printer

Abstract

To improve the workability of replacing print media in a printer that stores two roll-shaped print media inside. [Solution] The printer 100 has a housing having a case main body 110 and a drawer section 120 that is pulled out forward in the front-to-back direction L relative to the case main body 110, and is provided with a storage chamber S in which two roll bodies 201, 202 of paper 201a, 202a formed in roll form are placed, and when the drawer section 120 is pulled out forward, one of the two roll bodies 201, 202 stored in the storage chamber S can be replaced while the other roll body 202 remains positioned in the storage chamber S, and the other roll body 202 can be replaced while the one roll body 201 remains positioned in the storage chamber S.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] Printers use thermal or inkjet heads to print on print media such as paper or film. Print media can be rolls of long pieces of paper or film wound into a roll. Some printers are equipped with two rolls of print media (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The image forming device described in Patent Document 1 arranges the two rolls of print media in an exposed state, making it easy to replace the rolls of print media. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5560960 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] On the other hand, when considering a printer that stores two rolls of printing media inside the case, it is necessary to consider the ease of replacing the printing media.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to improve the ease of replacing roll bodies in a printer that stores two or more roll-shaped printing media (roll bodies) inside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a printer that has a housing having a case main body and a drawer section that is pulled out forward in the front-to-back direction relative to the case main body, and is provided with a storage chamber in which multiple rolls of printing media formed in roll form are placed, and when the drawer section is pulled out forward, any one of the multiple rolls can be attached and detached to the storage chamber while maintaining the state in which all remaining rolls are placed in the storage chamber. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The printer according to the present invention can improve the workability of replacing rolls in a printer that stores two or more rolls of printing media inside. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the dye-sublimation thermal printer when in use, with the drawer section closed. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the dye-sublimation thermal printer shown in FIG. 1 when replacing a roll body, with the drawer section pulled out and open. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a front view showing the front surface (front face) in the front-rear direction of the dye-sublimation thermal printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section cut along a vertical plane along line AA in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view showing the front of the dye-sublimation thermal printer shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section cut along a vertical plane along line BB in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 5 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to FIG. 4, showing the printer in a state in which a reverse conveying path is attached to the lower storage chamber and a sheet feeding unit is attached to the bottom of the housing. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of a printer according to the present invention is as follows.

[0010] <Overall structure> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a dye-sublimation thermal printer 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as printer 100) when in use, with the drawer section 120 closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the printer 100 shown in FIG. 1 when, for example, replacing the roll bodies 201, 202, with the drawer section 120 pulled out and the upper body 121 open. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the front surface 101 of the printer 100 shown in FIG. 1 in the front-to-rear direction L, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section cut in a vertical plane along line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the front surface 101 of the printer 100 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section cut in a vertical plane along line BB in FIG. 5.

[0011] 1 is a dye-sublimation thermal printer, for example. A dye-sublimation thermal printer prints images or the like on paper by bringing a heat-generating thermal head into contact with sublimation dyes applied to an ink ribbon, causing the sublimation dyes in the ink ribbon to migrate by heat (thermal diffusion migration) to the receptor layer of paper (printing medium) placed over the ink ribbon.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, printer 100 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing. Two discharge outlets 101A and 101B extending along the width direction W are formed side by side, one above the other, at the top of a front surface 101 in the front-to-rear direction L of printer 100. First discharge outlet 101A, formed relatively higher in the height direction H, is an opening through which paper 201a from a first roll body 201 (described later) is discharged to the outside. Second discharge outlet 101B, formed below first discharge outlet 101A, is an opening through which paper 202a from a second roll body 202 is discharged to the outside.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 4, the printer 100 has a housing containing a printing unit 130, two cutter units 141 and 142, a transport unit 160 having a transport path 150, and a control unit 170. The printer 100 also has a storage chamber S formed inside the housing that contains two rolls 201 and 202. The printing unit 130, cutter units 141 and 142, transport unit 160, control unit 170, and storage chamber S are all covered by the housing when the printer 100 shown in Fig. 1 is in use, i.e., when printing is being performed on paper 201a and 202a on the rolls 201 and 202.

[0014] The first roll body 201 is a long sheet of paper 201a wound around an axis C1 to form a roll. The sheet of paper 201a is a printing medium having a receptor layer that develops color by receiving sublimation dye that has thermally diffused and migrated from the ink ribbon 132 of the printing unit 130, for example.

[0015] Like the first roll 201, the second roll 202 is formed by winding a long length of paper 202a around an axis C2 into a roll. Like the paper 201a, the paper 202a is a print medium having a receptor layer that develops color by receiving sublimation dye that has thermally diffused and migrated from the ink ribbon 132. However, unlike the paper 201a, the paper 202a is, for example, a translucent label paper with an adhesive applied to one side and attached to a mount. The label paper is not limited to being translucent, and may be transparent or opaque.

