Printer and peeling device provided in the printer

Abstract

To provide a printer.SOLUTION: A printer 200 is equipped with a peeler 100 for peeling a label 310 from label paper 300, which comprises a peeling plate 120 for separating printed labels 310 from a mount 320 and a conveyance roller pair consisting of a platen roller 240 and a nip roller 160, which is installed downstream of the peeling plate 120 in the conveyance direction and pulls and conveys the mount 320 after being separated by the peeling plate 120. The printer 200 is equipped with a mount pressing member 10, which is provided downstream of the conveying roller pair in the conveyance direction and presses the mount 320 transported downstream of the conveyance roller pair to the nip roller 160 within the conveying roller pair provided on the side closer to the lower exit 159, which discharges the mount 320.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer and a peeling device provided in the printer. [Background technology]

[0002] A peeling device is known that is installed in a printer and peels labels from label paper. This peeling device transports label paper, which has a label affixed to a backing sheet, to a peeling section, and transports the backing sheet along a path that bends at an acute angle on the side opposite the labeled surface, so that only the backing sheet is folded at an acute angle before being transported. The unfolded label continues along the direction of the extension of the label as it passes through the peeling section, and is peeled off from the backing sheet.

[0003] The backing sheet transport mechanism that transports the backing sheet is configured, for example, with a transport roller pair having a drive roller and a driven roller that are provided downstream of the peeling unit in the transport direction of the backing sheet. The transport roller pair sandwiches the backing sheet, and the drive roller rotates to transport the backing sheet toward an outlet formed downstream of the transport roller pair (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6878780 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The backing sheet sent downstream in the conveying direction by the conveying roller pair is discharged to the outside from the discharge port of the peeling device while still connected to the label paper from which the label has not been peeled. If the discharged backing sheet hits an obstacle and is moved, the portion of the backing sheet downstream of the conveying roller pair that sandwiches the backing sheet and conveys it will bend.

[0006] The bent backing sheet then separates from one of the lower rollers of the pair of conveying rollers and floats up, and this floating portion of the backing sheet can become caught between the upper roller of the pair of conveying rollers and the wall formed behind the pair of conveying rollers, causing the backing sheet to become jammed.

[0007] The present invention has been developed in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a printer and peeling device that can prevent or suppress clogging of the backing paper downstream of the pair of transport rollers that transport the backing paper. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first aspect of the present invention is a printer equipped with a peeling device that peels the label from label paper, the peeling device having a peeling section that separates the printed label from the backing paper to which the label is affixed, and a pair of transport rollers that are located downstream of the peeling section in the transport direction and that clamp and pull the backing paper after it has been separated by the peeling section for transport, and the printer also includes a backing paper pressing member that is located downstream of the pair of transport rollers in the transport direction and presses the backing paper that has been transported downstream of the pair of transport rollers against a roller of the pair of transport rollers that is located on the exit side from which the backing paper is discharged.

[0009] A second aspect of the present invention is a peeling device that is attached to a printer and peels a label printed by the printer from label paper, and includes: a peeling section that separates the label from the backing paper to which the label is affixed; a pair of transport rollers that are provided downstream of the peeling section in the transport direction and that pinch and pull the backing paper after it has been separated by the peeling section for transport; and a backing paper pressing member that is provided downstream of the pair of transport rollers in the transport direction and presses the backing paper that has been transported downstream of the pair of transport rollers against one of the pair of transport rollers that is provided on the outlet side from which the backing paper is discharged. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The printer and peeling device according to the present invention can prevent or suppress jamming of the backing sheet downstream of the pair of transport rollers that transport the backing sheet. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printer equipped with a peeler. [Figure 2A] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along a vertical plane at the center in the width direction in FIG. 1 and along the front-rear direction. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. 2A. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the printer in FIG. 1 with the cover open (label paper not pulled out). [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the peeler alone with the cover portion closed. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the peeler alone with the cover part open. [Figure 6] 4 is a perspective view showing the printer of FIG. 3 with the cover of the peeler open. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along a vertical plane in the center in the width direction and along the front-rear direction in FIG. 6 (the label paper has been pulled out). [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a peeler and a platen roller are removed from the printer shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mount pressing member. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing the mount pressing member, and is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section cut along a vertical plane including the front-rear direction in FIG. 9. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2B, illustrating a state in which a paper jam occurs in a printer to which the present invention is not applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a printer and a peeling device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] <Configuration> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printer 200 equipped with a peeler 100, FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing a vertical plane at the center of the width direction W in FIG. 1 and along the front-to-back direction L, FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the main parts in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the printer 200 in FIG. 1 with the cover part 220 open (label paper 300 not pulled out).

[0014] The illustrated peeler 100 is one embodiment of the peeling device according to the present invention, and the illustrated printer 200 is one embodiment of a printer equipped with the peeling device according to the present invention.

[0015] (Printer) 1 and 2A, the printer 200 includes a main body 210, a cover 220, and the peeler 100. The printer 200 is formed in a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. The main body 210 and the cover 220 are stacked one above the other, with the cover 220 being located above the main body 210 at a height U in the height direction H.

