JP4537541B2 - Printer paper holder - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a paper holder of a printer, and more particularly to a paper holder of a printer suitable for use in a portable printer carried by an operator.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A portable printer is a device that can be carried by an operator and printed at an arbitrary location. In this portable printer, it is necessary to set a paper roll in a paper holder when used.
[0003]
For example, a conventional paper holder is supported by inserting a cylindrical core of a paper roll through a cantilevered support shaft or by inserting a pair of bosses from both sides of the core. The method was adopted.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the paper roll is relatively heavy, in the conventional support method, when the portable printer is dropped, the impact due to the weight of the paper roll is directly applied to the support shaft or boss and the holder is damaged. There was a problem.
[0005]
On the other hand, if the structure is strong enough to withstand an impact when dropped, the portable printer itself has a large size, a weight increase, and a paper roll is difficult to attach.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a durable paper holder for a printer in which a paper roll can be easily mounted.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a paper holder for a printer that rotatably supports a paper roll,
A boss is provided on the surfaces facing each other, and a pair of pressing plates that sandwich the paper roll by fitting the boss into the cylindrical core of the paper roll from both sides, and supporting each pressing plate, A pair of moving members provided movably along the axial direction of the paper roll; a pinion disposed between the pair of moving members and rotatably supported;
A pair of racks respectively coupled to the pair of moving members and meshing with the pinion; at least one urging means for urging one moving member toward the other moving member; and between the pair of moving members And a regulating member that regulates the distance between the pair of moving members so that the distance between the pair of moving members does not decrease beyond a certain level when the pair of moving members move in a direction approaching each other. In the paper holder of the printer comprising the above, each pressing plate is movably prevented from moving to the main body by a guide portion formed on the main body side and a guide shaft inserted through the main body after mounting each pressing plate, The regulating member is an O-ring that is fitted and attached to the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft .
[0010]
According to the present invention, the paper roll is rotatably supported by being sandwiched between the pair of pressing plates from both sides of the core and having the bosses fitted therein. This pair of pressing plates is configured such that when one is moved, the other moves with the same amount of movement by the action of the rack and the pinion. Further, the pair of pressing plates are urged in a direction approaching each other by the urging means, and the paper roll is held between the pair of pressing plates by the urging force of the urging means. In a normal use state, such a paper roll is sandwiched between a pair of pressing plates by the urging force of the urging means, but when the impact of the paper roll is applied to the boss due to dropping or the like, the impact is applied. Absorbed by the urging means, this prevents the paper holder from being damaged.
[0011]
By the way, when the pair of pressing plates is urged toward each other by the urging means as described above, the interval between the pair of pressing plates is minimized when there is no paper roll.
In order to set the paper roll from this state, the pair of pressing plates must be expanded beyond the width of the paper roll, and the operability is lowered.
[0012]
In the present invention, a regulating member that comes into contact with at least one moving member is provided between the pair of moving members so that the distance between the pair of pressing plates is not narrowed more than necessary. Thereby, the space | interval of a press plate does not become narrow more than necessary, and the mounting operation | work of a paper roll becomes easy.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a paper holder of a printer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0014]
First, the configuration of the portable printer 10 to which the present invention is applied will be outlined.
As shown in FIG. 1, a front cover 14 that can be opened and closed is provided on the front surface of a main body case 12 of the portable printer 10. The front cover 14 is configured such that when the opening / closing lever 16 is pushed upward, a lock mechanism (not shown) is released, and the front cover 14 rotates about the support shaft 20 to open forward. When the front cover 14 is opened, a paper holder (reference numeral 30 in FIG. 2) is exposed therein, and a paper roll can be loaded into the paper holder.
[0015]
A data receiving unit 18 and an operation unit 22 are provided on the upper surface of the main body case 12.
[0016]
The data receiving unit 18 is provided with a data receiving device (not shown), and the data receiving device receives print data transmitted from a handy terminal or the like. The print data received by the data receiving device is transmitted to the print unit, and the print unit prints predetermined information on the label based on the print data.
[0017]
The operation unit 22 is provided with a feed button 24, a print button 26, and the like. The portable printer 10 performs printing by pressing the print button 26 of the operation unit 22. Further, when the feed button 24 is pressed, the paper roll is skipped.