[0016] (Printing department) The print unit 130 includes a thermal head 131, an ink ribbon 132, and a platen roller 133. The thermal head 131 is provided in the case main body 110. The thermal head 131 generates heat according to an input signal value under the control of the control unit 170.

[0017] The ink ribbon 132 and the platen roller 133 are provided in the drawer section 120. The platen roller 133 is disposed on the opposite side of the thermal head 131, with the sheets 201a and 202a conveyed along the conveyance path 150 sandwiched between them.

[0018] The ink ribbon 132 has a supply roll 132a, a take-up roll 132b, and a ribbon 132c. The ribbon 132c is a long film coated with a sublimation dye. One end of an unused ribbon 132c is fixed to the supply roll 132a and wound around the supply roll 132a. The other end of the ribbon 132c is fixed to the take-up roll 132b.

[0019] The winding roll 132b rotates under the control of the control unit 170 and winds up the ribbon 132c. As a result, the ribbon 132c is unwound and unwound from the unwinding roll 132a. Because a torque is applied to the unwinding roll 132a in the opposite direction to the rotation direction in which the ribbon 132c is unwound, the ribbon 132c is tensioned and stretched between the unwinding roll 132a and the winding roll 132b.

[0020] The ribbon 132c is disposed between the thermal head 131 and the sheets 201a and 202a being transported along the transport path 150 at the stretched portion.

[0021] The printing unit 130 clamps the papers 201a, 202a and ribbon 133c transported along the transport path 150 between the platen roller 133 and the thermal head 131 to bring them into close contact, and the control unit 170 heats the thermal head 131 while feeding the papers 201a, 202a and ribbon 132c, causing the sublimation dye in the ribbon 133c to thermally diffuse and transfer to the receiving layers of the papers 201a, 202a, and prints an image on the papers 201a, 202a with a hue and density that correspond to the signal value.

[0022] The portion of the ribbon 132c in which the sublimation dye has been thermally diffused and transferred by the thermal head 131 is used, and therefore the ribbon 132c wound around the winding roll 132b is the used ribbon 132c.

[0023] (Transportation section) The conveying section 160 has a conveying path 150, a conveying roller 161, and a flap 162 (path switching section). The conveying path 150 has a first conveying path 151, a second conveying path 152, a third conveying path 153, a fourth conveying path 154, and a fifth conveying path 155.

[0024] The first transport path 151 is a path that runs from the storage chamber S to the printing unit 130, and transports the paper 201a unwound from the first roll body 201. The second transport path 152 is a path that runs from the storage chamber S to the printing unit 130, and is separate from the first transport path 151, and transports the paper 202a unwound from the second roll body 202. In other words, the first transport path 151 and the second path are separate paths.

[0025] The third conveying path 153 is a path that passes through the printing unit 130, including between the thermal head 131 and the platen roller 133, and is a path that is shared by the paper 201a sent from the first conveying path 151 and the paper 202a sent from the second conveying path 152.

[0026] The fourth transport path 154 is a path that runs from the third transport path 153 to the first discharge outlet 101A, and transports the paper 201a after printing by the printing unit 130. The fifth transport path 155 is a path that runs from the third transport path 153 to the second discharge outlet 101B, and is a path that is different from the fourth transport path 154, and transports the paper 202a after printing by the printing unit 130. In other words, the fourth transport path 154 and the fifth transport path 155 are separate paths.

[0027] The flap 162 is provided between the fourth conveying path 154, the fifth conveying path 155 and the third conveying path 153. The position of the flap 162 is changed under the control of the control unit 170, and the change in position switches the destination of the paper sheets 201a and 202a that have passed through the third conveying path 153 to either the fourth conveying path 154 or the fifth conveying path 155.

[0028] Incidentally, because the paper 201a of the first roll body 201 is formed in a roll shape, a curl is formed when the paper is unwound from the first roll body 201. Therefore, the printer 100 is provided with a decurling mechanism 180 in the fourth transport path 154. The decurling mechanism 180 presses downward on the paper 201a passing through the fourth transport path 154, and shapes the paper 201a into a downwardly convex shape, thereby correcting (decurling) the upwardly convex curl.

[0029] The paper 202a of the second roll body 202 is also formed in a roll shape, but the paper 202a, which is label paper made of the example translucent film (including transparent film and opaque film), is a sealing material with adhesive, and the sealing material causes the adhesive to adhere to the decurling mechanism, and if the adhesive accumulates, it can adversely affect the operation of the decurling mechanism or the conveying operation of the paper 202a (causing jams, etc.), so no decurling mechanism 180 is provided on the fifth conveying path 155.

