Patent Publication Number: US-10766280-B2

Title: Printer

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a printer. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     JP2009-179010A discloses a thermal printer that includes a ribbon supplying shaft that holds an ink ribbon, in a rolled form, to be supplied to a printing unit and a ribbon roll up shaft that rolls up a used part of the ink ribbon. The printer performs printing by heating the ink ribbon and transferring ink on the ink ribbon onto a print medium. JP2009-179010A discloses a configuration facilitating an exchanging operation for the ink ribbon. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Such a printer may be designed so that parts other than the ink ribbon, such as a platen roller, can be exchanged. Furthermore, the main body may be partially openable to facilitate a maintenance operation such as part exchange and inspection. 
     However, the modifications for enabling parts to be exchanged and the main body to be partially opened might involve an increase in the number of parts, and thus have not been able to be easily accomplished in terms of downsizing of the printer. 
     In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a printer enabling parts to be exchanged without increasing the number of parts. 
     An aspect of the present invention provides a printer including a casing, a detachable unit provided to the casing, the detachable unit being configured to be detachable from the casing, an adjacent member provided adjacent to the detachable unit, and an engagement member attached to the adjacent member, the engagement member being configured to be changeable between an engagement position with which the adjacent member is engaged with the casing and a non-engagement position with which the adjacent member is removed from the casing. The engagement member engages the detachable unit to the casing together with the adjacent member, at the engagement position. 
     With an aspect of the present invention, a printer can have parts exchangeable without increasing the number of parts. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a printer  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of the printer  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic perspective view illustrating an attachment portion for attaching a platen roller  20  to a casing  10  of the printer  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of an engagement member  50 A of the printer  100  as viewed in a direction indicated by an arrow IV in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of the engagement member  50 A of the printer  100  as viewed in a direction indicated by an arrow V in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating an operation of the engagement member  50 A. 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating an operation of the engagement member  50 A as viewed from a downstream side in a conveyance direction of a print medium M, at an ejecting port  16  of the printer. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     A printer  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 
     The printer  100  is a thermal printer that performs printing by heating an ink ribbon R and transferring ink on the ink ribbon R onto a print medium M. The print medium M is a continuous label body with a plurality of labels continuously temporarily attached on a strip-shaped liner sheet. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the printer  100  includes a casing  10  and a cover  11  that covers an opening of the casing  10 . This casing  10  includes a part of an internal structure of the main body of the printer  100 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the print medium M is rolled to be in a rolled form to be held by a medium supplying shaft  12 . The print medium M may also be a liner less label, or a fanfold type medium. 
     The cover  11  is pivotally supported by a supporting shaft  13 , provided to the casing  10 , so that an end portion on one end side can turn. The cover  11  can pivot about the supporting shaft  13  to open and close the opening of the casing  10  to switch between an open state and a closed state. 
     The casing  10  is provided with a lock mechanism (not illustrated) that maintains the cover  11  in the closed state. The lock mechanism is released by operating a lever  14  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the casing  10  includes a panel unit  10 P. The panel unit  10 P is detachably attached to the casing  10 . Thus, the panel unit  10 P serves as a detachable unit according to the present embodiment. 
     An ejecting port  16 , through which the print medium M after the printing by a printing unit  15  in  FIG. 2  is ejected, is formed between an end portion of the cover  11  on the other end side and the casing  10 . 
     A cutter  17 , serving as a cutting unit, is attached to the cover  11  according to the present embodiment to face the ejecting port  16 . Thus, the print medium M after the printing, ejected from the ejecting port  16 , can be cut. Various other units can be attached, in place of the cutter  17 , to the cover  11 . An example of the other units includes a peeling mechanism that peels a release sheet, if the print medium M includes an adhesive surface on which an adhesive layer is formed and the release sheet covering the adhesive surface. 
     The cover  11  is provided with an operation unit  19  used for operating the printer  100 . The operation unit  19  includes various operation buttons, a display, a near field communication module, a light emitting diode (LED), and the like. The display may be a touch panel. 
