Apparatus for guiding media

Abstract: An apparatus for guiding media and more particularly, but not exclusively, to an apparatus for guiding record media (24,52) to a printing station in a printer. There are provided first and second guide structures (44,46,48,50) respectively providing first and second guide paths for guiding respectively first and second medium (24,52) therealong. A resilient member (54) is positioned at a confluence of the first and second guide paths and is arranged to press against a surface of the first guide structure (44,46) to prevent the second medium (52) entering the first guide path. The resilient member (54) is engageable by the first medium (24) for moving the resilient member (54) away from the surface of the first guide structure (44,46) to permit feeding of the first medium (24) past the confluence of the first and second guide paths.

Description: The present invention relates to an apparatus for guiding media and more particularly, but not exclusively, to an apparatus for guiding record media to a printing station in a printer. The printer in an electronic cash register (ECR) or a point of sale (POS) terminal has the function of printing a receipt which is handed to the customer and also has the function of printing a journal which is retained as a record of the transaction. Additionally, the printer may have the function of printing on a slip or like form which is used in certain retail operations. Separate printers have been used for printing the receipt, the journal and the slip. Other arrangements have used one or two printers respectively having two or three printing functions and commonly referred to as multifunction printers. A roll of paper is used for the receipt printing and a roll of paper is used for the journal printing, whereas a slip may consist of a single sheet or a form may consist of a set of sheets. In apparatus of the type wherein printing on receipts, journals and slips is performed by one printer, there is provided a dual printing mechanism. Printing on the journal paper is performed by one printing mechanism and printing on the receipt and/or slip is performed by the other printing mechanism of the printer. In some cases, printing on the receipt and on the slip is performed by one printer and printing on the journal is performed by another printer. In the printer mentioned above wherein printing is performed on the receipt and/or slip by the other printing mechanism, a special device is required for switching the printing function from receipt printing to slip printing or from slip printing to receipt printing. Additionally, means is required for controlling the operation of the special device. In a known device a guide arm is rotated via a link connected to a solenoid to change the path from a slip paper path to a receipt paper path to permit feeding and printing the receipt. When it is desired to print on a slip, the guide arm is rotated downwardly to shut the feed path of the receipt paper and the slip is allowed to be advanced by the rolls into the path for the slip in a direction toward the rear of the printer to accommodate a printing operation on the slip. The known device provides for switching the function of printing on receipt paper to printing on a slip by means of a complicated arrangement. The arrangement uses a guide arm, a link and a solenoid or like actuator, a spring for returning the guide arm, and a control and drive circuit for the solenoid. From US-A-4348125 there is known a media guiding apparatus including first and second guide paths for a first medium and a second medium respectively. The apparatus includes a resilient member positioned at a confluence of the first and second guide paths for preventing the second medium from entering the first guide path, the resilient member being engageable by the first medium for moving the resilient member downwardly away from its blocking position to permit feeding of the first medium along the first guide path. A media guiding structure including first and second guide paths for a first medium and a second medium respectively is also known from EP-A-0113701. In this structure a free end of a straight blade spring extends into a confluence of the first and second guide paths, the blade spring extending parallel to a guide surface of the first guide path and serving to press the first record medium lightly against this guide surface. An object of the present invention is to provide a media guiding apparatus having first and second confluent guide paths, which apparatus is simple and inexpensive and which effectively accomplishes guiding of a first medium into the first guide path and guiding of a second medium into the second guide path. According to the invention there is provided an apparatus for guiding media including first and second guide structures respectively providing first and second guide paths for guiding respectively a first medium and a second medium therealong, and guide means positioned at a confluence of said first and second guide paths for preventing said second medium from entering said first guide path, said guide means being a resilient member engageable by said first medium for moving said resilient member to permit feeding of said first medium past said confluence of said first and second guide paths, characterized in that said resilient member includes an end portion which extends at an angle to a surface of said first guide structure and which is arranged to engage and press against said surface of said first guide structure to close said first guide path thereby ensuring that said second medium is fed only along said second guide path. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dot matrix printer incorporating the subject matter of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a right side elevational view in diagrammatic form showing the arrangement of certain elements of the printer; Fig. 3 is a left side elevational view in diagrammatic form showing the arrangement of such certain elements of the printer; Fig. 4 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the guide mechanism of the present invention; and Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of prior art guide mechanism. Referring now to Fig. 1, a printer 10 is designed as a two station, receipt/slip and journal printer. The receipt/slip printing station occupies a front portion 12 and the journal printing station occupies a rearward portion 14 of the printer. A slip table 16 is provided along the left hand side of the printer 10. A front cover 17 swings toward the right to expose certain operating parts of the printer 10. Figs. 2 and 3 are right and left side elevational views and show certain elements of the printer 10 in diagrammatic form. The receipt/slip portion 12 and the journal portion 14 include individual print wire solenoids (not shown) along with a ribbon cassette 18 for the receipt/slip printing operation and a ribbon cassette 20 for the journal printing operation. A roll 22 of receipt paper is journaled at the front of the printer 10 and the receipt paper 24 is driven and guided by appropriate pairs of rollers, as 26, 28, 30 and 32 in a path past the receipt/slip printing station for printing operation and for issuance of a receipt 33 after cutting thereof from the receipt paper 24. A supply roll 34 of journal paper is positioned in a cradle at the rear of the printer 10 and the journal paper 36 is driven and guided by appropriate pairs of rollers, as 38 and 40, in a path from the supply roll 34, past the journal printing station, and onto a take-up roll 42. A timing plate 43 (Fig. 2) is provided at the receipt/slip printing station for positioning the receipt/slip feed rolls. A paper feed guide mechanism is provided in the printer 10 for use at the receipt/slip printing station located at the front of the printer 10. Fig. 4 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the guide structure adjacent the receipt/slip printing station. A guide plate 44 and an opposed guide plate 46 are disposed in an upwardly direction and are positioned to form a guide path for the receipt paper 24 toward the receipt/slip printing station. A lower portion of the ribbon cassette 18 and a portion of a platen 19 are shown to indicate the position of the receipt/slip printing station at the front of the printer 10. A pair of guide rolls 29 and 30 (see also Figs. 2 and 3) are positioned to feed the receipt paper 24 along the guide path formed by plates 44 and 46 upwards toward the receipt/slip printing station. A guide plate 48 and an opposed guide plate 50 are disposed in a horizontal direction and are disposed to form a guide path for a slip or like form 52. A pair of feed rolls 31 and 32, (see also Figs. 2 and 3) are positioned to receive and feed the slip 52 toward the right in Fig. 4 and into position for printing at the receipt/slip printing station. A spring plate 54 is positioned at the confluence of the receipt paper guide path and the slip guide path. The spring plate 54 is secured with screws, as 56, to a plate 58 which is a part of a support plate 60. The plate 58 provides support for the guide plate 46. The support plate 60 is attached to a side wall (not shown) of the printer by screws 62. The spring plate 54 is formed of a generally upwardly extending portion 64 and a generally horizontal portion 66. The portion 66 is in contact with a surface 68 of the guide plate 44 above the receipt feed roll 29. The portion 66 of the spring plate 54 provides a light pressing force against the surface 68. When a receipt is printed, the receipt paper 24 is advanced from the receipt roll 22 (Figs. 2 and 3), upwards in the paper guide path formed by plates 44 and 46, and driven by the feed roll 29 and the pressure roll 30 toward the receipt/slip printing station. The receipt paper 24 is driven into contact with portion 66 of the spring plate 54 at the point thereof where an end 76 of the spring plate 54 is in contact with portion 68 of the guide plate 44. The spring plate 54 is pushed up a slight amount by the receipt paper 24 and away from contact with the surface 68 to permit the receipt paper to advance between the feed roll 31 and the pressure roll 32 toward the receipt/slip printing station. The receipt paper 24 is advanced by rolls 31 and 32 toward the left in Fig. 4 and past the receipt/slip printing station. After printing, the receipt paper 24 is cut by cutting mechanism (not shown) into appropriate lengths containing the details of the transaction and the receipt is then given to the customer. When a slip 52 is inserted from the front of the printer 10 (from left to right in Fig. 4), the spring plate 54 is in contact with the portion 68 and prevents the slip from entering the receipt paper guide path formed by plates 44 and 46. The slip is allowed to be advanced by the rolls 31 and 32 into the slip paper path, as defined by guide plates 48 and 50, in a direction toward the rear of the printer 10, to the right as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4, to accommodate a printing operation on the slip. After printing on the slip 52, the feed rolls 31 and 32 are reversed to move the slip toward the left in Fig. 4 and out the front of the printer 10. It is seen from Fig. 4 that the two guide plates 44 and 46 which make up the guide structure for the receipt paper 24 are formed generally upwardly toward the receipt/slip printing station which is positioned forward of the rollers 31 and 32 (Fig. 2). The portion 68 of the guide plate 44 curves toward and has an end portion 70 adjacent the roller 31. The guide plate 46 includes an end portion 72 curving toward the rollers 31 and 32 and in contact with the generally horizontal portion 66 of the spring plate 54. The guide plates 44 and 46 are formed to permit the rollers 29 and 30 to extend therethrough in order to advance the receipt paper 24 toward the receipt/slip printing station. The guide plate 50 has an end portion 74 rearward of the spring plate 54 and spaced therefrom to allow the spring plate to move a slight amount from contact of the end 76 of the horizontal portion 66 of the spring plate with the curved portion 68 of the guide plate 44. The portion 66 of the spring plate 54 aids in guiding the slip 52 into the guide path formed by plates 48 and 50. The guide plate 48 of the second guide structure has an end portion 78 adjacent the roller 32 which cooperates with the curved portion 68 of the guide plate 44 to provide a path for both the receipt paper 24 and the slip 52 in the area rearward