JP2012192587A - Cassette attachment device and cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cassette mounting device capable of simultaneously performing an operation of unlocking a cassette and an operation of removing the cassette from the apparatus main body.
A lock member 106 moves between a lock position for locking a cassette inserted into the apparatus main body and a lock release position for releasing the lock so that the cassette can be removed from the apparatus main body. Further, the pushing member 107 moves between a pushing position where the pushing member 107 comes into contact with a receiving member 111 provided in the apparatus main body and pushes the cassette in the extracting direction, and a retracted position. The lock member 106 moves from the lock position to the lock release position in conjunction with the rotation of the lock release member 100 that is rotatably attached to the surface of the cassette from the first position to the second position. The pushing member 107 moves from the retracted position to the pushing position.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a cassette mounting mechanism (hereinafter referred to as “cassette mounting device”) that detachably mounts a cassette to an apparatus main body such as a thermal transfer printer.

  The thermal transfer printer performs printing by pressing the solid ink applied to the ink ribbon against the paper by the print head and transferring it. The ink ribbon is wound around a roll and stored in the ribbon cassette. The ink ribbon cassette is configured to be detachable from the thermal transfer printer main body so as to be replaced.

  However, when the thermal transfer printer is used in combination with other equipment such as a card processing device for business use in particular, a large number of ink ribbons must be used, so the roll for winding the ink ribbon must be enlarged. The cassette becomes larger.

  Therefore, considerable work is required to remove a large and heavy cassette from the thermal transfer printer and remount it, and better operability and convenience are desired for attaching and detaching the cassette.

  In Patent Document 1, an eject member for releasing the lock of the ribbon cassette is provided so as to be slidable with respect to the printer main body. The eject member is slid to release the lock, and the eject member is interlocked with the slide. There is disclosed a thermal transfer printer in which an extruding member provided on the ribbon pushes out the ribbon cassette in the pull-out direction and the ribbon cassette pops out by a spring force.

JP 2003-89257 A

  In the apparatus of Patent Document 1, the eject member is provided on the main body side of the printer, and as an operation for removing the ribbon cassette, the operator first slides the eject member to release the lock, and then removes the extruded ribbon cassette. Two types of operations are required: grabbing and pulling out. In addition, when the operator is operating the eject member, the ribbon cassette pops out from the main body in a free state, and in some cases, the ribbon cassette may drop with a force of popping out. For this reason, the operator must touch the eject member and the ribbon cassette with both hands, which is problematic in terms of operability.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a cassette mounting apparatus capable of simultaneously performing an operation of releasing the lock of the cassette and an operation of extracting the cassette from the apparatus main body.

  In order to achieve the above object, a cassette mounting apparatus according to the present invention is a cassette mounting apparatus in which a cassette is detachably attached to an apparatus main body, wherein the cassette inserted into the apparatus main body is locked and the lock is released to release the lock. A lock member that can be moved between a lock release position that can be removed from the apparatus main body, and a receiving member that is provided on the apparatus main body when the lock member is in the lock release position, thereby extracting the cassette. A pushing member that is movable between a pushing position that pushes in a direction and a retracted position that is spaced apart from the receiving member, and is directly or indirectly connected to the locking member and the pushing member, and moves from the first position to the second position. The lock member, the push member, and the lock release member are provided in the cassette. Moving the lock member from the lock position to the release position by moving the lock release member from the first position to the second position, and moving the push member from the retracted position to the push position; It is a feature.

  The lock release member is configured to be movable to a third position that does not act on the lock member and the push-out member after moving from the first position to the second position.

  Further, when the unlocking member moves from the first position to the second position, the pushing member moves in the first direction, and the unlocking member moves from the third position to the first position. The extruding member is configured to move in the second direction, and when the extruding member moves in the first direction, the extruding member and the locking member move simultaneously, and the extruding member When the member moves in the second direction, only the pushing member moves.

  A first rotating body having a protrusion formed on the unlocking member, an engagement piece that engages with the protrusion as the unlocking member rotates, and the push member; And a locking member provided on the apparatus main body so as to engage with the lock member at the lock position, and the rotation of the lock release member from the first position to the second position. When the protrusion and the engaging piece engage with each other and the first rotating body rotates in the first direction, the second rotating body rotates in conjunction with the first rotating body. Thus, the locking member moves to the unlocking position to release the engagement with the locking member, and the pushing member moves to the pushing position by the rotation of the first rotating body, so that the receiving member and the receiving member are brought into contact with each other. It is characterized by touching.

  In addition, the first rotating body and the second rotating body are arranged on the same axis, and a taper in which the inclination direction is opposite to each other is formed on the surfaces in contact with each other, and the first rotating body Alternatively, when one of the second rotating bodies rotates, when the rising portion of the taper of the first rotating body and the rising portion of the taper of the second rotating body are engaged, the other rotates in conjunction with each other. Thus, the first biasing member that biases the lock member in the direction of the lock position is provided, and when the lock release member rotates from the first position to the second position, The rising portion of the taper of the second rotating body causes the rising portion of the taper of the second rotating body by rotation of the first rotating body in the first direction by the pressing force to the engagement piece. The second rotating body is rotated by pressing the part, and the locking member is When the urging member moves to the lock position against the urging force, the unlocking member reaches the second position, and the protrusion no longer presses the engagement piece, the first urging member By the rotation of the second rotating body in the second direction by the biasing, the rising portion of the taper of the second rotating body presses the rising portion of the taper of the first rotating body to press the first rotating body. When the one rotating body rotates, the positional relationship between the protruding portion and the engaging piece is switched, and then when the unlocking member is rotated to the first position, the protruding portion becomes the first rotating body. Is characterized in that the engagement piece is pressed to rotate in the second direction.

