Printer With Vertical Cutting Unit Beneath Holding Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional printers face issues such as increased size, jamming, and scuffing due to complex structures and meandering conveyance paths, which complicate the recording process and make size reduction difficult.
Innovation Solution
A printer design that includes a recording medium holding unit, a recording unit positioned higher vertically, a cutting unit beneath the holding unit, and switching units to manage the recording and inversion of a long strip-like recording medium, allowing for efficient double-side recording while minimizing printer size by optimizing the arrangement of components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a long strip-like recording medium is used with complex conveyance paths for inversion, then double-side recording can be achieved, but the printer size increases and jamming occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the cutting unit from a horizontal arrangement to a vertical arrangement beneath the holding unit. This dimensional change allows the conveyance path to be optimized, reducing meandering and enabling compact printer design while maintaining double-side recording capability through proper inversion path configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional arrangement by positioning the cutting unit below the holding unit rather than above or beside it. This inverted configuration simplifies the conveyance path geometry, reduces printer footprint, and prevents jamming while still achieving the required inversion function for double-side recording.
2Adaptability or versatility
If complex structures are used to achieve inversion, then double-side recording is enabled, but jamming and scuffing increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cutting function from the main conveyance path and positions it separately beneath the holding unit. This separation eliminates the meandering conveyance path that caused jamming and scuffing, while the inversion function is achieved through a simplified path configuration that improves reliability.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional cutter arrangements are used, then cutting functions are achieved, but printer structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cutting function with the space beneath the holding unit, utilizing the vertical space efficiently. This integration eliminates the need for separate horizontal cutting mechanisms, simplifies the overall structure, and reduces the number of components required while maintaining all necessary cutting functions.
Data Source
AI summary
A printer includes a recording medium holding unit that holds a long, wound strip-like recording medium to enable the recording medium to be pulled out from a front end thereof, a recording unit that pulls out the recording medium held by the recording medium holding unit to a side higher in a vertical direction than a position for pulling out from the recording medium holding unit and that executes a recording operation for the pulled-out recording medium, and a second cutter mechanism disposed under the recording medium holding unit and that cuts the recording medium for which the recording operation is executed by the recording unit at the back end thereof separated from the front end by a predetermined length. A drawing position of the recording medium into an inversion path is arranged to be lower than the recording medium holding unit and the recording unit in the vertical direction.