[0030] When the printer 100 uses a printing medium without adhesive as the second roll body 202, a decurling mechanism may be provided in the fifth transport path 155 to flatten the printing medium.

[0031] However, in the printer 100 of this embodiment, by switching the destination of the papers 201a, 202a with the flap 162, it is possible to select whether or not to decurl the papers 201a, 202a by switching whether or not to flatten the curl of the papers 201a, 202a with the decurling mechanism 180. Therefore, the printer 100 does not need to provide the decurling mechanism 180 on the fifth conveying path 155 in addition to the fourth conveying path 154.

[0032] The transport rollers 161 are an example of a transport unit that transports the sheets 201a and 202a in the forward direction (toward the discharge ports 101A and 101B) or the reverse direction (opposite the forward direction) along the transport path 150 under the control of the control unit 170. In Figures 4 and 6, only one transport roller 161 is shown as an example on the path where the first transport path 151 and the second transport path 152 join, but transport rollers 161 are also provided on the third transport path 153, the fourth transport path 154, and the fifth transport path 155. However, the transport rollers 161 provided on the third transport path 153, the fourth transport path 154, and the fifth transport path 155 are not shown in the printer 100.

[0033] (cutter part) The first cutter unit 141 is provided on the fourth conveying path 154, in front of the first discharge opening 101A. Under the control of the control unit 170, the first cutter unit 141 cuts the long paper 201a wound around the first roll body 201 along the width direction W to a predetermined length.

[0034] The second cutter unit 142 is provided on the fifth conveying path 155, in front of the second discharge port 101B. Under the control of the control unit 170, the second cutter unit 142 cuts the long paper 202a wound around the second roll body 202 along the width direction W to a predetermined length.

[0035] The control unit 170 is provided in the case main body 110. As described above, the control unit 170 controls the input of signal values to the thermal head 131, the feeding of the ink ribbon 132, the transport of the papers 201a and 202a, and the driving of the cutter units 141 and 142.

[0036] (Housing) The housing of the printer 100 has a case main body 110 and a drawer section 120. The case main body 110 accounts for most of the exterior of the printer 100. The drawer section 120 is externally located in front of the case main body 110.

[0037] 2 and 6, the drawer section 120 is provided with the ink ribbon 132 and platen roller 133 of the printing section 130, the transport path 150, and the cutter sections 141 and 142. As shown in FIG. 4, the drawer section 120 is also provided with a storage chamber S that stores two roll bodies 201 and 202 (described below) without them coming into contact with each other. The storage chamber S has two areas: an upper storage chamber S1 that stores the first roll body 201, and a lower storage chamber S2 that stores the second roll body 202. The upper storage chamber S1 and the lower storage chamber S2 are formed as a single connected space (storage chamber S), but may also be separated into two spaces by a partition wall or the like.

[0038] The drawer unit 120 is movable forward in the front-to-rear direction L relative to the case main body 110. Therefore, in the printer 100, when the drawer unit 120 is pulled forward in the front-to-rear direction L as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the storage chamber S, the ink ribbon 132, the platen roller 133, the conveying path 150, and the cutter units 141 and 142 are also pulled forward together with the drawer unit 120.

[0039] When the drawer section 120 is not pulled out, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, the thermal head 131 is in contact with the ribbon 132c of the ink ribbon 132, and the paper 201a and the ribbon 132c, or the paper 202a and the ribbon 132c, are sandwiched between the thermal head 131 and the platen roller 133, making it possible for the printing section 130 to print.

[0040] The drawer section 120 has a front end 120a and a tray section 122b. A removable chip bin 105 is provided at the front end 120a. The chip bin 105 collects chips of the papers 201a and 202a cut by the cutter sections 141 and 142 by allowing the chips to fall downward in front of the discharge openings 101A and 101B. The front surface of the chip bin 105 forms the front surface 101, which is the front end surface in the front-to-rear direction L, of the printer 100 in the state shown in FIG. 1.

[0041] The front end portion 120a and the chip bin 105 are exposed from the exterior of the printer 100. The tray portion 122b is housed inside the case main body 110 and is not exposed to the outside when the printer 100 is in the closed state shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, at least a portion of the tray portion 120b is exposed to the outside of the case main body 110 when the printer 100 is pulled out forward from the closed state shown in Fig. 1.

[0042] The drawer section 120 is divided into an upper body 121 and a lower body 122. The upper body 121 is disposed relatively higher in the height direction H. The lower body 122 is disposed below the upper body 121.

