Tilting Touch Screen Mechanism for Label Printers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing label printers for food preparation and inventory management are expensive, have a large footprint, and provide unfavorable screen angles, making them costly, cumbersome, and difficult to use and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A tilting touch screen mechanism for label printers that includes a touch screen housing pivotally connected to a printer housing with resilient pivot arms or counterbalanced friction hinges, allowing for adjustable viewing angles and easy access for paper loading, combined with a configurable touch screen overlay and a controller for controlling printer functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional fixed touch screen is used in label printers, then the screen structure is simple, but the viewing angle is unfavorable and accessibility is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The touch screen housing is made movable through a pivotal connection mechanism with friction hinges, allowing the screen to be tilted between a closed position (flush with printer housing) and an open position (tilted outward). This dynamic adjustment provides favorable viewing angles and improved accessibility for paper loading while maintaining a simple fixed appearance when closed.
2Ease of repair
If the touch screen is made fixed and flush, then the printer housing is compact, but access for paper loading and maintenance is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The touch screen housing pivots on friction hinges located at the rear of the printer, allowing the screen to tilt outward without significantly increasing the printer's footprint. When tilted open, it provides easy access to the paper loading area and internal components for maintenance, while returning to a compact flush position when closed.
3Reliability
If expensive high-end label printers are used, then printing quality and reliability are good, but cost and footprint are large
Solution Approach 1:
The printer is divided into functionally independent modules: a fixed printer housing containing the printing mechanisms, and a separately pivotable touch screen housing. This segmentation allows the core printing functionality to be kept simple and affordable while adding the tilting screen feature independently, reducing overall manufacturing cost while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Friction hinges serve as an intermediary mechanism between the fixed printer housing and the movable touch screen housing. These hinges provide the necessary connection and movement capability without requiring complex actuators or motors, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while enabling the screen to tilt for better accessibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution results in a more affordable, compact, and user-friendly label printer with improved accessibility and serviceability, enabling better management of food freshness labels and inventory tracking with adjustable viewing angles and simplified maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
The free ends of the pivot arms may be resilient. Each of the free ends of the pivot arms may bear a corresponding protrusion. Each of the free ends of the pivot arms with the corresponding protrusion may be adapted to springingly engage into corresponding recesses in the oppositely disposed inside surfaces of the printer housing upon tilting of the touch screen into at least one of a fully open and a fully closed position.
Implementation Method 2
the means for pivotally connecting the touch screen housing to the printer housing may comprise counterbalanced friction hinges coupling the touch screen housing to oppositely disposed inside surfaces of the printer housing
Implementation Method 3
The counterbalanced friction hinges may comprise a torsion spring and/or a friction clutch assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A method of configuring a touch screen for a printer and a configurable touch screen for a printer are provided. A touch screen layout is created using a standard graphics or drawing program. The touch screen layout is saved in a standard computer file. The computer file is loaded onto the printer or a controller of the printer which is in communication with the touch screen. The controller then configures the touch screen in accordance with the touch screen layout of the computer file.