Patent Publication Number: US-11639070-B2

Title: Print medium feeding device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-062052 filed on Mar. 31, 2020, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a print medium feeding device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A known printer includes a pair of roller holders capable of feeding a printing target sheet to be printed that is rolled around a sheet roll. The pair of roller holders rotatably support the sheet roll around which the printing target sheet is rolled. The printer performs printing on the printing target sheet fed by the pair of roller holders. 
     A composite roll in which stencil paper, interleaving paper and thermal carbon paper are superposed and rolled into a roll shape may be used as a print medium. In order to perform printing using the composite roll, it is necessary to remove the interleaving paper in the middle of a feed path of the print medium, and then superpose the stencil paper and the thermal carbon paper on each other again and feed the stencil paper and the thermal carbon paper to a printing device. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present disclosure is to provide a print medium feeding device capable of feeding only sheets necessary for printing performed by a printing device, which are included in a print medium in which a plurality of sheets are superposed. 
     A print medium feeding device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is configured to feed a print medium including a first sheet, a second sheet, and a third sheet to a printing device. The print medium is in a state in which the first sheet, the second sheet, and the third sheet are superposed. The print medium feeding device is configured to remove the second sheet from the print medium to superpose the first sheet and the third sheet, and to feed the first sheet and the third sheet that are superposed to the printing device. The print medium feeding device includes: a first roller configured to come into contact with the third sheet and to be driven to rotate by movement of the third sheet; a second roller disposed at a position facing the first roller, and configured to come into contact with the first sheet and to be driven to rotate by movement of the first sheet; a roll-up member disposed upstream of the first roller in a conveyance direction of the first sheet and configured to roll up the second sheet; and a transmission mechanism configured to transmit a rotational force of the first roller to the roll-up member. 
     In the print medium feeding device, the rotational force of the first roller driven to rotate by the movement of the third sheet is transmitted to the roll-up member that rolls up the second sheet by the transmission mechanism. That is, the second sheet is rolled up by the roll-up member by the movement of the third sheet. Therefore, the print medium feeding device can feed only sheets necessary for printing performed by the printing device, which are included in the print medium in which a plurality of sheets are superposed. 
     A print medium feeding device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is configured to feed a print medium including at least a first sheet and a second sheet to a printing device. The print medium is in a state in which the at least the first sheet and the second sheet are superposed. The print medium feeding device includes: a housing; a mounting portion provided in the housing and configured to detachably mount the printing device; an accommodation portion provided in the housing and configured to accommodate the print medium; a guide mechanism disposed between the mounting portion and the accommodation portion, the guide mechanism including a first roller configured to be driven to rotate by at least movement of the first sheet that is caused by a printing operation of the printing device; a roll-up member disposed between the first roller of the guide mechanism and the accommodation portion, the roll-up member being configured to roll up the second sheet; and a transmission mechanism configured to transmit a rotational force of the first roller to the roll-up member. 
     In the print medium feeding device, the second sheet is rolled up by the roll-up member in a process in which at least the first sheet moves toward the first roller of the guide mechanism. Therefore, the print medium feeding device can feed only sheets necessary for printing performed by the printing device, which are included in the print medium in which a plurality of sheets are superposed. 
     A print medium feeding device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is configured to feed a print medium including a first sheet, a second sheet, and a third sheet to a printing device. The print medium is in a state in which the first sheet, the second sheet, and the third sheet are superposed. The print medium feeding device includes: a housing; a mounting portion provided in the housing and configured to detachably mount the printing device; an accommodation portion provided in the housing and configured to accommodate the print medium; a guide mechanism disposed between the mounting portion and the accommodation portion and configured to sandwich the first sheet and the third sheet, the guide mechanism including a first roller configured to be driven to rotate by movement of the first sheet and the third sheet that is caused by a printing operation of the printing device; a roll-up member disposed between the first roller of the guide mechanism and the accommodation portion and configured to roll up the second sheet; a transmission mechanism configured to transmit a rotational force of the first roller to the roll-up member; a first guide member provided in a first conveyance path, the first conveyance path extending from the accommodation portion to the first roller and being configured to allow the first sheet to be conveyed along the first conveyance path such that the first sheet moves on a first side in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the roll-up member; and a second guide member provided in a second conveyance path and a third conveyance path, the second conveyance path extending from the accommodation portion to the roll-up member and being configured to allow the second sheet to be conveyed along the second conveyance path, the third conveyance path extending from the accommodation portion to the first roller and being configured to allow the third sheet to be conveyed along the third conveyance path such that the third sheet moves on a second side opposite to the first side in the orthogonal direction with respect to the roll-up member. 
     In the print medium feeding device, the second sheet is rolled up by the roll-up member in a process in which the first sheet and the third sheet are conveyed toward the first roller of the guide mechanism. Therefore, the print medium feeding device can feed only sheets necessary for printing performed by the printing device, which are included in the print medium in which a plurality of sheets are superposed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a feeding device  1 . 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the feeding device  1  to which a print medium S, a roll-up roll  29 , and a printing device  100  are attached. 
         FIG.  3    is an enlarged perspective view of a periphery of a bearing portion  52  when an upper support roller  11  is in a non-guide position. 
         FIG.  4    is an enlarged perspective view of a periphery of a switching mechanism  31  when a second roller  21 B is in a retracted position. 
         FIG.  5    is an enlarged perspective view of the periphery of the switching mechanism  31  when the second roller  21 B is in a sandwiching position. 
         FIG.  6    is an enlarged perspective view of a roll holding member  70 . 
