Patent Description:
A thermal printer is a portable printer equipped with a semiconductor heating element installed on the printing head, and the printing head is heated and contacts with the thermal paper to print out the required pattern. The principle is similar to that of a thermal fax machine. Images are generated by heating and chemical reactions in the film, which can be stored for several years at room temperature. The thermal printing has the advantages of high speed, low noise, and convenient use.

Currently, most thermal printers on the market are only suitable for specific sizes of label paper. When printing on other sizes of label paper, the placement position of the label paper in the paper tray is prone to deviation, resulting in low printing accuracy. For example, the existing technology disclosed in <CIT> presents a thermal printer with a convenient paper loading and conveying mechanism. The thermal printer includes a thermal head, a paper pressing roller arranged opposite to the thermal head and clamping the paper between them, an outer shell with a paper pressing roller, and a thermal head. The first outer shell can be connected or separated from the second outer shell, and it separates the front end of the paper from the rolled-up state of the paper, guiding the paper in the direction of the paper pressing roller. The guide for separating the front end of the paper and the clamping portion of the paper are in the same direction as the paper pressing roller. The thermal printer further includes a feed roller for paper transportation and a paper stopper for blocking the paper transportation channel when the first outer shell separates from the second outer shell. However, this thermal printer is only suitable for specific sizes of label paper. When using other sizes of label paper, the paper feeding mechanism still transports the paper along the original trajectory, and the relative position of label papers of different sizes in the paper tray is not the same, and none of them can be transported to the middle position of the paper tray, resulting in position deviation of the label paper during printing, which reduces printing accuracy. Another printer is disclosed in <CIT>.

In response to the problems in the existing technology, the present application proposes an adjustable paper blocking structure of a thermal printer to address the issues of the existing thermal printer being unable to adapt to different sizes of label paper and low printing accuracy.

To achieve the above technical objectives, the technical solutions proposed by the present application are as follows:
an adjustable paper blocking structure of a thermal printer is provided, which includes:.

Optionally, a first convex platform and a second convex platform are provided in a middle of an inner wall of the first paper blocking plate and in a middle of an inner wall of the second paper blocking plate, respectively.

Optionally, a lower side of the inner wall of the first paper blocking plate and a lower side of the inner wall of the second paper blocking plate are provided with a receiving groove, respectively, and the rotating handle is rotatably connected in the corresponding receiving groove.

Optionally, two blocking bars are provided in the receiving groove, and the rotating handle is connected between the two blocking bars.

Optionally, a middle of a top end of the rotating handle is provided with an arc-shaped surface and an outer edge of the top end of the rotating handle is provided with a rounded corner.

Optionally, two opposite side walls of the tooth groove are provided with a vertical surface and an inclined surface respectively, an angle between the vertical surface and a bottom surface of the tooth groove is <NUM>°, and an angle between the inclined surface and the bottom surface of the tooth groove is <NUM>°-<NUM>°, and a geometric dimension of the bottom end of the pin is adapted to a geometric dimension of the tooth groove.

Optionally, a tension spring is connected between the first rack and a side of the base close to the vertical surface.

Optionally, a block is provided in a middle of the base.

Optionally, the base is provided with a scale at a place where the first paper blocking plate and the second paper blocking plate are in contact with each other, and an origin of the scale is arranged at a middle position of the block, and a distance between the first paper blocking plate and the second paper blocking plate is <NUM>-<NUM>.

Optionally, an outer side wall of the second paper blocking plate is inwardly concave and surrounded by a coil, and the outer side wall of the second paper blocking plate is connected to a coil cover plate, the coil is located between the coil cover plate and the second paper blocking plate, a side of the coil in contact with the second paper blocking plate is provided with an identification module, and a side of the coil extending from the second paper blocking plate is provided with a signal transmission module.

The present application provides an adjustable paper blocking structure of a thermal printer. The adjustable paper blocking structure can be applied to different sizes of label paper and improve printing accuracy. In use, the label paper is placed in the paper tray and the first paper blocking plate and the second paper blocking plate are adjusted according to the size of the label paper, so that the label paper is moved to the middle of the paper tray and the first paper blocking plate and the second paper blocking plate are in contact with both ends of the label paper. By adjusting the locking component connected to the first paper blocking plate, the bottom end of the pin on the locking component moves into the corresponding tooth groove. Under the action of the reset spring, the pin is locked in the tooth groove, which can fix the first paper blocking plate and the second paper blocking plate on the base and always lock the labels of different sizes in the middle of the paper tray, thereby avoiding position deviation during printing and improving printing accuracy.

