JP7632088B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing device.

As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a printer is known that includes a printer main body and a case with a locking mechanism that can house the printer main body. The printer main body includes a printer cover that covers the stored roll paper and an open button that opens the printer cover. The case with a locking mechanism includes a storage section that houses the printer main body and a cover that covers the open button of the housed printer main body, and the cover is locked to a closed state. This prevents the open button from being operated improperly and the roll paper from being removed.

JP 2005-313453 A

With conventional printers, when a user wanted to open the printer cover to replace the roll of paper, for example, they had to unlock the case with a locking mechanism, open the cover, and then press the open button, which was a time-consuming process.

The printing device of the present invention comprises a roll paper holder that stores roll paper, an opening/closing cover that opens and closes the roll paper holder, a locking member that locks the opening/closing cover in a closed state, an unlocking lever that unlocks the locking member, a first input member that is attached to the unlocking lever and to which a user applies force to unlock the locking member, and an inhibiting portion that is positioned in a first direction relative to the first input member and inhibits the application of force to the first input member before the user applies force to the first input member when the opening/closing cover is closed, and the inhibiting portion is provided with a notch that allows the user to apply force to the first input member.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printing device with the access cover closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printing device with the access cover open. 13 is a partial enlarged view of the first knob and its periphery viewed from the -Y direction in a state in which the lock release lever to which the first knob is attached is located in a non-operating position. FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged view of the periphery of the first knob as viewed from the +Z direction in a state in which the lock release lever to which the first knob is attached is located in a non-operating position. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4. 13 is a partial enlarged view of the first knob and its periphery viewed from the -Y direction in a state in which the lock release lever to which the first knob is attached is located in an operative position. FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged view of the periphery of the first knob as viewed from the +Z direction in a state in which the lock release lever to which the first knob is attached is located in an operative position. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 7. 13 is a partial enlarged view of the periphery of the second knob when viewed from the -Y direction in a state in which the lock release lever to which the second knob is attached is located in a non-operating position. FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged view of the periphery of the second knob as viewed from the +Z direction in a state in which the lock release lever to which the second knob is attached is located in a non-operating position. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 10. 13 is a partial enlarged view of the periphery of the second knob when viewed from the -Y direction in a state in which the lock release lever to which the second knob is attached is located in an operative position. FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged view of the periphery of the second knob as viewed from the +Z direction in a state in which the lock release lever to which the second knob is attached is located in an operative position. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 13.

Below, we will explain printing device 1, which is one embodiment of a printing device, with reference to the attached drawings. This printing device 1 is installed in a store such as a supermarket, and is used to print receipts, coupons, and the like. Note that in the following, we will use directions based on the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system shown in each figure, but these directions are merely for the convenience of explanation and do not limit the following embodiment in any way.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the printing device 1 is formed in a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a device body 3 and an opening/closing cover 5.

The device body 3 is formed in a box shape with an open surface facing the -Y direction, and a roll paper holder 7 is provided inside the device body 3. The roll paper holder 7 stores a roll paper (not shown) on which recording paper, which serves as the printing medium, is wound. The printing device 1 prints on the recording paper unwound from the roll paper stored in the roll paper holder 7.

The opening/closing cover 5 opens and closes the roll paper holder 7. The opening/closing cover 5 is attached to the -Y and -Z ends of the device body 3 so that it can rotate around an axis that is approximately parallel to the X direction. That is, the opening/closing cover 5 rotates around its -Z end and assumes a position that is approximately parallel to the XZ plane to close the roll paper holder 7 (see Figure 1), and assumes a position that is approximately parallel to the XY plane to open the roll paper holder 7 (see Figure 2). The opening/closing cover 5 is locked in the closed position by a locking member 13 (see Figure 5), which will be described later.

A paper discharge port 9 is provided between the tip of the opening/closing cover 5, i.e., the end in the +Z direction, and the device body 3. Printed recording paper is discharged from the paper discharge port 9. A platen roller 11 is provided inside the opening/closing cover 5, located at the tip of the opening/closing cover 5. The platen roller 11 sends the recording paper, which is sandwiched between the platen roller 11 and the thermal head (not shown), toward the paper discharge port 9.

A first knob 19 (see FIG. 1) or a second knob 21 (see FIG. 2) is provided on the outside of the opening/closing cover 5 at the end in the -X direction and +Z direction of the opening/closing cover 5, i.e., located in the -X direction with respect to the paper discharge port 9.