  A second urging member that urges the first rotator to rotate in the first direction, and when the unlocking member rotates to the first position, The rising portion of the taper and the rising portion of the taper of the second rotating body are not engaged, and the first rotating body is engaged with the protrusion and the engaging piece to When the protrusion and the engaging piece are disengaged by the rotation of the unlocking member, the first rotating body is urged by the second urging member. The positional relationship between the protrusion and the engagement piece is switched by rotating back in the first direction, and then when the lock release member is rotated from the first position to the second position, The protruding portion is characterized in that the engaging piece is pressed against the first rotating body so as to rotate in the first direction. .

  The lock member includes an inclined portion that comes into contact with the locking member when the cassette is inserted into the apparatus main body, and the lock member is unlocked by the contact with the locking member at the inclined portion. The lock member and the locking member are disengaged, and the lock member is moved to the lock position by the biasing force of the first biasing member to engage with the locking member. When the second rotating body rotates in the first direction due to the movement of the lock member to the unlocking position, the first rotating body rotates the second rotation by the biasing of the second biasing member. By rotating together with the body, the engagement between the rising part of the taper of the first rotating body and the rising part of the taper of the second rotating body is maintained, and the contact between the lock member and the locking member To the locked position of the locking member When the second rotating body rotates in the second direction by movement, the rising portion of the taper of the second rotating body presses the rising portion of the taper of the first rotating body, thereby pressing the first rotating body. The rotating body also rotates in conjunction with it.

  And the said lock release member is comprised by the handle member of the said cassette, and the said handle member is provided in the housing | casing of the said cassette so that rotation is possible.

  In the connecting portion for rotatably connecting the handle member and the housing, the surfaces where the handle member and the housing are in contact with each other are formed with tapers whose inclination directions are opposite to each other. When the member is in the third position, the handle member and the housing are characterized in that the tapers are engaged with each other.

  The handle member is spring-biased toward the first position.

  In order to achieve the above object, the cassette according to the present invention is a cassette that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body, wherein the cassette inserted into the apparatus main body is locked and the lock is released to release the lock. A lock member that can be moved between a lock release position that can be extracted from the main body, an extrusion position that pushes the cassette in the extraction direction from the apparatus main body when the lock member is in the lock release position, and the cassette can be mounted. An extruding member movable between a first mounting position and a lock releasing member that is directly or indirectly connected to the locking member and the extruding member and is movable from a first position to a second position, The unlocking member moves from the first position to the second position so that the locking member is released from the locking position. Is moved to the position, it is characterized by moving the pushing member to the pushing position from the mounting position.

  According to the present invention, both the unlocking and the urging in the removing direction of the cassette can be achieved by simply rotating the unlocking member attached to the cassette from the first position to the second position. In addition to facilitating the operation for extraction, it is possible to prevent the cassette from being ejected vigorously due to urging in the extraction direction by the operator holding the lock release member. Since the unlocking operation and the drawer operation are the same, a reliable operation can be performed with one hand, improving operability.

Explanatory drawing which shows the whole structure. 1 is an external view of a card processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. External view of a cassette. The top view which shows the state which the cassette mounting apparatus concerning this invention has locked the cassette and the apparatus main body. The top view which shows a state when rotating the lock release member from the 1st position toward the 2nd position from the state of FIG. The top view which shows a state when a lock release member is further rotated to the 3rd position from the state of FIG. 5, and lock | rock is removed. The side view of the rotary body of the cassette mounting apparatus concerning this invention. The side view of the rotary body of the cassette mounting apparatus concerning this invention. The figure explaining operation | movement when inserting the cassette in which a lock release member exists in a 3rd position in a thermal transfer printer from a plane. The figure explaining operation | movement of a lock member from a plane when inserting the cassette in which a lock release member is in a 3rd position in a thermal transfer printer. The figure explaining operation | movement of a lock member from a plane when inserting the cassette in which a lock release member is in a 3rd position in a thermal transfer printer. The figure explaining the state when rotating an unlocking member from the 3rd position to the 1st position from a plane. The figure explaining connection with a lock release member and the housing | casing of a cassette. The figure explaining the connection state with the housing | casing of a cassette when a lock release member exists in a 3rd position.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to an example of a card processing apparatus as a preferred embodiment. The card processed by the card processing apparatus 1 whose overall configuration is shown in FIG. 1 is an ID card for various certifications, a credit card for commercial transactions, etc., and records information electronically on the card and heat transfer to the surface of the card Image information is recorded by a printer. Therefore, the housing 2 includes an information recording unit A, a thermal transfer printer B, and a card storage unit C.

