JPH0528044Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] This invention relates to a small reader/printer device.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

Conventionally, a reader/printer device that has both a reading function and a printer function is equipped with a platen and a moving table that moves along the sides of the platen in the length direction of the platen. Some reader/printer devices are equipped with a printer section, but since these reader/printer devices use a platen, the entire device is quite large and is not suitable for portability, and the objects to be read and printed are large. Since the method is limited to those that can be wrapped around a platen, there is a problem in that it is impossible to read recorded information from thick materials such as books or print on notebooks and the like.

On the other hand, recently, reader/printer devices that read and print information in a limited range are equipped with a reader section at the tip of a vertically long device body that can be held in the hand. A small reader/printer device has been developed that prints the read information read by the section on special printing paper.

This reader/printer device is designed by holding the main body of the device in your hand and touching the tip of the lever onto the object to be read.
In this state, by holding the leading edge of the print paper led out from the leading edge of the device body with your hand and moving the entire device so as to trace the reading area of the object to be read, the recorded information of the object to be read can be transferred to the reader. This reader/printer is configured to have the reader/printer read the data and print the read information on print paper that is pulled out from inside the device body when the tip is pressed by hand and the entire device moves. The device is very compact, making it convenient to carry, and has the advantage of being able to read and print recorded information even from thick objects such as books.

However, since the above-mentioned small reader/printer devices print the information read by the reader section onto print paper loaded in the device, they can only print on dedicated print paper; In order to record information read from an object in a notebook or the like, it is necessary to cut out the printed paper and paste it on the notebook or the like. Moreover, since the above-mentioned compact reader/printer device reads the recorded information of the object by moving the entire device to trace the reading part of the object, it is difficult to hold the main body of the device by hand. When the entire device is moved laterally, the entire device may shift in the width direction and meander, and when the entire device meanders, the reader section also scans the reading part of the object in a meandering manner. Since the information read by the meandering scan is printed directly on the print paper, there is also the problem that accurate prints without distortion cannot be obtained.

[Purpose of invention]

This idea was created in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is not only to read information from thick objects such as books, but also to read information from notebooks and other arbitrary printed objects. Scanned information can be freely printed on objects, and the main body of the device can be moved horizontally in a straight line without meandering during reading or printing, allowing for accurate reading and printing. The object of the present invention is to provide a convenient small reader/printer device.

[Summary of the idea]

That is, the compact reader/printer device of this invention includes a hand-held outer frame having a planar rectangular opening opening on the upper and lower surfaces, and a reader section at the lower end for reading recorded information of the object to be read. There is also a reader/printer device main body, which is provided with a printer section that brings an ink tape into contact with the print object and prints on the print object with a print head, and a reader section that is provided inside the outer frame or inside the device main body, and a control section that stores the read information read by the printer and outputs this information to the printer section when printing, and the device main body supports its lower part so that it can be moved laterally within the opening of the outer frame body and can be rotated up and down. and the opening of the outer frame,
The structure is such that the main body of the device can be stored lying down.

In other words, in the compact reader/printer device of this invention, the main body of the reader/printer device is raised to an upright state relative to the outer frame, and in this state, the main body of the device is moved laterally by hand to read information from the object to be read. The reader/printer device is configured to print the read information on the print target, and this reader/printer device includes a reader section for reading the recorded information of the read target in the main body of the device, and an ink tape that is attached to the print target. A printer unit is provided which prints on the print object using a print head in contact with the printer unit, and the control unit stores the read information read by the reader unit and outputs this information to the printer unit at the time of printing. Because of this, it is not only possible to read information from thick objects such as books, but also to print information freely on notebooks and other arbitrary print objects. Moreover,
In this reader/printer device, the lower part of the main body of the device is supported within the opening of the outer frame so that it can be moved laterally and rotated up and down, so the outer frame can be moved by hand both during reading and printing. By holding the device so that it does not move and moving it laterally, the device can be guided by the outer frame and moved in a straight line without meandering, allowing accurate reading and printing. Moreover, if the main body of the device is stored in the opening of the outer frame, the main body of the device will not protrude above the outer frame, making it convenient to carry.

[Example of idea]

An embodiment of this invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

This small reader/printer device has an appearance as shown in FIG. 2, and its structure is as follows.

1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes an outer frame constructed by combining a pair of upper and lower cases 11a and 11b. is formed.
This outer frame 10 has a length of about 17 to 20 cm and a width of about 8 to 10 cm.
cm, about 3 cm thick, and is large enough to be held in one hand.
The opening 12 has a size (approximately 10 cm in length and approximately 5 cm in width) that allows the main body of the reader/printer device to be described later to be folded down and stored.