         FIG.  7 A  is a view showing a first conveyance path P 1 , a second conveyance path P 2  and a third conveyance path P 3 . 
         FIG.  7 B  is a view showing a mode in which a printing target sheet S 1 , a protective sheet S 2  and an ink sheet S 3  move. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used to describe technical features that the present disclosure may employ, and a configuration of a device described and the like are merely illustrative examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. In description of the present embodiment, a lower left side, an upper right side, a lower right side, an upper left side, an upper side and a lower side in  FIG.  1    are respectively a front side, a rear side, a right side, a left side, an upper side and a lower side of a print medium feeding device (hereafter referred to as a “feeding device  1 ”). 
     The feeding device  1  will be described with reference to  FIGS.  1  to  6   . The feeding device  1  is a device that feeds a print medium S to a printing device  100 . The print medium S includes a printing target sheet S 1 , a protective sheet S 2 , and an ink sheet S 3  which are superposed in turn (see  FIG.  7   ). The feeding device  1  removes the protective sheet S 2  from the print medium S, superposes the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3 , and feeds the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  that are superposed to the printing device  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , the feeding device  1  includes a housing  3 , an accommodation portion  6 , a conveyance mechanism  16 , an inclined surface  39 , a guide mechanism  21 , a guide receiving surface  41 , a mounting portion  8 , a cutting mechanism  7  and the like. The housing  3  includes a bottom wall portion  3 A having a substantially square shape in a plan view, a pair of side wall portions  3 B and a pair of rear wall portions  3 C. The pair of side wall portions  3 B are provided at both end portions of the bottom wall portion  3 A in a left-right direction. The pair of side wall portions  3 B are erected upward from the end portions of the bottom wall portion  3 A in the left-right direction. Each of the pair of side wall portions  3 B has a substantially convex shape in a right side view. The pair of rear wall portions  3 C are erected upward from left and right rear end portions of respective bottom wall portions  3 A. 
     The accommodation portion  6  is provided at the rear of the housing  3 . The accommodation portion  6  has a downwardly curved shape. The accommodating portion  6  can accommodate the print medium S rolled in a roll shape in the curved portion (see  FIG.  2   ). Hereinafter, the print medium S is also referred to as a “roll R”. A receiving portion  5  is provided on a rear side of the housing  3 . The receiving portion  5  is a recess for supporting a flange member  85  described later. 
     &lt;Roller&gt; 
     The conveyance mechanism  16  includes a common roller  15 , an upper support roller  11 , a lower support roller  13  (see  FIG.  7   ), a roll-up roll  29  (see  FIG.  7   ), a merging roller  17  and the like. The common roller  15  is a roller whose axial direction extends in the left-right direction. The common roller  15  is provided on a rear side of the side wall portion  3 B. The common roller  15  is disposed on a front side of the accommodation portion  6 . End portions of the common roller  15  in the left-right direction are rotatably supported by respective bearing portions  50  of the pair of side wall portions  3 B. The common roller  15  rotates counterclockwise in the right side view to guide the protective sheet S 2  and the ink sheet S 3 . 
     The upper support roller  11  is a roller whose axial direction extends in the left-right direction. Both end portions  11 A of the upper support roller  11  are rotatably supported by bearing portions  52  at respective upper end portions of the pair of side wall portions  3 B. The upper support roller  11  rotates counterclockwise in the right side view to guide the printing target sheet S 1 . 
     The upper support roller  11  can be switched between a guide position (see  FIGS.  1  and  2   ) and a non-guide position (see  FIG.  3   ). The guide position is a position where the upper support roller  11  is mounted on the bearing portions  52  to guide the printing target sheet S 1 . The non-guide position is a position where the upper support roller  11  is detached from the bearing portions  52  and away from the guide position. A user switches the upper support roller  11  between the guide position and the non-guide position by attaching and detaching the left and right end portions of the upper support roller  11  to and from the bearing portions  52 . 
     At the guide position, the both end portions  11 A of the upper support roller  11  are columnar, and are rotatably mounted on bottom portions  52 A (see  FIG.  3   ) provided at the upper end portions of the pair of side wall portions  3 B. A guide portion  52 B (see  FIG.  3   ) extends from the upper end portion of each of the pair of side wall portions  3 B toward the lower bottom portion  52 A. The guide portion  52 B has facing walls facing each other in a front-rear direction. A dimension between the facing walls is slightly smaller than an outer diameter of each of the both end portions  11 A of the upper support roller  11 . The bottom portion  52 A has a substantially C shape whose upper side is open, and is slightly larger than the outer diameter of each of the both end portions  11 A. The pair of side wall portions  3 B provided with the guide portions  52 B are made of a synthetic resin material, and the guide portion  52 B is slightly elastically deformable. The user presses the both end portions  11 A of the upper support roller  11  at the non-guide position from above the guide portions  52 B to push and expand the guide portions  52 B, and causes the both end portions  11 A to pass through the guide portions  52 B to reach the bottom portions  52 A. When the both end portions  11 A reach the bottom portions  52 A, the guide portions  52 B expanded by elastic deformation returns to an original state, and thus the both end portions  11 A are held by the bottom portions  52 A. The user can remove the upper support roller  11  from the guide portions  52 B by lifting the upper support roller  11  at the guide position upward with an appropriate force. 