  The information recording unit A includes a magnetic recording unit 24, a non-contact type IC recording unit 23, and a contact type IC recording unit 27. The information recording unit A is composed of various recording units, for example, a bar code recording unit, depending on the apparatus specifications.

  The card accommodating part C is constituted by a card cassette 3 that accommodates a plurality of cards. The card cassette 3 can be removed from the cassette mounting area of the apparatus housing 2.

[Card supply section]
A card housing portion C is provided in the cassette mounting area of the apparatus housing 2 and is composed of a card cassette 3 that houses a plurality of cards. The card cassette 3 shown in FIG. 1 stores a plurality of cards arranged in a standing posture, and feeds the cards from the left end to the right end in the figure. A separation opening 7 is provided at the front end of the card cassette 3, and the pickup roller 19 supplies the card from the front row to the apparatus.

[Configuration of information recording section]
The card sent from the card cassette 3 is sent to the reversing unit F by the carry-in roller 22. The reversing unit F is composed of a rotating frame 80 supported by the apparatus frame 60 so as to be pivotable and a pair or a plurality of roller pairs supported by the frame.

  In the illustrated example, two roller pairs 20 and 21 arranged at a distance from each other at a distance are axially supported on a rotating frame 80. The rotating frame 80 is configured to rotate in a predetermined angle direction by a swing motor (such as a pulse motor), and a roller pair attached to the rotating frame 80 is configured to rotate in the forward / reverse direction by a transport motor. Even if the driving mechanism is configured such that the rotation motion of the rotating frame 80 and the rotation of the roller pairs 20 and 21 are switched by a clutch with one pulse motor, the rotation motion of the rotating frame 80 and the rotation of the roller pairs 20 and 21 are rotated. May be configured as separate drives.

  Accordingly, the cards prepared in the card cassette 3 are separated one by one by the pickup roller 19 and the separation roller (idle roller) 9 and sent to the reverse unit F on the downstream side. The reversing unit F carries the card into the unit with the roller pairs 20 and 21 and deflects its posture in a predetermined angle direction while being nipped by the roller pair.

  A magnetic recording unit 24, a non-contact type IC recording unit 23, a contact type IC recording unit 27, and a reject stacker 25 are arranged on the outer periphery of the reversing unit F in the turning direction. The roller pair 20, 21 forms a card carry-in path 65 for carrying in toward one of the information recording units 23, 24, 27. Incidentally, 28 shown in the figure is a bar code reader, which is a unit for reading a bar code printed by a thermal transfer printer B, which will be described later, and determining correctness (error determination).

  The magnetic recording unit 24, the non-contact type IC recording unit 23, or the contact type IC recording unit 27 passes through the card carry-in path 65 formed by the roller pair 20, 21 with the card deflected in a predetermined angular direction by the reversing unit F. Then, data can be input to the card magnetically or electrically. Further, when a recording error occurs in these information recording units, the information recording unit is carried out to the reject stacker 25.

  In FIG. 1, the reversing unit F rotates toward the non-contact type IC recording unit 23, and the card forms a card carry-in path 65 toward the recording unit 23 by the roller pairs 20 and 21. The non-contact type IC recording unit 23 includes an IC reader / writer substrate 67, an IC reader / writer antenna 69, and a card transport path 68. The IC reader / writer antenna 69 passes through a card carry-in path 65 and a card transport path. Information transmitted from the IC reader / writer substrate 67 is transmitted to the IC chip embedded in the card introduced in 68 as a radio wave signal. As a result, recording information is recorded on the IC chip.

  Between the card transport path 68 and the card transport path P1, a blocking plate 70 for blocking the radio wave signal from the IC reader / writer antenna 67 is arranged, so that other cards in the middle of transport in the card transport path P1. Prevents accidental recording on the card. The shielding plate 70 is composed of a shield material (radio wave absorber), and a material that absorbs and blocks radio waves in a specific band is selected as the shield material.

  A thermal transfer printer B is provided on the downstream side of the reversing unit F, a card transport path P1 for transferring a card to the thermal transfer printer B is provided, and the above-described reversing unit F is disposed in the path P1. In addition, transport rollers 29 and 30 for transporting cards are arranged in the card transport path P1, and are connected to a transport motor (not shown). The transport rollers 29 and 30 are configured to be capable of switching between forward and reverse, and are configured to transport the card from the thermal transfer printer B to the reverse unit F in the same manner as the card is transported from the reverse unit F to the thermal transfer printer B.

  Further, the transport rollers 29 and 30 are a pair of rollers that feeds out a card to be transported between the pair of upper and lower rollers. A skew correction device 90 is disposed between the transport roller 29 and the transport roller 30. Although not shown in detail, the skew correction device 90 is provided with a width-adjusting member on one side along the conveyance direction of the card conveyance path P1 and a guide member on the other side, and is conveyed by conveyance rollers 29 and 30. Is pushed toward the guide member by the width-shifting member, so that the card with the corrected skew is conveyed toward the thermal transfer printer B.

  On the downstream side of the thermal transfer printer B, a card transport path P2 for transporting cards to the storage stacker 60 is provided. In the card transport path P2, transport rollers (or belts) 37 and 38 for transporting cards are arranged and connected to a transport motor (not shown).