The outer frame 10 is placed on the object to be read during reading, and placed on the object to be printed during printing to guide the lateral movement of the reader/printer device. A finger rest recess 14 is formed on the surface so as to be convenient for holding the outer frame 10 placed on the object to be read or printed by hand to prevent it from shifting. In addition, in FIG. 2, 15 is the outer frame body 10.
This is a power switch installed on the top surface of the unit.

On the other hand, 20 is a reader/printer device main body, and this device main body 20 includes a reader section with a reading width of about 4 cm for reading the recorded information of the object to be read,
A printer section with a printing width of about 4 cm is provided for printing on the printing object. When the reader/printer device main body 20 is not in use, the outer frame body 10 is laid down as shown by the solid line in FIG. It is stored in the opening 12 of the reader/printer device, and when the reader/printer device is used, it is pulled up to stand vertically to the outer frame body 10 as shown by the chain line in FIG.
is adapted to be manually moved laterally in the length direction of the opening 12 in the raised state.

To explain the structure of this reader/printer main body 20, in FIG. 1, 21 is a vertically long rectangular cylindrical outer case with open upper and lower ends. This outer case 21 has a size that can be held with one hand, and the lower part of the outer case 21 is supported within the opening 12 of the outer frame 10 so as to be able to move laterally and to rotate up and down. That is, this outer case 21 has a pair of movable members (not shown) provided on both sides of the outer frame body 10 so as to be movable along the length direction of the opening 12. It is supported via a support shaft, and is adapted to be moved laterally together with the moving member, and also to be rotated up and down using the support shaft as a fulcrum. In addition, 17 is the outer frame body 10
This is a cutout along the length direction of the opening 12 provided on both sides of the opening 12, and the support shaft is connected to the moving member through the cutout. A pinion gear (not shown) that engages with a rack 16 provided on one side of the outer frame 10 and rotates as the device body 20 moves laterally is rotatably mounted on one of the support shafts. supported. This pinion gear is used to obtain a timing pulse that matches the moving speed of the main body of the device, which is manually moved laterally.This timing pulse is generated by, for example, making a large number of small holes equally spaced along the circumference of the pinion gear. At the same time, a light source element and a photoelectric conversion element are arranged with the pinion gear in between, and each time a small hole comes between the light source element and the photoelectric conversion element by rotation of the pinion gear, light from the light source element is transferred to the photoelectric conversion element. It can be obtained by receiving light. This timing pulse is sent to a control section 40 provided within the outer frame 10.

Further, at the lower end of the outer case 21, on the front side and the rear side thereof, there is provided a linear illumination element (light emitting diode or slit light) 22 that emits linear illumination light toward the reading surface a of the object to be read. ,
An image sensor (for example, a line image sensor with 256 bits per line) 23 for reading the recorded information on the reading surface a is attached over almost the entire width of the outer case 21. The lighting element 22 and the image sensor 23 constitute a reader section that reads recorded information of the object to be read.
is provided so as to be inclined so as to irradiate the illumination light toward the lower center of the device main body 20, and the image sensor 23 is provided so as to be inclined so that its light-receiving surface faces the illumination light irradiation position on the reading surface a. It is provided.

Next, the printer section provided in the main body 20 of the apparatus will be explained. This printer section brings an ink tape into contact with the object to be printed and prints on the object with the print head. It is provided in a rectangular cylindrical inner case 24 which is vertically movably inserted into the outer case 21 and has an open lower surface. To explain the structure of this printer section, this printer section is of a thermal transfer type, and a thermal head 25 is provided vertically at the center of the lower end of the inner case 24 along its width direction. Furthermore, this thermal head 25
It is said that a thin film heating element is provided on the lower surface of the heating element, in which heating parts are formed at a pitch of, for example, 5 parts per 1 mm. Further, 26 is a thermal transfer type ink tape, and this ink tape 26 is unwound from a tape reel 27 loaded at approximately the middle height of the inner case 24, passed under the thermal head 25, and passed to the upper end inside the inner case 24. The tape is wound onto a tape take-up reel 28 provided in the. Note that 29 and 29 are tape guide plates provided on both sides of the thermal head 25, and 30 and 30 are tape guide rollers 29 and 29. Further, 31 is a partition plate that partitions the inside of the inner case 24 into a tape reel loading chamber and a tape winding chamber, and this partition plate 31 is provided with a slit 32 through which the ink tape 26 is passed.

The tape take-up reel 28 is rotationally driven by a tape take-up mechanism (not shown) provided in the inner case 24, and the tape take-up reel 28 can be separated from the tape take-up mechanism. is connected to. When the ink tape 26 is used up, the ink tape 26 can be replaced by pulling out the inner case 24 above the outer case 21 and removing the side plate of the inner case 24. Also, 33
Reference numeral 33 denotes a power supply battery for the printer that supplies driving power to the thermal head 25 and the tape winding mechanism, and this battery 33 is housed in the upper end of the inner case 24. Note that the battery 33 is replaced by removing the cap 34 fitted to the upper end of the inner case 24.