[0016] The cover part 220 has a lower portion at the rear R in the front-rear direction L supported by the main body part 210 so as to be rotatable about an axis C parallel to the width direction W. The cover part 220 is rotated from the closed state shown in FIG. 1 toward the upper U and rear R about the axis C to the open state as shown in FIG. 3.

[0017] A paper storage chamber 211 that stores label paper 300 is formed between the main body 210 and the cover 220. As shown in Figure 3, the paper storage chamber 211 stores long, strip-shaped label paper 300 wound into a roll. The paper storage chamber 211 is exposed when the cover 220 is open, and is covered and hidden by the cover 220 when the cover 220 is closed. The label paper 300 is inserted into and removed from the paper storage chamber 211 when the cover 220 is open.

[0018] The label paper 300 is a sheet of paper with a label 310 affixed to a backing paper 320. The backing paper 320 is formed from a single sheet of paper connected in a long strip shape, and the label 310 is formed in a rectangular shape that is shorter than the backing paper 320. The label 310 is formed from a material that can be printed on by the print head 230, which will be described later. The label 310 has an adhesive on the surface facing the backing paper 320, and after being peeled off from the backing paper 320, the surface with the adhesive is attached to an object. The backing paper 320 has a release agent on the surface facing the label 310, and the release agent makes it easy to peel off the label 310, which has been affixed to the backing paper 320 with the adhesive, without leaving any adhesive on the backing paper 320.

[0019] The label paper 300 is wound into a roll with the labels 310 on the outer surface and the backing paper 320 on the inner surface. The labels 310 are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction of the backing paper 320 (the circumferential direction M of the roll). A predetermined gap 330 is provided between the labels 310. The predetermined gap 330 is shorter than the length of each label 310 along the circumferential direction M.

[0020] When the cover unit 220 is closed, a print head 230 extending in the width direction W is provided on the portion of the cover unit 220 facing the main body unit 210 in front F of the paper storage chamber 211, as shown in Fig. 3. Meanwhile, a platen roller 240 extending in the width direction W is provided on the portion of the main body unit 210 facing the print head 230 in front F of the paper storage chamber 211.

[0021] With the cover 220 closed, the print head 230 comes into contact with the platen roller 240. Then, as shown in Figure 2, label paper 300 unwound from the roll paper placed in the paper storage chamber 211 is sandwiched between the print head 230 and the platen roller 240 and passed between them. At this time, the label 310 comes into contact with the print head 230, and the backing paper 320 comes into contact with the platen roller 240.

[0022] The printer 200 is formed with an outlet 290 in front F of the print head 230 and platen roller 240, which discharges the label paper 300 that has passed between the print head 230 and platen roller 240 to the outside of the printer 200.

[0023] The printer 200 performs predetermined printing on the label 310 while feeding the label paper 300 to the discharge outlet 290 at the front F of the printer 200 by the print head 230 printing on the label 310 and the platen roller 240 transporting the label paper 300.

[0024] 3, the printer 200 is equipped with sensors 261, 262 for detecting the label 310, on the main body 210 and the cover 220. One of the sensors, the sensor 261, is provided on the main body 210 in a position between the paper storage chamber 211 and the platen roller 240 in the front-to-rear direction L, facing upward U, when the cover 220 is closed. The other sensor, the sensor 262, is provided on the cover 220 in a position facing the sensor 261, facing downward D, when the cover 220 is closed.

[0025] The sensor 261 provided in the main body 210 is, for example, an optical reflective sensor. The reflective sensor 261 has a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit. The sensor 261 emits light upward U from the light-emitting unit, and the light-receiving unit receives the light reflected from upward U. If the label paper 300 is roll paper on which a black mark, a so-called black mark, is formed on the back surface of the backing paper 320 corresponding to the gap 330 between two labels 310 lined up in the circumferential direction M, the light-emitting unit of the sensor 261 irradiates light onto the backing paper 320 of the label paper 300 passing upward U, and the reflected light that is reflected by the backing paper 320 and returned downward D is detected by the light-receiving unit.

[0026] The amount of light reflected from a position on the backing paper 320 where there is a black mark differs from the amount of light reflected from a position where there is no black mark. Therefore, the sensor 261 can detect the passage of a black mark according to the amount of reflected light received by the light receiving unit, and based on this detection result, the printer 200 can detect gaps 330 where no label 310 exists on the label paper 300, and detect the leading and trailing edge positions of the label 310.

[0027] On the other hand, the sensor 262 provided on the cover part 220 is, for example, an optical transmissive sensor. The transmissive sensor 262 has a light-emitting part and a light-receiving part, but the light-emitting part of this sensor 262 is also the light-emitting part of the reflective sensor 261. In other words, when detection is performed by the transmissive sensor 262, light is emitted upward U from the light-emitting part of the reflective sensor 261, and the light-receiving part of the transmissive sensor 262, which is located above U from the light-emitting part of the sensor 261, receives the transmitted light from downward D that has passed through the label paper 300.

