Printers and bookbinding aids

Abstract

To provide a printer that can neatly align and bind paper bundles with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A printer 100 includes: a paper exit tray 12a for storing paper 201 ejected from an upper exit 13b (ejection section); a pair of side plates 112, 113 (side edge guide sections) for guiding two edges 201b, 201c of the paper 201; and a retaining member 110 held together with the paper exit tray 12a at a position where the paper 201 ejected from the upper exit 13b is stacked. The retaining member 110 is held to move to a position in the width direction W of the paper 201 where the paper 201 fits between a pair of side plates 112, 113 in response to the force exerted by the ejected paper 201 hitting the pair of side plates 112, 113.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A photo book is known in which images taken with a camera or the like are printed on predetermined paper and then bound together. When creating such a photo book, it is necessary to neatly align the edges of the bound sheets.

[0003] Furthermore, when binding printed sheets into a photo book, it is necessary to provide a front cover, a back cover, and a spine to the sheet bundle.

[0004] There is a printer that folds the spine at a right angle and stacks printed sheets on the front cover to bind the book (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-337478 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 aligns the edges of printed paper and places it on top of a front cover member that is an integrated front cover and spine cover, and then attaches the back cover, making it a large and complex device.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a printer and bookbinding aid that can neatly align and bind a stack of sheets with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first aspect of the present invention is a printer having a paper output tray that collects paper discharged from a discharge section, and a holding member that is provided with a pair of side edge guide portions that guide both side edges of the paper, and is held integrally with the paper output tray or in a state that allows it to be removed from the paper output tray at a position where the paper discharged from the discharge section is stacked, and the holding member is held so that it moves to a position in the width direction of the paper where the paper fits between the pair of side edge guide portions in response to the force acting when the discharged paper hits the pair of side edge guide portions.

[0009] The second aspect of the present invention is a bookbinding auxiliary device that can be placed in a position where the paper discharged from the printer's discharge section can be stacked on a paper discharge tray that collects the paper, and that holds a cover member that is integrally formed with a front cover, back cover, and spine in an approximately V-shape by opening the part facing the spine with the part facing the discharge section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The printer and bookbinding aid according to the present invention can neatly align and bind a stack of sheets with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a dye-sublimation thermal printer (hereinafter referred to as a printer). [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the printer of FIG. 1; [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2 (a vertical plane passing through the center of the printer in the width direction W and along the front-rear direction L). [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the holding member is set on the paper discharge tray while holding the cover member; FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view of the printer in the state shown in FIG. 5; [Figure 7]6 is a perspective view of a main part including a holding member and a cover member in the state of FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view of the state shown in FIG. [Figure 9] 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a printer and a bookbinding aid according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] <Configuration> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a dye-sublimation thermal printer 100 (hereinafter referred to as printer 100), FIG. 2 is a front view of printer 100 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 (a vertical plane passing through the center of the width direction W of printer 100 and along the front-to-back direction L).

[0014] The illustrated printer 100 is one embodiment of a printer according to the present invention. The printer 100 includes a case 10, a sheet storage section 21, a roll paper storage section 22, a printing section 30, a cutter section 40, a creasing section 50, a conveying means 70, a conveying path 80, a heater section 90 (an example of a binding section), a pressing section 98, and a holding member 110.

[0015] (case) 1, the case 10 includes a case main body 11, a top cover 12, a front upper cover 13, a front middle cover 14, and a front lower cover 15. The case main body 11 is formed to mainly cover both side surfaces in the width direction W and the rear surface in the front-rear direction L.

[0016] The top cover 12 is positioned to cover the opening on the top surface of the case body 11 in the height direction H, and is recessed at the front end portion and inner portion of the outer periphery, excluding both side edges and the rear end edge, so that it can function as a paper output tray 12a for storing sheets of paper 201 (hereinafter also simply referred to as paper 201) and paper 203 (hereinafter also simply referred to as paper 203) unwound from a roll of paper 202.

[0017] 3, the bottom surface 12b of the paper discharge tray 12a of the top cover 12 is formed substantially horizontally. However, the bottom surface 12b may be formed to be inclined so as to become lower from the rear to the front in the front-to-rear direction L, or conversely, to be inclined so as to become lower from the front to the rear. Regardless of whether or not the bottom surface 12b is inclined in the front-to-rear direction L, the bottom surface 12b is substantially horizontal in the width direction W and is not inclined to either the left or right.

[0018] As shown in Figure 3, the sheets of paper 201 and 203 are discharged rearward as indicated by the arrow in Figure 3 from an upper discharge outlet 13b (discharge section) formed on the front side of the front upper cover 13 (described later) and opening rearward, and are then piled up and stored on the bottom surface 12b of the paper discharge tray 12a.

[0019] An opening 12c is formed at the rear end of the paper discharge tray 12a. A spine 302 (see FIG. 9) of a cover member 300 held by a holding member 110 (described later) is inserted into the opening 12c. A heater unit 90 (an example of a binding unit) is provided at the back of the opening 12c.

[0020] The front upper cover 13 is located at the top of the front of the printer 100, the front lower cover 15 is located at the bottom of the front of the printer 100, and the front middle cover 14 is located on the front of the printer 100 between the front upper cover 13 and the front lower cover 15.

[0021] (Internal drawer unit) The front upper cover 13 and the front middle cover 14 are provided in an internal drawer unit 60 (an example of a drawer unit). The internal drawer unit 60 is disposed inside the area surrounded by the case main body 11 and the top cover 12, and can be drawn forward relative to the case main body 11 and the top cover 12 by hooking a finger on the finger hook portion 14a formed at the bottom of the front middle cover 14 and pulling it forward in the front-to-back direction L.