     The lower support roller  13  (see  FIG.  7   ) has an axial direction extending in the left-right direction. The lower support roller  13  is disposed substantially at a center of the housing  3  in the front-rear direction and below the common roller  15  in an upper-lower direction. End portions of the lower support roller  13  in the left-right direction is rotatably supported by bearing portions  57  of the pair of side wall portions  3 B (see  FIG.  1   ). The lower support roller  13  rotates clockwise in the right side view to guide the protective sheet S 2  and the ink sheet S 3 . 
     The roll-up roll  29  (see  FIG.  7   ) is a roll that rolls up the protective sheet S 2 , and an axial direction thereof extends in the left-right direction. The roll-up roll  29  is disposed substantially at respective center portions of the pair of side wall portions  3 B. Although not shown in detail, the roll-up roll  29  is provided with flange members  86  (see  FIG.  2   ) at both end portions. The flange members  86  are rotatably supported by bearing portions  55  of the pair of side wall portions  3 B (see  FIG.  1   ). The roll-up roll  29  rotates counterclockwise in the right side view to roll up the protective sheet S 2 . The roll-up roll  29  is provided between the upper support roller  11  and the lower support roller  13  in the upper-lower direction (see  FIG.  7   ). The roll-up roll  29  is disposed behind a first roller  21 A described later in the front-rear direction (see  FIG.  7   ). 
     The merging roller  17  has an axial direction extending in the left-right direction. The merging roller  17  is disposed at the upper end portions at the front of the pair of side wall portions  3 B. End portions of the merging roller  17  in the left-right direction are rotatably supported by support portions  58 . The merging roller  17  rotates counterclockwise in the right side view to guide the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3 . The support portions  58  are portions extending rearward from rear ends of side plates  39 A erected from both left and right end portions of the inclined surface  39 . The inclined surface  39  is a rectangular plate member that is long in the left-right direction in the plan view. A rear end portion of the inclined surface  39  is located below a lower end portion of the merging roller  17 . The inclined surface  39  is inclined downward to the front toward a front end portion. The pair of left and right side plates  39 A guide left and right edges of the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3 , respectively. 
     &lt;Guide Mechanism  21 &gt; 
     The guide mechanism  21  includes a pair of nip rollers and a switching mechanism  31 . The pair of nip rollers include the first roller  21 A and a second roller  21 B. The first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B each have an elongated columnar shape extending in the left-right direction. The first roller  21 A is provided below a lower end portion of the inclined surface  39 . The second roller  21 B is provided in front of the lower end portion of the inclined surface  39 . 
     Lengths of the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B in the left-right direction that is an axial direction are longer than a width of the print medium S in the left-right direction. Diameters of the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B are the same. The first roller  21 A is disposed so as to face a lower surface of the second roller  21 B. Both end portions of the first roller  21 A in the left-right direction are rotatably supported by front end portions of the pair of side wall portions  3 B. The first roller  21 A comes into contact with the ink sheet S 3  and is driven to rotate by movement of the ink sheet S 3 . 
     The switching mechanism  31  includes a pair of support arm portions  32 . Rear end portions of the pair of support arm portions  32  are rotatably supported inside the pair of side wall portions  3 B on an upper rear side of the first roller  21 A. The pair of support arm portions  32  are rotatable about the rear end portions thereof. End portions of the second roller  21 B in the left-right direction are rotatably provided at front end portions of the pair of support arm portions  32 . 
     The second roller  21 B is movable to a sandwiching position (see  FIG.  5   ) and a retracted position (see  FIG.  4   ) by rotation of the pair of support arm portions  32  of the switching mechanism  31 . The sandwiching position is a position where the second roller  21 B sandwiches the print medium S with the first roller  21 A (see  FIG.  7 B ). The retracted position is a position where the second roller  21 B is upwardly away from the first roller  21 A. The switching mechanism  31  switches a position of the second roller  21 B between the sandwiching position and the retracted position, and rotatably supports the second roller  21 B. As shown in  FIG.  4   , small protrusions  32 A is respectively provided at the front end portions of the pair of support arm portions  32 . Both left and right end portions of the guide receiving surface  41  are respectively provided with small hook portions  41 A that are engaged with the protrusions  32  A in a disengageable manner. The hook portion  41 A is configured to be slightly elastically deformable. When the second roller  21 B is at the sandwiching position, the protrusion  32 A is engaged with the hook portion  41 A, and the second roller  21 B is held at the sandwiching position. When the second roller  21 B is at the sandwiching position, if a force having an appropriate magnitude is applied in a direction of lifting the front end portions of the pair of support arm portions  32 , the protrusion  32 A is disengaged from the hook portion  41 A and released from the holding state. 
     A first gear  25 A is provided at the right end portion of the first roller  21 A. A second gear  25 B is provided at the right end portion of the second roller  21 B. The first gear  25 A and the second gear  25 B are gears having the same pitch circle diameter and number of teeth. When the second roller  21 B is at the sandwiching position, the first gear  25 A of the first roller  21 A and the second gear  25 B of the second roller  21 B mesh with each other. 
     A gear ratio of the first gear  25 A to the second gear  25 B is 1 to 1. The diameters of the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B are the same. Therefore, when the second roller  21 B is at the sandwiching position, the first gear  25 A and the second gear  25 B mesh with each other and rotate, and the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B rotate at equal circumferential speeds. 
     While being disposed at the sandwiching position facing the first roller  21 A, the second roller  21 B comes into contact with the printing target sheet S 1  and is driven to rotate by movement of the printing target sheet S 1 . 