[0043] The upper body 121 is provided with a portion of the third conveying path 153, the fourth conveying path 154, the fifth conveying path 155, a flap 162, cutter units 141 and 142, and a decurling mechanism 180. The upper body 121 has an upper front end portion 121a and a pivoting portion 121b. The upper front end portion 121a is the upper portion of the front end portion 120a. Therefore, the upper front end portion 121a is always exposed from the exterior of the printer 100.

[0044] The swivel portion 121b is provided behind the upper front end portion 121a. A part of the third transport path 153 is disposed on the swivel portion 121b. A shaft 121c provided at the rear end of the swivel portion 121b is rotatably supported by the tray portion 122b. The swivel portion 121b, including the shaft 121c, is housed inside the case main body portion 110 and is not exposed to the outside in the printer 100 in the state shown in FIG. 1. On the other hand, when the swivel portion 121b is pulled out forward as shown in FIG. 2, a part of the swivel portion 121b, including the shaft 121c, is exposed to the outside of the case main body portion 110.

[0045] 1 and 4, the drawer unit 120 moves forward integrally with the lower body 122, thereby reaching the drawn-out state shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. With the drawer unit 120 in the drawn-out state and the shaft 121c moving forward of the case main body 110, the printer 100 can be set to an open state in which the upper body 121 rotates upward and rearward about the shaft 121c. With the shaft 121c housed inside the case main body 110, the printer 100 cannot rotate the upper body 121 upward and rearward about the shaft 121c.

[0046] When the printer 100 has the drawer unit 120 in the drawn-out state and the upper body 121 in the pivoted state, the top of the storage chamber S can be placed in an open state. Furthermore, when the printer 100 has the drawer unit 120 in the drawn-out state and the upper body 121 in the pivoted state, the chip bin 105 can be removed from the front end portion 120a. When the chip bin 105 is removed from the front end portion 120a, the front of the storage chamber S can be placed in an open state. Therefore, when the printer 100 has the drawer unit 120 in the drawn-out state, the upper body 121 in the pivoted state, and the chip bin 105 removed, the front and top of the storage chamber S can be placed in a widely open state.

[0047] The lower body 122 has a lower front end 122a and a tray portion 122b. The lower front end 122a is a lower portion of the front end portion 120a that is located below the upper front end portion 121a. Therefore, the lower front end 122a is always exposed from the outside of the printer 100.

[0048] The tray section 122b is provided behind the lower front end section 122a. In the tray section 122b, support sections (not shown) that support the axis C1 of the first roll body 201 and the axis C2 of the second roll body 202 are formed in the storage chamber S that stores the roll bodies 201 and 202.

[0049] The support portion formed in the storage chamber S supports the shaft C1 of the first roll body 201 so that the shaft C1 is in a posture parallel to the width direction W, and supports the shaft C2 of the second roll body 202 so that the shaft C2 is in a posture parallel to the width direction W. Further, the support portion that supports the shaft C1 supports the first roll body 201 rotatably around the shaft C1, and the support portion that supports the shaft C2 supports the second roll body 202 rotatably around the shaft C2.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 4, the support portion formed in the storage chamber S is formed in a displaced arrangement in the vertical and front-rear directions such that, in a state where the first roll body 201 and the second roll body 202 are stored in the storage chamber S, the shaft C2 is displaced downward in the height direction H and forward in the front-rear direction L with respect to the shaft C1.

[0051] Moreover, the vertical displacement amount H1 along the height direction H between the shaft C1 and the shaft C2 is smaller than the sum (=r1 + r2) of the maximum radius r1 of the unused first roll body 201 that has not used any printing medium and the maximum radius r2 of the unused second roll body 202 that has not used any printing medium (H1 < r1 + r2), and the front-rear displacement amount L1 along the front-rear direction L is set to be smaller than the sum (=r1 + r2) of the maximum radius r1 of the first roll body 201 and the maximum radius r2 of the second roll body 202 (L1 < r1 + r2).

[0052] Thereby, the printer 100 can shorten the dimension in the front-rear direction L as compared with the case where the two roll bodies 201 and 202 are arranged in the front-rear direction L with the shafts C1 and C2 aligned in the same position in the height direction H. Further, the printer 100 can also shorten the dimension in the height direction H as compared with the case where the two roll bodies 201 and 202 are arranged in the height direction H with the shafts C1 and C2 aligned in the same position in the front-rear direction L.

[0053] Also, in a state where the support portion supporting the shaft C1 supports the first roll body 201 with a maximum radius r1, and the support portion supporting the shaft C2 supports the second roll body 202 with a maximum radius r2, the distance D1 between the shaft C1 and the shaft C2 in a state where the shaft C1 and the shaft C2 are connected by a straight line is set to be larger than the sum of the maximum radius r1 of the first roll body 201 and the maximum radius r2 of the second roll body 202 (=r1 + r2) (r1 + r2 < D1). Thereby, in the printer 100, in the accommodation chamber S, the first roll body 201 with the maximum radius r1 and the second roll body 202 with the maximum radius r2 are arranged so as not to contact each other.