[0028] When the label paper 300 is roll paper without black marks, no label 310 is attached to the gap 330 between two labels 310 lined up in the circumferential direction M, so the amount of light transmitted through the part of the backing paper 320 where no label 310 is attached differs from the amount of light transmitted through the part of the backing paper 320 where the label 310 is attached.

[0029] Therefore, the sensor 262 can detect the passage of the gap 330 depending on the amount of transmitted light received by the light receiving unit, and based on this detection result, the printer 200 can detect the gap 330 and the leading and trailing end positions of the label 310.

[0030] The printer 200 can detect the leading and trailing end positions of the label 310 on the label paper 300 regardless of whether or not there is a black mark by using different detection methods for the two sensors 261 and 262 depending on whether or not the label paper 300 has a black mark.

[0031] (Peeler) 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the peeler 100 alone, with FIG. 4 showing the cover part 150 in a closed state and FIG. 5 showing the cover part 150 in an open state.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the peeler 100 is provided in a portion F of the main body 210 of the printer 200, forward of the discharge port 290. As shown in Figure 2, the peeler 100 peels off the labels 310 from the label paper 300 discharged from the discharge port 290. In other words, the peeler 100 separates the labels 310 on the label paper 300 from the backing paper 320 to which the labels 310 are affixed and which supports the labels 310.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 4, the peeler 100 includes a main body frame 110 and a cover unit 150. As shown in Fig. 5, the peeler 100 is configured so that the cover unit 150 can be opened and closed relative to the main body frame 110. Specifically, a lower portion of the cover unit 150 in the height direction H is rotatably supported by a lower portion of the main body frame 110.

[0034] 4 rotates from the closed state toward the front F and downward D relative to the main body frame 110 around the portion supported by the main body frame 110, thereby entering the open state shown in Fig. 5. On the other hand, when the cover part 150 rotates from the open state toward the rear R and upward U around the portion supported by the main body frame 110, thereby entering the closed state shown in Fig. 4.

[0035] The main body frame 110 is formed into a rectangular frame using a metal plate. A portion of the rectangular frame of the main body frame 110 that corresponds to the upper edge extending along the width direction W forms a peeling plate 120 (peeling portion). As shown in FIG. 2, the peeling plate 120 is a member that separates the labels 310 and the backing paper 320 of the label paper 300. The main body frame 110 is fixed to the printer 200.

[0036] Specifically, the label paper 300 transported along the upper surface of the peeling plate 120 is transported along a path that folds back toward the lower surface of the peeling plate 120 at the front end of the peeling plate 120, so that when the front end of the label 310 passes the front end of the peeling plate 120, the backing paper 320 is folded back at the front end of the peeling plate 120, but the label 310 is peeled off from the backing paper 320 due to its rigidity and the release agent provided on the backing paper 320, and proceeds along an extension of the upper surface of the peeling plate 120. In this way, the peeler 100 separates the label 310 from the backing paper 320 at the peeling plate 120.

[0037] 6 is a perspective view showing the printer 200 of FIG. 3 with the cover 150 of the peeler 100 open, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane at the center of the width direction W in FIG. 6 and along the front-to-rear direction L (with the label paper 300 pulled out).

[0038] The cover section 150 includes a cover frame 151, a cover 152, an upper guide roller 154, a lower guide roller 155, a nip roller 160 (a roller provided on the exit side for discharging the backing paper), a coil spring 165, and a label sensor 190.

[0039] The cover 152, upper guide roller 154, lower guide roller 155, nip roller 160, and coil spring 165 are supported by a cover frame 151 and are rotatable together with the cover frame 151 relative to a main body frame 110 fixed to the printer 200 as shown in FIG. 6.

[0040] Both the upper guide roller 154 and the lower guide roller 155 rotate freely around their axes. When the cover part 150 is closed (see FIG. 4), as shown in FIG. 1, the upper guide roller 154 is positioned above U of the peeling plate 120, and the lower guide roller 155 is positioned below D of the peeling plate 120. The upper guide roller 154 comes into contact from above U with the upper surface of the label paper 300 that is transported forward F along the upper surface of the peeling plate 120, and sends the label paper 300 forward F while keeping it in contact with the peeling plate 120, that is, without it floating up above U from the peeling plate 120.

[0041] The upper guide roller 154 and the lower guide roller 155 have ridges similar to the ridges 152c and 152d formed on the cover 152, which will be described later, that extend circumferentially and are distributed in the width direction W. These ridges are intended to reduce the contact area with the label paper 300 and reduce frictional resistance when the label paper 300 is fed, and the ridges formed on the lower guide roller 155 also have the effect of reducing the chance of contact with the adhesive that has transferred from the label 310 to the backing paper 320. In order to further reduce frictional resistance with the label paper 300, the upper guide roller 154 and the lower guide roller 155 are preferably made of fluororesin or are fluorine-coated.

[0042] The label paper 300 is folded downward U at the front end of the peeling plate 120, where the label 310 separates from the backing paper 320. The lower guide roller 155 comes into contact with the backing paper 320, which is folded back at the front end of the peeling plate 120 and conveyed backward R, from the downward D of the peeling plate 120, and sends the backing paper 320 backward R while holding it so that it does not droop downward.