[0022] The internal drawer unit 60 is integrally provided with the front upper cover 13 and front middle cover 14, as well as the roll paper storage section 22, the ink ribbon 32 and platen roller 33 of the printing section 30, the cutter section 40, the conveying means 70, and the conveying path 80.

[0023] 1, the front upper cover 13 is supported so that it can rotate upward and rearward with the internal drawer unit 60 pulled forward from the interior enclosed by the case body 11 and top cover 12. When the front upper cover 13 rotates upward and rearward to enter the open position, it opens up part of the front and part of the top of the roll paper compartment 22. This exposes the roll paper compartment 22 formed inside the case 10, allowing the roll paper 202 to be inserted into and removed from the roll paper compartment 22.

[0024] An upper discharge port 13b is formed on the rear surface of the front upper cover 13, through which printed sheets 201 and 203 are discharged to a paper discharge tray 12a formed on the upper cover 12 at the rear.

[0025] The front middle cover 14 is provided with a trash can 16. The trash can 16 is located below the cutter unit 40 (described later) and is a portion for storing pieces of paper cut by the cutter unit 40 and separated from the papers 201 and 203, and is detachably attached to the front middle cover 14.

[0026] The chips and the like accumulated in the trash box 16 can be removed with the trash box 16 removed from the front middle cover 14.

[0027] The front lower cover 15 is formed on the front surface of the tray-shaped sheet storage unit 21 (the front lower cover 15 is a part of the sheet storage unit 21).

[0028] (sheet storage section) 3, the sheet storage unit 21 is provided at the bottom of the printer 100, and is positioned below the roll paper storage unit 22. The sheet storage unit 21 stores sheets 201 that have been cut to a predetermined size in advance, stacked in the thickness direction.

[0029] Sheet storage section 21 is configured to be able to be pulled out forward relative to case body 11 and top cover 12 by hooking a finger on finger hook 15a formed on the upper part of front lower cover 15 and pulling forward in the front-to-rear direction L. When sheet storage section 21 is pulled out forward relative to case body 11 and top cover 12, the top is open, and sheets 201 stored inside can be inserted and removed from this open top.

[0030] (Roll paper compartment) The roll paper compartment 22 accommodates roll paper 202, which is a long piece of paper wound into a roll. The roll paper compartment 22 accommodates the roll paper 202 with the axis of the roll paper 202 parallel to the width direction W of the printer 100.

[0031] In FIG. 3, the roll paper 202 is arranged in a counterclockwise direction as shown in the figure, with the paper 203 being pulled out from the bottom end of the roll paper 202 to the right as shown and unwound.

[0032] (Printing department) The printing unit 30 is located behind the roll paper compartment 22. Under the control of a control unit (not shown) of the printer 100, the printing unit 30 prints on sheets of paper 201, 203 passing through a portion of the transport path 80 that rises in a substantially vertical direction behind the roll paper compartment 22 (printing path 82, described below).

[0033] The printing unit 30 includes a thermal head 31, an ink ribbon 32, and a platen roller 33. A sublimation dye is applied to the ink ribbon 32. The ink ribbon 32 is fed from a feed roll 32a to a take-up roll 32b in synchronization with the transport of the papers 201 and 203, and the heat generated by the thermal head 31 in contact with the ink ribbon 32 causes the sublimation dye of the ink ribbon 32 to be diffused and transferred onto the papers 201 and 203, thereby performing printing.

[0034] The ink ribbon 32 is provided in an internal drawer unit 60, and when the internal drawer unit 60 is drawn forward from the case body 11 and the front upper cover 13 is not rotated upward and backward, the ink ribbon 32 can be passed in an arc shape above the roll paper storage section 22 and drawn forward.

[0035] This allows the ink ribbon 32 to be removed from the upper portion of the internal drawer unit 60 that is open between the top cover 12 and the front upper cover 13, making it easy to replace the ink ribbon 32.

[0036] The platen roller 33 is disposed on the opposite side of the ink ribbon 32 and thermal head 31 with the papers 201 and 203 sandwiched between them. The platen roller 33 presses the papers 201 and 203 against the ink ribbon 32.

[0037] (cutter part) The cutter unit 40 is located inside the front upper cover 13, in front of the roll paper compartment 22. Under the control of a control unit (not shown) of the printer 100, the cutter unit 40 cuts the paper sheets 201, 203 along the width direction W as they pass through the portion of the transport path 80 that extends forward from above the roll paper compartment 22 (the discharge path 83, described below). Pieces of the cut paper sheet 201 fall into and accumulate inside the trash can 16, which is located below the cutter unit 40.

[0038] (Creasing part) The creasing unit 50 is located behind the roll paper storage unit 22. The creasing unit 50 is located above the sheet storage unit 21 and below the printing unit 30. Under the control of a control unit (not shown) of the printer 100, the creasing unit 50 forms creases, which are depressions extending along the width direction W, on sheets 201 that pass through a portion of the transport path 80 that extends below the roll paper storage unit 22 in the front-to-rear direction L (the creasing path 88, described below).

[0039] The creases formed in the paper 201 by the creasing section 50 guide the folding lines of the paper 201, and for example, when a photo book 400 is made by bundling a plurality of printed paper sheets 201, improve the ease of opening each paper sheet 201, or form a central fold in a greeting card made from a single paper sheet 201.

[0040] (Transport path) The conveying path 80 is a path along which the sheets 201 and 203 are conveyed. First, the portion of the conveying path 80 along which the sheet 201 is conveyed will be described.