of and adjacent the rollers 31 and 32. The rollers 31 and 32 provide the means for advancing both the receipt paper 24 and the slip 52 past the receipt/slip printing station. Appropriate controls in the form of advancing the receipt paper 24 and the slip 52 and for reversing the slip 52 are provided in the printer 10. When a receipt is to be printed, the receipt paper 24 is driven by rolls 29 and 30 past the end 76 of the spring plate 54 and driven by rolls 31 and 32 past the receipt/slip printing station and toward the left in Fig. 4 (out the front of the printer 10 and providing a receipt to the customer after cutting the receipt paper by cutting mechanism). When a slip 52 is to be printed, the slip is placed on the slip table 16 for insertion into the printer 10 (Fig. 1), the slip is driven toward the right in Fig. 4 by feed rolls 31 and 32 to the proper print line position on the form, the printing is accomplished on the form, and the form is then reversed in direction toward the left in Fig. 4 and out the front of the printer 10. Fig. 5 is prior art structure and shows a similar arrangement as Fig. 4 but uses a guide arm 80 which is pivoted on a pivot shaft 82. The guide arm 80 is rotated upwardly via a link (not shown) connected to a solenoid (also not shown) to open the path from the receipt paper path to the slip paper path to permit feeding and printing the receipt. When it is desired to print on a slip 52 by using the prior art structure, the guide arm 80 is rotated downwardly to shut the feed path of the receipt paper 24 and the slip is allowed to be advanced by the rolls 31 and 32 into the path for the slip in a direction toward the rear of the printer 10 to accommodate a printing operation on the slip 52. The guide mechanism of the prior art shown in Fig. 5 provides for switching the function of printing on receipt paper to printing on a slip by means of a complicated arrangement. Although not shown, the prior art mechanism uses a guide arm, a link and a solenoid or like actuator, a spring for returning the guide arm, and a control and drive circuit for the solenoid. The guide mechanism of the present invention uses a simple spring plate 54 in place of all the parts mentioned above. The plate 54 is advantageous in reducing the number of parts, in facilitating manufacture and assembly of the guide mechanism, in reducing the manufacturing cost, and in improving the quality of the guide mechanism. It is thus seen that herein shown and described is a guide mechanism wherein the light pressing force of a spring plate is used to guide and control the receipt paper along a path toward the printing station and the spring plate is used to close the path to entrance of a slip printed at the same printing station. The spring plate provides a light pressing force and the receipt paper has a proper flexural rigidity to enable feeding of the receipt paper without buckling or tearing thereof.

Claims: An apparatus for guiding media (24,52) including first and second guide structures (44,46,48,50) respectively providing first and second guide paths for guiding respectively a first medium and a second medium (24,52) therealong, and guide means positioned at a confluence of said first and second guide paths for preventing said second medium (52) from entering said first guide path, said guide means (54) being a resilient member (54) engageable by said first medium (24) for moving said resilient member (54) to permit feeding of said first medium (24) past said confluence of said first and second guide paths, characterized in that said resilient member (54) includes an end portion (66) which extends at an angle to a surface (68) of said first guide structure (44,46) and which is arranged to engage and press against said surface of said first guide structure (44,46) to close said first guide path thereby ensuring that said second medium (52) is fed only along said second guide path. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said first guide structure (44,46) includes a first plate-like member (44) formed to extend towards said confluence of said two guide paths and an opposed second plate-like member (46) spaced from said first plate-like member (44) and having an end adjacent said resilient member (54) and formed to guide said first medium (24) along said first plate-like member (44) towards said confluence. An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said second guide structure (48,50) includes a third plate-like member (48) extending towards and beyond said confluence and an opposed fourth plate-like member (50) spaced from said third plate-like member (48) and having an end portion (74) approaching but spaced from said resilient member (54) at said confluence of said two guide paths, said end portion (74) of said fourth plate-like member being positioned to permit said resilient member (54) to be moved from contact with said surface. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that said end portion (66) of said resilient member (54) is positioned between said surface (68) and said end portion (74) of said fourth plate-like member and aids in guiding said second medium (52) along said second guide path. An apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said first plate-like member (44) includes a curved portion extending past said resilient member (54) beyond said confluence, and said curved portion provides a path for said second medium (52) at and beyond said confluence of said guide paths. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said resilient member (54) includes a second portion (64) secured to a support plate (58) and formed integral with and approximately normal to said end portion (66) of said resilient member (54). An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first medium (24) is receipt paper transported along said first guide path, and said second medium (52) is a business form transported along said second guide path for selective printing at a printing station of a printer.

Inventors: JINGU TOSHIHIRO, YAMAZAKI RYUJI, YOKOTA KATSUYOSHI, JINGU, TOSHIHIRO, YAMAZAKI, RYUJI, YOKOTA, KATSUYOSHI
Applicants: NCR INT INC, NCR INTERNATIONAL INC.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B41J11
IPC codes: B41J11, B65H5, B41J13, B41J15