     The printer  100  incorporates a printing unit  30  for performing printing on the print medium M, a controller  40  that controls an operation of the printer  100 , and the like. 
     The printing unit  30  includes a main body part  31  with one end pivotally supported by the supporting shaft  13  and a thermal head  32  attached to the main body part  31 . 
     The thermal head  32  and a platen roller  20 , which is provided to the casing  10 , serves as the printing unit  15  that performs printing on the print medium M. The platen roller  20  is provided at a position, in the casing  10 , adjacent to the panel unit  10 P serving as the detachable unit. Thus, in the present embodiment, the platen roller  20  serves as an adjacent member provided adjacent to the detachable unit. 
     The printing unit  30  includes a ribbon supplying shaft  33  that holds the ink ribbon R, in a rolled form, to be supplied to the printing unit  15 , a ribbon roll up shaft  34  that rolls up a used part of the ink ribbon R, a partitioning member  35  serving as a partition between the ink ribbon R and the print medium M, a guide shaft  36  that defines a conveyance path of the ink ribbon R from the ribbon supplying shaft  33  to the printing unit  15 , and a guide shaft  37  that defines a conveyance path of the ink ribbon R from the printing unit  15  to the ribbon roll up shaft  34 . The ribbon supplying shaft  33  is detachably attached to the partitioning member  35 . The ink ribbon R according to the present embodiment is an outside wound ink ribbon with a surface coated with ink facing the outer side. 
     The print medium M is supplied from the medium supporting shaft  12  to the printing unit  15 , and is nipped between the thermal head  32 , serving as a print head, and the platen roller  20  together with the ink ribbon R. 
     When a heating element of the thermal head  32  is energized with the print medium M and the ink ribbon R nipped between the thermal head  32  and the platen roller  20 , the printing on the print medium M is performed with the ink on the ink ribbon R transferred onto the print medium M due to the heat from the heating element. 
     When a platen driving roller (not illustrated) rotates the platen roller  20  in a normal direction, the print medium M and the ink ribbon R are conveyed toward a downstream side in the conveyance direction so that the print medium M is ejected to the outside of the printer  100  through the ejecting port  16 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the printer  100  includes a reflection sensor  21 . The reflection sensor  21  is a sensor that detects matching marks printed in advance on a surface opposite to the printed surface of the print medium M at a predetermined interval. Thus, the position of the print medium M in the conveyance direction can be detected. 
     The printer  100  further includes a transmission optical sensor  22  that detects the position of the print medium M in the conveyance direction. 
     The transmission optical sensor  22  includes a light emitting unit  22   a  serving as a light emitter that emits predetermined light and a light receiving unit  22   b  that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit  22   a  and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of the light received. 
     For example, if the print medium M is a continuous label member formed with a plurality of labels temporarily attached on a strip shaped liner sheet at a predetermined interval, there is only a portion of the liner sheet between two adjacent labels. 
     Since the amount of transmission of light emitted from the light emitting unit  22   a  differs between the label portion and the liner sheet only portion, the intensity of light received by the light receiving portion  22   b  changes. Thereby, the transmission optical sensor  22  can detect the position of the print medium M in the transport direction. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the partitioning member  35  includes a base portion  35   a , a shaft portion  35   b  provided on one end side of the base portion  35   a , a supporting portion  35   c  that supports the ribbon supplying shaft  33  to be in parallel with and rotatable relative to the shaft portion  35   b , and an engaging portion  35   e  that is formed at a center part of the shaft portion  35   b.    
     The partitioning member  35  is pivotally supported on the main body part  31  by the shaft portion  35   b.    
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the engaging portion  35   e  is configured to engage with an engaging target portion  11   a  provided to the cover  11 . When the partitioning member  35  is at a position (closed position) at which the engaging portion  35   e  engages with the engaging target portion  11 , the ribbon supplying shaft  33  is accommodated in the main body part  31 . Thus, the ribbon supplying shaft  33  is at a ribbon supplying position for supplying the ink ribbon R to the printing unit  15 . 