[0041] The portion of the conveying path 80 through which the paper sheet 201 is conveyed includes a paper feed path 81, a printing path 82, a discharge path 83, an upper discharge path 85, an upper printing path 86, a lower printing path 87, and a creasing path 88.

[0042] The paper feed path 81 extends upward from the front end of the paper sheet storage section 21, then folds back and extends downward in the space formed in front of the roll paper storage section 22 and behind the front middle cover 14, extends below the roll paper storage section 22 and above the paper sheet storage section 21 toward the rear of the roll paper storage section 22, and is further formed to an upward-rising position behind the roll paper storage section 22.

[0043] The printing path 82 continues from the paper feed path 81, extends upward behind the roll paper compartment 22 and along the rear of the roll paper compartment 22, and then extends forward above the roll paper compartment 22 to the front of the upper part of the roll paper compartment 22. The printing unit 30 described above is located on the printing path 82.

[0044] The discharge path 83 continues from the print path 82 and extends forward in the front-to-rear direction L from the upper front of the roll paper compartment 22. The cutter unit 40 described above is located in the discharge path 83. The discharge path 83 extends to a position forward of the cutter unit 40.

[0045] The upper discharge passage 85 continues from the discharge passage 83, curves upward and rearward, and extends to the upper discharge port 13b.

[0046] The print upstream path 86 continues from the print path 82, extending from the upper front part of the roll paper storage section 22 concentrically with the outer periphery of the roll paper storage section 22, downward from the roll paper storage section 22, to a position just before it hits the paper feed path 81.

[0047] A rotatable print discharge switching flap is provided at the branch point between the print upstream path 86 and the discharge path 83, and is rotated under the control of a control unit (not shown) of the printer 100. By rotating the print discharge switching flap, the paper 201 that has advanced forward in the print path 82 is switched between advancing to the discharge path 83 or advancing to the print upstream path 86.

[0048] The print downstream path 87 continues from the end of the print path 82 on the paper feed path 81 side, below the roll paper storage section 22, below the paper feed path 81, and above the sheet storage section 21, extending from the rear of the roll paper storage section 22 to the front, with the front tip of the print downstream path 87 rising upward and smoothly merging with the paper feed path 81, which also rises upward.

[0049] Printing is performed on the surface of the paper 201 that comes into contact with the ink ribbon 32 in the printing path 82, i.e., the surface facing rearward in the front-rear direction L in Figure 3. The surface printed on the printing path 82 faces downward in the height direction H when the paper 201 is transported to the printing downstream path 87.

[0050] Then, when this paper 201 is transported forward through the print downstream path 87 and joins the paper feed path 81 rising upward and is transported through the paper feed path 81, the printed surface faces upward in the height direction H below the roll paper storage section 22.

[0051] Furthermore, when this paper 201 is transported rearward along the paper feed path 81 and then transported along the rising printing path 82, the printed side faces forward in the front-to-rear direction. In other words, the paper 201 is turned over while being transported along the paper feed path 81 from the downstream printing path 87, so that the front and back sides of the paper 201 are inverted, and printing can be performed on the back side of the paper 201 by the printing unit 30. The downstream printing path 87 and the paper feed path 81 form an inversion unit that inverts the front and back sides of the paper 201.

[0052] The creasing path 88 extends rearward from the rear of the downstream printing path 87 on the side opposite the paper feed path 81, not upward toward the printing path 82, but slightly downward toward the creasing section 50. The creasing section 50 described above is located in the creasing path 88.

[0053] A rotatable creasing switching flap is provided at the branch point between the part of the lower print path 87 heading toward the print path 82 and the creasing path 88. With the tip of the creasing switching flap biased upward, when a sheet of paper 201 is transported from the print path 82 to the lower print path 87, the sheet of paper 201 presses the tip of the creasing switching flap downward within the range of its displacement against the biasing force of the spring, and advances into the lower print path 87.

[0054] In addition, when the paper 201 proceeding from the printing path 82 to the printing lower path 87 has completely passed through the printing creasing switching flap, the tip of the printing creasing switching flap is biased upward, and the paper 201 in the printing lower path 87 is switched so as to proceed to the creasing path 88 without being transported to the printing path 82 side.

[0055] Furthermore, when the paper 201 that has advanced from the print path 82 to the print downstream path 87 has not yet completely passed through the print creasing switching flap, the paper 201 has the tip of the print creasing switching flap lowered, so the paper 201 in the print downstream path 87 advances to the print path 82 without being transported to the creasing path 88 side.

[0056] Next, we will explain the portion of the transport path 80 through which the paper 203 unwound from the roll paper 202 is transported. The portion of the transport path 80 through which the paper 203 unwound from the roll paper 202 is transported includes a roll paper feed path 89 in addition to the portion through which the paper sheets 201 described above are transported.

[0057] The roll paper feed path 89 extends rearward from approximately the bottom of the roll paper 202 stored in the roll paper storage section 22, and is formed to a position behind the roll paper storage section 22 where it rises upward.

[0058] A rotatable paper feed switching flap is provided at the point where the paper feed path 81 and the roll paper feed path 89 converge. When the leading edge of the paper feed switching flap is biased forward, the paper 201 transported along the paper feed path 81 is switched to proceed to the print path 82, and the paper 201 transported from the print path 82 is switched to proceed to the downstream print path 87.

[0059] On the other hand, when the tip of the paper feed switching flap is biased forward and paper 203 is unwound from roll paper 202 and transported through roll paper feed path 89 and moves toward print path 82, paper 203 presses the paper feed switching flap to the rear side of the range where the tip can be displaced against the biasing force of the spring and moves toward print path 82.