  A decurling mechanism 36 is disposed between the transporting roller 37 and the transporting roller 38 and presses the center of the card held between the transporting rollers 37 and 38 to correct the curl caused by the thermal transfer. For this reason, the decurling mechanism 36 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction shown in FIG. 1 by a lifting mechanism (such as a cam) not shown.

  The conveyance roller 37 is a nip roller 71, and the conveyance roller 38 is a nip roller 72, which nips a card to be decurled. When the pressing unit 74 is pushed down by the lifting mechanism, the receiving unit 73 receives the pressing unit 74. It moves downward together with the nip rollers 71 and 72. Thereby, since the nip of the card | curd by the conveyance roller 37, the nip roller 71, and the conveyance roller 38, and the nip roller 72 is cancelled | released, the prepared curl correction can be performed.

"Thermal transfer printer"
The thermal transfer printer B forms images such as face photographs and character data on the front and back surfaces of the recording card. The illustrated apparatus shows a case where an image is formed with a sublimation ink ribbon.

  The thermal transfer printer B is provided with a thermal head 40 and an ink ribbon 41. The ink ribbon 41 is accommodated in a ribbon cassette 42. An operation roll 43 and a take-up roll 44 are accommodated in the ribbon cassette 42, and a wind motor Mr1 (not shown) is connected to the take-up roll 44.

  A thermal head 40 is disposed at a position facing the platen roller 45. The thermal head 40 is thermally controlled by a head control IC (not shown). The head control IC forms an image of the ink ribbon 41 on a transfer film 46 (to be described later) by controlling the heating of the thermal head 40 according to the image data. Therefore, the take-up roll 44 rotates in synchronization with the thermal control of the thermal head 40, and the ink ribbon 41 is taken up at a predetermined speed. 39 is a cooling fan for cooling the thermal head 40.

  The transfer film 46 is accommodated in a transfer film cassette 50 and wound around a take-up roll 47 and an operation roll 48. The transfer film 46 transfers a transfer image to a platen roller 31 and a heat roller 33 which are thermal transfer devices. It is wound like so. 49 is a transfer roller for the transfer film 46, and pinch rollers 32a and 32b are arranged on the peripheral surface thereof. The transfer roller 49 is connected to a drive motor (not shown). Then, the transfer film 46 moves in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 at the same speed as the ink ribbon 41.

  Further, the heat roller 33 is provided with an elevating mechanism (not shown) so as to be pressed against and separated from the platen roller 31 arranged in the carry-in path P <b> 1 via the transfer film 46. The dial 95 shown in FIG. 4 is interlocked with the lifting mechanism, and the heat roller 33 can be lifted and lowered manually by turning the dial 95.

  The heat roller 33 is composed of a heating roller, and the image on the transfer film 46 is transferred to the surface of the recording card by a heating means arranged inside. The illustrated Se1 is a position detection sensor for the ink ribbon 41, and the illustrated Se2 is a presence / absence detection sensor for the transfer film 46. The thermal transfer printer B is provided with a fan 39 for releasing the heat generated in the apparatus.

"Container"
The accommodating portion D is configured to accommodate the card sent from the thermal transfer printer B in the accommodating stacker 60 as shown in FIG. The storage stacker 60 is configured to detect the uppermost card by a lifting mechanism 61 and a level sensor (not shown) and to move downward by the lifting mechanism 61 in FIG.

  FIG. 2 shows the external appearance of the card processing apparatus 1 described above. When the front cover 1A pivotally supported on one side is opened, the ribbon cassette 42 and the transfer film cassette 50 are respectively attached to the thermal transfer printer B. It is detachable so that it can be inserted into and removed from the cassette mounting area. Also, a pin 82 is provided on the back surface of the front cover 1A. When the front cover 1A is closed to the main body, it is detected that the pin 82 has been inserted into the insertion hole 83 provided on the main body side. 1 is in an operable state.

  Operation for unlocking and taking out the ribbon cassette 42 and transfer film cassette 50 (hereinafter simply referred to as “cassette”) that is detachable from the thermal transfer printer B of the card processing apparatus 1, and insertion when the cassette is loaded A specific configuration of the cassette mounting device according to the present invention that allows easy operation and locking operation will be described.

  FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the ribbon cassette 42 extracted from the card processing apparatus 1. The transfer film cassette 50 is the same, but the cassette is provided with a handle member 100 for gripping on the surface facing the operator when the cassette is pulled out. The handle member 100 is rotatably attached between a first position where the handle member 100 is tilted on the surface of the casing 10 of the cassette and a third position where the handle member 100 is raised from the surface of the casing 10. Yes. The handle member 100 also serves as an unlocking member. When the handle member 100 is in the second position between the first position and the third position, the lock between the cassette and the thermal transfer printer B is released, and the cassette Can be extracted.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a cassette mounting device that is detachable from the thermal transfer printer B. The handle member 100 has a shaft 88 provided in the cassette in a shaft hole 101 formed in the upper and lower sides. 13 and FIG. 14) are inserted, and are configured to rotate between the first position, the second position, and the third position with this shaft as a fulcrum.

  A protrusion 102 is formed at the rotating end of the handle member 100 on the cassette side. A rotating body 104 including an engagement piece 103 that engages with the protrusion 102 is pivotally supported on a shaft 105.

