Printer apparatus

A printer apparatus includes a print unit that prints an object on recording paper, a platen roller that conveys the recording paper, a cutter that cuts the recording paper, a mainframe that accommodates the print unit and the cutter, a cover that is attached to the mainframe and is configured to open and close with respect to the mainframe, the cover having the platen roller arranged thereon. The cover includes a lock member having a lock pin, and when the cover is closed, the lock pin of the lock member is moved towards the platen roller and is inserted into a lock pin fixing part that is arranged at the mainframe.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-092436 filed on Apr. 13, 2012 the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a printer apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

Printers for issuing receipts are widely used in various applications including cash registers, Automated Teller Machines (ATM), and Cash Dispensers (CD), for example. Such printers are configured to issue a receipt by conveying thermal recording paper that is wound into a roll, printing objects such as characters on the recording paper using a print head, and conveying the recording paper up to a predetermined length so that the recording paper may be cut at the predetermined length by a cutter (See, e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-19845, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-130842).

It is noted that some printers include a stationary blade and a movable blade as the cutter so that the recording paper may be cut by moving the movable blade. Other printers only have a stationary blade so that the recording paper is cut manually by pulling the recording paper.

In the case where the cutter only includes a stationary blade so that the recording paper is cut manually, the cutter may be a simple member made of the stationary blade and no mechanical parts or motor for moving a movable blade is necessary. Thus, such a cutter may be suitable for a small printer apparatus.

In the following, an exemplary printer apparatus that is configured to have recording paper pulled and cut manually with a stationary blade is described with reference toFIGS. 1A-1C. The printer apparatus includes recording paper910that is wound into a roll, a thermal head920and a stationary blade930that are attached to a mainframe911, and a platen roller921that is attached to a cover912that may be opened and closed to enable loading or removal of the roll of recording paper910. The thermal head920prints objects such as characters on the recording paper910when it passes between the thermal head920and the platen roller921, and the platen roller921discharges the recording paper910, which has objects printed thereon, by rotating in a paper discharging direction. The recording paper910having the objects printed thereon that is discharged by the platen roller921may then be cut by the stationary blade930when the recording paper910is pulled in the direction of arrow A shown inFIG. 1A

When using the illustrated printer apparatus, however, the recording paper910may be pulled in the wrong direction such as the direction of arrow B shown inFIG. 1Binstead of the direction of arrow A. In such a case, as is shown inFIG. 1C, the force pulling the recording paper910may be applied to the platen roller921to thereby cause the cover912to open. When the cover912is opened in this manner, the recording paper910loaded in the printer apparatus may fall out.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a printer apparatus is provided that includes a print unit that prints an object on recording paper, a platen roller that conveys the recording paper having the object printed thereon by the print unit, a cutter that cuts the recording paper having the object printed thereon by the print unit, a mainframe that accommodates the print unit and the cutter, a cover that is attached to the mainframe and is configured to open and close with respect to the mainframe, the cover having the platen roller arranged thereon. The cover includes a lock member having a lock pin, and when the cover is closed, the lock pin of the lock member is moved towards the platen roller and is inserted into a lock pin fixing part that is arranged at the mainframe.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following, embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same or corresponding features shown in more than one of the drawings may be given the same reference numerals and their descriptions may be omitted.

(Configuration of Printer Apparatus)

A configuration of a printer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference toFIGS. 2-11.

Referring toFIGS. 2 and 3, the printer apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a mainframe11and a cover12attached to the mainframe11that may be opened and closed. The printer apparatus may print objects such as characters on recording paper10when the cover12is closed as is shown inFIG. 2, and the printer apparatus may have the recording paper10that is wound into a roll loaded therein when the cover12is open as is shown inFIG. 3.

The printer apparatus according to the present embodiment also includes a thermal head20(an example of a print unit) that prints objects such as characters on the recording paper10, and a cutter30that cuts the recording paper10, having the objects printed thereon by the thermal head20, at a predetermined length. The recording paper10may be thermal paper, for example, but may be some other type of medium as well. Objects such as characters may be printed on the recording paper10by the thermal head20while the recording paper10is held between the thermal head20and a platen roller21.

FIGS. 4 and 5are perspective views of an internal portion of the printer apparatus according to the present embodiment.FIG. 4shows the printer apparatus when the cover12is locked andFIG. 5shows the printer apparatus when the cover12is unlocked.

FIGS. 6 and 7are side views of an internal portion of the printer apparatus according to the present embodiment.FIG. 6shows the printer apparatus when the cover12is locked andFIG. 7shows the printer apparatus when the cover12is unlocked. It is noted that inFIGS. 6 and 7, the position of the cutter30is indicated by broken lines.

FIGS. 8 and 9are cross-sectional views of an internal portion of the printer apparatus according to the present embodiment.FIG. 8shows an internal configuration of the printer apparatus when the cover12is locked andFIG. 9shows the internal configuration of the printer apparatus when the cover12is unlocked.FIG. 10is an enlarged view of a relevant portion ofFIG. 8.FIG. 11is an enlarged view of a relevant portion ofFIG. 9.

