechanisms 9p, 9q can be provided with a function of generating an escape displacement against elasticity by being pressed by the unprinted cards C... and the hopper table 4 when the hopper table 4 is raised. For this reason, the flapper section 8p (8q is the same) can be configured by having a base 11 whose position is fixed, a first displacement mechanism 7p (7q) supported so as to be rotatable over a predetermined range by a rotation shaft 12 in the horizontal direction Fh provided on the base 11, a flapper support section 14 that is urged toward the unprinted card side Fc by an elastic member 13, and a second displacement mechanism 9p (9q) supported so as to be rotatable over a predetermined range by a rotation shaft 15 in the vertical direction Fv provided on the flapper support section 14, and a flapper main body section 17 that is urged toward the unprinted card side Fc by an elastic member 16. The hopper table 4 can be provided with relief recesses 18p, 18q through which the flapper sections 8p, 8q can pass at least when lowered. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The printer card supplying device 1 according to the present invention having such a configuration provides the following remarkable effects.

[0013] (1) Even when the card supplying device 1 is configured using the so-called top feeding method, the first displacement mechanisms 7p, 7q are disposed between the pickup roller 6 and the hopper table 4 at the lowest position Xd, and are pushed by at least the upwardly displacing unprinted cards C... to generate displacement against elasticity, and a flapper mechanism 8 is provided having flapper parts 8p, 8q on whose upper surface an unprinted card C... can be placed, so that the unprinted cards C... can be substantially first-in, first-out. Moreover, while enjoying the inherent advantages of the top feeding method, such as facilitating jamming clearance work for clogging of unprinted cards C, reducing stains and printing defects on new unprinted cards C... during replenishing work, and simplifying the structure, the advantages of the bottom feeding method, which allows unprinted cards C... to be easily replenished, can be enjoyed, and thus the advantages of both the top feeding method and the bottom feeding method can be secured.

[0014] (2) The flapper mechanism 8 is provided with the second displacement mechanisms 9p, 9q that generate a displacement to escape against elasticity when pressed by the unprinted cards C... when multiple stacked unprinted cards C... are placed on the top surface of the hopper table 4, so that the flapper mechanism 8 (flapper portions 8p, 8q) can be released when multiple stacked unprinted cards C... are placed for the first time. This makes it possible to easily accommodate the maximum number of unprinted cards C... in the card storage chamber that stores the unprinted cards C....

[0015] (3) In a preferred embodiment, the flapper mechanism 8 is positioned at a vertical position Xf through which part or all of the hopper table 4 passes when raised, and at which a predetermined number of unprinted cards C... remain on the upper surface of the hopper table 4. This makes it possible to provide a supply space below the flapper mechanism 8 for new, unprinted cards C... to be added. Therefore, by selecting an appropriate vertical position Xf, sufficient supply space for the unprinted cards C... can be secured.

[0016] (4) In a preferred embodiment, when configuring the flapper mechanism unit 8, a pair of flapper units 8p, 8q are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the unprinted cards C.... This allows the unprinted cards C... to be placed in a balanced and stable manner when being replenished, thereby making it possible to implement this as an optimal form from the standpoint of ensuring smooth operation.

[0017] (5) In a preferred embodiment, the second displacement mechanisms 9p, 9q can be provided with a function of generating an escape displacement against elasticity when pressed by the unprinted cards C... and the hopper table 4 when the hopper table 4 is raised. This allows the flapper mechanism 8 (flapper portions 8p, 8q) to escape even when the hopper table 4 is wider than the unprinted cards C... when the hopper table 4 is raised, thereby achieving stable upward displacement of the unprinted cards C... and the hopper table 4.

[0018] (6) In a preferred embodiment, when constructing the flapper portion 8p (8q), a fixed-position base 11 is provided with a first displacement mechanism 7p (7q) supported for rotation over a predetermined range by a horizontal rotation shaft 12 provided on the base 11, and a flapper support portion 14 biased toward the unprinted card side Fc by an elastic member 13, and a second displacement mechanism 9p (9q) supported for rotation over a predetermined range by a vertical rotation shaft 15 provided on the flapper support portion 14 and biased toward the unprinted card side Fc by an elastic member 16. This allows the flapper portion 8p to be constructed using the minimum number of parts having the required functions, making it possible to produce a simple and small flapper portion 8p at low cost.