  The configuration of the rotating body 104 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 showing side views of the rotating body 104. The rotating body 104 includes a first rotating body 104A and a second rotating body 104B. The pushing member 107 is provided with the engaging piece 103 in 104A, and the locking member 106 and the protrusion piece 114 are provided in the 2nd rotary body 104B.

  The push-out member 107 moves between an push-out position that pushes out the cassette in the extraction direction and a retreat position according to the rotation of the first rotating body 104A.

  The lock member 106 moves between the lock position and the unlock position according to the rotation of the second rotating body. In addition, the protruding piece 114 comes into contact with a stopper 115 fixed to the cassette when the second rotating body 104B is rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing.

  The first rotating body 104A and the second rotating body 104B are arranged so as to be rotatable on the shafts 107 inserted through the respective shaft holes, but the first rotating body 104A along the rotation direction is in contact with each other. A plurality of tapers 108 are formed on the second rotating body 104B, and a plurality of tapers 109 are formed on the second rotating body 104B. The taper 108 and the taper 109 are meshed with each other with the inclination directions opposite to each other. In a state where the rising portion 108A of the taper 108 and the rising portion 109A of the taper 109 are engaged (FIG. 7), one of the first rotating body 104A or the second rotating body 104B is connected to the rising portion 108A and the rising portion. If rotation is performed in a direction that maintains the engaged state with 109A, the other also rotates in conjunction with it.

  However, when one of the first rotating body 104A or the second rotating body 104B rotates in a direction away from the engagement between the rising portion 108A and the rising portion 109A (FIG. 8), the other is not linked. The rotation remains stopped. Then, in a state where the rising portion 108A and the rising portion 109A are separated from each other, even if one of the first rotating body 104A or the second rotating body 104B rotates in a direction that brings the rising portion 108A and the rising portion 109A closer to each other, The rotating force is not transmitted to one of the rotating bodies until the separated rising portion 108A and rising portion 109A come into contact again and engage.

  In FIG. 4, the locking member 110 and the receiving member 111 are fixed to the main body of the thermal transfer printer B. For example, the locking member 110 formed of a pin protrudes in the vertical direction from the paper surface of the drawing, and the cassette is locked to the thermal transfer printer B by engaging with the lock member 106. The lock member 106 is urged in the clockwise direction in the figure so as to be engaged with the locking member 110 at the lock position by a first urging member (not shown) such as a spring. The first urging member may be provided so as to directly act on the lock member 106, or may be provided so as to act on the second rotating body 104B to give a clockwise rotational force.

  The receiving member 111 receives the pushing member 107 that has advanced to the pushing position by the rotation of the first rotating body 104A, and applies the reaction force to the cassette through the pushing member 107, whereby the cassette is transferred to the thermal transfer printer B. Can be easily removed from the cassette mounting area. The retracted position of the pushing member 107 is a position where the cassette is in a mounted state and the pushing member 107 does not act to push the cassette, and may be separated from the receiving member 111 as shown in FIG. If the force which pushes out a cassette does not work, you may contact the receiving member 111.

  The operation of the cassette mounting apparatus according to the present invention having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which the handle member 100 is in the first position, the lock member 106 is in the lock position and is engaged with the locking member 110, and the cassette is set in the thermal transfer printer B and locked. Is shown.

  FIG. 5 shows a state in which the handle member 100 is rotated to the second position by the operation of the operator in order to pull out the cassette from the thermal transfer printer B. In this case, the protrusion 102 of the handle member 100 engages and presses the engagement piece 103 from the left in the figure, and rotates the first rotating body 104A in the counterclockwise direction (first direction) in the figure. The rotation of the first rotating body 104A in the counterclockwise direction is the state shown in FIG. 7 in which the rising portion 108A of the taper 108 and the rising portion 109A of the taper 109 are engaged. 104B also rotates in conjunction with it. As a result, the lock member 106 moves to the unlock position and is separated from the locking member 110, and the cassette is unlocked by the thermal transfer printer B. At the same time, the pushing member 107 is advanced from the retracted position to the pushing position by the rotation of the second rotating body 104B and comes into contact with the receiving member 111, and the cassette is urged in the drawing direction (arrow a direction in the figure) by the reaction. Is done.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when the handle member 100 reaches the third position and the rotation is finished, the second rotating body 104B that is free without any force acting on the first rotating body 104A is the first rotating body 104B. The lock member 106 urged by the urging member rotates in the clockwise direction (second direction) in the drawing. At this time, since the cassette is moved in the extraction direction by the reaction caused by the contact between the pushing member 107 and the receiving member 111, the locking member 106 is not engaged with the locking member 110 and locked. Then, the protruding piece 114 of the first rotating body 104A comes into contact with the stopper 115 and the rotation of the lock member 106 stops.