[0043] The cover 152 is disposed forward U of the front end of the peel-off plate 120, and includes an upper plate 152a and a front plate 152b as shown in Fig. 4. When the label 310, which has been separated from the backing by the peel-off plate 120, hangs downward due to gravity, the cover 152 contacts the underside of the label 310 and supports the label 310 as shown in Fig. 2.

[0044] The upper surface plate 152a of the cover 152 has a plurality of ridges 152c that are narrow in the width direction W, extend in the front-to-rear direction L, and are distributed in the width direction W. Similarly, the front surface plate 152b of the cover 152 has a plurality of ridges 152d that are narrow in the width direction W, extend in the height direction H, and are distributed in the width direction W.

[0045] Because an adhesive is provided on the underside of label 310, when the underside of label 310 comes into contact with cover 152, the adhesive comes into contact with cover 152. However, because the adhesive comes into contact with ridges 152c and 152d formed on cover 152, the contact area between the adhesive and cover 152 can be made extremely small, thereby preventing or suppressing label 310 from adhering to cover 152.

[0046] A label sensor 190 is disposed on the cover 152 facing upward U. The label sensor is an optical, reflective sensor similar to the sensor 261, and detects whether or not a label 310 is present above U of the label sensor 190. The label sensor 190 is equipped with a sensitivity adjustment unit that can adjust the detection sensitivity to suit the label 310 being used.

[0047] The cover 152 is provided with a knob 152e that is gripped with fingers when opening or closing the cover 150 relative to the main body frame 110.

[0048] The nip roller 160 is a roller formed to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the width direction W. The nip roller 160 has large diameter portions 161 formed at four locations distributed in the axial direction, each having a diameter larger than that of the other portions (hereinafter referred to as small diameter portions 162).

[0049] 2, when the cover part 150 is closed, the large diameter part 161 and the platen roller 240 (the roller provided on the side other than the outlet side) of the nip roller 160 come into contact with each other with a strong force while squeezing each other, and rotate in the opposite direction to the platen roller 240 as the platen roller 240 rotates. The small diameter part 162 and the platen roller 240 come into contact with each other with a force weaker than the force between the large diameter part 161 and the platen roller 240 while squeezing each other.

[0050] 5, one end of coil spring 165 is fixed to cover frame 151, and the other end of coil spring 165, which is compressed within its elastic range, is in contact with the shaft of nip roller 160. The shaft of nip roller 160 is pressed in a predetermined direction by the elastic force of coil spring 165, and this predetermined direction is the direction toward platen roller 240 when cover unit 150 is closed. Therefore, when cover unit 150 is closed, nip roller 160 is pressed against platen roller 240.

[0051] A backing sheet 320 that is fed to the underside of the peeling plate 120 is disposed between the platen roller 240 and the nip roller 160. The nip roller 160 is separated from the platen roller 240 when the cover part 150 of the peeler 100 is in an open state (FIGS. 5, 6, and 7).

[0052] 6, with the cover 220 of the printer 200 open, the label paper 300 is pulled out from the roll housed in the paper storage chamber 211. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the pulled-out label paper 300 passes above U of the platen roller 240 and above U of the peeling plate 120, and is folded back downward D at a position F forward of the front end of the peeling plate 120. Furthermore, the label paper 300 passes through a path between the platen roller 240 and the nip roller 160, which is exposed between the open cover 150 and the main body frame 110 of the peeler 100.

[0053] The guide plate 153 is supported by the main body frame 110. When the cover part 150 of the peeler 100 is closed, the guide plate 153 is provided below the nip roller 160. The guide plate 153 is a plate-like body that is disposed inclined downward from a rear R of the nip roller 160 to a front F of the nip roller 160 in the front-rear direction L. As shown in FIG. 2A , when the cover part 150 is closed, the backing paper 320 that is sandwiched between the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240 and sent to the rear R hangs down D while being pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the nip roller 160 by the front plate 12 of the backing paper pressing member 10, which will be described later, and hits the upper surface of the guide plate 153. The backing paper 320 is guided by this upper surface and discharged to the outside of the peeler 100 from a lower exit 159 (an exit for discharging the backing paper) formed in the front F of the guide plate 153.

[0054] (Backing pressing member) 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the printer 200 shown in FIG. 3 with the peeler 100 and platen roller 240 removed, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are views showing the backing pressing member 10, with FIG. 9 being a perspective view and FIG. 10 being a cross-sectional view showing a cross section cut along a vertical plane including the front-to-rear direction L in FIG. 9.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 8, the mount pressing member 10 and the conductive tape 20 are provided on the front partition 215 of the printer 200, which is exposed when the peeler 100 is removed. The mount pressing member 10 is formed, for example, as shown in Fig. 9, by bending a horizontally elongated, rectangular, flat thin plate that is longer in the horizontal direction corresponding to the width direction W than in the vertical direction corresponding to the height direction H, along the horizontal direction at approximately the center of the vertical direction, to form a V-shaped cross section. The horizontal dimension of the mount pressing member 10 is formed to be approximately the same as the overall width dimension of the nip roller 160.