[0019] (7) In a preferred embodiment, the hopper table 4 is provided with an escape recess 18p (18q) through which the flapper portion 8p (8q) can pass at least when the hopper table 4 is lowered. This allows only the hopper table 4 to pass through the flapper portion 8p (8q) when the hopper table 4 is lowered, and unprinted cards C... can be placed on the upper surface of the flapper portion 8p (8q). This makes it possible to effectively perform a first-in, first-out system when replenishing the unprinted cards C.... [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall appearance of a printer equipped with a card supply device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the flapper parts constituting the flapper mechanism of the card supplying device; [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lifting mechanism and the flapper mechanism of the card supplying device; [Figure 6] A flowchart for sequentially explaining the operation of the card supplying device during printing. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a first process diagram illustrating the operation of the card supplying device during printing; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a second process diagram illustrating the operation of the card supplying device during printing; [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is a third process diagram illustrating the operation of the card supplying device during printing; [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a fourth process diagram illustrating the operation of the card supplying device during printing; [Figure 11] FIG. 5 is a fifth process diagram illustrating the operation of the card supplying device during printing; [Figure 12] FIG. 6 is a sixth process diagram illustrating the operation of the card supplying device during printing; [Figure 13] FIG. 7 is a seventh process diagram illustrating the operation of the card supplying device during printing; [Figure 14] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an eighth process of the operation of the card supplying device during printing; [Figure 15] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a ninth process of the operation of the card supplying device during printing; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0022] First, in order to facilitate understanding of the card supplying device 1 according to this embodiment, the overall schematic configuration of the printer P will be described with reference to FIG. 1 (FIG. 10).

[0023] In FIG. 1, P shows an external view of a printer (card printer) as seen from the front. The illustrated printer P has a housing 50 configured as a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole, and a printing unit Pp is built into the right side of the housing 50. The printing unit Pp prints by a thermal transfer method using a color ink ribbon, but various printing methods can be used for this printing method. The printing unit Pp also has a printing function 51 such as a color ink ribbon and a print head in a lower area, and a card transport mechanism 52 that transports a printed card to the right (transport direction) Fo in the figure in an area above the printing function 51, and the tip position of the card transport mechanism 52 faces a card discharge port 53 provided on the right side of the housing 50 in the figure.

[0024] The card supply device 1 according to this embodiment is disposed in the area to the left of the printing unit Pp. This allows the card supply device 1 to supply unprinted cards Cu(C) one by one from a stack of multiple unprinted cards Cu(C) (see FIG. 10) to the subsequent printing unit Pp. In FIG. 1, 55 denotes a front cover whose left end portion is rotatably supported by hinge portions 56u, 56d. Therefore, when setting new unprinted cards C... in the card supply device 1, the front cover 55 is opened, and the stack of multiple unprinted cards C... can be set in the card storage chamber 57 inside.

[0025] Next, a specific configuration of the card supplying device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 (Figs. 10 and 12).

[0026] 1, the card supplying device 1 is disposed on the left side inside the housing 50. This card supplying device 1 is disposed near the center of the card storage chamber 57, and has a lifting mechanism 2 equipped with a hopper table 4 that is lifted and lowered by a lifting drive unit 3. A stack of multiple unprinted cards C... can be positioned and placed (set) on the upper surface of this hopper table 4.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 1, the lifting drive unit 3 includes a rotation drive unit 21 using a motor disposed at the bottom, a toothed drive pulley 22 fixed to the rotation output shaft of the rotation drive unit 21, a toothed idle pulley 23 rotatably supported at the top, and an endless timing belt 24 stretched between the toothed idle pulley 23 and the toothed drive pulley 22. As shown in Fig. 5, a fixing part 25 provided on the rear end side located at the rear side of the horizontally disposed hopper table 4 is fixed to the middle position of the endless timing belt 24. In addition, a pair of left and right guide shafts 26p, 26q spaced apart from each other are disposed in parallel in the vertical direction at the rear side of the card storage chamber 57, and the guide shafts 26p, 26q are slidably loaded into bearing holes 27p, 27q provided at the rear end side of the hopper table 4. By controlling the drive of the lifting drive unit 3, the hopper table 4 can be displaced upward or downward.