     &lt;Transmission Mechanism  23 &gt; 
     A transmission mechanism  23  will be described with reference to  FIG.  2   . The transmission mechanism  23  transmits a rotational force of the first roller  21 A to the roll-up roll  29 . The transmission mechanism  23  includes a first pulley  23 A, a second pulley  23 B, and a belt  24 . The first pulley  23 A is provided on a rotation shaft of the first roller  21 A and is disposed on a right side of the first gear  25 A. The first pulley  23 A rotates integrally with the first roller  21 A. 
     The second pulley  23 B has an outer diameter larger than that of the first pulley  23 A. The second pulley  23 B is provided at the right end portion of the roll-up roll  29 . More specifically, the second pulley  23 B is provided on a right side of a portion where the flange member  86  of the roll-up roll  29  is supported by the bearing portion  55 . The second pulley  23 B rotates integrally with the roll-up roll  29 . 
     The belt  24  is hung on the first pulley  23 A and the second pulley  23 B. The first pulley  23 A transmits a driving force to the second pulley  23 B by a frictional force with the belt  24 . A slip amount of the first pulley  23 A with respect to the belt  24  increases as a roll-up amount of the protective sheet S 2  rolled up by the roll-up roll  29  increases. Thereby, the roll-up roll  29  can uniformly roll the protective sheet S 2 . More specifically, the protective sheet S 2  rolled up by the roll-up roll  29  is rolled into a roll shape, but as an outer diameter of the roll increases, an amount of the protective sheet S 2  rolled up by one rotation of the roll-up roll  29  increases. Therefore, in order to uniformly roll the protective sheet S 2  by the roll-up roll  29 , it is necessary to gradually slow down an rotation speed of the roll-up roll  29  rather than making the rotation speed constant. As will be described later, a constant tension is applied to the protective sheet S 2  in a direction opposite to a pulling-out direction, that is, in a pulling-back direction. Accordingly, even when the first pulley  23 A rotates at a constant rotation speed, the transmission mechanism  23  can increase the slip amount of the first pulley  23 A with respect to the belt  24  as the roll-up amount of the protective sheet S 2  increases, and gradually reduce the rotation speed of the roll-up roll  29  that rotates integrally with the second pulley  23 B. Since the second pulley  23 B has the outer diameter larger than that of the first pulley  23 A, a contact length with the belt  24  is long. Therefore, even when the roll-up amount of the protective sheet S 2  increases, the second pulley  23 B and the belt  24  do not slip, but the first pulley  23 A and the belt  24  slip. 
     The second pulley  23 B includes a knob portion  29 A protruding rightward in a substantially columnar shape. By rotating the knob portion  29 A counterclockwise in the right side view, the user can roll up the protective sheet S 2  to eliminate looseness of the protective sheet S 2  with respect to the roll-up roll  29 . Therefore, the user can eliminate the looseness and appropriately apply the tension to the protective sheet S 2  by rotating the knob portion  29 A in printing preparation described later. 
     The guide receiving surface  41  guides the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  conveyed out by the first roller  21 A to a sheet insertion slot  101  of the printing device  100  (see  FIG.  2   ). An inclination angle of the guide receiving surface  41  is substantially the same as that of a receiving surface of the sheet insertion slot  101  of the printing device  100  described later. That is, the guide receiving surface  41  is a surface facing downward toward the front. Thereby, the fed printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  are easily inserted into the sheet insertion slot  101 . 
     The mounting portion  8  is provided at a front end portion of the housing  3  (see  FIG.  1   ). The mounting portion  8  is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction. The printing device  100  can be mounted on the mounting portion  8  by being inserting from a left side. The mounting portion  8  includes a preventing portion  61 . The preventing portion  61  includes a pair of front extension portions  9  and a pair of rear extension portions  10 . The pair of front extension portions  9  are respectively provided on both left and right end portions of a front side of the mounting portion  8 . The pair of rear extension portions  10  are respectively provided at positions slightly closer to a center from both left and right ends of a rear side of the mounting portion  8 . Each of the pair of front extension portions  9  includes an erect portion  9 A and a protruding portion  9 B. The erect portion  9 A is erected upward. The protruding portion  9 B extends obliquely upward from an upper end of the erect portion  9 A toward the rear, and then extends further rearward. Thereby, each of the pair of front extension portions  9  has a substantially inverted L shape. The pair of rear extension portions  10  extend upward. The printing device  100  mounted on the mounting portion  8  is sandwiched between the pair of front extension portions  9  and the pair of rear extension portions  10  from the front-rear direction, and the protruding portions  9 B abut on the mounting portion  8  from above. In this way, the preventing portion  61  prevents movement of the printing device  100  mounted on the mounting portion  8  in the front-rear direction and the upper-lower direction. Therefore, when the printing device  100  conveys the print medium S, a force in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the print medium S acts on the printing device  100 , but the preventing portion  61  prevents the printing device  100  mounted on the mounting portion  8  from moving in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the print medium S. 
     The cutting mechanism  7  cuts the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  discharged after printing from the printing device  100  mounted on the mounting portion  8 . The cutting mechanism  7  (see  FIGS.  1  and  2   ) is provided at a right front end portion of the housing  3 . The cutting mechanism  7  includes a cutting blade (not shown). The user slides the cutting mechanism  7  to the left to cut the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  discharged from a discharge slot  103  with the cutting blade. 
     &lt;Roll Holding Member  70 &gt; 
     As shown in  FIG.  6   , the roll holding member  70  supporting the print medium S includes a rotation unit  72 . Since two rotation units  72  are configured to be bilaterally symmetrical in the left-right direction, the right rotation unit  72  will be described below, and description of the left rotation unit  72  will be omitted. The rotation unit  72  includes a tube portion  81 , a torque limiter  42 , an intermediate member  43 , a torsion spring  44  and the flange member  85  in this order from the left side. 