The locking mechanism 12 that locks the opening/closing cover 5 in the closed state will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 14. As shown in Figures 5, 8, 11 and 14, the locking mechanism 12 includes a locking member 13, a lock receiving member 15, an unlocking lever 17, a first knob 19 and a second knob 21.

The locking member 13 is provided on the device body 3 (see FIG. 2) and is formed in a plate shape that is approximately an inverted "L" when viewed from the +X direction. The locking member 13 is provided with a lock hole (not shown), a hook portion 23, and a contact receiving portion 25. The locking hole is provided near the corner of the locking member 13 in the +Y direction and the -Z direction. A lock shaft 27 with an axial direction in the X direction is inserted into the locking hole. The locking member 13 is provided so as to be rotatable around the lock shaft 27. The hook portion 23 is provided at the end of the locking member 13 in the -Y direction and engages with the lock receiving member 15. The contact receiving portion 25 is provided between the lock shaft 27 and the hook portion 23, and is the portion that contacts the contact portion 41 of the lock release lever 17 (see FIG. 8).

The locking member 13 can rotate between a locked position (see FIG. 5) rotated most counterclockwise when viewed from the +X direction, and an unlocked position (see FIG. 8) rotated most clockwise when viewed from the +X direction. When the locking member 13 is in the locked position, the hook portion 23 engages with the lock receiving member 15, thereby locking the opening/closing cover 5 in a closed state. When the locking member 13 rotates from the locked position to the unlocked position, the hook portion 23 disengages from the lock receiving member 15, thereby allowing the opening/closing cover 5 to be opened. A spring (not shown) applies force to the locking member 13 in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the +X direction, i.e., in the direction from the unlocked position to the locked position.

The lock receiving member 15 is provided on the inside of the opening and closing cover 5 (see FIG. 2) and is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with its axial direction aligned in the X direction. The lock receiving member 15 is releasably engaged with the lock member 13.

The unlocking lever 17 is provided on the inside of the opening and closing cover 5 (see FIG. 2). The unlocking lever 17 includes a knob mounting portion 29, a connection portion 31, and a release portion 33. The knob mounting portion 29 and the release portion 33 are formed in a plate shape that is approximately perpendicular to the YZ plane, and the release portion 33 is formed in a plate shape that is approximately parallel to the YZ plane.

The knob attachment portion 29 is located at the end of the unlocking lever 17 in the -Y direction, and is formed in a roughly "L" shape when viewed from the +X direction. The knob attachment portion 29 protrudes to the outside of the opening/closing cover 5 through a lever opening 35 provided in the opening/closing cover 5. Either the first knob 19 or the second knob 21 is detachably attached to the knob attachment portion 29, as selected by the user. The knob attachment portion 29 is provided with a knob fixing hole 37. A knob fixing screw 39 is fixed in the knob fixing hole 37.

The connection portion 31 bends and extends in the -Z direction from the end of the knob mounting portion 29 in the +Y direction. The connection portion 31 connects the knob mounting portion 29 and the release portion 33.

The release portion 33 extends from the connection portion 31 in the +Y direction. The release portion 33 has a lever hole (not shown) and an abutment portion 41. The lever hole is provided in approximately the center of the release portion 33. A lever shaft 43 with its axial direction in the X direction is inserted into the lever hole. The lock release lever 17 is provided so as to be rotatable around the lever shaft 43. The abutment portion 41 is provided at the end of the release portion 33 in the +Y direction, and is the portion that abuts against the abutment receiving portion 25 of the lock member 13 (see FIG. 8).

The unlocking lever 17 can rotate between a non-operating position (see FIG. 5) rotated most clockwise when viewed from the +X direction, and an operating position (see FIG. 8) rotated most counterclockwise when viewed from the +X direction. When the unlocking lever 17 rotates from the non-operating position to the operating position, the abutment portion 41 abuts against the abutment receiving portion 25, causing the locking member 13 to rotate from the locked position to the unlocked position. This causes the hook portion 23 of the locking member 13 to disengage from the lock receiving member 15, allowing the opening and closing cover 5 to be opened. A spring (not shown) applies force to the unlocking lever 17 in the direction from the operating position to the non-operating position.