[0028] A card supply mechanism 5 using a top-feed system is disposed at the upper end position of the card storage chamber 57. Therefore, this card supply mechanism 5 is disposed above the hopper table 4 at the uppermost position Xu, and includes a pickup roller 6 that abuts (presses) against the upper surface of an uppermost unprinted card Cu among a plurality of stacked unprinted cards C..., as shown in Fig. 10. This allows the unprinted card Cu to be supplied to the printing unit Pp by controlling the rotation of the pickup roller 6.

[0029] Furthermore, a flapper mechanism 8 is disposed between the pickup roller 6 and the hopper table 4 at the lowest position Xd. In this case, the flapper mechanism 8 is provided with first displacement mechanisms 7p, 7q that generate a displacement to escape against elasticity when pressed by at least an unprinted card C... displacing upward, and has flapper portions 8p, 8q on the upper surface on which an unprinted card C... can be placed. In this way, when configuring the flapper mechanism 8, if a pair of flapper portions 8p, 8q is symmetrically disposed on both sides of the unprinted card C..., the unprinted card C... can be stably placed in a well-balanced manner when replenishing the unprinted card C..., and therefore, it can be implemented as an optimal form from the viewpoint of ensuring smooth operation.

[0030] Of the pair of flapper portions 8p, 8q, one (left) flapper portion 8p includes a base portion 11, a flapper support portion 14, and a flapper main body portion 17 as basic components (constituent parts) as shown in FIGS.

[0031] The base 11 is formed, for example, by bending a single plate material made of a metal material, and integrally comprises a horizontal bottom plate portion 11d, a left side plate portion 11p extending upward at a right angle from the left end edge of the bottom plate portion 11d, and a pair of front plate portions 11f and rear plate portions 11r extending rightward at a right angle from the front and rear end edges of the left side plate portion 11p. Thus, the base 11 is attached to a fixed frame or the like provided inside the housing 50, with its position fixed.

[0032] The flapper support part 14, like the base part 11, is formed by bending a single plate material made of, for example, a metal material, and integrally includes a left side plate part 14p, a front plate part 14f and a rear plate part 14r extending rightward at right angles from the front and rear ends of the left side plate part 14p. A rotation shaft 12 in the horizontal direction Fh is provided between the front plate part 11f and the rear plate part 11r of the base part 11, and the rotation shaft 12 penetrates the front plate part 14f and the rear plate part 14r of the flapper support part 14 to rotatably support the flapper support part 14. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, an elastic member 13 using a spring is provided between the base part 11 and the flapper support part 14 to bias the flapper support part 14 toward the unprinted card side Fc. Furthermore, a base stopper 11s is formed integrally with the upper end of the left side plate portion 11p of the base 11, and a support portion stopper 14s is formed integrally with the lower end of the flapper support portion 14. As a result, the flapper support portion 14 is supported so as to be rotatably displaceable about the rotation shaft 12 over a predetermined range (predetermined angle range) within which each of the stoppers 11s, 14s is restricted, and a first displacement mechanism 7p is formed in which the left side plate portion 14p stops in a vertical position as shown in Fig. 3, while the flapper support portion 14 is pushed leftward to cause a displacement to escape against elasticity toward the position shown by the imaginary line.