     In the present embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the light emitting unit  22   a  is provided on the side of the base portion  35   a  opposite to the side where the conveyance path of the print medium M is provided, that is, on the upper surface side of the base portion  35   a . A through hole  35   g  through which the light emitted from the light emitting unit  22   a  passes is formed in the base portion  35   a . On the other hand, the light receiving unit  22   b  is provided on the side of the conveyance path opposite to the side on which the cover  11  is provided, that is, the side on which the casing  10  is provided. 
     The printer  100  performs the printing in a state where the cover  11  is closed and the engaging portion  35   e  of the partitioning member  35  is engaged with the engaging target portion  11   a  of the cover  11 . 
     Thus, when the cover  11  shifts from the closed state to the open state, the printing unit  30  swings integrally with the cover  11 . 
     Thus, the print medium M can be set to the printer  100  and maintenance for various parts in the casing  10  can be performed. 
     [Description on Attachment Portion for Platen Roller] 
     Next, a portion of the printer  100  according to the present embodiment for attaching the platen roller  20  will be described. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic perspective view illustrating the portion of the printer  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention, for attaching the platen roller  20  to the casing  10 . In  FIG. 3 , the internal structures of the platen roller  20  and the cover  11  as well as the printing unit  30  and the printer  100  are omitted. 
     The panel unit  10 P detachably attached to the casing  10  is provided adjacent to the platen roller  20 . In the present embodiment, the panel unit  10 P serving as the detachable unit is arranged on the downstream side than the platen roller  20  in the conveyance direction of the print medium M. 
     Although not elaborated in the figure, a latching claw is provided in a lower portion of the panel unit  10 P. The lower portion of the panel unit  10   p  is positioned with respect to the casing  10  by inserting the locking claws into the locking holes formed in the casing  10 . 
     Thus, when the panel unit  10 P moves in a detachment direction D illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the latching claw is detached from the latching hole, whereby the panel unit  10 P is removed from the casing  10 . 
     The panel unit  10 P has an upper portion engaged with the casing  10  by means of engagement members  50 A and  50 B described below. 
     The printer  100  includes the engagement members  50 A and  50 B attached to the platen roller  20 . The engagement members  50 A and  50 B are respectively provided to both ends of the shaft of the platen roller  20 . The platen roller  20  is attached to the casing  10  through engagement members  50 A and  50 B. 
     The engagement members  50 A and  50 B can be changed between an engagement position with which the platen roller  20  is rotatably engaged with the casing  10 , and a non-engagement position (hereinafter, referred to as a detached position) with which the platen roller  20  is removed from the casing  10 . With the engagement position, the panel unit  10 P is engaged with the printer  100  together with the platen roller  20 . 
     DESCRIPTION ON ENGAGEMENT MEMBER 
     The engagement member  50 A will be described in detail below.  FIG. 4  is a plan view of the engagement member  50 A of the printer  100  as viewed in a direction indicated by an arrow IV in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 5  is a plan view of the engagement member  50 A of the printer  100  as viewed in a direction indicated by an arrow V in  FIG. 3 . 
     The engagement member  50 A includes an attachment portion  51  for the attachment to the casing  10  and a protruding portion  52  protruding from the attachment portion  51 . 
     An insertion hole  53  into which the shaft  20   r  of the platen roller  20  is rotatably inserted is formed in the attachment portion  51 . The attachment portion  51  can be detachably attached to an attachment target portion  70  provided to the casing  10  described later. 
     A protruding direction of the protruding portion  52  intersects the shaft  20   r  of the platen roller  20  in a state where the shaft  20   r  of the platen roller  20  is inserted into the insertion hole  53  of the attachment portion  51 . The protruding portion  52  thus formed is at a position for restricting the movement of the panel unit  10 P in the detaching direction D, when the engagement member  50 A is at the engagement position. 
