printer

Abstract

To provide a printer that can hold a full-cut sheet discharged face-up and is structured to make it hard for a partial-cut sheet to be jammed.SOLUTION: An enclosure has a paper discharge port that discharges a sheet of paper face-up that has passed through a printing section. A cutting section is provided between the printing section and a paper discharge port and cuts the paper either by cutting the entire area in the width direction of the sheet or by leaving the center of the sheet in the width direction. A first protrusion and a second protrusion protrude from the inner circumference of the paper discharge port and are provided at multiple locations along the width direction of the sheet. The first protrusion faces a first side of the sheet and the second protrusion faces a second side of the sheet behind the first side. The first protrusion and second protrusion are provided at positions that are offset in the sheet width direction, flexing the sheet between them into a shape that undulates in the width direction. The protrusion height of at least one of the first protrusion and second protrusion in the center of the sheet in the width direction is lower than the protrusion heights of the first protrusions and the second protrusions in other areas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, printers have been used that print on strip-shaped paper while it is being conveyed. Examples of such printers include receipt printers. Some printers are capable of both full cutting, which completely cuts the paper widthwise as it is discharged, and partial cutting, which leaves only a portion of the paper widthwise (for example, the center). Some printers convey and discharge paper face-up.

[0003] Some printers that discharge paper facing upward as described above have been devised as disclosed in Patent Document 1. This prevents the inconvenience of fully cut paper dropping below the cut position, and ribs provided at the paper outlet hold the paper by pressing alternately on the front and back of the paper.

[0004] The structure for holding fully cut sheets described above is not designed to eject partially cut sheets. In the case of a fully cut sheet, the next sheet conveyed overlaps the cut sheet held by the ribs, creating friction between the sheets. This causes the cut sheet to move between the ribs along with the next sheet. However, partially cut sheets do not overlap the next sheet in the thickness direction, so they are not conveyed by the friction between the sheets described above. In the case of a partially cut sheet, the conveying force is transmitted only at the connected portion from the succeeding sheet to the preceding sheet. Therefore, if the paper holding force of the ribs is too strong, the sheet will fold at the connected portion, causing a paper jam. Furthermore, simply lowering the ribs or reducing the number of ribs in an attempt to weaken the paper holding force of the ribs may, depending on the degree of reduction, result in ineffective performance of the intended function of holding fully cut sheets. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a printer that can hold fully cut sheets that are ejected face up and has a structure that makes it less likely for partially cut sheets to jam. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The printer of the embodiment comprises a printing unit that prints on strip-shaped paper, a housing that houses paper and the printing unit and is provided with a paper discharge outlet that discharges paper upward after passing through the printing unit, a cutting unit that is arranged between the printing unit and the paper discharge outlet and cuts the paper using either a first method that cuts the entire width of the paper or a second method that leaves the center of the paper in the width direction, first protrusions that protrude from the inner circumference of the paper discharge outlet and are provided at multiple locations along the width direction of the paper and face a first side that is the side of the paper that is printed on, and second protrusions that protrude from the inner circumference of the paper discharge outlet and are provided at multiple locations along the width direction of the paper and are offset in the paper width direction from the first protrusions and face a second side that is the back side of the first side of the paper and bend the paper into a widthwise undulating shape between them and the first protrusions, and the protrusion height of at least one of the first protrusions and the second protrusions in a predetermined region in the center of the width direction of the paper is lower than the protrusion heights of the first protrusions and the second protrusions in other regions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the appearance of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of a printer. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the appearance of the paper discharge outlet. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the paper discharge port showing an example of how the discharged paper is curved. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the shape of the first protrusion. [Figure 6-1]FIG. 6A is a partial cross-sectional view of the path through which the paper passes at the paper discharge port. [Figure 6-2] FIG. 6B is a partial cross-sectional view of the path through which the paper passes at the paper discharge port. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing how fully cut sheets are discharged and stacked. [Figure 8-1] FIG. 8A is a partial cross-sectional view showing how the paper is discharged in partial cutting. [Figure 8-2] FIG. 8-2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing how the paper is discharged in partial cutting. [Figure 8-3] FIG. 8-3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing how the paper is discharged in partial cutting. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a realistic view of the partially cut paper and the splice. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the appearance of a printer 1 according to the embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the internal structure of the printer 1.