[0056] Mount pressing member 10 is made of metal, but may also be made of resin. Mount pressing member 10 has rear plate 11 and front plate 12 sandwiching folding portion 13, which serves as a folding line, to form a leaf spring. That is, as shown in Figure 10, when front plate 12 is pressed in a direction toward rear plate 11 (the state shown by the solid line in Figure 10), an elastic force is generated at folding portion 13, and this elastic force acts on front plate 12 to move front plate 12 away from rear plate 11 to the position shown by the two-dot chain line.

[0057] As will be described later, friction occurs between the mount pressing member 10 and the moving mount 320 as the front plate 12 of the mount pressing member 10 comes into contact with the moving mount 320. Because the mount pressing member 10 of this example is made of metal, static electricity generated by friction is easily charged and discharged. The conductive tape 20 is provided to dissipate charged static electricity from the mount pressing member 10 to a ground (earth) (not shown) provided in the printer 200. The conductive tape 20 has one end connected to the rear plate 11 of the mount pressing member 10 and the other end sandwiched between the printer 200 and the metal main body frame 110 of the peeler 100. The metal main body frame 110 is grounded by an electric wire to a relay board provided at the bottom of the front F of the printer 200, and the relay board is connected by an electric wire to the ground of the main board that controls the printer 200 and is provided at the bottom of the rear R.

[0058] If the mount pressing member 10 is made of resin, the mount pressing member 10 is an insulator, and the printer 200 does not need to include the conductive tape 20. Even if the mount pressing member 10 is made of metal, if static electricity charging and discharging does not have a substantial adverse effect, the printer 200 does not need to include the conductive tape 20.

[0059] When the mount pressing member 10 is formed of a leaf spring with a V-shaped cross section as in this example, a metal one is preferable to a resin one because the durability of the folded portion 13 is higher. On the other hand, as mentioned above, a metal mount pressing member 10 is preferably provided with a member for dissipating static electricity (conductive tape 20 in this example), but a resin mount pressing member 10 does not require the provision of a member for dissipating static electricity and is therefore preferable in terms of cost.

[0060] Here, as shown in Fig. 10, the mount pressing member 10 is attached and fixed to the front partition wall 215 as shown in Fig. 8 by, for example, double-sided adhesive tape 14 provided on the rear plate 11. Then, when the peeler 100 is attached to the printer 200 as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the front plate 12 of the mount pressing member 10 is pressed rearward R by the nip roller 160 as shown in Fig. 10, and changes from the natural state shown by the two-dot chain line to the pressed state shown by the solid line. As a result, it is pressed rearward R.

[0061] As a result, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the backing paper 320 sandwiched between the platen roller 240 and the nip roller 160 and sent backward R is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the nip roller 160 by the front plate 12 of the backing paper pressing member 10, as shown in Figure 10, and is prevented from floating up (separating) from the outer peripheral surface of the nip roller 160.

[0062] <Actions and Effects> The printer 200 configured as described above operates as follows: That is, as shown in Figure 7, with the cover 220 of the printer 200 open, a roll of label paper 300 is stored in the paper storage chamber 211. Then, with the cover 150 of the peeler 100 open, one end of the outer periphery of the label paper 300 is unwound in the tangential direction of the roll, and the unwound label paper 300 passes above U of the sensor 261 (see Figure 3), above U of the platen roller 240, and above U of the peeling plate 120, before being bent downward D.

[0063] Furthermore, the label paper 300 is passed through the space between the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240 of the peeler 100, passed through the space between the nip roller 160 and the front plate 12 of the mount pressing member 10, and guided by the guide plate 153 to be passed to the outside through the lower exit 159.

[0064] When the label paper 300 is initially laid out to the printer 200 and the peeler 100, the cover 220 of the printer 200 is closed, and the label paper 300 is laid out in a range downstream in the conveying direction from the position passing through the sensors 261 and 262 with all the labels 310 peeled off from the label paper 300, leaving only the backing paper 320.

[0065] In this state, the cover 220 of the printer 200 is closed. As a result, the label paper 300 passes between the sensors 261 and 262, is sandwiched between the platen roller 240 and the print head 230, and is positioned above the discharge outlet 290 and the peeling plate 120 in a position U. Here, the label paper 300 is held in a taut state along the path of the label paper 300 from the paper storage chamber 211 to the discharge outlet 290.

[0066] Then, with the label paper 300 protruding from the lower exit 159 pulled forward F, downward D, or diagonally in between, the cover 150 of the peeler 100 is closed, resulting in the state shown in Figure 2. In this state, the upper guide roller 154 is positioned above the peeling plate 120 at U, and the label paper 300 is pressed against the peeling plate 120 by the upper guide roller 154. In addition, the lower guide roller 155 is positioned below the peeling plate 120 at D, and the label paper 300 is folded downward D at the front end of the peeling plate 120 and is constrained to the path between the lower surface of the peeling plate 120 and the lower guide roller 155.

[0067] Furthermore, at the rear R beyond the peeling plate 120, the label paper 300 is sandwiched between the platen roller 240 and the nip roller 160, and beyond that, the label paper 300 is pressed against the nip roller 160 by the front plate 12 of the backing paper pressing member 10.