     The protruding portion  52  includes a first protruding portion  54 . The first protruding portion  54  includes a contact surface  55  that extends in a direction intersecting with the protruding direction of the protruding portion  52 , that is, in a direction of the shaft  20   r  of the platen roller  20 . 
     In the present embodiment, the first protruding portion  54  is formed to have a length in the direction of the shaft  20   r  of the platen roller  20  shorter than a length of the first protruding portion  54  in a circumference direction of the shaft  20   r  of the platen roller  20 . 
     When the engagement member  50 A is at the engagement position, the contact surface  55  of the first protruding portion  54  can be in contact with a contact portion  10 D formed on the panel unit  10 P. 
     The protruding portion  52  includes a second protruding portion  56 . The second protruding portion  56  is formed to have a plate shape protruding from the attachment portion  51  in a direction intersecting with the shaft  20   r , and extending along a plane intersecting with the shaft  20   r.    
     In the present embodiment, the second protruding portion  56  is formed to have a length in the circumference direction of the shaft  20   r  of the platen roller  20  shorter than a length of the second protruding portion  56  in the direction of the shaft  20   r  of the platen roller  20 . 
     The second protruding portion  56  is in a groove portion  10 S formed on the panel unit  10 P, when the engagement member  50 A is at the engagement position 
     In the present embodiment, the second protruding portion  56  is continuously formed with the first protruding portion  54 . 
     The attachment portion  51  of the engagement member  50 A includes a pair of convex surface portions  61  and  62 . The convex surface portions  61  and  62  are formed to be at positions symmetrical about the insertion hole  53 . 
     The attachment portion  51  further includes a pair of flat surface portions  63  and  64 . The flat surface portions  63  and  64  are continuously formed with the convex surface portions  61  and  62  and between the convex surface portions  61  and  62 . 
     A distance d 1  between apices of the convex surface portions  61  and  62  is larger than a distance d 2  between the flat surface portions  63  and  64 . 
     The protruding direction of the protruding portion  52  from the attachment portion  51  matches the extending directions of the flat surface portions  63  and  64 . 
     The engagement member  50 A further includes a third protruding portion  65 . The third protruding portion  65  includes a protruding engaging portion  66 . The protrusion engaging portion  66  engages with an unillustrated engaging portion formed in the casing  10  when the engaging member  50 A is in the engaging position. 
       FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating an operation of the engagement member  50 A of the printer  100  as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow IV in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating an operation of the engagement member  50 A as viewed from the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the print medium M at the ejecting port  16  of the printer. Solid lines in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  indicate the engagement member  50 A that has moved to the engagement position, and dashed lines in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  indicate engagement member  50 A that has moved to the detached position. 
     The casing  10  of the printer  100  includes an attachment target portion  70  to which the attachment portion  51  described above is attached. 
     The attachment target portion  70  includes an opening  71  and a notch portion  72 . 
     The opening  71  is formed in a size that covers a virtual circle having a diameter that matches the distance d 1  between the apexes of the convex surface portions  61  and  62 . 
     The notch  72  is communicated with the opening  71 . The notch  72  is formed in such a size that the width d 2  between the flat portions  63  and  64  can pass through the notch portion  72 . 
     With the opening  71  and the notch portion  72  formed to have the shapes described above, the attachment portion  51  can be detachably attached to the attachment target portion  70 . 
     More specifically, when the engagement member  50 A is at the engagement position as indicated by the solid line in  FIG. 6 , the convex surface portions  61  and  62  of the attachment portion  51  fit in the opening  71 . Thus, the platen roller  20  is fixed to the casing  10 . 
     On the other hand, when the engagement member  50 A is at the detached position as indicated by the dashed line in  FIG. 6 , the width d 2  of the attachment portion  51  between the flat surface portions  63  and  64  is at the position corresponding to the notch portion  72  of the attachment target portion  70 . In this state, the attachment portion  51  can pass through the notch portion  72  of the attachment target portion  70  to be removed from the opening  71 . Thus, the platen roller  20  is removed from the casing  10 . 