[0009] Printer 1 is, for example, a thermal printer that prints information such as characters and figures on paper. Printer 1 is connected to, for example, a POS (Point of Sales) terminal (not shown), and receives product information and sales information related to products sold to customers in a store from the POS terminal, prints the information on paper, and issues it as a receipt (discharges and ejects the paper).

[0010] The printer 1 includes a housing 2, a storage section 3, a paper discharge port 4, a printing section 5, and a cutting section 6.

[0011] The housing 2 comprises a main body 21 and a lid 22. The main body 21 is a container with an opening on one side, and has a storage section 3 inside that stores roll paper 9. One side of the lid 22 is supported so as to be rotatable near the edge of the opening of the main body 21. As the lid 22 rotates, the opening of the main body 21 is opened and closed, and thus the storage section 3 is opened and closed. The roll paper 9 is inserted into and removed from the main body 21 with the lid 22 open.

[0012] The roll paper 9 is a roll of strip-shaped paper (for example, thermal paper) 91, with the paper 91 being pulled out from the outer periphery at the end of the roll. The outer diameter of the roll paper 9 gradually decreases as the paper 91 is pulled out.

[0013] The printer 1 prints information on paper 91 pulled out from a roll of paper 9 stored in a storage unit 3, and discharges the paper 91 from a paper outlet 4 after passing through a printing unit 5.

[0014] Paper discharge opening 4 is formed between the end of cover 22 opposite the pivot end and main body 21. Paper discharge opening 4 is a gap (slit) between surface 41 facing the printing surface of paper 91 and surface 42 facing the back side of the printing surface of paper 91. Surface 41 is part of main body 21, and surface 42 is part of cover 22. Paper discharge opening 4 opens upward, and printer 1 discharges paper 91 that has passed through printing unit 5 upward.

[0015] The printing unit 5 includes a print head 51 and a platen 52 .

[0016] The print head 51 is located approximately midway between the storage section 3 and the paper discharge port 4 inside the main body 21, and is located midway along the transport path for paper 91 pulled out from the roll paper 9. The print head 51 is a line thermal head with many heating elements arranged in a line. The print head 51 applies heat to the paper 91 to print information by driving the heating elements aligned in a line that correspond to the printing pattern and generating heat. After printing, the paper 91 is discharged from the paper discharge port 4 to the outside of the housing 2.

[0017] The platen 52 is a cylindrical roller with at least its surface made of an elastic material, and is rotatably attached to the lid portion 22. When the lid portion 22 closes the opening of the main body portion 21, the platen 52 is positioned opposite the print head 51 and presses against the print head 51. In this state, paper 91 pulled from the roll paper 9 is sandwiched between the print head 51 and the platen 52. The platen 52 rotates when driving force from a motor (not shown) is transmitted to it, pulling paper 91 from the roll paper 9 and transporting it toward the paper exit 4.

[0018] The cutting unit 6 is disposed between the printing unit 5 and the paper discharge port 4, and cuts the paper 91 along the width direction of the paper 91. The paper width direction, the paper thickness direction, and the paper transport direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0019] The cutting unit 6 is driven to selectively adopt one of the following two cutting methods. The first method is also called a full cut, in which the entire width of the paper 91 is cut. The second method is also called a partial cut, in which the center of the width of the paper 91 is left.

[0020] The cutting unit 6 includes, for example, a fixed blade 61 with a straight cutting edge and a movable blade 62 with a V-shaped cutting edge recessed in the center. The movable blade 62 is driven by a drive unit such as a motor (not shown), causing its cutting edge to move toward and away from the cutting edge of the fixed blade 61. The direction of movement of the movable blade 62 generally coincides with the thickness direction of the paper, for example. In this structure, full cutting and partial cutting can be performed selectively depending on the movement distance of the movable blade 62 relative to the fixed blade 61. In other words, by stopping the movement of the movable blade 62 to the extent that the valley of the V-shape of the movable blade 62 remains slightly separated from the cutting edge of the fixed blade 61, the center of the width of the paper 91 can be left uncut, resulting in a partial cut.

[0021] 3 is a plan view showing an example of the appearance of the paper discharge port 4. The printer 1 further includes, inside the paper discharge port 4, first protrusions 7 (71 to 76) and second protrusions 8 (81 to 83).

