JPH0576751U - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] By changing the position of the printing unit,
Not only thin paper but also thick paper such as postcards can be easily printed, and the thick paper can be easily inserted into the printing unit along the guide plane. [Structure] The printing unit 40 includes a shaft 55 on the base member 20.
It is mounted so that it can rotate. When printing on thin paper, the printing unit 40 is placed horizontally and the paper is placed in a U-shaped passage 52.
Send along. When printing on thick paper, the printing unit 40 is placed vertically, the paper is slid along the upper surface 21 of the base member, inserted into the printing unit, and fed while printing in the linear passage 50 in the printing unit.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a printing device, and more particularly to a printing device capable of printing not only ordinary thin paper but also thick paper such as postcards.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Conventionally, a printing apparatus inserts a sheet from an insertion port provided on the upper surface, bends the sheet in a U shape along the outer periphery of the platen, and then ejects the sheet from an ejection port on the upper surface. With the printing device configured in this way, when printing on thick paper such as postcards, the bent thick paper is strongly pressed against the platen and the arcuate paper pan located on the outer periphery due to its elasticity, and as a result, However, the conveyance resistance becomes large, which may make the conveyance difficult. In addition, after printing, it is inevitable that curl remains on the thick paper.

In order to solve this problem, as described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-31948, a printer is provided with a straight paper path that vertically penetrates and printing on thick paper such as a postcard. There is one in which the printing device is rotated 90 degrees to horizontally insert the paper into the paper path.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, the printing device described in the above publication has a problem that it is difficult to insert the paper because the paper must be inserted into the slit opened in the vertical surface at the position where the printing device is rotated by 90 degrees.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a printing device capable of printing not only on ordinary thin paper but also on thick paper such as postcards, and moreover, can easily insert the thick paper. With the goal.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve this object, a printing apparatus includes a printing unit in which a printing unit and a paper feeding mechanism for feeding a paper in a direction perpendicular to a printing line are built in one frame, and a top surface of the printing unit. And a base member having a flat paper guide surface.

The frame of the printing unit has first and second surfaces facing each other in the paper feeding direction, and a third surface adjacent to both surfaces and substantially parallel to the printing row direction.

Further, the printing unit has an insertion opening on the first or third surface and an ejection opening on the second surface, and the curved portion extends from the insertion opening to the ejection opening through the paper feeding mechanism. The first paper path, and the second path having an insertion opening on the second surface and extending from the insertion opening to the ejection opening through the paper feeding mechanism. The printing unit is rotatably supported near one end of the upper surface of the base member about an axis substantially parallel to the printing line, and the second surface faces the upper surface of the base member and the first unit. The first position where the surface of the base member is the upper surface and the first and second surfaces are substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the base member, and the second passage and the upper surface of the base member are substantially coplanar. It is movable to a continuous second position.

Accordingly, when the printing unit is in the second position, the upper surface of the base member serves as a guide surface for inserting a sheet into the second passage.

In the above structure, the printing apparatus of the present invention further includes an openable cover on the first surface of the printing unit so as to cover the printing means. The cover is rotatably supported around an axis substantially parallel to the print line in the vicinity of the discharge port, covers the print means, and rotates from the position beyond the discharge port to the first position. It is possible to move to a position that constitutes the paper receiving surface in the substantially extended direction of the second passage.

Further, in the above-described structure, in the printing apparatus of the present invention, the printing unit is arranged at the first position such that one end portion of the printing unit projects from the upper surface of the base member, and the printing unit is moved to the second position. Due to the rotation, the one end portion is moved below the upper surface of the base member.

Further, in the printing apparatus having the above structure, the base member has a stopper surface below one end of the upper surface, and when the printing unit is in the second position, the base of the second surface is The portion of the member that has moved below the upper surface contacts the stopper surface.

Further, in the printer according to the present invention, in the above structure, the base member has a flat vertical box shape having a depth smaller than the height and the left-right width, and a thin display device is provided on the front surface. There is a storage part for storing the keyboard device substantially parallel to the display device.

[0014]

[Action]

 In the printing apparatus of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration, with the printing unit in the first position, ordinary thin paper is inserted from the insertion opening of the first or third surface, that is, the upper surface or the vertical surface, Through the paper feed mechanism, the paper is discharged upward from the discharge port. When printing on thick paper such as a postcard, the printing unit is rotated to the second position so that the second passage and the upper surface of the base member are substantially flush with each other, and the paper is fed along the upper surface of the base member. Insert the paper into the second passage while guiding the. Therefore, it is possible to print and eject the thick paper while keeping it almost flat.

When the printing unit is in the second position, the cover of the printing unit can be opened to receive the cardboard discharged from the second passage on the upper surface of the cover.

When the printing unit is in the first position, it projects from the upper surface of the base member. One end portion of the printing unit moves downward from the upper surface of the base member by rotating to the second position. Therefore, the end of the upper surface of the base member and the insertion opening of the second passage can be extremely close to each other, and the paper can be accurately guided from the upper surface of the base member to the second passage.