[0068] The printer 200 with the label paper 300 set as described above operates as shown in Figure 2. In the printer 200, the platen roller 240, which functions as a transport roller that transports the label paper 300, rotates under the control of a control unit (not shown), and feeds the label paper 300 in the forward direction. Here, the forward direction is the direction in which the label paper 300 is printed on and then ejected.

[0069] While the label paper 300 is being fed, the sensor 261 or the sensor 262 detects the passage of the leading edge of the label 310 at the position where the sensor 261 or 262 is installed. After the sensor 261 or 262 detects the leading edge of the label 310, the label paper 300 is fed a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance corresponds to the length along the path of the label paper 300 from the position where the sensor 261 or 262 is installed to the print head 230.

[0070] As a result, the label paper 300 is fed forward a predetermined distance, and when the leading edge of the label 310 reaches a position where it contacts the print head 230, the control unit controls the print head 230 while the platen roller 240 continues feeding, and the print head 230 starts printing, and printing is performed on the label 310.

[0071] While the label paper 300 is being fed, the sensor 261 or the sensor 262 detects the passage of the trailing end of the label 310 at the position where the sensor 261, 262 is installed. The control unit controls the printing operation of the print head 230 so that the printing operation by the print head 230 is completed before the label paper 300 has been fed a predetermined distance after the sensor 261, 262 detects the trailing end of the label 310.

[0072] Furthermore, while printing is being performed on the label 310, the label paper 300 is being fed forward, so the label paper 300 including the portion of the label 310 that has passed the print head 230 passes between the peeling plate 120 and the upper guide roller 154 and is fed forward F. When the label paper 300 reaches the front end of the peeling plate 120, the label paper 300 is folded downward D at the front end of the peeling plate 120 and is fed backward R along the underside of the peeling plate 120.

[0073] Here, the backing paper 320 of the label paper 300 is connected as one piece over the entire length of the label paper 300, so when the leading edge of the printed label 310 passes the front end of the peeling plate 120, the backing paper 320 is transported along a path that has been laid out in advance inside the peeler 100. Therefore, the backing paper 320 is folded downward D at the front end of the peeling plate 120 and sent backward R along the underside of the peeling plate 120.

[0074] On the other hand, since the labels 310 are cut at predetermined lengths in the longitudinal direction of the label paper 300, they are not folded downward D together with the backing paper 320 at the front end of the peel-off plate 120, but due to the balance between the rigidity of the labels 310 and the adhesive force of the adhesive to the backing paper 320, they are peeled off from the backing paper 320 and sent in the direction F forward of the extension line of the peel-off plate 120.

[0075] As the label paper 300 continues to be fed and the length of the label 310 peeled off from the backing paper 320 increases, the label 310 hangs downward D due to its own weight, and the underside of the label 310 comes into contact with the cover part 150 of the peeler 100.

[0076] As the label paper 300 is fed, the backing paper 320 peels off the label 310, but as shown in Figure 2, just before the rear end of the label 310 peels off from the backing paper 320, the control unit stops the rotation of the platen roller 240 and stops the feeding of the label paper 300.

[0077] In this state, the printed label 310 is placed above U on the top plate 152a of the cover 152, and the label sensor 190 detects the label 310. While the label sensor 190 is detecting the label 310, the control unit does not rotate the platen roller 240 and keeps it stopped.

[0078] On the other hand, when the printed label 310 is removed by hand or the like from above U on the top plate 152a of the cover 152, the label sensor 190 does not detect the label 310. In this case, the control unit rotates the platen roller 240 in the direction opposite to the forward direction to rewind the label paper 300 until the leading edge of the next label 310 following the removed label 310 reaches the position of the print head 230.

[0079] Then, under the control of the control unit, the print head 230 is caused to print the following print content on the label 310 while the platen roller 240 is rotated in the forward direction to feed the label paper 300 forward F.

[0080] The backing paper 320 sent to the lower side of the peeling plate 120 passes between the peeling plate 120 and the lower guide roller 155, and is sandwiched between the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240 of the peeler 100. The platen roller 240 functions as a transport roller, so it rotates to feed the label paper 300 even when the print head 230 is not printing.

[0081] Therefore, while the label paper 300 is being fed, the platen roller 240 rotates, causing the pair of conveying rollers consisting of the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240 to pull and convey the backing paper 320 sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers backward R.

[0082] The backing sheet 320, which has passed through the pair of conveying rollers consisting of the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240 and been sent downstream, passes between the nip roller 160, which is located closer to the lower exit 159, of the pair of conveying rollers, and the front plate 12 of the backing sheet pressing member 10, and is guided by the guide plate 153 to be discharged to the outside through the lower exit 159. At this time, the backing sheet 320 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the nip roller 160 over its entire width by the front plate 12 of the backing sheet pressing member 10. Therefore, even if an external force is applied by an obstacle such as a human hand hitting the portion of the backing sheet 320 being discharged to the outside through the lower exit 159, not even a portion of the backing sheet 320 in the width direction W will separate from the outer peripheral surface of the nip roller 160.