Referring toFIGS. 4-11, in the printer apparatus according to the present embodiment, the cover12has the platen roller21, a platen roller holding member13, a lock lever50, and a lock member51arranged thereon. The platen roller21is held by the platen roller holding member13. The lock lever50has an operating part (convex part)50athat is arranged to protrude out towards the outer side of the cover12.

Referring toFIGS. 8-15, the lock member51is arranged into an L-shape in cross-section and extends along the length of the platen roller21. The portion of the lock member51that is bent to form the L-shape corresponds to a lock member rotational axis51a, and the lock member51is arranged at the cover12in a manner such that it may rotate around the lock member rotational axis51a. The lock member51also has a lock member contact part51bthat comes into contact with the lock lever50arranged near one end of its L-shaped structure and a lock pin51carranged near the other end of its L-shaped structure.FIG. 12is a perspective view of the lock member51arranged at the cover12as seen from the inner side;FIG. 13is a perspective view of the lock member51arranged at the cover12as seen from the lower side;FIG. 14is a perspective view of the lock lever50and the lock member51arranged at the cover12as seen from the outer side; andFIG. 15is a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock lever50and the lock member50.

The lock member51arranged at the cover12in the above manner rotates around the lock lever rotational axis51awhen the operating part50aof the lock lever50is pushed downward to shift the position of the lock pin51c.

Also, as is shown inFIGS. 4 and 5, in the printer apparatus according to the present embodiment, the thermal head20, the cutter30, and a motor40for rotating the platen roller21are arranged at the mainframe11. Further, as is shown inFIGS. 16-18, the mainframe11has lock pin fixing parts61aand61barranged close to an entrance for the recording paper10. The lock pin fixing parts61aand61bare arranged at the inner side of the mainframe11and are configured to fix the lock member51when the lock pin51cof the lock member51is inserted into the lock pin fixing parts61aand61b.FIG. 16shows the position of the lock pin fixing part61a;FIG. 17is a perspective view of the lock pin fixing part61a; andFIG. 18is a perspective view of the lock pin fixing part61barranged at the other side of the mainframe11.

In the printer according to the present embodiment, when printing operations are performed on the recording paper10by the thermal head20, the cover12is closed as is shown inFIGS. 2,4, and6. In this case, the lock pin51cis moved towards the platen roller21and is inserted into the lock pin fixing parts61aand61bas is shown inFIGS. 8 and 10. By inserting the lock pin51cinto the lock pin fixing parts61aand61b, the closed state of the cover12may be fixed and maintained. In this way, the cover12may be prevented from opening even when the recording paper10that has been discharged is pulled in an opposite direction from the cutting direction of the cutter30, or when the printer apparatus is accidentally dropped, for example.

In the following, a manner of loading the recording paper10into the printer apparatus of the present embodiment is described. To load the recording paper10into the printer apparatus of the present embodiment, the cover12is opened from the mainframe11as is shown inFIGS. 3,5, and7so that the roll of recording paper10may be loaded inside the mainframe11. To open the cover12, a downward force is applied to the lock lever50arranged at the cover12so that the lock lever50may move downward. By moving the lock lever50downward in this manner, the lock member contact part51bof the lock member51may be pushed by the convex part50aarranged at the lock lever50. In turn, the lock member51may be rotated around the lock lever rotational axis51aso that the lock pin51cmoves in a direction away from the platen roller21to be disengaged from the lock pin fixing parts61aand61bas is shown inFIGS. 9 and 11. In this way, the cover12may be unlocked from the lock pin fixing parts61aand61bso that it may be freely opened and closed. By unlocking the cover12so that it may be freely opened and closed, the cover12may be opened and the roll of recording paper10may be loaded inside the mainframe11.

Also, in the embodiment, a torsion spring53is arranged at the cover12so that when the lock lever50is pushed downward, a restoring force in the opposite direction with respect to the rotational direction of the lock member51is generated. In this way, once the lock lever50is released from the force pushing it downward, the restoring force of the torsion spring53may cause the lock member51to rotate around the lock member rotational axis51ain the opposite direction to reposition the lock lever50to its original position.

As is shown inFIG. 19, the printer apparatus of the present embodiment may also have a recording paper detection sensor71for detecting the presence of the recording paper10arranged near the platen roller21and a recording paper guide part72for arranging the recording paper detection sensor71and the recording paper10to be in a predetermined positional relationship. In the present embodiment, the recording paper detection sensor71is a reflective optical sensor that irradiates light on the surface of the recording paper10and detects the light reflected by the recording paper10. In the case where such a reflective optical sensor is used as the recording paper detection sensor71, detection errors may occur when the recording paper10is not positioned within a predetermined distance range from the recording paper detection sensor71. Thus, the recording paper guide part72is arranged so that the distance between the recording paper detection sensor71and the recording paper10may be within a predetermined range.