[0033] The flapper body 17 is made of a hard plastic material or the like and is integrally molded into a block shape having a right-angled inverted triangle shape at the upper left end when viewed from the front and a predetermined thickness in the front-rear direction, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. A pair of upper and lower bearings 14u and 14d are formed by bending the right end side of the front plate 14f of the flapper support 14, and the bearings 14u and 14d support the rotation shaft 15 provided at the front left end of the flapper body 17 in the vertical direction Fv so that it can be rotated. As shown in Figure 4, an elastic member 16 using a coil spring is attached to the rotation shaft 15, and one end of the elastic member 16 is engaged with the flapper support 14 and the other end of the elastic member 16 is engaged with the flapper body 17 to bias the flapper body 17 toward the unprinted card side Fc. Furthermore, the outer surface shape of the rotation shaft 15 of the flapper main body 17 is formed into a stopper shape so that one end side and the other end side of a predetermined range (predetermined angle range) come into contact with the flapper support part 14. As a result, as shown in Fig. 4, the flapper main body 17 stops at a position (solid line position) where the front end edge extending rightward from the rotation shaft 15 provided at the front left end is parallel to the front plate part 14f of the flapper support part 14 in a plan view, and a second displacement mechanism 9p is configured that can rotate and displace the flapper main body 17 about the rotation shaft 15 as a fulcrum and cause a displacement to escape against elasticity to the position shown by the imaginary line by pushing the flapper main body 17 leftward.

[0034] Therefore, by providing such a second displacement mechanism 9p, as shown in Fig. 5, when a plurality of stacked unprinted cards C... are placed on the upper surface of the hopper table 4, the flapper portion 8p can be released by being pushed by the unprinted cards C.... This makes it possible to easily accommodate the maximum number of unprinted cards C... in the card storage chamber 57 that stores the unprinted cards C....

[0035] The configuration of one (left) flapper portion 8p has been described above, but the other (right) flapper portion 8q can also be basically configured in the same way as flapper portion 8p, except that it is bilaterally symmetrical.

[0036] In this way, when constructing the flapper portion 8p (8q), it has a base 11 with a fixed position, a first displacement mechanism 7p (7q) supported so as to be rotatable over a predetermined range by a horizontal rotation shaft 12 provided on the base 11 in the horizontal direction Fh, a flapper support portion 14 biased toward the unprinted card side Fc by an elastic member 13, and a second displacement mechanism 9p (9q) supported so as to be rotatable over a predetermined range by a vertical rotation shaft 15 provided on the flapper support portion 14 in the vertical direction Fv, and a flapper main body portion 17 biased toward the unprinted card side Fc by an elastic member 16.This means that the flapper portion 8p (8q) can be constructed using the minimum number of parts having the necessary functions, and therefore a simple and small flapper portion 8p (8q) can be implemented at low cost.

[0037] The vertical position for disposing the flapper mechanism 8 (flapper parts 8p, 8q) is selected as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, a vertical position Xf is selected through which a part or all of the hopper table 4 passes when raised and a predetermined number of unprinted cards C... remain on the upper surface of the hopper table 4. By selecting in this manner, a supply space for new unprinted cards C... to be added can be provided below the flapper mechanism 8, so that by selecting an appropriate vertical position Xf, a sufficient supply space for the unprinted cards C... can be secured. The reason why a part of the hopper table 4 passes is that when separate flap engagement parts 4p, 4q that engage with the flapper parts 8p, 8q are integrally provided on the hopper table 4 as shown in FIG. 5, the engagement with the flapper parts 8p, 8q may be released before the hopper table 4 passes.

[0038] 5, the hopper table 4 is provided with escape recesses 18p, 18q through which the flapper portions 8p, 8q can pass at least when the hopper table 4 is lowered. If such escape recesses 18p, 18q are provided, when the hopper table 4 is lowered, only the hopper table 4 passes through the flapper portions 8p, 8q, and the unprinted cards C are placed on the upper surfaces of the flapper portions 8p, 8q, so that a substantial first-in, first-out system can be implemented when replenishing the unprinted cards C.

[0039] Next, the operation (function) of the card supplying device 1 according to this embodiment during printing will be described according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 with reference to FIGS. 1-5 and 7-15.

[0040] First, as shown in Fig. 1, the front cover 55 is opened and a plurality of stacked unprinted cards C... (approximately 300 cards in the example) are stored in the card storage chamber 57 (step S1). In the initial state, the hopper table 4 is at the lowest position Xd, which is the home position. Figs. 7 and 8 show the state in Fig. 1. Therefore, the space between the hopper table 4 and the pickup roller 6 essentially becomes the card storage chamber 57 for the unprinted cards C.... In Figs. 7 and 8, phantom lines indicate the plurality of stacked unprinted cards C...