[0083] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to FIG. 2B, illustrating how a paper jam occurs in a printer to which the present invention is not applied.

[0084] On the other hand, in a printer to which the present invention does not apply, which does not have a backing sheet pressing member 10, when an external force is applied to the portion of the backing sheet 320 being discharged to the outside from the lower exit 159, as shown in Figure 11, the backing sheet 320 that has passed between the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240 bends, and at least a portion of the backing sheet 320 in the width direction W rises up and separates from the outer peripheral surface of the nip roller 160.

[0085] If the amount of lift of the backing paper 320 is large, the lifted portion will enter between the front partition 215 and the platen roller 240, get caught in the rotating platen roller 240, and be pulled into the narrow gap between the front partition 215 and the platen roller 240, causing the backing paper 320 to become stuck and not move, resulting in a paper jam.

[0086] Furthermore, for example, when label paper 300 is used in which a cutting guide portion such as a perforation extending in the width direction W is formed in backing paper 320 corresponding to gap 330, which is a cut in label 310, backing paper 320 is prone to folding along the cutting guide portion. As a result, when the cutting guide portion of backing paper 320 passes between nip roller 160 and platen roller 240 and hits the surface of guide plate 153, the cutting guide portion bends and gets caught on the surface of guide plate 153, causing the portion of backing paper 320 following the cutting guide portion to become tensed and lift up away from the outer peripheral surface of nip roller 160.

[0087] Then, the further succeeding portion of the backing sheet 320 enters between the front partition wall 215 and the platen roller 240, causing a paper jam similar to that described above.

[0088] In contrast, in the printer 200 of this embodiment, the backing paper 320 that passes between the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240 is pressed against the nip roller 160 by the backing paper pressing member 10 as described above, and does not lift up from the nip roller 160, so the occurrence of paper jams that occurs in printers to which the present invention is not applied can be prevented or suppressed.

[0089] In the printer 200 of this embodiment, the mount pressing member 10 is formed in the shape of a leaf spring and can be fixed by adhering it to the front partition wall 215 of the printer 200 with double-sided adhesive tape 14, so it can be easily added at low cost to existing printers that do not have a mount pressing member 10. In the printer 200 of this embodiment, the means for fixing the mount pressing member 10 to the front partition wall 215 is not limited to the double-sided adhesive tape 14, and it may be fixed by adhering it with an adhesive, for example.

[0090] The backing paper pressing member in the printer of the present invention may be any member that exerts the effect of pressing the backing paper against the nip roller so that the backing paper that has passed between the conveying roller (platen roller 240 in this embodiment) and the nip roller (nip roller 160 in this embodiment) does not separate from the nip roller.

[0091] Therefore, the mount pressing member in the printer according to the present invention does not have to be formed in the shape of a leaf spring like mount pressing member 10. An example of such a mount pressing member may be a combination of a horizontally long rectangular flat plate similar to front plate 12 and a coil spring. That is, a horizontally long flat plate is fixed to printer 200 so as to be swingable around an axis along the long horizontal side, a compressed coil spring is disposed between the back surface of this horizontally long flat plate and the front partition wall, and the horizontally long flat plate is configured to rotate around the axis toward the front side by the elastic force of the expanded compressed coil spring, with the front surface of the horizontally long flat plate being disposed in contact with the nip roller.

[0092] A mount pressing member constructed in this manner by combining a horizontally long flat plate and a coil spring does not have a bending portion 13 like the mount pressing member 10 formed in the shape of a plate spring, and therefore there is no need to consider the durability of the bending portion 13, making it suitable for forming the horizontally long flat plate from resin.

[0093] Furthermore, in the printer 200 of this embodiment, the backing sheet pressing member 10 is formed as a single unit with dimensions approximately the same as the overall width of the nip roller 160, but the backing sheet pressing member 10 may not be a single unit, but may be divided into multiple pieces, and these multiple backing sheet pressing members may be arranged distributed in the width direction W. In this case, the multiple backing sheet pressing members 10 should be arranged so as to press at least both end portions or portions near both end portions of the width of the backing sheet 320 against the nip roller 160, corresponding to the width of the label paper 300 used in the printer 200.

[0094] In this embodiment, the backing pressing member 10 has a V-shaped cross section and is fixed with the opening of the V facing downward D, but the opening of the V may also be fixed facing upward U instead of downward D. However, if the opening of the V faces upward U, the leading edge of the label paper 300 is likely to be mistakenly inserted into the opening of the V when the label paper 300 is first routed inside the peeler 100. On the other hand, if the opening of the V faces downward D, the leading edge of the label paper 300 is prevented from being mistakenly inserted into the opening of the V, which is preferable.

[0095] Furthermore, although the mount pressing member 10 in this embodiment is fixed to the printer 200, it may also be fixed to, for example, the main body frame 110 of the peeler 100, and the peeler 100 equipped with the mount pressing member 10 in this manner is an embodiment of the peeling device according to the present invention.