[0018]
A label outlet 28 is provided in the front portion of the main body case 12. The printing section is provided inside the label outlet 28, and the label printed by the printing section is discharged from the label outlet 28. The printing unit is composed of, for example, a thermal head and a platen roller.
[0019]
A power switch 13, a battery storage lid 15, a connector 17, and the like are provided on the side surface of the main body case 12. A battery (not shown) loaded in the portable printer 10 is loaded into the main body case 12 by opening the battery storage lid 15. The print data is transmitted / received by connecting a communication cable to the connector 17 in addition to the wireless communication by the data receiving unit 18.
[0020]
2 and 3 are a perspective view and an exploded perspective view, respectively, showing the configuration of the paper holder according to the present invention.
[0021]
The paper holder 30 is provided inside the front cover 14 and includes a pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b formed in a disk shape. The pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b are provided with bosses 34a and 34b on opposite surfaces, respectively, and the bosses 34a and 34b are fitted into the cylindrical winding core of the paper roll from both sides to hold the paper roll. To do.
[0022]
The pressing plates 32a and 32b are attached to columns 38a and 38b provided upright on the pair of sliders 36a and 36b so as to face each other, and are supported rotatably around the bosses 34a and 34b, respectively. The pair of sliders 36a and 36b are slidably supported in the main body case 12, and the support structure is configured as follows.
[0023]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a rib 40 formed in a plate shape is formed on the inner side of the main body case 12 so as to protrude along the width direction. As shown in FIG. 4, a guide groove 42 is formed between the lower surface of the rib 40 and the bottom surface of the main body case 12, and the end pieces 44 a and 44 b of the sliders 36 a and 36 b are engaged with the guide groove 42. Are combined.
[0024]
On the other hand, shaft grooves 46a and 46b having a U-shaped cross section are formed along the axial direction of the bosses 34a and 34b at the rear ends of the sliders 36a and 36b. A guide shaft 48 is fitted in the shaft grooves 46a and 46b. The guide shaft 48 is disposed along the width direction of the main body case 12. One end of the guide shaft 48 is fitted into a shaft hole 50 a formed on one side surface 14 a of the main body case 12, and the other end is the main body case. The case 12 is fitted in a shaft hole 50 b formed in the other side surface 14 b of the case 12 and disposed in the main body case 12.
[0025]
As described above, the sliders 36a and 36b have their front end pieces 44a and 44b engaged with the guide grooves 42 formed on the inner surface of the main body case 12, and the shaft grooves 46a and 46b formed at the rear ends thereof. When the guide shaft 48 is fitted, the body case 12 is provided so as to be movable along the axial direction of the bosses 34a and 34b.
[0026]
A pinion 52 is provided between the pair of sliders 36a and 36b that are movably provided as described above. The pinion 52 is fitted into a boss 54 formed so as to protrude from the bottom surface of the main body case 12 and is rotatably supported.
[0027]
A pressing member 56 is attached to the boss 54 with a screw 58 to prevent the pinion 52 from coming off. The pressing member 56 serves as a support member for the guide shaft 48 together with the pinion 52 and prevents the pinion 52 from coming off, and supports the guide shaft 48 by fitting it into a U-shaped pressing groove 56a formed at the rear end thereof. .
[0028]
A pair of racks 60a and 60b are engaged with the pinion 52, and the racks 60a and 60b are connected to sliders 36a and 36b, respectively. When one of the pair of sliders 36a and 36b is moved by the action of the racks 60a and 60b and the pinion 52, the other moves to the opposite side with the same movement amount. That is, for example, when one slider 36a is moved in a direction away from the other slider 36b, the other slider 36b is also moved in the direction away from one slider 36a with the same amount of movement. Conversely, when one slider 36a is moved in the direction approaching the other slider 36b, the other slider 36b is also moved with the same amount of movement in the direction approaching one slider 36a.
[0029]
With the above configuration, the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b can be expanded or contracted by moving one of them. Therefore, when setting the paper roll, if the interval between the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b is widened and the interval between the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b is narrowed after setting the paper roll, the bosses 34a and 34b of each other. Are fitted on both sides of the winding core, and the center of the paper roll (the center in the width direction) is always set at a fixed position.
[0030]
Incidentally, in order to hold the paper roll, it is necessary to lock the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b at the position where the paper roll is sandwiched.