In addition, an inner case 24 housing the printer section
When printing, press the cap 34 at the top of the inner case.
By pushing down the thermal head 25 by hand, the thermal head 25 is lowered into contact with the print surface of the object to be printed via the ink tape 26, and is locked in this state. A push-up spring (not shown) provided in the illumination element 21 raises it to a height (the state shown in FIG. 1) that does not block the light directed from the illumination element 22 toward the image sensor 23. 35 is
This is a push lever for raising the inner case 24 to the state at the time of reading. When this push lever 35 is pushed, the lock of the inner case 24 which is locked in the state at the time of printing is released, and the inner case 24 is raised to the state at the time of printing. It is raised to the reading state by a spring. Moreover, inside the outer case 21,
The inner case 24 is operated by raising and lowering the inner case 24.
when the outer frame body 10 is raised to the state at the time of reading.
A mode changeover switch (not shown) is provided for switching the control section 40 provided inside the printer to a reading mode, and switching the control section 40 to a print mode when the inner case 24 is lowered to a print mode. .

On the other hand, the control section 40 stores the read information read by the reader section and outputs this information to the printer section at the time of printing. The lead wires are connected by an extensible helical cord (not shown) in which the lead wires are tied together, and this cord is divided into each lead wire within the device main body 20, and is connected to the lighting elements 22 and the lead wires that constitute the leader section. It is connected to the image sensor 23, the thermal head 25 and tape winding mechanism that constitute the printer section, the mode changeover switch, and the timing pulse generator described above.

Next, a method of using the compact reader/printer device having the above configuration will be explained.

This reader/printer device is carried with the reader/printer main body 20 stored in the opening 12 of the outer frame 10 as shown by the solid line in FIG. The inner case 24 containing the image data is stored in the opening 12 in a lowered state in the state at the time of printing.

Therefore, when using a reader/printer device, first connect the reader/printer main body 20 to the second
As shown by the chain line in the figure, the power switch 15 is turned on.

When reading recorded information on the object to be read, the pusher lever 35 is pushed to raise the inner case 24, which has been lowered to the printing state, to the reading state. Inner case 2 like this
4, the mode changeover switch causes the control section 40 to enter the reading mode, and the reader section and timing pulse generating section are activated. After setting the reader/printer device to the reading mode in this way, as shown in FIG. The desired part where information X to be read is recorded is opening 1.
2, and hold the tip side of this outer frame 10 with your left hand so that it does not shift.
Hold the reader/printer main body 20 with your right hand and move it laterally toward the rear end of the outer frame 10. in this case,
The main body 20 of the apparatus is moved by hand, and since the main body 20 moves within the opening 12 of the outer frame 10 while being guided by the outer frame 10, the outer frame 10 must be held down to prevent it from shifting. All you need to do is install the device body 2.
0 can be moved laterally in a straight line without meandering. This also applies to printing, which will be described later.

When the main body 20 of the apparatus is moved laterally in this way, the reader section provided at the lower end of the outer case 21 scans the object A to be read due to the movement of the main body 20 of the apparatus, and the image sensor 23 scans the object A to be read. The information thus read is sent to the control section 40. Further, as the apparatus main body 20 is moved, as the apparatus main body 20 moves, the pinion gear meshing with the rack 16 on the outer frame 10 side rotates, and the timing pulse generating section causes the apparatus main body 20 to move.
The timing pulse corresponding to the moving speed of the control unit 4
0, and the control section 40 stores the read information from the reader section in accordance with the input of this timing pulse.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the device body 20 has been moved to its movement limit, that is, the end of the opening 13 of the outer frame 10. By moving the device body 20 to its movement limit in this way, it is possible to The read operation ends. Thereafter, the main body 20 of the apparatus is moved back to the initial position, that is, to the starting end of the opening 13 of the outer frame 10. It should be noted that when the apparatus main body 20 is moved back, the reader section and the timing pulse generating section are configured to stop operating, so that no reading operation is performed during the return movement of the apparatus main body 20.

Next, if you want to print out the information read from the object to be read,
4 and press the cap 34 at the upper end of the print state (the thermal head 25 is connected to the ink tape 26).
(through which it comes into contact with the printing surface of the object to be printed). When the inner case 24 is lowered in this manner, the control section 40 is set to the print mode by the mode changeover switch, and the printer section and the timing pulse generation section are put into operation. After setting the reader/printer device to the printer mode in this way, the outer frame 10 of the reader/printer device is read onto the print target (notebook, recording paper, etc.) B as shown in FIG. Place the desired part of the information All you have to do is hold it and move it laterally toward the rear end of the outer frame 10. When you move the device main body 20 laterally in this way, the printer section scans the printing object B by moving the device main body 20. At the same time, a timing pulse corresponding to the moving speed of the device main body 20 is transmitted to the control unit 40.
sent to. When this timing pulse is input to the control section, the control section 40 outputs the stored information to the printer section in accordance with this timing pulse, drives the thermal head 25, and controls the tape winding mechanism to perform the printing operation of the thermal head 25. Drive in synchronization.