  On the other hand, the clockwise rotation (second direction) in the drawing of the second rotating body 104B is such that the rising portion 108A of the taper 108 and the rising portion 109A of the taper 109 are engaged with each other. 104A also rotates in conjunction with it. By the rotation of the first rotating body 104A, the pushing member 107 moves away from the receiving member 111 and the pushing position and is displaced to the retracted position. Further, the rotation of the first rotating body 104A in the clockwise direction (second direction) in the drawing causes the positional relationship between the engaging piece 103 and the protruding portion 102 to be switched. It will be located on the left side in the figure. As a result, when the handle member 100 is next rotated from the second position to the first position, the protrusion 102 engages and presses the engagement piece 103 from the right direction in the drawing, thereby pressing the first rotating body 104A. In the figure, it can be rotated in the clockwise direction (second direction).

  Thus, the operator raises the handle member 100 and pulls it as it is, so that the cassette can be unlocked and pulled out by the same operation, and the cassette can be easily pulled out. In addition, even if the reaction force due to the contact between the pushing member 107 and the receiving member 111 is large, the operator holds the handle member 100, so that the cassette is prevented from falling.

  Next, the case where the cassette pulled out from the thermal transfer printer B is set again will be described. When the handle member 100, which is a lock release member, is in the third position, the protrusion 102 does not contact the engagement piece 103 and thus does not act on the lock member 106 and the push-out member 107. Therefore, when the handle member in the third position is inserted into the thermal transfer printer B, the lock by the engagement between the lock member 106 and the locking member 110 is achieved.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the cassette is inserted into the cassette mounting area of the thermal transfer printer B in the arrow direction b, the leading end of the lock member 106 abuts against the locking member 110. An inclined portion 106A is formed on the side where the locking member 106 contacts the locking member 110. When the cassette is inserted as it is, the locking member 110 slides on the inclined portion 106A, and the locking member 106 moves in the arrow direction c. It runs away and turns (FIG. 10).

  The second rotating body 104B rotates in the counterclockwise direction (first direction) in the drawing by the rotation of the locking member 110 in the arrow direction c. Regarding the movement of the first rotating body 104A at this time, the first rotating body 104A is moved to a second biasing member (not shown) by a spring or the like so as to rotate in the counterclockwise direction (first direction) in the drawing. Therefore, when the second rotating body 104B rotates in the counterclockwise direction and the engagement by the rising portion 109A of the taper 109 is released, the first rotating body 104A becomes the second biasing member. By following the urging, the second rotating body 104B follows and rotates in the same counterclockwise direction. Therefore, the engagement between the rising portion 108 of the taper 108 of the first rotating body 104A and the rising portion 109A of the taper 109 of the second rotating body 104B is maintained. Even if the pushing member 107 contacts the receiving member 111 during the cassette insertion, the handle member 100 is in the third position and does not act on the pushing member 107, so only the first rotating body 104A rotates clockwise, The force in the pulling direction does not act on the cassette, and the cassette can be pushed in as it is.

  Then, when the contact with the locking member 110 at the inclined portion 106A is released, the lock member 106 is returned by the biasing force of the first biasing member, moves to the lock position, and engages with the locking member 110. (FIG. 11). At this time, the second rotating body 104B rotates in the clockwise direction (second direction) in the figure, but the rising portion 108 of the taper 108 of the first rotating body 104A and the rising portion of the taper 109 of the second rotating body 104B. The engagement with 109A is maintained, and the first rotating body 104A also rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the second rotating body 104B in the clockwise direction.

  In this way, the cassette is inserted into the thermal transfer printer B and locked. In such a state as shown in FIG. 11, the handle member 100 is in the third position, and it is necessary to return the handle member 100 to the first position. This is the initial state shown in FIG. 4 and is a preparatory operation necessary for the protrusion 102 to press the engagement piece 103 from the left in the drawing when the lock is released next time. Also, the card processing apparatus 1 operates without being able to close the front cover 1A when the handle member 100 of the ribbon cassette 42 or the transfer film cassette 50 is raised from the surface of the housing 10 other than the first position. Can not be done.

  The rotation return operation from the third position to the first position of the handle member 100 may be performed manually or with a spring bias. However, as described above, since it is an operation necessary for the next unlocking, it is automatically performed by the spring bias. Preferably. In addition, if the operator inserts the cassette into the cassette mounting area of the thermal transfer printer B and removes his / her hand, the handle member 100 is automatically returned to the first position, thereby improving convenience.

  An operation when the handle member 100 is rotated from the third position to the first position in a state where the lock member 106 and the locking member 110 are engaged will be described. When the handle member 100 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 11 to the first position, the protrusion 102 presses the engagement piece 103 from the right direction in the drawing, and the first rotating body 104A moves in the clockwise direction (second direction in the drawing). Direction). At this time, when the first rotating body 104A is rotated in the clockwise direction, the rising portion 108A of the taper 108 and the rising portion 109A of the taper 109 are not engaged but are separated from each other. Accordingly, at this time, the cassette is already inserted into the thermal transfer printer B and the lock member 106 and the locking member 110 are engaged, but the first rotating body 104A rotates freely by the rotation of the handle member 100. be able to.

  Then, when the rotation of the handle member 100 is in the state of FIG. 12 before reaching the first position, the protrusion 102 and the engagement piece 103 are disengaged, and the first rotating body 104A is shown in the figure as described above. Since the second urging member is urged to rotate in the clockwise direction (first direction), the urging force causes the first rotating body 104A to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing (first direction). 1 direction). By this rotation, the engagement piece 103 returns to the position shown in FIG. 4 where the handle member 100 is in the first position. Further, when the first rotating body 104A starts to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, the rising portion 108A of the taper 108 and the rising portion 109A of the taper 109 are in the state shown in FIG. Therefore, only the first rotating body 104A rotates, and this rotation stops when the rising portion 108A of the taper 108 of the first rotating body 104A comes into contact with the rising portion 109A of the taper 109 of the second rotating body 104B.