[0031]
However, when the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b are locked, when the portable printer 10 is dropped, an impact at the time of dropping is applied to the pressing plates 32a and 32b, and the paper holder 30 may be damaged.
[0032]
Therefore, in the paper holder 30 of the present embodiment, the paper rolls are clamped by the pair of pressure plates 32a and 32b by urging the pressure plates 32a and 32b toward each other. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a compression spring 62 is inserted into the guide shaft 48, and one end thereof is engaged with the end face of one slider 36a. The other end is engaged with one side surface 14 b of the main body case 12. By this compression spring 62, one slider 36a is urged toward the other slider 36b, and the paper roll is held between the pair of pressing plates 32a, 32b by the urging force of this compression spring 62. When the portable printer 10 is dropped, it acts to absorb the impact.
[0033]
On the other hand, when the slider 36a is urged toward the other slider 36b as described above, the interval between the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b is unnecessarily narrow in a state where there is no paper roll. In order to set a new paper roll from this state, it is necessary to widen the distance between the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b against the urging force of the compression spring 62.
[0034]
Accordingly, the paper holder 30 of the present embodiment is provided with stoppers 64a and 64b so that the distance between the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b is not narrowed more than necessary. The stoppers 64 a and 64 b are O-rings and are fitted and attached to the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 48. When the pair of sliders 36a and 36b are urged by the compression spring 62 and move in a direction approaching each other, the sliders 36a and 36b are locked to the stoppers 64a and 64b at predetermined positions, and are regulated so as not to be unnecessarily narrow. The
[0035]
The operation of the paper holder 30 of the portable printer 10 of the present embodiment configured as described above is as follows.
[0036]
First, a method for assembling the paper holder 30 according to the present embodiment will be described. First, the holding plates 32a and 32b are attached to the columns 38a and 38b of the sliders 36a and 36b. Next, the end pieces 44 a and 44 b of the sliders 36 a and 36 b are fitted into the guide grooves 42 formed in the main body case 12. At this time, the bosses 34 a and 34 b are arranged so as to face each other, and the tip pieces 44 a and 44 b of the sliders 36 a and 36 b are fitted into the guide groove 42.
[0037]
Next, the guide shaft 48 is inserted from the shaft hole 50 a formed in the side surface 14 a on one side of the main body case 12. Then, the inserted guide shaft 48 is fitted into the shaft grooves 46a and 46b formed in the sliders 36a and 36b, and the tip portion is fitted into the shaft hole 50b formed in the other side surface 14b of the main body case 12. Match. At this time, the compression spring 62 is simultaneously inserted and the stoppers 64a and 64b are also inserted. Thereby, the sliders 36a and 36b are movably supported.
[0038]
Next, the pinion 52 is rotatably attached to the boss 54 formed on the bottom surface of the main body case 12, and meshed with the racks 60a and 60b connected to the sliders 36a and 36b. Then, a pressing member 56 is attached to the boss 54 via a screw 58 to fix the pinion 52 and the guide shaft 48.
[0039]
Thus, the paper holder 30 is assembled. In the assembled paper holder 30, when one of the pressing plates is moved, the distance between the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b expands and contracts.
[0040]
Thus, the paper holder 30 of the present embodiment can be easily assembled.
[0041]
Next, a case where a paper roll is set will be described. When setting a paper roll, the front cover 14 is opened and the paper holder 30 is exposed. Next, the interval between the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b is increased. At this time, in the paper holder 30 according to the present embodiment, the interval between the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b is not narrowed more than necessary by the stoppers 64a and 64b. The interval of 32b can be expanded.
[0042]
Next, a paper roll is set between the pair of pressed plates 32a and 32b. Then, the bosses 34a and 34b formed on the presser plates 32a and 32b are fitted into the core from both sides of the paper roll while narrowing the distance between the pair of presser plates 32a and 32b.
[0043]
Here, since the pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b are urged toward each other by the compression spring 62, the roll of the paper roll in which the bosses 34a and 34b are fitted has a pair of pressing plates 32a and 32b. This completes the setting of the paper roll.
[0044]
The portable printer 10 in which the paper roll is set is used after the front cover 14 is closed and then the power switch 13 is turned on.
[0045]
Thus, the portable printer 10 of the present embodiment can easily set the paper roll.