[0054] And, in a state where the drawer portion 120 is in the drawn-out state, the upper body 121 is in the open state, and the chip container 105 is removed from the front end portion 120a, as shown in FIG. 6, a largely opened space is formed diagonally forward and upward of the first roll body 201 supported by the support portion of the drawer portion 120. This space is the path through which the first roll body 201 passes, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6, from the arrangement (indicated by the solid line) where the first roll body 201 is supported by the support portion to the position (indicated by the two-dot chain line) taken out of the housing.

[0055] This path of the first roll body 201 is formed to be larger than the diameter (twice the radius r1) of the first roll body 201 so that the first roll body 201 can pass to the outside of the housing while maintaining the state where the second roll body 202 supported by the support portion of the drawer portion 120 is arranged in the support portion, that is, without moving the second roll body 202 from the support portion and without contacting the second roll body 202 with the upper body 121 and the lower body 122.

[0056] Therefore, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6, the printer 100 can move the first roll body 201 obliquely forward and upward without contacting the second roll body 202 maintained in the accommodation chamber S or the housing, remove it from the accommodation chamber S, and attach it to the accommodation chamber S from the removed state.

[0057] In addition, in the printer 100, when the drawer section 120 is drawn out, the upper body 121 is open, and the chip receptacle 105 is removed from the front end 120a, a large open space is formed diagonally above and forward of the second roll body 202 supported by the support section of the drawer section 120, as shown in Fig. 6. This space is the path along which the second roll body 202 passes, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 6, from the position where the second roll body 202 is supported by the support section (shown by the solid line) to the position where it is removed outside the housing (shown by the two-dot chain line).

[0058] This path for the second roll body 202 is formed larger than the diameter (twice the radius r2) of the second roll body 202 so that the first roll body 201, which is supported on the support portion of the drawer section 120, can be maintained in a position on the support portion, i.e., so that the second roll body 202 can pass to the outside of the housing without moving the first roll body 201 from the support portion and without contacting the first roll body 201 with the upper body 121 and the lower body 122.

[0059] Therefore, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 6, the printer 100 can remove the second roll body 202 from the storage chamber S by moving it diagonally forward and upward without contacting the first roll body 201, which is maintained in a state placed in the storage chamber S, or the housing, and can also install it in the storage chamber S from the removed state.

[0060] In this way, in the printer 100 of this embodiment, when the drawer section 120 is in the drawn-out state, the upper body 121 is in the open state, and the chip bin 105 is removed from the front end portion 120a, the first roll body 201 or the second roll body 202 can be individually attached and detached from the support portion of the storage chamber S without moving the second roll body 202 or the first roll body 201.

[0061] Therefore, in the printer 100 of this embodiment, when replacing only one of the two roll bodies 201, 202 stored in the storage chamber S inside the housing, the other roll body 202, 201 can be replaced individually while leaving it in its original state (without moving it), thereby improving the workability of replacing the roll bodies 201, 202.

[0062] Furthermore, printer 100 of this embodiment is provided with cutter units 141, 142 corresponding to each of rolls 201, 202. That is, printer 100 has first cutter unit 141 provided in fourth transport path 154 along which paper 201a from first roll 201 is transported, and second cutter unit 142 provided in fifth transport path 155 along which paper 202a from second roll 202 is transported. Therefore, first cutter unit 141 cuts only paper 201a from first roll 201, and does not cut paper 202a from second roll 202.

[0063] When the cutter unit cuts label paper coated with adhesive, the adhesive adheres to the blade of the cutter unit, and the amount of adhesive adhering to the blade increases as the number of label paper sheets cut increases. For this reason, the cutter blade used to cut label paper needs to be replaced with a new blade more frequently than the cutter blade used to cut paper without adhesive.

[0064] Furthermore, when the blades of the cutter unit are used to cut paper of different materials or thicknesses, there may be differences in durability, which may result in differences in the frequency with which the blades need to be replaced.

[0065] Therefore, when the cutter unit used to cut the paper 201a of the first roll body 201 and the cutter unit used to cut the paper 202a of the second roll body 202 are separate, the frequency of blade replacement can be reduced compared to when one cutter unit is shared for cutting the paper 201a of the first roll body 201 and the paper 202a of the second roll body 202.

[0066] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, the cutter unit 141 used to cut the paper 201a on the first roll body 201 and the cutter unit 142 used to cut the paper 202a on the second roll body 202 are separate, so the frequency of replacing the blades of the cutter units 141 and 142 can be reduced.