[0041] In addition, when a plurality of stacked unprinted cards C are stored in the card storage chamber 57, the unprinted cards C come into contact with the flapper parts 8p and 8q. In other words, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the pair of left and right flapper main bodies 17 and 17 are pushed by the unprinted cards C and rotate around the pivot shaft 15 constituting the second displacement mechanism 9p and 9q, causing a displacement of escape against elasticity (step S2). As a result, the unprinted cards C can be placed (set) in a fixed position on the upper surface of the hopper table 4 (step S3). In this way, the second displacement mechanisms 9p and 9q are provided, so that the maximum number of unprinted cards C can be easily stored in the card storage chamber 57. FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show a front view of the state in which the unprinted cards C are set in a fixed position on the hopper table 4. In this state, the tips of the flapper main bodies 17 and 17 come into contact with the left and right side surfaces of the stacked unprinted cards C. At this time, the blank cards C... are positioned in the front-rear direction by the rear end sides of the blank cards C... coming into contact with a pair of parallel stopper rails 31p, 31q shown in FIG.

[0042] When the setting of the unprinted cards C... is completed, the front cover 55 is closed (see FIG. 9), and a start switch (not shown) is turned ON (step S4). As a result, the lifting drive unit 3 is driven and controlled by the printer controller (not shown), and the hopper table 4 is displaced upward as shown in FIG. 10, and stops when the uppermost unprinted card Cu of the unprinted cards C... reaches the supply position where it abuts against the pickup roller 6 (step S5).

[0043] Next, the card supply mechanism 5 is driven and controlled, and as shown in Fig. 10, the pickup roller 6 rotates to supply the top unprinted card Cu of the stacked unprinted cards C to the printing unit Pp located in the rear stage (step S6). This ends the supply process for one unprinted card Cu, so if the next printing process continues, the supply process (supply operation) of steps S5 and S6 for the unprinted card C continues (steps S7, S8, S5, S6, ...). This supply process is performed until the hopper table 4 abuts (engages) with the flapper main body parts 17, 17. If the target number of printed sheets is reached midway, the printing process ends (step S7).

[0044] Further, it is assumed that the supply process proceeds and the hopper table 4 comes into contact (engages) with the flapper main bodies 17, 17. In this case, since the width of the hopper table 4 is longer than the width of the stacked blank cards C, as shown in Fig. 11, the hopper table 4 is pushed in a direction to widen the gap between the flapper main bodies 17, 17 by the function of the second displacement mechanisms 9p, 9q. That is, as shown in Fig. 5, parts of both sides of the hopper table 4 (flap engagement parts 4p, 4q) come into contact with the inclined surfaces of the flapper main bodies 17, 17, and as the hopper table 4 rises, the flapper main bodies 17s, 17s are pushed apart as shown by the imaginary lines, and the supply process (supply operation) of steps S5 and S6 for the blank cards C continues (steps S8, S9, S10, S5, S6, ...). In this way, if the second displacement mechanisms 9p, 9q are provided with a function of generating an escape displacement against elasticity when pressed by the unprinted cards C... and the hopper table 4 when the hopper table 4 is raised, the flapper mechanism portion 8 (flapper portions 8p, 8q) can be allowed to escape when the hopper table 4 is raised, even if the hopper table 4 is wider than the unprinted cards C..., thereby achieving stable upward displacement of the unprinted cards C... and the hopper table 4.

[0045] Then, after the hopper table 4 has passed through the flapper main bodies 17, 17 or while it is passing through, as shown in FIG. 12, the flapper main bodies 17, 17 are released from contact with the hopper table 4 (and unprinted cards C...), and return to the initial position, which is the non-contact state (non-restricted state), shown in FIG. 7 (steps 10, S11).

[0046] On the other hand, at this position, the number of unprinted cards Cu... remaining on the hopper table 4 has been reduced to a predetermined number, so a process of replenishing new unprinted cards Cu... is performed. Therefore, at this time, the printing operation is temporarily suspended (step S13). In this case, the flapper main bodies 17, 17 are located at the solid line position shown in Fig. 5, that is, in the space inside the relief recesses 18p, 18q provided on the hopper table 4, so that the lifting drive unit 3 is driven and controlled to move the hopper table 4 in the direction of the arrow Fd shown in Fig. 13, that is, to the re-lowered position Xd, which is the home position (step S14).