[0022] The first protrusions 7 (71-76) protrude from the surface 41 that forms the inner periphery of the paper discharge outlet 4, are provided at multiple locations along the width direction of the paper 91, and face the surface of the paper 91 that is to be printed (printed surface, first surface). Similarly, the second protrusions 8 (81-83) protrude from the surface 42 that forms the inner periphery of the paper discharge outlet 4, are provided at multiple locations along the width direction of the paper 91, and face the back side of the printed surface of the paper 91 (second surface).

[0023] Each of the protruding portions 71 to 76 and 81 to 83 is plate-shaped, and is provided in a line in the width direction of the paper 91 with the thickness direction of the plate facing the width direction of the paper 91.

[0024] The protruding direction of each of the protruding portions 7 and 8 is, for example, along the thickness direction of the paper 91 being transported through each position. As a result, each of the protruding portions 7 and 8 changes the moving direction of the paper 91 being transported in the thickness direction.

[0025] The first protrusion 7 is made up of protrusions 71 and 72 located in the widthwise center of the paper 91, protrusions 73 and 74 provided in positions sandwiching the protrusions 71 and 72 in the paper width direction, and protrusions 75 and 76 further sandwiching the protrusions 71 to 74 in the paper width direction. The second protrusion 8 is made up of protrusion 81 located in the widthwise center of the paper 91, and protrusions 82 and 83 provided in positions sandwiching the protrusion 81 in the paper width direction.

[0026] The second protrusion 8 is further provided at a position offset from the first protrusion 7 in the width direction of the paper 91. As a result, the protrusions 7, 8 are alternately positioned in the paper width direction in the order of first protrusion 75, second protrusion 83, first protrusions 73, 71, second protrusion 81, first protrusions 72, 74, second protrusion 82, and first protrusion 76. As a result, the paper 91 curves in a wavy shape (wave-like) in the width direction between the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the paper ejection slot showing an example of the curvature of the paper 91 being ejected. The paper 91 adheres to the protrusions 7, 8 due to its own elasticity (the force that causes the paper to return to a straight line from a curved state), and is held in place by the frictional force acting between the protrusions 7, 8.

[0027] In this embodiment, the protrusions 71 and 72 in the center of the paper width direction are set to have a lower (smaller, shorter) protrusion height than the other protrusions 73 to 76. Also, in this embodiment, the protrusions 73 to 76 are formed to a constant protrusion height. Also, in this embodiment, the protrusions 81 to 83 are formed to a constant protrusion height. As a result, in a predetermined region in the center of the paper width direction 91, the distance between the top of the first protrusion 7 and the top of the second protrusion is wider (larger) than in other regions.

[0028] In this embodiment, the height of each protrusion 71-76, 81-83 is set as described above, but in practice, it is sufficient that the protrusion height of at least one of the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion 8 in a specified region in the center of the width of the paper 91 is set lower than the protrusion height of the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion 8 in other regions.

[0029] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the shape of the first protrusions 71 to 73. Note that the first protrusions 74 to 76 not shown in Fig. 5 have the same shape as the first protrusion 73. As shown in this figure, the first protrusions 73 and others have a mountain shape, and the first protrusions 71 and 72 have a trapezoidal shape. A more detailed description will be given with reference to Figs. 6-1 and 6-2.

[0030] 6-1 and 6-2 are partial cross-sectional views showing the path of the paper 91 at the paper discharge port 4. Fig. 6-1 is a cross section taken along line AA in Fig. 3, and Fig. 6-2 is a cross section taken along line BB in Fig. 3. Figs. 6-1 and 6-2 are views seen from the width direction of the paper 91.

[0031] As shown in Figure 6-1, the mountain-shaped first protrusion 75 has a top 751, a hypotenuse 752 that rises diagonally from the inner surface 41 of the paper discharge outlet 4 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the paper transport direction to the top 751, and a side 753 that descends from the top 751 to the inner surface 41.

[0032] Side 753 is the edge of first protrusion 75 on the downstream side in the paper transport direction. Side 753 extends in a direction intersecting the paper transport direction and the paper width direction. Such side 753 is not parallel to the lower side of fully cut paper 91, and therefore can support fully cut paper 91.

[0033] The second protruding portion 83 (the same applies to the second protruding portions 81 and 82) has a mountain-like shape similar to the first protruding portions 73 to 76. That is, the second protruding portion 83 has an apex 831, an oblique side 832 that rises obliquely from the inner peripheral surface 42 of the paper discharge outlet 4 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the paper transport direction to reach the apex 831, and a side 833 that descends from the apex 831 to the inner peripheral surface 42.