[0067] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, a first cutter unit 141 is provided on the fourth transport path 154 of the first roll body 201, and a second cutter unit 142 is provided on the fifth transport path 155 of the second roll body 202, but the printer according to the present invention may also have a single cutter unit shared by multiple roll bodies.

[0068] In other words, the printer according to the present invention may merge some of the multiple transport paths along which multiple roll bodies are transported into one transport path, provide one cutter unit on that merged transport path, and share that one cutter unit with the printing media of the multiple roll bodies.

[0069] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, a fourth transport path 154 along which the paper 201a of the first roll body 201 is transported is formed relatively higher in the height direction H, and a fifth transport path 155 along which the paper 202a of the second roll body 202 is transported is formed below the fourth transport path 154 in the height direction H. Furthermore, a first transport path 151 along which the paper 201a of the first roll body 201 is transported is formed relatively higher in the height direction H, and a second transport path 152 along which the paper 202a of the second roll body 202 is transported is formed below the first transport path 151 in the height direction H. Therefore, the transport paths (first transport path 151, third transport path 153, and fourth transport path 154) along which paper 201a from the first roll body 201 is transported and the transport paths (second transport path 152, third transport path 153, and fifth transport path 155) along which paper 202a from the second roll body 202 is transported intersect with each other.

[0070] The printer 100 may be configured such that the fifth conveying path 155 is formed relatively higher in the height direction H, and the fourth conveying path 154 is formed below the fifth conveying path 155 in the height direction H. In this case, the printer 100 is configured such that the conveying paths (first conveying path 151, third conveying path 153, and fourth conveying path 154) along which the paper 201a of the first roll body 201 is conveyed do not intersect with the conveying paths (second conveying path 152, third conveying path 153, and fifth conveying path 155) along which the paper 202a of the second roll body 202 is conveyed.

[0071] In addition, since the printer 100 has the fourth conveying path 154 formed above the fifth conveying path 155, it is suitable to place the decurling mechanism 180 above the fourth conveying path 154.

[0072] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, a partition member may be disposed between the first roll body 201 and the second roll body 202 supported by the support portion of the storage chamber S, separating the space that houses the first roll body 201 from the space that houses the second roll body 202.

[0073] In this way, by disposing a partition member in the storage chamber S, the printer 100 can reliably prevent the roll bodies 201, 202 from coming into contact with each other when replacing the first roll body 201 or the second roll body 202.

[0074] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, the front end 120a that forms the front of the housing is divided into an upper body 121 that opens by pivoting upward and backward, and a removable chip bin 105. When the printer 100 has the drawer section 120 pulled out forward, the upper body 121 is opened and the chip bin 105 is removed, opening the front of the housing and forming paths for the rolls 201, 202 from their respective locations in the storage chamber S to the outside of the housing.

[0075] However, in the printer according to the present invention, when the drawer section is pulled out forward, the front of the housing may be opened by, for example, tilting it forward and downward, thereby forming a path for each roll body from each location in the storage chamber of each roll body to the outside of the housing.

[0076] In addition, the printer according to the present invention may be configured such that when the drawer section is pulled out forward, the front of the housing is opened, for example, by opening it to the side, thereby forming a path for each roll body from each location in the storage chamber to the outside of the housing.

[0077] Furthermore, while the printer 100 of this embodiment is an example in which two rolls are accommodated in the storage chamber S, the printer according to the present invention may also be configured so that the storage chamber S accommodates three or more rolls. In a printer according to the present invention having a storage chamber that accommodates three or more rolls, any one of the three or more rolls accommodated in the storage chamber may be detachably placed in the storage chamber with the drawer pulled out forward, without moving the remaining rolls.

[0078] The printer 100 of this embodiment is a dye-sublimation thermal printer, but the printer according to the present invention is not limited to a dye-sublimation thermal printer, and may be a thermal printer other than a dye-sublimation printer, or a printer using a printing method other than a thermal printer, that is, for example, an inkjet printer.

[0079] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, the first roll body 201 and the second roll body 202 are printing media wound with different types of paper 201a, 202a, but the printer according to the present invention may also print on printing media wound with the same type of paper 201a, 202a.

[0080] Furthermore, the printer 100 of this embodiment is not limited to printing media in which the paper 201a, 202a has a receiving layer that develops color by receiving sublimation dye that has thermally diffused and migrated from the ink ribbon 132 of the printing section 130, but may be any printing medium that is compatible with the printing method of the printer of the present invention.

[0081] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, "paper" is not limited to "paper material" but may also be "plastic film" or the like; in short, "paper" may be paper or any other material, as long as it is a printing medium that can be printed on by the printer's print section.