[0047] As a result, the unprinted cards C... placed on the upper surface of the hopper table 4 are also displaced downward, but since the unprinted cards C... cannot pass through the flapper main bodies 17, 17, they remain placed on the upper surfaces of the flapper main bodies 17, 17 as shown in Fig. 13 (step S15). As a result, a supply storage space 57p for supplying new unprinted cards C... is provided between the flapper main bodies 17, 17 and the hopper table 4, so that the new stacked unprinted cards C... are placed (set) on the upper surface of the hopper table 4 as shown in Fig. 14 (step S16). This allows the unprinted cards C... to be essentially first-in, first-out.

[0048] When the supply process of the unprinted cards C is completed, a restart switch (not shown) is turned ON (step S17). This drives and controls the lift drive unit 3, and the hopper table 4 is displaced upward (step S18). As a result, the newly added unprinted cards C on the upper surface of the hopper table 4 are displaced in the direction of the arrow Fu in Fig. 14, and when they come into contact with the flapper main bodies 17, 17, as shown in Fig. 15, the flapper main bodies 17 and the flapper supports 14 are pivotally displaced about the pivot shafts 12 in the first displacement mechanisms 7p, 7q. That is, a displacement of escape occurs against the elasticity of the elastic members 16 (step S19). Thereafter, the top end surface of the newly added unprinted card C... comes into contact with the bottom end surface of the unprinted card C... remaining on the flapper main bodies 17, 17, and the remaining unprinted card C... located on the upper side and the new unprinted card C... located on the lower side overlap and rise together, and when the unprinted card Cu at the top end position of the remaining unprinted cards C... reaches the supply position where it comes into contact with the pickup roller 6 of the card supply mechanism 5, it stops (step S5). Then, printing is performed thereafter according to the same processing procedure (steps S6...).

[0049] Thus, the card supply device 1 according to this embodiment has, as its basic configuration, a lifting mechanism 2 having a hopper table 4 that is lifted and lowered by a lifting drive unit 3 and that can place a plurality of unprinted cards C... stacked on its upper surface; a card supply mechanism 5 having a pickup roller 6 that is disposed above the hopper table 4 at the highest position Xu and supplies an unprinted card Cu at the top end position of the plurality of stacked unprinted cards C... to the printing unit Pp; and a card supply mechanism 5 that is disposed between the pickup roller 6 and the hopper table 4 at the lowest position Xd and that generates a displacement to escape against elasticity when pressed by at least an unprinted card C... that is displaced upward. As a result of providing the first displacement mechanisms 7p, 7q and a flapper mechanism 8 having flapper portions 8p, 8q on the upper surface of which an unprinted card C... can be placed, even when the card supply device 1 is configured using the so-called top-feeding method, the card supply device 1 can essentially perform first-in, first-out of the unprinted cards C... because it has the first displacement mechanisms 7p, 7q that are disposed between the pickup roller 6 and the hopper table 4 at the lowest position Xd and that generate an escape displacement against elasticity when pressed by at least an unprinted card C... that is displaced upward, and the flapper mechanism 8 has flapper portions 8p, 8q on the upper surface of which an unprinted card C... can be placed. Furthermore, while enjoying the original advantages of the top feed method, such as facilitating the clearing of jams caused by unprinted cards C, reducing stains and printing defects on new unprinted cards C... during replenishment work, and simplifying the structure, it is possible to enjoy the advantages of the bottom feed method, which allows unprinted cards C... to be easily replenished, thereby ensuring the advantages of both the top feed method and the bottom feed method.