Therefore, if the device main body 20 is moved laterally,
Along with this, the reading information stored in the control unit 40 is printed on the printing object B, so if the main body 20 of the apparatus is moved to the movement limit shown in FIG. All of the information X can be printed on the print object B as is.

Note that if the reading range of object A is wide and the recorded information cannot be read at once, or if the reading area is spread over multiple locations, reading the recorded information from object A and printing it to object B may be difficult. All the information can be read and printed by repeating printing alternately. Note that if the information storage capacity of the control unit 40 is set large, reading the recorded information from the object A to be read is repeated the necessary number of times to read all the necessary information, and then the read information is collectively stored as the object to be printed. It is also possible to print on object B (print the same number of times as the number of readings).

In this way, this small-sized reader/printer device reads recorded information
According to the printer device, only necessary information can be read from the object A and printed on the object B.

There are a wide variety of possible uses for this small reader/printer device, but the most typical ones are: (a) Creating a scrapbook by copying necessary information from newspapers, magazines, etc. onto a notebook, etc. do.

(b) When drawing the same figure in several places in an illustration, etc., draw only one figure and transfer this figure to other places.

(c) Copying marks, etc. from catalogs, etc. onto private property to create decorative patterns.

Possible uses include:

In other words, this small reader/printer device is
The reader/printer device main body 2 is connected to the outer frame body 10.
0 to an upright position, and in this state, the device main body 20
is moved horizontally by hand to read information from the object to be read and to print the read information onto the object to be printed. A reader unit that reads the ink tape 26 and a printer unit that brings the ink tape 26 into contact with the print target and prints on the print target with the print head 25 are provided, and the read information read by the reader unit is stored in the control unit 40. Since this information is output to the printer section when printing, it is not only possible to read information from thick objects such as books, but also from notebooks and other arbitrary print objects. You can freely print readable information on objects. Furthermore, in this reader/printer device, the lower part of the device main body 20 is supported within the opening 12 of the outer frame 10 so that it can be moved laterally and can be rotated up and down. By holding the frame 10 by hand to prevent it from shifting and moving the device main body 20 laterally, the device main body can be moved linearly without meandering while being guided by the outer frame 10. This makes it possible to perform accurate reading and printing, and since the device main body 20 is stored in the opening 12 of the outer frame 10 in a state where the device main body 20 does not protrude above the outer frame 10, it is portable. It is also convenient.

In the above embodiment, the control section 40 that stores the read information read by the reader section and outputs this information to the printer section at the time of printing is connected to the outer frame body 10.
However, this control section 40 is located inside the main body 2 of the device.
It may be set within 0.

[Effect of idea]

The small reader/printer device of this invention can not only read information from thick reading objects such as books, but can also freely print read information on notebooks and other arbitrary printing objects, and can perform accurate reading and printing by moving the device body horizontally in a straight line without meandering when reading and printing. Furthermore, if the reader/printer device body is stored lying down within the opening of the outer frame, the device body does not protrude above the outer frame, so the entire device can be carried flat, making it convenient to carry even though the device body can be moved horizontally in a straight line guided by the outer frame.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of this invention, and Figure 1 is a vertical side view of a small reader/printer device;
Figure 2 is an external view of the small reader/printer device, Figures 3 and 4 are how the reader/printer is used during reading, and Figures 5 and 6 are how the reader/printer is used when printing. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Outer frame body, 12... Opening, 20... Reader/printer main body, 23... Image sensor, 25... Thermal head, 26... Ink tape, 40... Control unit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Read the recorded information of the desired part of the object to be read,
A small reader/printer device that prints this read information on a desired part of the print target,
A hand-held outer frame body having a planar rectangular opening opening on the upper and lower surfaces, and a reader section for reading recorded information of the object to be read is provided at the lower end thereof, and an ink tape is placed inside to attach to the object to be printed. A reader/printer device main body is provided with a printer section that prints on the print object with a print head in contact with the object, and a reader/printer device body that is provided within the outer frame or the device main body and reads read information read by the reader section. and a control unit that stores this information and outputs this information to the printer unit during printing, and the apparatus main body has a lower portion supported within the opening of the outer frame so as to be movable laterally and rotatably up and down, and the lower part of the main body of the apparatus is A compact reader/printer device, characterized in that the opening of the frame is sized to allow the main body of the device to be folded down and stored.