     The tube portion  81  includes a tubular portion  81 A extending in the left-right direction and a substantially cross-shaped side plate portion  81 B provided at a right end of the tubular portion  81 A. The tubular portion  81 A is engaged with inside of a core of the roll R around which the print medium S is rolled. The side plate portion  81 B abuts on a right side surface of the roll R. A central shaft  71  extending rightward from a left bottom surface (not shown) of a hole  811  is provided at a center of the hole  811  inside the tubular portion  81 A. A through hole penetrating in the left-right direction is formed in each of the torque limiter  42 , the intermediate member  43  and the flange member  85 , which are accommodated in the hole  811  in a state of being penetrated by the central shaft  71 . At this time, a block portion  85 B of the flange member  85  described later protrudes rightward from the side plate portion  81 B. 
     The torque limiter  42  includes a main body wheel portion  421  and a driven wheel portion  422 . The torque limiter  42  has a known structure in which when a torque input to one side exceeds a set torque, the other side slips. The main body wheel portion  421  of the torque limiter  42  is engaged with the hole  811  and rotates integrally with the tube portion  81 . The driven wheel portion  422  of the torque limiter  42  is engaged with the intermediate member  43  and rotates integrally with the intermediate member  43 . The intermediate member  43  is provided with an engagement protrusion  438 . An action of the engagement protrusion  438  will be described later. A second arm portion  442  of the torsion spring  44  is locked to the intermediate member  43 . 
     The flange member  85  includes a disc portion  85 A and the block portion  85 B having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A first arm portion  441  of the torsion spring  44  is locked to the flange member  85 . The flange member  85  is rotatably supported by a right end portion of the central shaft  71 . The block portion  85 B of the flange member  85  is engaged with the receiving portion  5  of the housing  3  in a disengageable manner. Although not shown, a first protrusion and a second protrusion are provided at positions away from each other by a predetermined angle on a left side surface of the disc portion  85 A. Actions of the first protrusion and the second protrusion will be described later. 
     When the print medium S is fed out from the roll R of the accommodation portion  6 , the tube portion  81  starts to rotate clockwise in the right side view. Accordingly, the torque limiter  42  and the intermediate member  43  rotate integrally with the tube portion  81 . Due to rotation of the intermediate member  43 , the second arm portion  442  of the torsion spring  44  also rotates in the same direction. In this case, since the flange member  85  engaged with the first arm  441  of the torsion spring  44  is engaged with the receiving portion  5 , so that the flange member  85  does not rotate. Thereby, the torsion spring  44  is bent in a rolling direction. 
     When the tube portion  81  further rotates clockwise in the right side view, the engagement protrusion  438  of the intermediate member  43  rotates and stops until the engagement protrusion  438  abuts on the first protrusion of the flange member  85 . At this time, since the torsion spring  44  is bent in the rolling direction, the torsion spring  44  urges the intermediate member  43  in a rolling-back direction, that is, in a counterclockwise direction in the right side view. 
     When the engagement protrusion  438  abuts on the first protrusion, the rotation of the intermediate member  43  is stopped. However, since the tube portion  81  continues to rotate, a torque exceeding the set torque is applied to the torque limiter  42 . At this time, the main body wheel portion  421  starts to slide with respect to the driven wheel portion  422  of the torque limiter  42 . Thereby, while the print medium S is pulled out forward from the roll R, the roll holding member  70  applies a constant tension to the print medium S by the set torque of the torque limiter  42 . Therefore, a force when pulling out the print medium S does not vary depending on an outer diameter of the roll R, that is, a rolling length of the print medium S, and the roll holding member  70  can stabilize conveyance accuracy of the print medium S. 
     When the pulling-out of the print medium S is stopped, the tension applied by the torque limiter  42  is released. In this case, an urging force of the torsion spring  44  causes the engagement protrusion  438  of the intermediate member  43  to rotate from a position abutting on the first protrusion of the flange member  85  to a position abutting on the second protrusion. That is, the intermediate member  43  rotates counterclockwise in the right side view due to the urging force of the torsion spring  44 . Thereby, the torque limiter  42  and the tube portion  81  also rotate counterclockwise in the right side view. That is, the print medium S can be rolled back by reversing the rotation unit  72 . Therefore, in the feeding device  1 , an occurrence of looseness in the print medium S can be prevented. 
     &lt;Printing Device  100 &gt; 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , the printing device  100  has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape long in the left-right direction. The printing device  100  includes a conveyance roller  111 , a thermal head  112  and the like inside a main body cover  102 . 
     The conveyance roller  111  is disposed so as to face the heat generation resistor of the thermal head  112  from above. The conveyance roller  111  rotates clockwise in the right side view to convey the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3 . The thermal head  112  performs printing on the printing target sheet S 1  by heating the ink sheet S 3  by selectively conducting a plurality of heating elements. 
     &lt;Conveyance Path&gt; 
     A first conveyance path P 1 , a second conveyance path P 2  and a third conveyance path P 3  will be described with reference to  FIG.  7 A . The first conveyance path P 1  is a path along which the printing target sheet S 1  is conveyed. The second conveyance path P 2  is a path along which the protective sheet S 2  is conveyed. The third conveyance path P 3  is a path along which the ink sheet S 3  is conveyed. 