[0096] In the printer 200 of this embodiment, the nip roller 160 has large diameter portions 161 at four locations distributed in the axial direction, and the large diameter portions 161 and the platen roller 240 press against each other to sandwich the backing paper 320 with strong force, while the small diameter portions 162 formed between the large diameter portions 161 press against each other to sandwich the backing paper 320 with weaker force than between the large diameter portions 161 and the platen roller 240.

[0097] For this reason, the nip roller 160 does not apply a uniform clamping force (nipping force) to the backing paper 320 in the width direction W, but rather there are areas where the clamping force is strong and areas where the clamping force is weak, giving the backing paper 320 a distribution of strong and weak nipping forces in the width direction W.

[0098] Of the backing paper 320 in the range from the front end of the peeling plate 120 to the portion sandwiched between the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240, the portion of the backing paper 320 sandwiched between the large diameter portion 161 of the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240 is subjected to a strong force pulling in the longitudinal direction of the backing paper 320 due to the rotation of the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240, while the portion of the backing paper 320 sandwiched between the small diameter portion 162 of the nip roller 160 and the platen roller 240 is subjected to a weak force pulling in the longitudinal direction.

[0099] As a result, the backing sheet 320 has a distribution of areas in the width direction W where strong tension is applied longitudinally and areas where tension is weak, resulting in a slightly wavy shape in the cross section along the width direction W.

[0100] The distribution of tension strengths in the width direction W of the backing sheet 320 also affects the backing sheet 320 at the front end of the peeling plate 120. As a result, the cross section of the backing sheet 320 along the width direction W at the front end of the peeling plate 120 is deformed so as to undulate, which assists in separating the label 310 from the backing sheet 320. In other words, the distribution of tension strengths in the width direction W of the backing sheet 320 has the effect of making it easier to peel the label 310 from the backing sheet 320 at the front end of the peeling plate 120.

[0101] The printer 200 of this embodiment can use label paper 300 of multiple different widths. When storing label paper 300 in the paper storage chamber 211, label paper 300 of any width is stored based on one end of the paper storage chamber 211 in the width direction W. Therefore, the positions of the large diameter portions 161 in the width direction W of the nip roller 160 of the printer 200 are specified so that at least two large diameter portions 161 come into contact with the backing paper 320, even when label paper of different dimensions in the width direction W is stored.

[0102] When using narrow label paper 300 with a small dimension in the width direction W, printer 200 may contact only one large diameter portion 161 of nip roller 160. This is because narrow label paper 300 will not be fed at an angle even if it is in contact with only one large diameter portion 161.

[0103] In the printer 200 of this embodiment, a thermal head can be used as the print head 230, but the print head is not limited to a thermal head, and print heads of other printing methods, such as inkjet type heads, can also be used.

[0104] Furthermore, the printer 200 of this embodiment uses the platen roller 240 facing the print head 230 as a transport roller for feeding the label paper 300, but the transport roller in the printer according to the present invention is not limited to the platen roller 240, and a transport roller for transporting the label paper 300 that is provided separately from the platen roller 240 can also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 10 Mounting paper pressing member 100 Peelers 120 Peeling board 159 Lower exit 160 Nip roller 200 printers 240 Platen Roller 300 label sheets 310 Label 320 Mount H Height direction L Anteroposterior direction W width direction

Claims

1. A printer equipped with a peeling device for peeling labels from label paper, the peeling device having a peeling unit that separates a printed label from a backing sheet to which the label is attached, and a pair of transport rollers that are provided downstream of the peeling unit in the transport direction and that pinch and pull the backing sheet after it has been separated by the peeling unit to transport the label, a backing sheet pressing member that is provided downstream of the pair of conveying rollers in the conveying direction and presses the backing sheet that has been conveyed downstream of the pair of conveying rollers against a roller of the pair of conveying rollers that is provided on an outlet side from which the backing sheet is discharged, In this printer, the rollers provided on the exit side are formed with a plurality of large diameter portions that come into contact with the rollers provided on the other side of the exit side with a strong force, and small diameter portions that come into contact with the rollers provided on the other side of the exit side with a weak force.

2. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the backing sheet pressing member presses the backing sheet against the roller with an elastic force.

3. A peeling device attached to a printer to peel off a label printed by the printer from label paper, a peeling unit that separates the label from the backing sheet to which the label is attached; a pair of conveying rollers provided downstream of the peeling section in the conveying direction, for pinching and pulling the backing sheet after it has been separated at the peeling section to convey the backing sheet; a backing sheet pressing member that is provided downstream of the pair of conveying rollers in the conveying direction and presses the backing sheet that has been conveyed downstream of the pair of conveying rollers against a roller of the pair of conveying rollers that is provided on an outlet side from which the backing sheet is discharged, A peeling device in which the roller provided on the exit side has a plurality of large diameter portions that come into contact with the roller provided on the other side of the exit side with strong force, and a plurality of small diameter portions that come into contact with the roller provided on the other side of the exit side with weak force.

4. The peeling device according to claim 3 , wherein the backing sheet pressing member presses the backing sheet against the roller with an elastic force.

5. 5. The peeling device according to claim 3, wherein the roller of the pair of conveying rollers that is not on the outlet side is a conveying roller of the printer.

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