[0034] Next, as shown in Fig. 6-2, the first protruding portion 71 (same for the first protruding portion 72), which is located at the center of the width direction of the paper and has a lower protruding height than the other first protruding portions 73 to 76, has a trapezoidal shape. More specifically, the first protruding portions 71 and 72 have the same mountain shape as the first protruding portion 75, but have a shape in which a predetermined height including the apex 751 is removed in a manner substantially parallel to the surface 41. Therefore, the first protruding portions 71 and 72 have short oblique sides 752 and sides 753.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion 8 are positioned so as to be offset from each other in the paper transport direction. As a result, the shape of the paper transport path seen from the paper width direction is not a straight line but includes an S-shaped undulation, as shown in Figures 6-1 and 6-2.

[0036] More specifically, the first protrusions 7 are arranged to be located above the second protrusions 8 (i.e., downstream in the paper transport direction). In this embodiment, the first protrusions 7 (71-76) are provided in greater numbers than the second protrusions 8 (81-83), and therefore the distance between them is narrow. This makes the first protrusions 7 suitable as a place where fully cut paper 91 can be placed and stacked (accumulated).

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion 8 are arranged such that the oblique side 752 and the side 833 face each other with a gap between them when viewed in the paper width direction. As a result, the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion 8 do not overlap (overlap) when viewed in the paper width direction. This structure, together with the paper transport path shape including the S-shaped undulations described above, enables the paper 91 to be adequately held at the paper discharge outlet 4 of this embodiment. "Adequate holding" here means that the fully cut paper 91 can be held between the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion 8, and that jamming does not occur between the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion 8 when the cutting unit 6 is operating in partial cutting mode.

[0038] 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the ejection and stacking of fully cut paper 92. When cutting unit 6 cuts paper 91 printed by printing unit 5, in the case of a full cut, the cut paper 92 is held in place by an undulating force applied in the paper width direction between first protrusion 7 and second protrusion 8. This prevents the paper 92 from falling between fixed blade 61 and movable blade 62 and being cut twice.

[0039] When the next sheet of paper 91 is conveyed in the above state, this sheet of paper 91 partially overlaps the cut sheet of paper 92 in the thickness direction between the first protruding portion 7 and the second protruding portion 8. As the conveyance of sheet of paper 91 continues, friction acts on the contact surface between sheets of paper 91 and 92, and sheet of paper 92 is conveyed together with sheet of paper 91. Then, sheet of paper 92 that has passed the top portion 751 is stacked on side 753 of the first protruding portion 7.

[0040] 8-1 to 8-3 are partial cross-sectional views showing how paper 91 is discharged after partial cutting. The paper 91 shown in FIG. 8-1 is in a state before being cut by the cutting section 6. After this paper 91 is partially cut by the cutting section 6, it becomes in the state shown in FIG. 8-2. In FIG. 8-2, reference numeral 93 indicates a portion (connection) 93 where both ends are cut and the center is joined. Reference numeral 94 indicates a portion (partially cut paper) 94 downstream of the connection 93.

[0041] 9 is a realistic view of partially cut sheets 94 and joints 93. As shown in this figure, joints 93 between partially cut sheets 94 are actually portions that are too long to be shown in the drawing when viewed in the paper width direction, but for ease of explanation, they are shown by dotted lines in FIGS.

[0042] As shown in Figure 8-2, the lower ends of both widthwise ends of section 94 downstream of joint 93 curl toward movable blade 62 in accordance with the winding direction of roll paper 9. In this state, section 94 downstream of joint 93 (i.e., partially cut paper) is held between first protrusion 7 and second protrusion 8, just like fully cut paper 92.

[0043] In the case of a partial cut, the conveyed paper 91 and the portion 94 do not overlap in the thickness direction, so the paper 91 pushes up the portion 94 only at the connection portion 93. For this reason, if the protrusions 7 and 8 hold the portion 94 too tightly, a jam will occur. To address this issue, in the printer 1 of this embodiment, first, the distance between the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion 8 in the center of the paper width direction is made wider than in other areas (both ends in the paper width direction). This reduces the load on the connection portion 93 and its surrounding area compared to other areas.