  Thus, when the handle member 100 in the third position is returned to the first position after being locked, the engagement piece 103 is positioned on the right side in the drawing of the protrusion 102 by the above-described series of movements by the first rotating body 104A. Then, the positional relationship between the engagement piece 103 and the protrusion 102 is changed again, and the state shown in FIG. 4 can be restored.

  Therefore, when the handle member 100 is next rotated from the first position to the second position, the protrusion 102 presses the engagement piece 103 from the left in the drawing, and the first rotating body 104A is counterclockwise in the drawing. By rotating in the rotating direction (first direction), the lock member 106 and the locking member 110 are disengaged as described above, and the lock is released.

  In this cassette insertion operation, the operator can easily operate the handle member 100 to be inserted while maintaining the state of the third position, but the handle member 100 is pivotable because it is rotatable, Inserting the cassette while keeping the handle member 100 in the third position is a troublesome operation. Therefore, the cassette mounting device according to the present invention holds the handle member 100 in the third position when the operator holds the cassette to be inserted in a state where the handle member 100 is held in the vertical direction. The structure can be kept stable.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a shaft 88 is inserted through a connecting portion 85 that connects the handle member 100 and the casing 10 of the cassette, and the handle member 100 is pivotally supported by the shaft 88. ing. In the connecting portion 85, a taper 86 and a taper 87 whose inclination directions are opposite to each other are formed on the surface where the handle member 100 and the housing 10 come into contact with each other. In the state as shown in the figure, the handle member 100 is in a stable state at the third position by the tapers engaging with each other due to the weight of the cassette body.

  Therefore, when the operator holds the handle member 100 and inserts the cassette into the thermal transfer printer B, the cassette housing 10 does not wobble with respect to the handle member 100 and the cassette can be easily inserted. As described above, when the handle member 100 is configured to be forcibly returned from the third position to the first position by providing the spring member, the force that rotates due to the weight of the cassette body is greater than the bias of the spring member. It should be stronger.

  The cassette mounting device described above can be unlocked and pulled out simultaneously by rotating the handle member 100 in the first position to the second position. When inserting, the cassette mounting device is inserted into the thermal transfer printer B to lock and lock. Very convenient that can be done. Therefore, it is very effective when handling a large cassette.

  As described above, the present invention has been described in the embodiment in which the thermal transfer printer is an apparatus main body. However, the apparatus having a cassette can be implemented in various printers other than the thermal transfer printer. Further, even if the apparatus main body is a thermal transfer printer, it is not limited to the thermal transfer printer used in the card processing apparatus.

  The present invention makes the cassette easily detachable from the apparatus, and can be applied to all apparatuses having a cassette such as a thermal transfer printer and has industrial applicability.

B Main unit (thermal transfer printer)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Housing | casing 85 Connection part 86 Taper 87 formed in a handle member in a connection part Taper 100 formed in a housing | casing in a connection part Lock release member (handle member)
102 Protruding part 103 Engagement piece 104 Rotating body 104A First rotating body 104B Second rotating body 106 Locking member 106A Inclining part 107 Pushing member 108 Tapered part 108A of the first rotating body Taper rising part 109 of the first rotating body 109 Second rotation Body taper 109A Taper rising portion 110 of second rotating body Locking member 111 Receiving member

Claims (16)