     The first conveyance path P 1  is a path that extends from the accommodation portion  6  to the first roller  21 A. The first conveyance path P 1  is a path that passes through an upper surface of the upper support roller  11 , an upper surface of the merging roller  17 , the inclined surface  39  and an upper surface of the first roller  21 A. The upper support roller  11  is disposed above the roll-up roll  29 , and the merging roller  17  is disposed in front of the roll-up roll  29 . Therefore, the first conveyance path P 1  is a path that is bent toward an upper side where the upper support roller  11  is disposed. 
     The second conveyance path P 2  is a path that extends from the accommodation portion  6  to the roll-up roll  29 . The second conveyance path P 2  is a path that passes through an upper surface of the common roller  15  and a lower surface of the lower support roller  13  to reach a lower surface of the protective sheet S 2  rolled up by the roll-up roll  29 . 
     The third conveyance path P 3  is a path that extends from the accommodation portion  6  to the first roller  21 A. The third conveyance path P 3  is a path that passes through the upper surface of the common roller  15 , the lower surface of the lower support roller  13 , the upper surface of the merging roller  17  and the upper surface of the first roller  21 A. A path of the third conveyance path P 3  from the accommodation portion  6  to the lower support roller  13  is common to the second conveyance path P 2 . 
     The common roller  15  is disposed between the roll-up roll  29  and the accommodation portion  6 . The lower support roller  13  is disposed at a position away from the common roller  15  downward to the front. Thereby, the common path of the second conveyance path P 2  and the third conveyance path P 3  includes a path extending from the accommodation portion  6  to the lower support roller  13 , the path being bent upward by the common roller  15 . 
     The lower support roller  13  is disposed at the position downwardly away from the roll-up roll  29 . The merging roller  17  is disposed at a position forwardly away from the roll-up roll  29 . Thereby, the third conveyance path P 3  includes a path extending from the common roller  15  to the merging roller  17 , the path being bent downward. 
     In the first conveyance path P 1  and the third conveyance path P 3 , the printing target sheet S 1  is separated from the protective sheet S 2  and the ink sheet S 3  at a position Ps, and the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  are merged at a position Pm. The merging roller  17  is provided at a position where the first conveyance path P 1  and the third conveyance path P 3  have the same length in paths from the position Ps to the position Pm. 
     &lt;Printing Preparation of Print Medium S&gt; 
     The user prepares printing before performing printing processing. The user pulls out the print medium S from the roll R accommodated in the accommodation portion  6 , and sets the print medium S in a printable state. The user sets the printing target sheet S 1  so as to pass through the first conveyance path P 1 . The user sets the protective sheet S 2  so as to pass through the second conveyance path P 2 . In addition, the user sets the protective sheet S 2  in a state in which a leading end portion of the protective sheet S 2  is rolled around the roll-up roll  29 . In this case, the user can apply a certain tension to the protective sheet S 2  to eliminate the looseness by turning the knob portion  29 A. 
     The user sets the ink sheet S 3  so as to pass through the third conveyance path P 3 . The user merges a leading end portion of the ink sheet S 3  with a leading end portion of the printing target sheet S 1  at the merging roller  17 . Thereby, the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  are superposed on each other. 
     The user causes the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  to pass through the inclined surface  39 , the upper surface of the first roller  21 A of the guide mechanism  21 , and the guide receiving surface  41  in a state in which the leading end portions of the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  are superposed on each other. The user inserts the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  that have passed through the guide receiving surface  41  into the sheet insertion slot  101  of the printing device  100 . The user moves the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  that are inserted through the sheet insertion slot  101  further downward to the front, and causes the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  to pass through the conveyance roller  111  and the thermal head  112  at facing positions. Thereby, the printing device  100  is in a state in which the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  can be discharge toward the discharge slot  103  by rotation of the conveyance roller  111 . Thereby, the printing preparation for the printing device  100  is completed. 
     &lt;Printing Operation&gt; 
     A printing operation of the printing device  100  and feeding of the print medium S by the feeding device  1  will be described. When the printing device  100  is powered on and the printing operation is started, the conveyance roller  111  is rotationally driven. The printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  are discharged toward the discharge slot  103  by the conveyance roller  111 . At this time, the printing device  100  prints characters on the printing target sheet S 1  by the thermal head  112  heating the ink sheet S 3 . When the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  are conveyed downward to the front, a reaction force upward to the rear acts on the printing device  100 , but the printing device  100  is prevented from moving upward to the rear by the preventing portion  61 . Therefore, the printing device  100  is stably supported by the mounting portion  8 . 
     &lt;Conveyance of Print Medium S&gt; 
     Since the printing device  100  moves the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  downward to the front by performing printing, the print medium S is fed out from the roll R accommodated in the accommodation portion  6 . The printing target sheet S 1 , the protective sheet S 2  and the ink sheet S 3  fed out from the roll R respectively move through the first conveyance path P 1 , the second conveyance path P 2  and the third conveyance path P 3 . The printing target sheet S 1  fed out from the accommodation portion  6  is separated from the protective sheet S 2  at the position Ps, and moves toward the upper surface of the upper support roller  11 . The printing target sheet S 1  moves toward the upper surface of the upper support roller  11 , and then moves toward the merging roller  17 . 
     After being separated from the printing target sheet S 1 , the protective sheet S 2  and the ink sheet S 3  move toward the common roller  15  and move from the upper surface of the common roller  15  toward the lower surface of the lower support roller  13 . The protective sheet S 2  that has moved to the lower surface of the lower support roller  13  is separated from the ink sheet S 3  and moves upward to the rear toward the lower surface of the roll-up roll  29 . The roll-up roll  29  is rotated counterclockwise in the right side view by driving of the transmission mechanism  23 . Thereby, the protective sheet S 2  is rolled around the roll-up roll  29 . 