[0060] When the paper 203 unwound from the roll paper 202 is printed in the printing section 30 of the printing path 82, the paper 203 remains unseparated from the roll paper 202, and therefore the paper feed switching flap remains pressed to the rear of the range in which its leading edge can be displaced by the part of the paper 203 passing through the roll paper feed path 89.

[0061] (Transportation means) The conveying means 70 includes a sheet feeding roller 77a, a paper feed roller 77b, a reversing roller 77c, a gripping roller 77d, a first feed roller 77e, a first discharge roller 77f, a second discharge roller 77g, a second feed roller 77h, and a roll paper feeding roller 77i.

[0062] Each of these transport rollers 77a to 77i contacts either the front or back side of at least one of the sheets of paper 201 and paper 203, and rotates under the control of a control unit (not shown) of the printer 100 to transport the papers 201 and 203 along the transport path 80.

[0063] (holding member) Figure 4 is an oblique view showing the holding member 110 (also called the bookbinding auxiliary device 110), Figure 5 is an oblique view showing the state in which the holding member 110 is set in the paper output tray 12a while holding the cover member 300, Figure 6 is a front view of the printer 100 in the state shown in Figure 5, Figure 7 is an oblique view of the main parts including the holding member 110 and the cover member 300 in the state shown in Figure 5, Figure 8 is a plan view of the state shown in Figure 7, and Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Figure 7.

[0064] The holding member 110 is held integrally with the paper discharge tray 12a or in a state where it can be removed from the paper discharge tray 12a at a position where the sheets 201 discharged from the upper discharge opening 13b are stacked. As shown in Fig. 5, the holding member 110 has a substantially rectangular bottom plate 111, side plates 112 and 113 rising upward in the height direction H from both side edges of the bottom plate 111 in the width direction W, and a front plate 114 rising upward in the height direction from the front end edge of the bottom plate in the front-rear direction.

[0065] The distance in the width direction W between the surfaces (inner surfaces) of both side plates 112, 113 facing inward in the width direction W is formed slightly wider than the dimension in the width direction W of the paper 201. Therefore, as shown in Figures 5 and 9, when holding member 110 is placed on paper output tray 12a while holding cover member 300, paper 201 discharged rearward from upper output opening 13b toward paper output tray 12a is discharged with some unevenness in the width direction W, as shown in Figure 7, each side edge 201b, 201c of paper 201 in the width direction W comes into contact with the inner surface of each side plate 112, 113, so that the paper is corrected to be aligned in the width direction W, and the paper is stacked on bottom plate 111 with side edges 201b, 201c aligned.

[0066] Therefore, the side plates 112 and 113 correspond to a pair of side edge guides that guide the side edges 201b and 201c of the discharged paper 201.

[0067] Each side plate 112, 113 is formed so that its front end is the highest and its rear end is the lowest in the front-to-rear direction L, and the upper edges 112c, 113c between the front and rear ends are linear. As a result, each side plate 112, 113 is formed in a generally triangular shape that is elongated in the front-to-rear direction. The height of the front ends of the side plates 112, 113 is formed higher than the height from the bottom surface 12b of the paper discharge tray 12a to the upper discharge opening 13b.

[0068] 4, 7 and 8, convex portions 112a, 113a that protrude outward in the width direction W are formed on the surfaces (outer surfaces) of the side plates 112, 113 facing outward in the width direction W. A pressing link 98a of a pressing portion 98 (described later) can be hooked from the front side onto the convex portion 112a, and a pressing link 98b of the pressing portion 98 can be hooked from the front side onto the convex portion 113a.

[0069] The holding member 110 holds, for example, a cover member 300 for a photo book. As shown in Fig. 7, the cover member 300 is a member in which a front cover 301, a spine 302, and a back cover 303 are arranged in this order in a fixed direction and connected together. A bound photo book is created by bundling multiple printed sheets 201 together, covering one side of the bundle with the front cover 301, covering the other side of the bundle with the back cover 303, and covering the surface along the stacking direction of the sheets 201 when bundled (the thickness surface) with the spine 302.

[0070] Hot melt adhesive that melts when heated is applied in advance to the inside surface of spine 302. This hot melt melts when spine 302 is heated by heater unit 90, which will be described later, and adheres paper 201 pressed against spine 302 to spine 302, thereby creating an integrated photo book.

[0071] 7, the holding member 110 holds the front cover 301 of the cover member 300 under the bottom plate 111, places the back cover 303 on the upper edges 112c, 113c of the side plates 112, 113, and positions and holds the spine 302 behind the rear ends of the side plates 112, 113, thereby holding the part of the cover member 300 facing the spine 302 (the side of the front edges of the side plates 112, 113) in an open state. At this time, the cross section of the cover member 300 taken on a vertical plane along the front-to-rear direction L is approximately V-shaped.

[0072] With the holding member 110 holding the cover member 300 in the generally V-shaped cross section described above, the spine 302 can be inserted into the opening 12c formed at the rear end of the paper discharge tray 12a and placed on the paper discharge tray 12a. As a result, as shown in Fig. 9, the part of the cover member 300 facing the spine 302 can be held open and facing the upper discharge opening 13b.

[0073] When the holding member 110 holds the cover member 300 and the printed paper 201 is discharged from the upper discharge outlet 13b, the discharged printed paper 201 is stacked on the bottom plate 111 of the holding member 110 as shown in Figures 7 and 9.

[0074] In addition, the rear edge 201a (the edge that is discharged last when discharged from the upper discharge outlet 13b to the discharge tray 12a) of the paper 201 stacked on the bottom plate 111 is stacked in a state where it is positioned behind the front plate 114 of the holding member 110 in the front-to-rear direction L.