The paper blocking structure of the present application further optimizes the structure of the tooth groove by providing a vertical surface and an inclined surface within the tooth groove. Additionally, a tension spring is placed between the first rack and the side of the base close to the vertical surface. The two paper blocking plates are designed as a linkage adjustment state through the ratchet, thereby allowing the user to quickly adjust the direction of the inclined surface, and when the two paper blocking plates are adjusted to match the size of the label paper, the spring can automatically lock the first paper blocking plate onto the vertical surface. Throughout the process, the user does not need to repeatedly adjust the position of the two paper blocking plates. By adjusting the first paper blocking plate, the second paper blocking plate will move the same distance in a linked motion, resulting in higher adjustment accuracy of the two paper blocking plates to the label paper. Furthermore, the vertical surface can prevent the two paper blocking plates from moving further inward, thereby avoiding direct pressure on the ends of the label paper and providing protection for the label paper.

In order to provide a clear explanation of the technical solutions in the present application or existing technologies, the following will briefly introduce the diagrams required for the embodiments. Apparently, the diagrams described below are only some embodiments of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art can obtain other diagrams based on these diagrams without creative labor.

In which: <NUM>, base; <NUM>, tooth groove; <NUM>, inclined surface; <NUM>, vertical surface; <NUM>, first slot; <NUM>, second slot; <NUM>, block; <NUM>, scale; <NUM>, paper blocking component; <NUM>, first paper blocking plate; <NUM>, first convex platform; <NUM>, receiving groove; <NUM>, blocking bar; <NUM>, second paper blocking plate; <NUM>, second convex platform; <NUM>, first rack; <NUM>, second rack; <NUM>, ratchet; <NUM>, locking component; <NUM>, rotating handle; <NUM>, arc-shaped surface; <NUM>, rounded corner; <NUM>, pin; <NUM>, reset spring; <NUM>, tension spring; <NUM>, coil; <NUM>, identification module; <NUM>, signal transmission module; <NUM>, coil cover plate.

The following will describe the technical solution in a clear and complete manner, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the present application. Apparently, the described embodiment is only a part of the embodiments in the present application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary skilled persons in the art belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

As shown in <FIG>, in some implementations, the adjustable paper blocking structure of a thermal printer can be used in desktop thermal printers. The blocking structure includes a base <NUM>, a paper blocking component <NUM>, and a locking component <NUM>. The paper blocking component <NUM> includes a first paper blocking plate <NUM> and a second paper blocking plate <NUM>, which are mirror-symmetrically arranged on the base <NUM> and slidably connected to the base <NUM>. The base <NUM> is provided with parallel first and second slots <NUM> and <NUM>, and a plurality of parallel tooth grooves <NUM> can be arranged near the edge of the base <NUM> close to the first slot <NUM>. The bottom ends of both the first and second paper blocking plates <NUM> and <NUM> are provided with first and second racks <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, which respectively pass through the first and second slots <NUM> and <NUM> and engage through the ratchet <NUM>. The ratchet <NUM> is rotatably connected to the base <NUM>, and the first paper blocking plate <NUM> can be adjusted in linkage with the second rack <NUM> through the first rack <NUM> and the ratchet <NUM>. The locking component <NUM> includes a rotating handle <NUM>, a pin <NUM>, and a reset spring <NUM>. The bottom end of the pin <NUM> passes through the bottom end of the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and slides in the tooth groove <NUM>. The top end of the pin <NUM> passes through the top end of the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and is rotatably connected to the rotating handle <NUM>. The middle of the pin <NUM> is fitted with the reset spring <NUM>, and the top end of the reset spring <NUM> is connected to the bottom surface of the first paper blocking plate <NUM>, while the bottom end of the reset spring <NUM> is connected to the side wall of the pin <NUM>. In addition, an arc-shaped surface <NUM> is arranged in the middle of the top end of the rotating handle <NUM>, and a rounded corner <NUM> is arranged on the outer edge of the top end of the rotating handle <NUM>, which can make the surface of the rotating handle <NUM> smoother and improve the user experience.