     EFFECTS 
     In the printer  100  according to the present embodiment as described above, the engagement members  50 A and  50 B for detachably attaching the platen roller  20  to the casing  10  are also used for engaging the panel unit  10 P, adjacent to the platen roller  20 , to the casing  10 . 
     Thus, the detachable attachment mechanism for the panel unit  10 P serving as the detachable unit can be simplified. As a result, the number of parts can be prevented from increasing. 
     The protruding portion  52  of the engagement member  50 A is formed to have the protruding direction, from the attachment portion  51 , matching the extending direction of the flat surface portions  63  and  64 . The first protruding portion  54  including the contact surface  55 , extending in the direction intersecting with the protruding direction of the protruding portion  52 , is formed on the protruding portion  52 . 
     Thus, after the attachment portion  51  is inserted into the opening  71  of the attachment target portion  70 , in order to fit the convex surface portions  61  and  62  into the opening  71 , as the direction of the white arrow shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the engagement member  50 A is rotated from the detached position indicated by the dashed line to the engagement position indicated by the solid line. At this time, the first protruding portion  54  is located in the place which regulates the attachment or detachment direction of contact portion  10 D. 
     Thus, in the printer  100  according to the present embodiment, the engagement members  50 A and  50 B for detachably attaching the platen roller  20  to the casing  10  can be used for engaging the panel unit  10 P adjacent to the platen roller  20 . 
     The engagement member  50 A includes the second protruding portion  56  that is formed in a plate form protruding from the attachment portion  51  in the direction intersecting with the shaft  20   r  and extending along a plane intersecting with the shaft  20   r.    
     Thus, the second protruding portion  56  enters the groove portion  10 S formed on the casing  10 , when the engagement member  50 A at the detached position as indicated by the dashed line is rotated to be at the engagement position indicated by the solid line so that the attachment portion  51  is positioned at the engagement position. 
     Thus, the engagement member  50 A can restrict the movement of the panel unit  10 P in a width direction W of a paper plane. 
     The engagement member  50 A further includes the third protruding portion  65  including the protruding engagement portion  66  engaged with an unillustrated engaging portion formed on the casing  10 . This provides an effect of preventing the engagement member  50 A from accidentally moving from the engagement position to the detached position. 
     In the present embodiment, the engagement members  50 A and  50 B are formed to be mirror symmetrical. Thus, the structure of the engagement member  50 A and the operations and effects related to the structure are also applied to the engagement member  50 B. 
     OTHER EMBODIMENTS 
     The embodiment of the present invention described above is merely one example of the application of the present invention. Thus, there is no intention to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configuration of the embodiment described above. 
     The positions, the shapes, and the like of the third protruding portion  65  and the protruding engagement portion  66  are not limited to those illustrated in the figures. 
     The ink ribbon R according to the present embodiment may be an inside wound link ribbon with the surface coated with ink facing the inner side. 
     In the printer  100  according to the present embodiment, the detachable unit may not be the panel unit  10 P that is a part of the casing  10 . For example, if the print medium M is a sticker with a separator, the detachable unit may be a unit that provides a function of peeling the separator. Furthermore, the detachable unit may be a unit that provides a function of cutting the continuous print medium M. 
     In the present embodiment, the panel unit  10 P may be latched to the casing  10  with an unillustrated latching portion at a position other than that of the latching claw. 
     In the present embodiment, the detaching direction of the panel unit  10 P is not limited to the detaching direction D illustrated in  FIG. 3 . For example, the detaching direction of the panel unit  10 P may be a direction toward the outer side of the printer  100 . Thus, the detaching direction may be a direction toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the print medium M at the ejecting port  16 . 
     The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-185375 filed on Sep. 26, 2017 to Japan Patent Office, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.