[0082] <Sheet reversal transport path> Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to Figure 4, showing the printer 100 in a state in which the reverse conveying path 156 is attached to the lower storage chamber S2 in which the lower second roll body 202 of the storage chamber S is placed, and the sheet paper feeding unit 190 is attached below the housing.

[0083] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, a reversing conveyance path 156 for reversing the front and back sides of other paper sheets (paper sheets 203) may be detachably formed in the lower storage chamber S2.

[0084] That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the printer 100 can removably position the sheet feed section 190 below the housing, i.e., below the drawer section 120, and can removably position the reverse conveying path 156 in the lower storage chamber S2 when the second roll body 202 is removed.

[0085] The printer 100 can install the reverse conveying path 156 without removing the support part that supports the second roll body 202 from the lower storage chamber S2, but the printer 100 may also be configured to install the reverse conveying path 156 after removing the support part that supports the second roll body 202.

[0086] (Sheet paper feed section) The sheet feed unit 190 includes a storage unit S3, a feed mechanism 191, and a feed conveyance path 159. The storage unit S3 stores sheets 203 cut to a predetermined length, stacked in the height direction H. The feed mechanism 191, under the control of the control unit 170, sends out only the topmost sheet 203 from the sheets 203 stacked in the storage unit S3 to the feed conveyance path 159.

[0087] The delivery conveyance path 159 is a conveyance path that connects the printing sheet 203 delivered from the storage section S3 by the delivery mechanism 191 to the feed conveyance path 158 of the reversal conveyance path 156 arranged in the lower storage chamber S2.

[0088] (Reverse transport path) The reversing conveyance path 156 is a path along which the printing sheet 203 is conveyed, and reverses the front and back sides of the printing sheet 203 (turns the printing sheet 203 over). The reversing conveyance path 156 is equipped with a feeding conveyance path 158 and a return conveyance path 157. The feeding conveyance path 158 is a path along which one printing sheet 203 fed from the feeding conveyance path 159 is fed to the third conveyance path 153 in which the printing unit 130 is arranged, and is provided below the first conveyance path 151. The downstream side of the feeding direction of the feeding conveyance path 158 is connected to the third conveyance path 153, and the upstream side of the feeding direction is connected to the return conveyance path 157.

[0089] The return conveying path 157 is a path along which the paper sheets 203 that have been printed in the printing unit 130 are sent from the third conveying path 153. The downstream side of the return conveying path 157 in the feeding direction is connected to the feed conveying path 158, and the upstream side of the return conveying path 157 in the feeding direction is connected to the third conveying path 153.

[0090] Conveyance rollers (not shown) are provided on the forward conveyance path 158 and the return conveyance path 157. Similar to the conveyance roller 161, these conveyance rollers rotate under the control of the control unit 170, and feed the printing sheet 203 along the forward conveyance path 158 and the return conveyance path 157 as described above.

[0091] Printer 100 uses payout mechanism 191 to send out one paper sheet 203 from storage unit S3 to payout conveyance path 159. The paper sheet 203 sent out to payout conveyance path 159 is sent to third conveyance path 153 through feed conveyance path 158, and while being pulled back along third conveyance path 153 in the direction opposite to the feed direction, printing is performed on one side of the paper sheet in printing unit 130. The paper sheet 203 with one side printed is sent to feed conveyance path 158 through return conveyance path 157.

[0092] The paper sheet 203 sent from the return conveyance path 157 to the feed conveyance path 158 is in a state where the front and back sides are reversed, i.e., turned upside down, compared to when it was first sent to the feed conveyance path 158 from the payout conveyance path 159. Therefore, when the paper sheet 203 is sent again from the feed conveyance path 158 to the third conveyance path 153 and is printed in the printing unit 130 while being pulled back along the third conveyance path 153, printing is performed on the side opposite to the one side that has already been printed (the other side).

[0093] Therefore, the printer 100 can print on both the front and back sides of the paper sheet 203 simply by passing the paper sheet 203 through the reversing conveyance path 156 .

[0094] The printer 100 of this embodiment is capable of interchangeably accommodating the second roll body 202 and the reversal transport path 156 for the paper sheets 203 when the paper sheet feed unit is attached, so it can be switched between using two types of roll bodies 201, 202 and using double-sided printable paper sheets 203 and one roll body 201, thereby providing high convenience.