When using, the user can first adjust the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and second paper blocking plate <NUM> to their maximum external positions, and then place the label paper into the paper tray of the desktop thermal printer. The first paper blocking plate <NUM> is driven to move inwards, and the first rack <NUM> at the bottom end of the first paper blocking plate <NUM> drives the second rack <NUM> as well as the second paper blocking plate <NUM> to move inwards through the ratchet <NUM>. This causes the inner walls of the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> to respectively abut against both ends of the label paper. For label paper with different sizes, the user can adjust the first paper blocking plate <NUM>, and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> will be adjusted in linkage so that the movement distance of the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> are always the same, and the movement directions are opposite, thereby the label paper with different sizes can be adjusted to the middle position of the paper tray. Once the label paper is in the middle position of the paper tray, the reset spring <NUM> in the locking component <NUM> will push the pin <NUM> downwards, the bottom end of the pin <NUM> is locked at the corresponding tooth groove <NUM>, and both the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> are fixed on the base <NUM>, which prevents the label paper from shifting to both sides, thereby ensuring that label paper with different sizes is always in the best printing position, and ensuring printing accuracy. In addition, if the size of the label paper changes, the user can adjust the positions of the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> by simply turning the rotating handle <NUM> upwards, the reset spring <NUM> will release the pin <NUM> from the tooth groove <NUM>, allowing the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> to resume movement and move to the position that matches the size of the label paper, and then lock in the corresponding tooth groove <NUM>, thus making it suitable for label paper with different sizes.

As shown in <FIG>, the present application can further improve the following technical solution.

In one embodiment, the first convex platform <NUM> is located in the middle of the inner wall of the first paper blocking plate <NUM>, and the second convex platform <NUM> is located in the middle of the inner wall of the second paper blocking plate <NUM>. The two convex platforms can limit both ends of the label paper. Two blocking bars <NUM> are arranged in the receiving groove <NUM>, and the rotating handle <NUM> is partially rotatably connected between the two blocking bars <NUM>.

In this embodiment, the label paper can be rolled into a cylindrical shape, with two round holes formed at both ends of the label paper. The first convex platform <NUM> and the second convex platform <NUM> can be inserted into the corresponding round holes, which can further limit the vertical direction of the label paper to prevent it from jumping up and down, thereby making the printing more uniform and ensuring printing effect. In addition, the two blocking bars <NUM> in the receiving groove <NUM> can guide the rotation of the rotating handle <NUM>, thereby avoiding the rotating handle <NUM> from deviating during rotation, making the connection between the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the base <NUM> more secure, and further preventing the label paper from shifting position.

In one embodiment, the two opposite side walls of the tooth groove <NUM> are respectively provided with the vertical surface <NUM> and the inclined surface <NUM>. The angle between the vertical surface <NUM> and the bottom surface of the tooth groove <NUM> is <NUM>°, and the angle between the inclined surface <NUM> and the bottom surface of the tooth groove <NUM> is <NUM>°-<NUM>°. The geometric dimensions of the bottom end of pin <NUM> are adapted to the geometric dimensions of the tooth groove <NUM>. A tension spring <NUM> is connected between the first rack <NUM> and the side of the base <NUM> near the vertical surface <NUM>. A block <NUM> is provided in the middle of the base <NUM>.

In this embodiment, the vertical surface <NUM> and inclined surface <NUM> are arranged inside the tooth groove <NUM>. A tension spring <NUM> is arranged between the first rack <NUM> and the side of the base <NUM> near the vertical surface <NUM>. The two paper blocking plates are designed to be in a linkage adjustment state by means of the ratchet <NUM>, thereby allowing the user to quickly adjust the direction of the inclined surface <NUM>. When the two paper blocking plates are adjusted to the position matching the label paper specifications, the tension spring <NUM> can automatically lock the first paper blocking plate <NUM> on the vertical surface <NUM>. Throughout the process, the user does not need to repeatedly adjust the position of the two paper blocking plates, only needs to adjust the first paper blocking plate <NUM>, and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> will move in the same distance in linkage, thereby making the adjustment accuracy of the two paper blocking plates higher, and the automatic locking function of the tension spring <NUM> can save effort. The block <NUM> can create a distance between the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the second paper blocking plate <NUM>, making it easier for the user to adjust the movement position of the two paper blocking plates.