[0075] Holding member 110, while holding cover member 300 in a generally V-shaped cross section and placed on discharge tray 12a, is capable of displacement in width direction W in accordance with variations in width direction W of sheets 201 discharged from upper discharge opening 13b. In other words, when sheets 201 are discharged with variations in width direction W, for example, side edge 201b of discharged sheet 201 hits the inner surface of side plate 112, causing holding member 110 to displace toward side edge 201b of sheet 201, and also, for example, side edge 201c of discharged sheet 201 hits the inner surface of side plate 113, causing holding member 110 to displace toward side edge 201c of sheet 201.

[0076] As described above, the distance between the side plates 112, 113 in the width direction W is slightly wider than the dimension of the paper 201 in the width direction W. The position of the paper 201 discharged from the upper discharge opening 13b in the width direction W may vary, causing the paper 201 to hit the inner surfaces of the side plates 112, 113 or to be discharged from a position where it slightly rides up on the tops of the side plates 112, 113.

[0077] Here, if the holding member 110 is positioned in a state where it is not displaced in the width direction W, the side edge 201b of the discharged paper 201 may hit the inner surface of the side plate 112, or the side edge 201c may hit the inner surface of the side plate 113, and the discharged paper 201 may slightly ride up on both side plates 112 and 113, causing the paper 201 to be stacked on the bottom plate 111 in a state where it is deformed in the thickness direction.

[0078] In this state, most of the flat surfaces of the paper 201 are tightly pressed together with no gaps between them, and even if you try to align the side edges 201b, 201c of the paper 201 by pushing them due to static electricity generated in the paper 201 when the paper 201 is ejected, the surfaces of the paper 201 cannot move from the state in which they are strongly attracted to each other due to the action of static electricity, and the paper cannot be properly aligned.

[0079] In contrast, since the holding member 110 is displaceable in the width direction W following the paper sheet 201, when the side edge 201b of the discharged paper sheet 201 hits the inner surface of the side plate 112, or when the side edge 201c hits the inner surface of the side plate 113, or when the discharged paper sheet 201 slightly rides up on both side plates 112 and 113, the holding member 110 is subjected to the force acting from these hits, that is, a force acting to displace the paper sheet 201 in the width direction W.

[0080] This force causes the holding member 110 to move in the width direction W to a position where the paper 201 fits between the side plates 112, 113 of the holding member 110 before the discharged paper 201 is stacked on top of the already discharged paper 201 on the bottom plate 111 of the holding member 110 (before the discharged paper 201 is attracted to the already discharged paper 201 by static electricity), so that the paper 201 is stacked on the bottom plate 111 with the side edges 201b, 201c of the paper 201 aligned.

[0081] The holding member 110 can also be used for purposes other than bookbinding. For example, it can be applied to printing a calendar by printing 12 months' worth of pages on 12 sheets of paper 201 using single-sided printing, or printing 12 months' worth of pages on 6 sheets of paper 201 using double-sided printing. In cases other than bookbinding, it is sufficient to place only the holding member 110 on the paper output tray 12a without holding the cover member 300.

[0082] (Pressing part) A pressing portion 98 is provided on the side of the paper output tray 12a to press the holding member 110 rearward in the front-rear direction L. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the pressing portion 98 includes a pressing drive portion 98c and pressing links 98a and 98b. As shown in Figures 3 and 8, the pressing links 98a and 98b are provided at the front of each side of the paper output tray 12a.

[0083] The pressure drive unit 98c is driven under the control of a control unit (not shown) of the printer 100. The pressure links 98a, 98b are connected to the pressure drive unit 98c. When the pressure drive unit 98c is driven, the pressure links 98a, 98b are displaced rearward in the front-to-rear direction L in conjunction with each other. At this time, if a holding member 110 holding a cover member 300 is placed on the paper output tray 12a, the pressure links 98a, 98b displaced rearward will hook onto protrusions 112a, 113a provided on the outer surfaces of each side plate 112, 113 of the holding member 110, and simultaneously push the protrusions 112a, 113a rearward by the same distance.

[0084] As a result, the holding member 110 is pushed backward, but the stack of paper sheets 201 stacked on the bottom plate 111 of the holding member 110 is stopped by inertia. At this time, the front plate 114 of the holding member 110 hits the trailing edge 201a (see FIG. 7) of the paper sheets 201 and pushes the paper sheets 201 backward. As a result, the trailing edge 201a of the paper sheets 201 is aligned in the front-to-rear direction L. Therefore, the pressing unit 98 and the front plate 114 of the holding member 110 correspond to a paper-sheet aligning unit that aligns the trailing edge 201a of the discharged paper sheets 201.

[0085] When the sheets 201 stacked on the bottom plate 111 of the holding member 110 are discharged from the upper discharge port 13b, the positions of the rear end edges 201a of the sheets 201 are also aligned and stacked before the sheets 201 are attracted to the already discharged sheets 201 by static electricity.

[0086] If the sheets of paper 201 are stacked with uneven positions on the rear edge 201a side, the uneven positions on the rear edge 201a side of the sheets of paper 201 can be evened out by driving the pressure drive unit 98c, unless the sheets of paper 201 are in a state where they are attracting each other with a strong force due to the action of static electricity.

[0087] In addition, in order to prevent static electricity from being generated on the paper 201 when the paper 201 is discharged from the upper discharge opening 13b or to reduce static electricity generated on the paper 201, an anti-static brush may be provided near the upper discharge opening 13b to come into contact with the paper 201 and remove static electricity from the paper 201.