In the cassette mounting device that detachably mounts the cassette to the device body,
A lock member that can be moved between a lock position for locking the cassette inserted into the apparatus main body and a lock release position for releasing the lock and allowing the cassette to be removed from the apparatus main body;
Extrusion that is movable between an extruding position that abuts a receiving member provided in the apparatus main body and pushes the cassette in the extraction direction when the locking member is in the unlocking position and a retracted position that is separated from the receiving member. Members,
A lock release member that is directly or indirectly coupled to the lock member and the push member and is movable from a first position to a second position;
The locking member, the pushing member and the unlocking member are provided in the cassette;
Moving the lock member from the lock position to the release position by moving the lock release member from the first position to the second position, and moving the push member from the retracted position to the push position; A cassette mounting device.   The said unlocking member is comprised so that it can move to the 3rd position which does not act on the said locking member and the said extrusion member after moving to the said 2nd position from the said 1st position. Cassette mounting device. When the unlocking member moves from the first position to the second position, the pushing member moves in the first direction,
The push-out member moves in the second direction by moving the unlocking member from the third position to the first position,
When the extruding member moves in the first direction, the extruding member and the locking member move simultaneously,
The cassette mounting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the pushing member moves in the second direction, only the pushing member moves. A protrusion formed on the unlocking member;
A first rotating body having an engagement piece that engages with the protrusion and the pushing member as the lock release member rotates;
A second rotating body having the lock member;
A locking member provided in the apparatus main body so as to engage with the locking member in the locking position,
When the protrusion and the engagement piece are engaged by the rotation of the unlocking member from the first position to the second position and the first rotating body rotates in the first direction, When the second rotating body rotates in conjunction with the first rotating body, the locking member moves to the unlocking position to release the engagement with the locking member, and the first rotating body rotates. The cassette mounting device according to claim 3, wherein the pushing member moves to the pushing position and comes into contact with the receiving member. The first rotator and the second rotator are arranged on the same axis, and a taper in which the inclination direction is opposite to each other is formed on the surfaces in contact with each other. When one of the second rotating bodies rotates, when the rising portion of the taper of the first rotating body and the rising portion of the taper of the second rotating body are engaged, the other rotates in conjunction with each other. And
A first urging member for urging the lock member in the direction of the lock position;
When the unlocking member rotates from the first position to the second position, the rotation of the first rotating body in the first direction due to the pressing force of the protrusion on the engaging piece, The rising portion of the taper of the first rotating body presses the rising portion of the taper of the second rotating body to rotate the second rotating body, and the lock member is attached to the first biasing member. Move to the lock position against the force,
When the unlocking member reaches the second position and the protrusion no longer presses the engagement piece, the second rotating body is rotated in the second direction by the biasing of the first biasing member. Then, when the rising portion of the taper of the second rotating body presses the rising portion of the taper of the first rotating body and the first rotating body rotates, the protrusion and the engagement piece When the positional relationship is switched and the lock release member is then rotated to the first position, the protrusion presses the engagement piece so that the first rotating body rotates in the second direction. The cassette mounting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein A second urging member that urges the first rotating body to rotate in the first direction;
When the unlocking member rotates to the first position, the rising part of the taper of the first rotating body and the rising part of the taper of the second rotating body are not engaged, and the first The rotating body rotates independently in the second direction by the engagement of the protrusion and the engagement piece, and the protrusion and the engagement piece are engaged by the rotation of the lock release member. When released, the first urging member is urged by the second urging member to rotate back in the first direction, so that the positional relationship between the protrusion and the engagement piece is switched, and then the lock When the release member is rotated from the first position to the second position, the protrusion presses the engagement piece so that the first rotating body rotates in the first direction. The cassette mounting apparatus according to claim 5. The locking member includes an inclined portion that comes into contact with the locking member when the cassette is inserted into the apparatus main body.
The locking member moves to the unlocking position by contact with the locking member at the inclined portion, and then the contact between the locking member and the locking member is released and the locking member is moved to the first position. When it moves to the lock position by the biasing member and engages with the locking member,
When the second rotating body rotates in the first direction by the movement of the lock member to the unlocking position, the first rotating body rotates together with the second rotating body by the biasing of the second biasing member. Thus, the engagement between the rising portion of the taper of the first rotating body and the rising portion of the taper of the second rotating body is maintained,
When the contact between the locking member and the locking member is released and the locking member moves to the locking position and rotates in the second direction of the second rotating body, the taper of the second rotating body is increased. The cassette mounting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the rising portion presses the rising portion of the taper of the first rotating body to rotate the first rotating body in conjunction with the rising portion.   The said lock release member is comprised by the handle member of the said cassette, and the said handle member is provided in the housing | casing of the said cassette so that rotation is possible, The Claim 1 thru | or 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. Cassette mounting device.   In the connecting portion for rotatably connecting the handle member and the housing, the surfaces where the handle member and the housing are in contact with each other are formed with tapers whose inclination directions are opposite to each other. The cassette mounting apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein when the member is in the third position, the handle member and the housing are engaged with each other by the tapers.   The cassette mounting apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the handle member is spring-biased toward the first position. In a cassette that is detachably attached to the device body,
A lock member that can be moved between a lock position for locking the cassette inserted into the apparatus main body and a lock release position for releasing the lock and allowing the cassette to be removed from the apparatus main body;
An extruding member movable between an extruding position for extruding the cassette from the apparatus main body in the extraction direction when the locking member is in the unlocking position and a mounting position for mounting the cassette;
A lock release member that is directly or indirectly coupled to the lock member and the push member and is movable from a first position to a second position;
Moving the lock member from the lock position to the release position by moving the lock release member from the first position to the second position, and moving the push member from the mounting position to the push position; Characteristic cassette.   The said lock release member is comprised so that it can move to the 3rd position which does not act on the said lock member and the said extrusion member after moving to the said 2nd position from the said 1st position. cassette. When the unlocking member moves from the first position to the second position, the pushing member moves in the first direction,
The push-out member moves in the second direction by moving the unlocking member from the third position to the first position,
When the extruding member moves in the first direction, the extruding member and the locking member move simultaneously,
The cassette according to claim 12, wherein when the pushing member moves in the second direction, only the pushing member moves.   The cassette according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the unlocking member is configured by a handle member of the cassette, and the handle member is rotatably provided in a casing of the cassette. .   In the connecting portion for rotatably connecting the handle member and the housing, the surfaces where the handle member and the housing are in contact with each other are formed with tapers whose inclination directions are opposite to each other. The cassette according to claim 14, wherein when the member is in the third position, the handle member and the casing are engaged with each other by the tapers.   The cassette according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the handle member is spring-biased toward the first position.

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