[0050] Although the preferred embodiment has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and the detailed configuration, shape, material, quantity, numerical values, etc. can be changed, added, or deleted as desired without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0051] For example, when selecting the vertical position Xf, the flapper mechanism 8 has been illustrated as a case where the entire hopper table 4 passes when it is raised and a predetermined number of unprinted cards C remain on the top surface of the hopper table 4, but as described above, it may be a case where only a part of the hopper table 4 passes. Also, the unprinted cards C are set vertically in the conveying direction, but they may be set horizontally. On the other hand, it is desirable to provide the second displacement mechanisms 9p, 9q, but they are not necessarily essential components. Also, it is desirable to provide the second displacement mechanisms 9p, 9q with a function of generating a displacement of escape against elasticity by being pushed by the unprinted cards C and the hopper table 4 when the hopper table 4 is raised, but if the width of the hopper table 4 is narrower than the unprinted cards C, it is not necessarily required to be pushed by the hopper table 4. Furthermore, the flapper portion 8p (8q is the same) preferably has a base 11 whose position is fixed, a first displacement mechanism 7p (7q) supported so as to be rotatable over a predetermined range by a horizontal rotation shaft 12 provided on the base 11 in the horizontal direction Fh, a flapper support portion 14 which is urged toward the unprinted card side Fc by an elastic member 13, and a second displacement mechanism 9p (9q) supported so as to be rotatable over a predetermined range by a vertical rotation shaft 15 provided on the flapper support portion 14 in the vertical direction Fv, and a flapper main body portion 17 which is urged toward the unprinted card side Fc by an elastic member 16, but this can be replaced with various other structures having similar functions. [Industrial Applicability]

[0052] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The card supplying device according to the present invention can be used in various card printers that have a built-in supplying function for supplying cards one by one from a stack of multiple unprinted cards to a printing section in the subsequent stage. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1: card supply device, 2: lift mechanism, 3: lift drive, 4: hopper table, 5: card supply mechanism, 6: pickup roller, 7p: first displacement mechanism, 7q: first displacement mechanism, 8: flapper mechanism, 8p: flapper section, 8q: flapper section, 9p: second displacement mechanism, 9q: second displacement mechanism, 11: base, 12: rotating shaft, 13: elastic member, 14: flapper support section, 15: rotating shaft, 16: elastic member, 17: flapper main body, 18p: escape recess, 18q: escape recess, Fh: horizontal direction, Fc: unprinted card side, Fv: vertical direction, Xd: lowest position, Xf: vertical position, Xu: highest position, C...: unprinted card, Cu: unprinted card at the top position, Pp: printing section

Claims

1. a card supplying device for a printer that supplies unprinted cards one by one from a stack of cards to a printing section in a subsequent stage, the card supplying device comprising: a lifting mechanism that is lifted and lowered by a lifting drive unit and has a hopper table on whose upper surface the stack of unprinted cards can be placed; a card supplying mechanism that has a pickup roller that is positioned above the hopper table in its highest position and supplies an uppermost unprinted card of the stack of cards to the printing section; and a flapper mechanism that is positioned between the pickup roller and the hopper table in its lowest position and has a first displacement mechanism that generates a release displacement against elasticity when pressed by at least the unprinted card displaced upward, and has a flapper unit on whose upper surface the unprinted card can be placed, and has a second displacement mechanism that generates a release displacement against elasticity when pressed by the unprinted card when the stack of unprinted cards is placed on the upper surface of the hopper table.

2. 2. The card supply device of a printer according to claim 1, wherein the flapper mechanism is disposed at a vertical position through which part or all of the hopper table passes when raised and at which a predetermined number of unprinted cards remain on the upper surface of the hopper table.

3. 3. The card supplying device for a printer according to claim 1, wherein said flapper mechanism comprises a pair of flappers symmetrically disposed on both sides of said unprinted cards.

4. 2. The card supply device of a printer according to claim 1, wherein the second displacement mechanism has a function of generating an escape displacement against elasticity by being pushed by the unprinted card and the hopper table when the hopper table is raised.

5. 2. The card supplying device for a printer as described in claim 1, wherein the flapper unit has a base whose position is fixed, the first displacement mechanism supported so as to be rotatable over a predetermined range by a horizontal rotation shaft provided on the base, and is urged toward the unprinted card by an elastic member, and a flapper support unit having the second displacement mechanism supported so as to be rotatable over a predetermined range by a vertical rotation shaft provided on the flapper support unit, and is urged toward the unprinted card by an elastic member.

6. 6. The card supplying device for a printer according to claim 1, wherein the hopper table has a recess through which the flapper portion can pass at least when the hopper table is lowered.

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