[0088] Then, the leading edge 201d of the paper 201 pushed backward (the leading edge when discharged from the upper discharge outlet 13b, the end closest to the spine 302; see Figure 9) hits the inner surface of the spine 302 on which the hot melt is placed.

[0089] The cover member 300 is displaced rearward as the spine 302 is pushed rearward by the leading edge 201d of the paper 201 and the rear ends of the side plates 112, 113. As a result, the outer surface of the spine 302 comes into contact with the heat transfer member 92 of the heater unit 90, which will be described later, as shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9. In other words, the pressing unit 98 presses the holding member 110 so as to displace the spine 302 toward the heater unit 90.

[0090] (heater part) 3 and 9, the heater unit 90 includes a heater 91 and a heat transfer member 92. The heater 91 generates heat under the control of a control unit (not shown) of the printer 100. The heat transfer member 92 is disposed at the back of the opening 12c and extends along the width direction W. The cross section of the heat transfer member 92 taken along a vertical plane along the front-rear direction L is formed into an angular, approximately Y-shape. The width between the ends of this angular, approximately Y-shape is wider than the width of the spine 302. The legs of the approximately Y-shape of the heat transfer member 92 are connected to the heater 91, and heat from the heater 91 is transferred to the heat transfer member 92.

[0091] Heater unit 90 transfers heat generated by heater 91 to heat transfer member 92, thereby overheating heat transfer member 92. Heater unit 90 then heats spine 302, the outer surface of which is in contact with heat transfer member 92, thereby melting the hot melt provided on the inner surface of spine 302 and adhering the leading edge of sheets 201 pressed against the inner surface of spine 302. Therefore, heater unit 90 corresponds to a binding unit that binds a stack of sheets 201 together with cover member 300.

[0092] <effect> The operation of the printer 100 configured as above will be described below. First, the operation of printing on the paper sheets 201 and binding the paper will be described.

[0093] (Operation on sheets) First, the sheet feed roller 77a rotates, and the topmost sheet 201 of the sheets 201 stored in the sheet storage section 21 is fed into the paper feed path 81.Furthermore, the sheet 201 is transported along the paper feed path 81 by the rotation of the paper feed roller 77b and the rotation of the reversing roller 77c beyond that.

[0094] Here, the sheet 201 is conveyed to the print path 82 by the paper feed switching flap 73, advances along the print path 82 by the rotation of the grip roller 77d, and is guided to the print upstream path 86 by switching the print discharge switching flap.

[0095] When the sheet 201 reaches the end of the upper print path 86, the grip roller 77d reverses (the direction of rotation is reversed), and the sheet 201 passes through the printing section 30 and advances to the lower print path 87 while being printed on the front side of the sheet 201.

[0096] Here, when color printing is performed on the front side of the paper sheet 201, the color is changed using the ink ribbon 32, and when overcoating is performed using the ink ribbon 32, the direction of rotation of the grip roller 77d is switched to repeat transport and printing, and the color printing and overcoating process on the front side is completed.

[0097] When printing on the front side of the sheet 201 is completed, the sheet 201 is transported to the paper feed path 81 by the rotation of the reversing roller 77c, and is reversed from front to back as it passes through the reversing section formed by the print downstream path 87 and the paper feed path 81. In other words, the sheet 201 is turned over as it passes through the reversing section, and the side to be printed by the printing unit 30 in the print path 82 is reversed.

[0098] The printing sheet 201 turned over by the turning unit is conveyed to the end of the upstream print path 86 by the rotation of the grip roller 77d which has turned over again.

[0099] When the sheet 201 reaches the end of the upper printing path 86, the grip roller 77d reverses again, and the sheet 201 passes through the printing unit 30 and advances to the lower printing path 87 while being printed on the front side of the sheet 201.

[0100] Here, when color printing is performed on the back side of the paper sheet 201, the color of the ink ribbon 32 is changed, and when overcoating is performed using the ink ribbon 32, the conveyance is repeated until the color printing and overcoating process on the back side is completed.

[0101] When printing on the back side of the printing sheet 201 is completed, the grip roller 77d is reversed again, the printing sheet 201 passes through the printing path 82, the print discharge switching flap is switched, and the printing sheet 201 is conveyed to the discharge path 83.

[0102] In the discharge path, the rotation of the first feed roller 77e causes the paper sheet 201 to advance to the cutter unit 40, and the unnecessary portion at the rear end of the paper sheet 201 is cut off by the cutter unit 40. The cut-off unnecessary portion falls into the trash can 16 located below the cutter unit 40 and is collected inside the trash can 16.

[0103] The sheet of paper 201, from which the unnecessary portion at the rear end has been cut off, is transported along the discharge path 83 toward the printing path 82 as the first feed roller 77e reverses, and then the grip roller 77d reverses again, passing through the printing path 82 and being pulled back to the printing downstream path 87, and then the rotation of the reversing roller 77c pulls back a portion of the front side of the sheet of paper 201 in the transport direction to the paper feed path 81.

[0104] Next, with the print creasing switching flap switched, the reversing roller 77c reverses, the sheet of paper 201 is transported to the creasing path 88, and as the second feed roller 77h rotates, the vicinity of the front end of the sheet of paper 201 in the transport direction reaches the creasing section 50, and the creasing section 50 forms a creasing mark in the vicinity of the front end of the sheet of paper 201 in the transport direction.

[0105] Next, the second feed roller 77h and the reversing roller 77c reverse, and the sheet 201 transported to the creasing path 88 passes through a reversing section made up of the printing downstream path 87 and the paper feed path 81, and is transported to the printing path 82. In the printing path 82, the gripping roller 77d reverses again, transporting the sheet 201 to the discharge path 83, where the sheet 201 is transported to the cutter unit 40 by the rotation of the first feed roller 77e.