[0044] Furthermore, in the printer 1 of this embodiment, the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion 8 are arranged to face each other with a gap between them when viewed in the paper width direction, so that they do not overlap when viewed in the paper width direction. This embodiment eliminates the problem of the paper 91 being held too tightly.

[0045] Moreover, in the printer 1 of this embodiment, the first protrusion 7 and the second protrusion 8 are positioned offset from each other in the paper transport direction, thereby creating an S-shaped undulation in the paper transport path as viewed in the paper width direction. This further reduces the likelihood of the fully cut paper 92 falling down to the cutting section 6, making it less likely that the paper 92 will be cut twice at the cutting section 6.

[0046] When the paper 91 is transported from the state shown in FIG. 8-2, the next printing is performed, and then the next partial cut is performed, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 8-3. As shown in FIGS. 8-2 and 8-3, the partially cut portion 94 of the paper 91 curls in accordance with the winding direction of the roll paper 9 and at a curvature that corresponds to the remaining diameter of the roll paper 9. To prevent jams caused by this curl, the protrusions 7 and 8 of this embodiment are positioned to create a paper transport path that does not contradict the direction of the curl of portion 94 (preferably a paper transport path that curves in the direction of the curl of portion 94). According to this embodiment, jams are unlikely to occur even if the paper 91 is heavily curled.

[0047] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a printer 1 that is capable of holding a fully cut sheet 92 that is discharged facing upward and that is structured so that jams of the partially cut portion 94 are unlikely to occur.

[0048] In this embodiment, the protrusions 7 and 8 have a rib-like shape, and the holding force of the paper 91 at the paper discharge outlet 4 is adjusted by the number of ribs, but in practice, the protrusions 7 and 8 may be composed of a mixture of thick and thin convex portions in the paper width direction, for example.

[0049] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1. Printer 2...housing, 21...main body, 22...lid 3...Storage area 4...Paper output slot 5...printing unit, 51...print head, 52...platen 6...Cutting part, 61...Fixed blade, 62...Movable blade 7 (71 to 76)...first protrusion, 751...top, 752...oblique side, 753...side 8 (81 to 83)... second protrusion, 831... top, 832... oblique side, 833... side 9...Roll paper, 91...Paper, 92...Paper, 93...Connection part, 94...Part [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0051] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-076134

Claims

1. a printing unit that prints on the strip of paper; a housing that houses paper and the printing unit and has a paper discharge port that discharges paper upward after passing through the printing unit; a cutting unit disposed between the printing unit and the paper discharge outlet, the cutting unit cutting the paper using either a first method of cutting the entire width of the paper or a second method of leaving the center of the width of the paper; first protrusions that protrude from the inner periphery of the paper discharge outlet and are provided at a plurality of locations along the width direction of the paper, and that face a first surface of the paper, which is a surface on the printing side; second protrusions that protrude from an inner periphery of the paper discharge outlet at a plurality of locations along the width direction of the paper, the second protrusions being offset from the first protrusions in the paper width direction, and that face a second surface that is the reverse side of the first surface of the paper, and that curve the paper into a wavy shape in the width direction between the first protrusions and the second protrusions; Equipped with The protrusion height of at least one of the first protrusion and the second protrusion in a predetermined region at the center of the width direction of the paper is lower than the protrusion height of the first protrusion and the second protrusion in other regions. Printer.

2. The first protrusion and the second protrusion are provided so that their tops are offset from each other in the paper transport direction. The printer of claim 1 .

3. The first protrusion and the second protrusion are plate-shaped, and are arranged side by side in the paper width direction with their plate thickness direction facing the paper width direction. The first protrusion and the second protrusion have a mountain-like shape formed by a slanted side that rises obliquely from the inner peripheral surface of the paper discharge outlet from the upstream side to the downstream side in the paper transport direction to the apex, and a side that descends from the apex to the inner peripheral surface. The printer of claim 2 .

4. The edge of the first protrusion on the downstream side in the paper transport direction extends in a direction intersecting the paper transport direction and the paper width direction. The printer according to claim 3 .

5. The first protruding portion and the second protruding portion at the center of the width direction of the paper, which have a lower protruding height, have a trapezoidal shape in which a portion from the top to a predetermined height is removed along the inner circumferential surface.

5. The printer according to claim 3 or 4.

6. The first protruding portion and the second protruding portion are provided such that their edges face each other with a gap therebetween when viewed in the paper width direction. The printer according to any one of claims 3 to 5.

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