The angle between the vertical surface <NUM> and the bottom surface of the tooth groove <NUM> is designed to be <NUM>°, so that when the tension spring <NUM> pulls the first paper blocking plate <NUM> inward, the vertical surface <NUM> can exert a force of the same magnitude and opposite direction on the first paper blocking plate <NUM>, causing the first paper blocking plate <NUM> to automatically lock at the vertical surface <NUM>. The angle between the inclined surface <NUM> and the bottom surface of the tooth groove <NUM> is <NUM>°-<NUM>°, preferably <NUM>° between the two surfaces, which allows the user to apply less force when pushing the first paper blocking plate <NUM> to the outside, thus saving effort. In one embodiment, the base <NUM> is provided with a scale <NUM> at a place where the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> are in contact with each other. The origin of the scale <NUM> is arranged in the middle of the block <NUM>, and the distance between the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> is <NUM>-<NUM>.

The scale <NUM> in this embodiment can make the movement position of the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> more accurate, which is convenient for the subsequent use and maintenance of the thermal printer. The distance between the first paper blocking plate <NUM> and the second paper blocking plate <NUM> is <NUM>-<NUM>, which makes the adjustable paper blocking structure of a thermal printer applicable to <NUM>% of the label paper on the market.

In one embodiment, the outer side wall of the second paper blocking plate <NUM> is recessed inwardly, and a coil <NUM> can be wrapped around the outer side wall of the second paper blocking plate <NUM>. The coil <NUM> is packed between the second paper blocking plate <NUM> and the coil cover plate <NUM>. An identification module <NUM> is provided on the side of the coil <NUM> that contacts with the second paper blocking plate <NUM>, and a signal transmission module <NUM> is provided on the side of the coil <NUM> that extends from the second paper blocking plate <NUM>, thereby being capable of recognizing input information on the label and wirelessly transmitting the information to the external environment.

In this embodiment, specification information is stored on the label paper, which can be recognized by the identification module <NUM> in the coil <NUM>, and the specification information can be wirelessly transmitted to the external environment through the signal transmission module <NUM>, thereby allowing users to quickly identify label paper information and facilitating the use, maintenance, and debugging of equipment.

Claim 1:
An adjustable paper blocking structure of a thermal printer, comprising:
- a base (<NUM>) evenly provided with a plurality of tooth grooves (<NUM>);
- a paper blocking component (<NUM>) comprising a first paper blocking plate (<NUM>) and a second paper blocking plate (<NUM>), wherein the first paper blocking plate (<NUM>) and the second paper blocking plate (<NUM>) are mirror-symmetrically arranged on the base (<NUM>) and slidably connected to the base (<NUM>);
- a locking component (<NUM>) having one end rotatably connected to the first paper blocking plate (<NUM>) and the other end engaged in the corresponding tooth groove (<NUM>);
- wherein the base (<NUM>) is provided with a first slot (<NUM>) and a second slot (<NUM>), and a bottom end of the first paper blocking plate (<NUM>) and a bottom end of the second paper blocking plate (<NUM>) are respectively provided with a first rack (<NUM>) and a second rack (<NUM>), the first rack (<NUM>) and the second rack (<NUM>) pass through the first slot (<NUM>) and the second slot (<NUM>) respectively and are engaged by a ratchet (<NUM>), the ratchet (<NUM>) is rotatably attached to the base (<NUM>);
- wherein the locking component (<NUM>) comprises a rotating handle (<NUM>), a pin (<NUM>), and a reset spring (<NUM>), a bottom end of the pin (<NUM>) passes through the bottom end of the first paper blocking plate (<NUM>) and is slidably connected to the tooth groove (<NUM>), a top end of the pin (<NUM>) passes through a top end of the first paper blocking plate (<NUM>) and is rotatably connected to the rotating handle (<NUM>), a middle of the pin (<NUM>) is fitted with the reset spring (<NUM>), and a top end of the reset spring (<NUM>) is connected to a bottom surface of the first paper blocking plate (<NUM>) and a bottom end of the reset spring (<NUM>) is connected to a side wall of the pin (<NUM>).