[0106] Then, the unnecessary portion at the front end of the paper sheet 201 is cut off by the cutter unit 40. The cut-off unnecessary portion falls into the trash can 16 arranged below the cutter unit 40 and is collected inside the trash can 16.

[0107] The printing sheet 201, from which the unnecessary portion at the front end has been cut off, passes through the cutter unit 40 and advances forward due to the rotation of the first feed roller 77e. The printing sheet 201 that has advanced in front of the cutter unit 40 is transported by the rotation of the first discharge roller 77f and is guided to the upper discharge path 85, and is discharged from the upper discharge opening 13b due to the rotation of the second discharge roller 77g that is arranged near the upper discharge opening 13b.

[0108] 9, the holding member 110 is placed on the paper output tray 12a in a state in which the cover member 300 is held in a substantially V-shaped cross section, and the paper sheets 201 are stacked and stored from the upper discharge opening 13b on the bottom plate 111 of the holding member 110. Note that the stored paper sheets 201 have creases formed by the creasing portion 50 near the end of the leading edge 201d that is closest to the spine 302, extending in the width direction W.

[0109] When a specified number of printed sheets of paper 201 are accumulated on the bottom plate 111 of the holding member 110, the pressure drive unit 98c is driven under the control of the control unit of the printer 100, and the pressure links 98a and 98b hook onto the protrusions 112a and 113a of the holding member 110, and simultaneously push the protrusions 112a and 113a backward by the same distance.

[0110] As a result, holding member 110 is pushed rearward, leading edge 201d of sheet 201 is brought into contact with the inner surface of spine 302, and the outer surface of spine 302 is pressed against heat transfer member 92. At this time, trailing edge 201a of sheet 201 is aligned.

[0111] Next, under the control of the control unit of the printer 100, the heater unit 90 generates heat, driving the pressure drive unit 98c, and the spine 302 pressed against the heat transfer member 92 is heated. As a result, the hot melt provided on the inside of the spine melts, and the hot melt, with increased fluidity, flows into the end on the leading edge 201d side of the abutted paper sheet 201 (the portion closer to the leading edge than the crease formed by the creasing unit 50).

[0112] The heater unit 90 may be heated before the sheets 201 are discharged from the upper discharge opening 13b, or may be heated after the sheets 201 are discharged but before the pressing unit 98 is driven. The heater unit 90 then heats for a specified period of time and then stops heating. As a result, the hot melt that has flowed between the sheets 201 subsequently cools and becomes less fluid, bonding the sheets 201 together and bonding the bonded sheets 201 to the inner surface of the spine 302.

[0113] Thereafter, the driving of the pressing portion 98 is released, the holding member 110 is released from the rearward pressing force, and can be removed upward together with the cover member 300 from the paper discharge tray 12a.

[0114] The photo book made by joining the cover member 300 and the paper 201 can be separated from the holding member 110 by pulling it backward away from the holding member 110.

[0115] In this way, the printer 100 of this embodiment can neatly align and bind a stack of paper sheets 201 with a simple configuration.

[0116] (Operation on roll paper) The operation of the printer 100 of this embodiment, in which the printer 100 prints on the roll paper 202 and then ejects the paper, will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

[0117] First, the roll paper delivery roller 77i rotates, causing the paper 203 to unwind from the outermost periphery of the roll paper 202 housed in the roll paper compartment 22.

[0118] Here, by switching the paper feed switching flap and the print discharge switching flap, and by rotating the roll paper feed roller 77i and the grip roller 77d, the unwound paper 203 is transported through the print path 82 and the print upstream path 86 and is fed out to the length required for printing.

[0119] Next, the fed paper 203 is pulled back through the print path 82 and the roll paper feed path 89 by the reversal of the grip roller 77d and the roll paper feed roller 77i, and while the paper 203 is passing through the print path 82, the printing unit 30 prints on the paper 203.

[0120] Here, when color printing is performed on the paper 203, the color is changed using the ink ribbon 32, and if overcoating is performed using the ink ribbon 32, printing is repeated by conveying the paper toward the discharge outlet and then conveying it in reverse, just as in the case of the paper sheet 201, and the color printing and overcoating process is completed.

[0121] When printing on the paper 203 is completed, the roll paper delivery roller 77i and grip roller 77d are reversed, and the paper 203 passes through the roll paper feed path 89 and print path 82, and is sent to the discharge path 83 by switching the print discharge switching flap.

[0122] In the discharge path 83, the paper 203 passes through the cutter unit 40 by the rotation of the first feed roller 77e, and the cutter unit 40 cuts off the unnecessary portion of the leading end of the paper 203 in the conveyance direction as needed. The unnecessary cut portion of the paper 203 is collected in the trash can 16.

[0123] Then, the printed paper 203 from which the unnecessary portion has been cut off is conveyed to the upper discharge opening 13b through the upper discharge path 85 by the rotation of the first discharge roller 77f.

[0124] When the printed area of ​​the paper 203 passes through the cutter unit 40, the cutter unit 40 cuts the paper 203, separating the paper 203 including the printed area from the paper 203 connected to the roll paper 202.

[0125] The paper 203 connected to the roll paper 202 is rewound onto the roll paper 202 by the reversal of the first feed roller 77e, the grip roller 77d, and the roll paper feed roller 77i, and the paper 203 separated from the roll paper 202, including the printed area, is discharged from the upper discharge port 13b.

[0126] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, the pressing unit 98 is driven under the control of the control unit of the printer 100, but the pressing unit 98 may also be driven by manual operation by the user. Therefore, the timing of driving, etc. may be freely selectable according to the user's wishes.