Then, the printing unit is erected so as to be raised from the first position on the upper surface of the base member, and the second surface is brought into contact with a stopper surface below one end of the upper surface of the base member, The position at the second position is accurately determined.

Further, the printing unit as described above is arranged on the upper surface of the flat vertical box-shaped base member, and the display device is arranged on the front surface thereof to display the data input from the keyboard and the calculated data. It is displayed on the device and printed out by the printing unit. At the time of storage, by placing the printing unit at the first position on the upper surface of the base member and the keyboard on the base member substantially parallel to the display device, the whole can be put together in a substantially flat box shape.

[0019]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 3, the printing apparatus embodying the present invention comprises a base member 20 having a display device 10, a keyboard 30, and a printing unit 40.

The base member 20 is formed in a flat box shape having a depth smaller than the height and the left-right width, and an upper surface 21 thereof is formed flat so as to be a paper guide surface as described later. Side walls 22 and 22 are formed upright on both left and right sides of the upper surface 21, and a recessed portion 23 is formed at a rear portion of the upper surface 21 as shown in FIG. The vertical wall 24 of the recess 23 continuing from the upper surface 21 constitutes a stopper surface as described later.

The printing unit 40 has a box-shaped frame 41 and a printing unit and a sheet feeding device built therein. The frame 41 has a substantially hexahedral shape and is substantially housed between the left and right side walls 22 and 22, that is, the right and left width over the entire length of the upper surface 21 of the base member 20, and the same height and depth as the side wall 22. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface (first surface) 41a and the lower surface (second surface) 41b of the frame 41 are positioned to face each other in the paper feeding direction, and the rear surface (the third surface) adjacent to both surfaces thereof. The surface 41c is positioned parallel to the print line.

The printing means has a carriage 43 and a print head 44, which are movable left and right so as to face a platen 42 extending in the left-right direction, and an ink ribbon cassette 45 is provided on the carriage 43. A thermal transfer type head is used as the print head 44, but an ink jet type and an impact type can also be used if necessary.

The paper feeding mechanism is composed of two pairs of rollers 46 and 46 which are positioned with the platen 42 interposed therebetween, and passes between the platen 42 and the printing head 44 at right angles to the printing line direction (moving direction of the carriage 43). Send the paper.

In the state of FIG. 1, the frame 41 has a sheet discharge port 47 and an insertion port 48 formed on the upper surface 41a, and an insertion port 49 formed on the lower surface 41b. The discharge port 47 and the insertion port 49 are located substantially on the extended surface of the platen 42, and a substantially linear second passage 50 passing through the two pairs of rollers 46, 46 is formed between the ports 47, 49.

The other insertion port 48 is located on the upper surface 41 a behind (left in FIG. 1) the discharge port 47 in FIG. 1, and is connected to the lower roller 46 through a U-shaped curved guide 51. ing. The U-shaped passage extending from the insertion port 48 to the discharge port 47 through the curved guide 51, the two pairs of rollers 46, 46 constitutes the first passage 52.

The first passage 52 may have a substantially L shape by forming the insertion port 48a on the rear surface 41c.

The frame 41 has a cover 53 that covers the print head 44, the ink ribbon cassette 45, and the carriage 43 on the upper surface 41 a so as to be openable and closable. The cover 53 has a pair of hinge arms 53a at positions corresponding to the left and right ends of the discharge port 47, and is rotatably supported on the frame 41 by a shaft protruding left and right from the hinge arms. .

A notch 53b is formed between the hinge arms 53a so that the discharge of the sheet from the discharge port 47 is not obstructed when the cover 53 is closed. When the cover 53 is opened beyond the discharge port 47, it comes into contact with the wall surface 54 of the frame 41 near the hinge arm 53a and is stopped at an opening of about 90 degrees (see FIG. 2).

The printing unit 40 is rotatably supported on the side wall 22 of the base member 20 about a horizontal axis by a pair of shafts 55 projecting from the left and right side surfaces of the frame 41. The shaft 55 is substantially equidistant from the three surfaces of the lower surface 41b of the printing unit 40, the inner surface of the second passage 50 on the platen 42 side, and the upper extension surface of the vertical wall 24 of the base member.

That is, when the lower surface 41 b of the printing unit 40 is placed on the upper surface 21 of the base member 20 (first position), the printing unit 40 is held substantially horizontally, and the rear end portion thereof is positioned so as to project above the recess 23. . Further, when the printing unit 40 is rotated upright about the shaft 55, the rear end portion of the lower surface 41b abuts the vertical wall 24 of the base member as shown in FIG. 41a and 41b are held at a right angle to the upper surface 21 (second position). In the second position, the rear end portion of the printing unit 40 is located in the recess 23, in other words, it is located below the upper surface 21 of the base member, and the second passage is substantially flush with the upper surface 21 of the base member. Line up.