[0095] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, two rolls are accommodated in the storage chamber S, but in a printer configured so that the storage chamber S accommodates three or more rolls, it is preferable to arrange the reverse conveying path 156 in an area of the storage chamber S that accommodates the roll that is positioned lowest among the three or more rolls. This allows the printer according to the present invention to arrange the reverse conveying path 156 closest to the sheet feeder 190, which is arranged below the drawer 120. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 100 Dye-sublimation thermal printer (printer) 110 Case body 120 Drawer section 121 Upper Body 122 Lower Body 130 Printing Department 141 First Cutter Section 142 Second cutter section 151 First conveying route 152 Second transport route 153 Third Transport Route 154 4th Transport Route 155 5th Transport Route 170 Control Unit 201 First roll body 202 Second Roll Body 201a, 202a Paper C1,C2 axis L Anteroposterior direction S Containment Room W width direction

Claims

1. a housing having a case main body and a drawer section that is drawn forward in a front-to-rear direction relative to the case main body, and a storage chamber in which a plurality of rolls of printing media are disposed; When the drawer section is drawn out to the front, any one of the plurality of roll bodies can be attached to and detached from the storage chamber while maintaining a state in which all the remaining roll bodies are disposed in the storage chamber, a sheet feeder unit containing sheets of paper is detachably disposed below the housing; A printer in which a reversing conveying path that reverses the front and back sides of the paper sheets and conveys them when the lowest-positioned roll body is removed is removably arranged in an area of the storage chamber where the lowest-positioned roll body among the plurality of roll bodies is stored.

2. A printer as described in claim 1, wherein the area that accommodates the roll body located at the lowest position can be switched between a state in which the roll body located at the lowest position is accommodated and a state in which the reversing conveying path is positioned when the sheet feed unit is installed.

3. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein, when the drawer section is pulled out forward and all the remaining roll bodies are housed in the housing, a path taken by the one roll body from a position where the one roll body is disposed in the housing to a position where the one roll body is removed outside the housing is formed to be at least larger than a diameter of the one roll body.

4. 4. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the storage chamber supports the plurality of roll bodies so that an amount of vertical deviation along the height direction between the axis of the roll body positioned at the highest position among the plurality of roll bodies and the axis of the roll body positioned at the lowest position among the plurality of roll bodies is smaller than the sum of the maximum radii of the plurality of roll bodies, and an amount of front-to-rear deviation along the front-to-rear direction between the axis of the roll body positioned at the frontmost position among the plurality of roll bodies and the axis of the roll body positioned at the rearmost position among the plurality of roll bodies is smaller than the sum of the maximum radii of the plurality of roll bodies.

5. a conveyance path along which the paper from the plurality of rolls is conveyed is formed as a common path through a printing unit that prints on the print medium, and is formed as a plurality of separate paths corresponding to the plurality of rolls at a portion leading to an outlet through which the paper is discharged from the housing; 4. The printer according to claim 3, wherein a cutter unit for cutting the print medium is provided individually for each of a plurality of portions that communicate with the ejection port.

6. a conveyance path along which the paper from the plurality of rolls is conveyed is formed as a common path through a printing unit that prints on the print medium, and is formed as a plurality of separate paths corresponding to the plurality of rolls at a portion leading to an outlet through which the paper is discharged from the housing; a decurling mechanism for correcting curling of the print medium to make it flat, in one of the portions connected to the discharge port formed in a plurality of sections; 4. The printer according to claim 3, further comprising a path switching unit between the portion of the transport path that passes through the printing unit and the portion that leads to the discharge outlets, which are formed in multiple sections, for switching the destination of the printing medium that has passed through the portion that passes through the printing unit to the portion that leads to one of the discharge outlets.

7. a conveyance path along which the paper from the plurality of rolls is conveyed is formed as a common path through a printing unit that prints on the print medium, and is formed as a plurality of separate paths corresponding to the plurality of rolls at a portion leading to an outlet through which the paper is discharged from the housing; a decurling mechanism for correcting curling of the print medium to make it flat, in one of the portions connected to the discharge port formed in a plurality of sections; 5. The printer according to claim 4, further comprising a path switching unit between the portion of the transport path that passes through the printing unit and the portion that leads to the discharge outlets, which are formed in multiple sections, for switching the destination of the printing medium that has passed through the portion that passes through the printing unit to the portion that leads to one of the discharge outlets.

8. a conveyance path along which the paper from the plurality of rolls is conveyed is formed as a common path through a printing unit that prints on the print medium, and is formed as a plurality of separate paths corresponding to the plurality of rolls at a portion leading to an outlet through which the paper is discharged from the housing; a decurling mechanism for correcting curling of the print medium to make it flat, in one of the portions connected to the discharge port formed in a plurality of sections; 6. The printer according to claim 5, further comprising a path switching unit between the portion of the transport path that passes through the printing unit and the portion that leads to the discharge outlets, which are formed in multiple sections, for switching the destination of the printing medium that has passed through the portion that passes through the printing unit to the portion that leads to one of the discharge outlets.

Images