[0127] In addition, in the printer 100 of this embodiment, the holding member 110 is displaceable in the width direction on the paper output tray 12a, but it does not have to be displaceable, and the dimension in the width direction W between the side plates 112, 113 corresponding to the side edge guide portions does not have to be approximately the same as the width dimension of the paper 201, but may be considerably larger than the dimension in the width direction W of the paper 201.

[0128] In this case, if the surfaces of the sheets of paper 201 are not attracting each other with strong force due to the action of static electricity, before pressing the sheets of paper 201 accumulated on the bottom plate 111 of the holding member 110 with the pressing unit 98, the user may temporarily remove the holding member 110 and cover member 300 on which the sheets of paper 201 are accumulated from the paper output tray 12a, and manually move the sheets of paper 201 toward the side plate 112 or the side plate 113 in the width direction W to align the positions of the sheets of paper 201 in the width direction W, and then return the holding member 110 and cover member 300 on which the sheets of paper 201 are accumulated onto the paper output tray 13a and perform the operation using the pressing unit 98.

[0129] In addition, in order to prevent static electricity from being generated on the paper 201 when the paper 201 is discharged from the upper discharge opening 13b or to reduce static electricity generated on the paper 201, an anti-static brush may be provided near the upper discharge opening 13b to come into contact with the paper 201 and remove static electricity from the paper 201.

[0130] Furthermore, in the printer 100 of this embodiment, the holding member 110 is configured to be detachable from the paper output tray 12a of the printer 100, but the holding member 110 may also be configured as an integral part of the printer 100, without being detachable from the paper output tray 12a.

[0131] When the holding member 110 is configured integrally with the paper discharge tray 12a, a structure can be applied in which the holding member 110 is displaceable in the width direction W of the paper 201 on the paper discharge tray 12a, as described below.

[0132] For example, a long hole whose length direction coincides with the extension direction of both side plates 112, 113 is formed in bottom plate 111 of holding member 110. Then, a plurality of pins having approximately the same width as the long hole and a height slightly greater than the thickness of bottom plate 111 of holding member 110 are provided from the bottom plate of bottom surface 12b of paper discharge tray 12a, and these pins are passed through the long hole, with the head of each pin being formed to be wider than the width of the long hole to prevent the pins from coming out of the long hole, thereby making it possible to displace holding member 110 in the width direction W on paper discharge tray 12a.

[0133] The printer 100 of this embodiment is an example in which the heater unit 90 is used as a binding unit, but the printer of the present invention may use any binding unit that binds a stack of multiple sheets of paper 201 stacked on the bottom plate 111 of the holding member 110 together with the cover member 300, and is not limited to the heater unit 90 of this embodiment, and may also use, for example, a unit that binds using a stapler.

[0134] The printer 100 of this embodiment is a dye-sublimation thermal printer, but the printer according to the present invention is not limited to dye-sublimation thermal printers and may be a printer of a printing format other than a dye-sublimation thermal printer.

[0135] That is, the printer according to the present invention may be a thermal printer other than a dye-sublimation type, or may be a printer other than a thermal printer, such as an inkjet type printer, or may be a printer of another printing format.

[0136] The printer 100 of this embodiment is equipped with a roll paper storage section 22 in addition to a sheet paper storage section 21, but the printer 100 of the present invention only needs to be equipped with at least a sheet paper storage section 21 and does not necessarily need to be equipped with a roll paper storage section 22.

[0137] The above-described holding member 110 is configured to be integrated with the printer 100 of this embodiment or to be a part of the printer 100 but detachable from the printer 100, but it may also be an independent bookbinding auxiliary that can be used in printers other than the printer 100 of this embodiment. Such holding member 110 as a bookbinding auxiliary is one embodiment of the bookbinding auxiliary according to the present invention.

[0138] According to the holding member 110 (bookbinding auxiliary tool) of this embodiment, a simple configuration can neatly align a stack of sheets 201 and bind them into a book. [Explanation of symbols]

[0139] 12a Output tray 100 dye-sublimation thermal printer 110 Holding member 201 sheets of paper 300 Cover material H Height direction L Anteroposterior direction W width direction

Claims

1. a paper output tray that collects the paper discharged from the output section; a holding member that is held at a position where the sheets are stacked, either integrally with the paper discharge tray or in a state that allows it to be removed from the paper discharge tray; The holding member is provided with a pair of side edge guide portions that guide both side edges of the paper, and is held so that the paper moves to a widthwise position where it fits between the pair of side edge guide portions in response to the force acting when the paper hits the pair of side edge guide portions.

2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the holding member holds a cover member, which is formed integrally with a front cover, a back cover, and a spine cover, in a substantially V-shape with a portion facing the spine cover open and facing the ejection section.

3. 3. The printer according to claim 2, further comprising a binding portion for binding the bundle of sheets together with the cover member.

4. The printer according to claim 3 , further comprising a pressing portion that presses the holding member so as to displace the spine toward the binding portion.

5. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the holding member has a paper aligning section that aligns edges of the paper discharged from the discharge section.

6. The printer is arranged in a position on a paper output tray that stores the paper discharged from the output unit of the printer, where the paper is stacked; a pair of side edge guides for guiding both side edges of the paper; the sheet is held by the sheet output tray so as to move to a position in the width direction of the sheet where the sheet is accommodated between the pair of side edge guide portions in response to a force acting on the sheet when the sheet hits the pair of side edge guide portions; This bookbinding auxiliary holds a cover member, which is formed integrally with a front cover, a back cover, and a spine, in a substantially V-shape with the portion facing the spine open and facing the discharge section.

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