[0046]
On the other hand, when removing the core that has run out of paper, first the front cover 14 is opened and the paper holder 30 is exposed. And the space | interval of a pair of holding | suppressing board 32a, 32b is expanded, and a core is removed. When setting a new paper roll, the above setting operation is subsequently performed.
[0047]
As described above, in the portable printer 10 according to the present embodiment, the paper roll can be easily replaced.
[0048]
By the way, since the portable printer 10 is carried and used, an operator may accidentally drop it on the ground.
[0049]
However, in the portable printer 10 of the present embodiment, since the paper roll is held between the holding plates 32a and 32b biased by the compression spring 62, even when the portable printer 10 falls to the ground, It is possible to effectively prevent the paper holder 30 from being damaged by absorbing the impact when dropped by the compression spring 62.
[0050]
As described above, according to the portable printer 10 of the present embodiment, the paper roll can be easily replaced, and damage at the time of dropping can be effectively suppressed. Also, the assembly can be performed very easily.
[0051]
In the portable printer 10 of the present embodiment, the compression spring 62 is used as a means for urging the pair of holding plates 32a and 32b toward each other, but the pair of sliders 36a and 36b are connected by a tension spring. May be energized. Moreover, you may make it urge | bias using rubber | gum and the magnet which repels or attracts mutually other than a spring.
[0053]
In the present embodiment, the end pieces 44a and 44b of the sliders 36a and 36b are fitted into the guide grooves 42, and the guide shafts 48 are fitted into the shaft grooves 46a and 46b to slide the sliders 36a and 36b. Although it supports freely, the method of supporting slider 36a, 36b is not limited to this. For example, the sliders 36a and 36b may be slidably supported by a pair of guide shafts.
[0054]
As described in the present embodiment, the end pieces 44a and 44b of the sliders 36a and 36b are fitted into the guide groove 42, and the guide shaft 48 is fitted into the shaft grooves 46a and 46b, thereby the slider 36a, By adopting a configuration in which 36b is slidably supported, assembly can be easily performed.
[0055]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even when the portable printer is dropped by holding the paper roll by holding it from both sides with a pair of pressing plates urged toward each other by the urging means, The impact at the time of dropping can be absorbed by the urging means, and the paper holder can be prevented from being damaged. Further, the paper roll can be easily replaced by simply expanding the pair of pressing plates.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a portable printer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a paper holder. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a paper holder. [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Portable printer, 12 ... Main body case, 13 ... Power switch, 14 ... Front cover, 15 ... Battery storage cover, 16 ... Opening / closing lever, 17 ... Connector, 18 ... Data receiving part, 20 ... Spindle, 22 ... Operation part 24 ... Feed button, 26 ... Print button, 28 ... Label outlet, 30 ... Paper holder, 32a, 32b ... Presser plate, 34a, 34b ... Boss, 36a, 36b ... Slider, 38a, 38b ... Column, 40 ... Rib 42 ... Guide groove 44a, 44b ... Tip piece 46a, 46b ... Shaft groove 48 ... Guide shaft 50a, 50b ... Shaft hole 52 ... Pinion 54 ... Boss 56 ... Holding member 58 ... Screw 60a , 60b ... rack, 62 ... compression spring, 64a, 64b ... stopper

Claims (1)

A paper holder for a printer that rotatably supports a paper roll, having bosses on opposite surfaces, and sandwiching the paper roll by fitting the boss into a cylindrical core of the paper roll from both sides A pair of pressing plates, a pair of moving members that support the pressing plates and are movably provided along the axial direction of the paper roll, and are disposed between the pair of moving members and are rotatable. A pinion supported by the pair, a pair of racks respectively coupled to the pair of moving members and meshing with the pinion, and at least one urging means for urging one moving member toward the other moving member; When the pair of moving members are disposed between the pair of moving members and move in a direction in which the pair of moving members approach each other, the distance between the pair of moving members is reduced to a certain level or more by contacting at least one of the moving members. In the paper holder of the printer provided with a regulating member for regulating the body, each pressing plate includes a guide portion formed on the main body side, and a guide shaft that is inserted into the main body after mounting each pressing plate. A paper holder for a printer , wherein the restricting member is configured to be an O-ring fitted and attached to an outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft .

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