     On the other hand, the ink sheet S 3  moves upward to the front from the lower support roller  13  toward the upper surface of the merging roller  17 . The ink sheet S 3  that has moved to the merging roller  17  is superposed on the printing target sheet S 1  at the position Pm of the merging roller  17 . Here, the first conveyance path P 1  and the third conveyance path P 3  are set to the same distance. Therefore, the leading end portion of the printing target sheet S 1  separated at the position Ps and the leading end portion of the ink sheet S 3  are superposed again at the position Pm. 
     The printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  move forward and downward on the inclined surface  39  toward a position between the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B of the guide mechanism  21  in a state of being superposed at the position Pm of the merging roller  17 . 
     The printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  that have passed through the guide mechanism  21  pass through the guide receiving surface  41 . The printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  that have passed through the guide receiving surface  41  are guided to an insertion surface  115  of the sheet insertion slot  101  of the printing device  100 . The printing target sheet S 1  and the protective sheet S 2  guided by the insertion surface  115  move toward the thermal head  112  inside the printing device  100 . 
     The ink sheet S 3  moves to the discharge slot  103  together with the printing target sheet S 1  printed by the thermal head  112 . The printing target sheet S 1  after printing and the used ink sheet S 3  are discharged from the discharge portion  105  to outside of the printing device  100  and are cut by the cutting mechanism  7 . 
     Functions and Effects of Present Embodiment 
     As described above, in the feeding device  1 , the protective sheet S 2  is rolled up by the roll-up roll  29  in a process in which the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  move toward the first roller  21 A of the guide mechanism  21 . Therefore, the feeding device  1  can feed only sheets necessary for printing performed by the printing device  100 , which are included in the print medium S in which a plurality of sheets are superposed. 
     A length of the first conveyance path P 1  and a length of the third conveyance path P 3  are the same. Therefore, the leading end portions of the printing target sheet S 1  and the protective sheet S 2  can be superposed again on each other. 
     The common roller  15  is disposed at a position away from the lower support roller  13  in the upper-lower direction, and is provided in the second conveyance path P 2  and the third conveyance path P 3  between the accommodation portion  6  and the lower support roller  13 . The second conveyance path P 2  and the third conveyance path P 3  include the path extending from the accommodation portion  6  to the lower support roller  13 , the path being bent in the upper-lower direction by the common roller  15 . In the feeding device  1 , since the second conveyance path P 2  and the third conveyance path P 3  form the path bent in the upper-lower direction by the common roller  15 , lengths of the second conveyance path P 2  and the third conveyance path P 3  in the front-rear direction can be shortened. Therefore, in the feeding device  1 , a size of the housing  3  in the front-rear direction can be reduced. 
     The merging roller  17  is provided at a position where the first conveyance path P 1  and the third conveyance path P 3  merge. In the feeding device  1 , the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  can be guided by the merging roller  17 . 
     The upper support roller  11 , the lower support roller  13 , the common roller  15  and the merging roller  17  are rollers. In the feeding device  1 , when the print medium S is conveyed, the rollers rotate as the print medium S moves. Therefore, in the feeding device  1 , the print medium S can be smoothly guided. 
     The transmission mechanism  23  includes the first pulley  23 A, the second pulley  23 B, the belt  24  and the like. The first pulley  23 A rotates integrally with the first roller  21 A. The second pulley  23 B has the outer diameter larger than that of the first pulley  23 A and rotates integrally with the roll-up roll  29 . The belt  24  is hung on the first pulley  23 A and the second pulley  23 B. The first pulley  23 A transmits the driving force to the second pulley  23 B by the frictional force with the belt  24 . In the feeding device  1 , since the outer diameter of the second pulley  23 B is larger than the outer diameter of the first pulley  23 A, the slip amount of the belt  24  with respect to the first pulley  23 A increases as the roll-up amount of the protective sheet S 2  increases. Therefore, in the feeding device  1 , the protective sheet S 2  can be uniformly rolled around a roll-up shaft as the slip amount increases. 
     The guide mechanism  21  includes the second roller  21 B facing the first roller  21 A. The first roller  21 A is rotatably supported by the housing  3 . The switching mechanism  31  switches the position of the second roller  21 B between the sandwiching position and the retracted position, and rotatably supports the second roller  21 B. The sandwiching position is the position where the second roller  21 B sandwiches the print medium S with the first roller  21 A. The retracted position is the position where the second roller  21 B is away from the first roller  21 A. The first roller  21 A includes a first gear  25 A at the right end portion in the axial direction. The second roller  21 B includes the second gear  25 B at the right end portion in the axial direction. When the second roller  21 B is located at the sandwiching position, the first gear  25 A and the second gear  25 B mesh with each other, whereby the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B rotate at the equal circumferential speeds. In the feeding device  1 , since the circumferential speeds of the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B are equal, the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  can be conveyed without being displaced. 
     The guide receiving surface  41  guides the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  conveyed out by the first roller  21 A to the sheet insertion slot  101  of the printing device  100 . Since the feeding device  1  is provided with the guide receiving surface  41 , the print medium S can be smoothly conveyed. 