Therefore, when printing on ordinary thin paper, as shown in FIG. 1, the printing unit is placed at the first position, and the paper is fed from the insertion ports 48, 48a on the upper surface or the rear surface along the curved guide 51. The sheet is inserted, fed by the roller 46 between the print head 44 and the platen 42, and after printing, discharged from the discharge port 47 on the upper surface.

When printing on thick paper such as a postcard, the printing unit is placed at the second position as shown in FIG. 2, and the thick paper is slid along the upper surface 21 of the base member 20 and inserted through the insertion port 49. At this time, by opening the cover 53, the printed thick paper discharged from the discharge port 47 can be received on the upper surface of the cover 53.

The base member 20 has, on the front surface thereof, recesses 25 and 26 that are recessed in two steps to accommodate the display device 10 and the keyboard 30. The display device 10 is composed of a thin liquid crystal or plasma display device, and is mounted in the recess 25 on the back side so that the angle can be adjusted around the horizontal axis 27. When not in use, the keyboard 30 is placed in a standing state parallel to the display device 10 and housed in the recess 26 on the front side.

A lever 29 is swingably provided on an upper wall portion of the recess 26 via a thin elastic hinge 28, and a claw 29 a of the lever 29 engages with a recess 31 of the keyboard 30. Is held in a stored state (see FIG. 4). The keyboard 30 can be removed from the recess 27 by pushing the lever 29 upward.

The printing device of the above embodiment is suitable as a word processor, and data input from the keyboard 30 can be displayed on the display device 10 and printed out by the printing unit 40. When not in use, the printing unit 40 is placed in the first position, and the keyboard 30 is erected and installed in the recess 26, so that the whole can be stored in a substantially flat box shape.

[0037]

[Effect of the device]

 As is clear from the above detailed description, according to the present invention, when printing on thin paper, the printing unit can be placed on the upper surface of the base member and discharged while printing. When it is easy to check the condition, or when printing on thick paper such as postcards, rotate the printing unit and place the almost straight passage in the printing unit on the same plane as the upper surface of the base member. Since it is fed to the printing unit while guiding along the upper surface, it is possible to print without bending the thick paper, and it is extremely easy to insert it into the printing unit.

Further, by rotating the printing unit with respect to the upper surface of the base member, the whole can be accommodated in a small size, which is convenient for the form.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a main part of a printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view for explaining the operating state of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a usage state of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an engaging portion of the keyboard.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 Base Member 21 Upper Surface 40 Printing Unit 41 Frame 41a First Surface 41b Second Surface 41c Third Surface 47 Discharge Port 48 Insertion Port 49 Insertion Port 50 Second Passage 52 First Passage 55 Shaft

Claims (5)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A printing unit comprising a printing unit and a paper feeding mechanism for feeding a paper in a direction perpendicular to a printing line in one frame, and a base member having an upper surface having a substantially flat paper guiding surface. Has a first surface and a second surface that face each other in the paper feed direction, and a third surface that is adjacent to both surfaces of the frame and that is substantially parallel to the printing row direction, and the printing unit includes the first or second surface. 3 has an insertion opening on the third surface and an ejection opening on the second surface, and has a curved first paper path from the insertion opening to the ejection opening through the paper feeding mechanism and the second surface. An insertion opening, and a substantially linear second passage from the insertion opening through the paper feed mechanism to the discharge opening, the printing unit, in the vicinity of one end of the upper surface of the base member, Almost parallel to the printed line A first position in which the second surface faces the upper surface of the base member and the first surface is the upper surface, the first position being rotatably supported about an axis.
The first and second surfaces are substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the base member, and are movable to a second position where the second passage and the upper surface of the base member are substantially coplanar. The printing apparatus, wherein when the printing unit is in the second position, the upper surface of the base member forms a guide surface for inserting a sheet into the second passage. 2. The printing unit has a cover that can be opened and closed on the first surface so as to cover the printing means, and the cover surrounds an axis line that is substantially parallel to the printing line near the discharge port. And is rotatably supported by the printer, and can be moved from a position that covers the printing unit to a position that rotates from the position beyond the discharge port to form a sheet receiving surface in a substantially extending direction of the second path. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is a printing apparatus. 3. The printing unit has one end portion projecting from an upper surface of the base member at the first position, and the one end portion of the printing unit is rotated by the rotation to the second position. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer is moved below the upper surface. 4. The base member has a stopper surface below one end of the upper surface, and when the printing unit is in the second position, the base member is lower than the upper surface of the base member on the second surface. The printing device according to claim 3, wherein the moved portion contacts the stopper surface. 5. The base member is in the form of a flat solid box having a depth smaller than the height and the left-right width, a thin display device is provided on the front surface, and a keyboard device is provided substantially parallel to the display device. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit for storing.