     In the roll R, the print medium S is rolled around a core of a cylinder. The roll holding member  70  that holds the roll R is attached to the accommodation portion  6 . The roll holding member  70  includes the tube portion  81 , the flange member  85 , the torsion spring  44  and the like. The torsion spring  44  of the roll holding member  70  urges the tube portion  81  in a direction opposite to a rotation direction in a state in which the flange member  85  is engaged with the receiving portion  5 . The rotation direction is a direction in which the tube portion  81  rotates when the print medium S is fed from the roll R. In feeding device  1 , a force can be applied to the print medium S in the direction opposite to the rotation direction in which the tube portion  81  rotates when the print medium S is fed. 
     The second pulley  23 B includes the knob portion  29 A that rolls up the protective sheet S 2  to eliminate the looseness of the protective sheet S 2  with respect to the roll-up roll  29 . In the feeding device  1 , since the knob portion  29  is provided, the looseness of the protective sheet S 2  can be easily adjusted. 
     In the bearing portion  52 , the position of the upper support roller  11  is switched between the guide position where the upper support roller  11  guides the printing target sheet S 1  along the first conveyance path P 1  and the non-guide position where the upper support roller  11  is away from the guide position. In the feeding device  1 , since the position of the upper support roller  11  can be switched between the guide position and the non-guide position, the user can easily set the print medium S. 
     The cutting mechanism  7  cuts the printed print medium S discharged from the printing device  100  mounted on the mounting portion  8 . In the feeding device  1 , the printed print medium S can be cut by the cutting mechanism  7 . 
     The mounting portion  8  includes the preventing portion  61  to prevent the printing device  100  mounted on the mounting portion  8  from moving in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the print medium S. In the feeding device  1 , a position of the printing device  100  can be prevented from moving in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction by the preventing portion  61 . 
     The longitudinal length of the first roller  21 A is larger than the width of the print medium S. In the feeding device  1 , the print medium S can be conveyed more reliably. 
     &lt;Modification&gt; 
     The feeding device  1  according to the above embodiment can be modified in various ways. In the above embodiment, the protective sheet S 2  is removed from the print medium S in a state in which the printing target sheet S 1 , the protective sheet S 2  and the ink sheet S 3  are superposed in turn, and the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3  are superposed and fed to the printing device  100 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The feeding device  1  may feed the printing target sheet S 1  to the printing device  100  from the print medium S in the state in which the printing target sheet S 1  and the protective sheet S 2  are superposed. In this case, when the protective sheet S 2  is rolled up by the roll-up roll  29  in a process of being fed to the printing device  100 , the feeding device  1  can feed only sheets necessary for printing performed by the printing device  100 , which are included in the print medium S in which a plurality of sheets are superposed. 
     Although the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B are rollers, one of the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B may be a guide member that has a guide surface having a flat surface or a curved surface instead of the roller. For example, the first roller  21 A may be the guide surface, and the second roller  21 B may be the roller. Even in such a case, the guide mechanism  21  can guide the printing target sheet S 1  and the ink sheet S 3 . In this case, the transmission mechanism  23  may be provided on a side of the second roller  21 B and transmit a driving force to the roll-up roll  29 . The diameters of the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B are the same, but are not limited thereto, and may be changed as appropriate. In this case, the gear ratio of the first gear  25 A to the second gear  25 B is not 1 to 1, and the circumferential speeds may be constant. The first gear  25 A and the second gear  25 B are respectively provided on the right side of the first roller  21 A and the second roller  21 B, but may be provided on the left side. In this case, the transmission mechanism  23  may be provided on the left side. 
     Arrangement positions of the upper support roller  11 , the lower support roller  13 , the common roller  15 , the merging roller  17  and the like are not limited to the above embodiment, and may be changed as appropriate. The upper support roller  11 , the lower support roller  13 , the common roller  15  and the merging roller  17  are rollers, but at least one of these may be a roller. For example, the upper support roller  11 , the lower support roller  13 , the common roller  15  and the merging roller  17  each may be formed of a guide surface. 
     The guide receiving surface  41  is inclined at the angle substantially the same as that of the insertion surface  115  of the sheet insertion slot  101 , but may be changed as appropriate. Although the knob portion  29 A is operated by the user, the looseness of the protective sheet S 2  may be eliminated by applying a mechanism of the roll holding member  70 . The preventing portion  61  is not limited to a configuration described above, and may be any configuration that can prevent the printing device  100  mounted on the mounting portion  8  from moving in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the print medium S. 
     &lt;Others&gt; 
     In the above embodiment, the printing target sheet S 1  is an example of a “first sheet” according to the present disclosure. The protective sheet S 2  is an example of a “second sheet” according to the present disclosure. The ink sheet S 3  is an example of a “third sheet” according to the present disclosure. The upper-lower direction is an example of an “orthogonal direction” according to the present disclosure. The front is an example of the “conveyance direction” according to the present disclosure. The left-right direction is an example of a “longitudinal direction” according to the present disclosure. The roll-up roll  29  is an example of a “roll-up member” according to the present disclosure. The transmission mechanism  23  is an example of a “transmission mechanism” according to the present disclosure. The torsion spring  44  is an example of an “urging member” according to the present disclosure. The flange member  85  is an example of an “engagement portion” according to the present disclosure. The roll holding member  70  is an example of a “holding member” according to the present disclosure. The cutting mechanism  7  is an example of a “cutting unit” according to the present disclosure. The upper support roller  11  is an example of a “first guide member” according to the present disclosure. The lower support roller  13  is an example of a “second guide member” according to the present disclosure. The common roller  15  is an example of a “third guide member” according to the present disclosure. The merging roller  17  is an example of a “fourth guide member” according to the present disclosure. The bearing portion  52  is an example of a “position switching member” according to the present disclosure. The tube portion  81  is an example of a “shaft member” according to the present disclosure.