As shown in Figures 3 to 8, the first knob 19 is detachably attached to the knob attachment portion 29 of the unlocking lever 17. The first knob 19 includes a first knob body 45 and a first screw fastening portion 47.

The first knob body 45 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the -Y direction (see FIG. 3). A mounting recess 49 is provided on the +Y direction surface of the first knob body 45. The mounting recess 49 extends from the +Y direction surface of the first knob body 45 in an oblique direction between the -Y direction and the +Z direction. The knob mounting portion 29 is fitted into the mounting recess 49. Furthermore, an action portion 51 protrudes in the +Z direction from approximately the middle portion in the X direction of the +Z direction end of the first knob body 45. The action portion 51 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The first screw fastening portion 47 protrudes in the +Y direction from the +Z edge of the mounting recess 49 on the +Y direction surface of the first knob body 45. The first screw fastening portion 47 has a screw insertion hole 53. The screw insertion hole 53 is formed in a countersunk shape. The knob fixing screw 39 inserted into the screw insertion hole 53 of the first screw fastening portion 47 is fixed to the knob fixing hole 37 of the knob mounting portion 29, thereby screwing the first knob 19 to the lock release lever 17.

The first knob 19 is the part to which the user applies force in order to unlock the locking member 13 when the user opens the opening/closing cover 5. In other words, by applying force to the first knob 19, the user can rotate the unlocking lever 17 from the inactive position to the active position, thereby allowing the opening/closing cover 5 to be opened.

Here, when the printing device 1 is installed, for example, at a self-checkout counter in a store, the store faces the issue of wanting to prevent customers from opening the opening/closing cover 5 unnecessarily. Therefore, the printing device 1 is provided with an inhibition section 55 that inhibits the application of force to the first knob 19 in order to prevent the opening/closing cover 5 from being opened unnecessarily.

The inhibiting portion 55 protrudes in the -Y direction like a canopy from the end of the opening/closing cover 5 in the +Z direction. When the opening/closing cover 5 is closed and the unlocking lever 17 is in the non-operating position, the inhibiting portion 55 is located in the +Z direction with respect to the first knob 19 (see FIG. 3). In other words, the +Z direction of the first knob 19 is covered by the inhibiting portion 55. As a result, the inhibiting portion 55 inhibits force from being applied to the first knob 19 from the +Z direction.

However, if the inhibition portion 55 completely prevents the application of force to the first knob 19, the opening/closing cover 5 cannot be opened even when it is necessary to open the opening/closing cover 5 to replace the roll paper, for example. Therefore, the inhibition portion 55 is provided with a notch 57 that allows the user to apply force to the first knob 19. The notch 57 is provided in the approximate middle of the inhibition portion 55 in the X direction. The portion of the inhibition portion 55 in the -X direction with respect to the notch 57 is referred to as the first inhibition portion 59, and the portion in the +X direction with respect to the notch 57 is referred to as the second inhibition portion 61. In other words, the notch 57 is provided between the first inhibition portion 59 and the second inhibition portion 61.

The action portion 51 of the first knob 19 is located at a position corresponding to the notch 57 before the user applies force to the first knob 19, i.e., when the lock release lever 17 is in the non-acting position. That is, the action portion 51 is located between the first inhibition portion 59 and the second inhibition portion 61 when the lock release lever 17 is in the non-acting position (see FIG. 3). Note that the +Z end of the action portion 51 is located in the -Z direction further than the +Z end of the inhibition portion 55 when the lock release lever 17 is in the non-acting position.

In this way, since the action part 51 is located at a position corresponding to the notch 57, a user who knows that the inhibition part 55 has the notch 57, such as a store clerk at a store where the printing device 1 is installed, can apply force to the action part 51 by inserting a fingertip or a pen tip through the notch 57 from the +Z direction. That is, the user can apply force to the action part 51 by inserting a fingertip or a pen tip between the first inhibition part 59 and the second inhibition part 61. Then, the user can rotate the lock release lever 17 from the non-acting position to the acting position by applying force to the action part 51 through the notch 57, and the opening and closing cover 5 can be opened. In addition, a knob recess 63 (see FIG. 5) is provided on the surface of the action part 51 in the +Y direction. By hooking a fingertip or a pen tip on the knob recess 63, a user who is trying to open the opening and closing cover 5 can easily apply force to the action part 51.

As shown in Figures 9 to 14, the second knob 21 is detachably attached to the knob attachment portion 29 of the lock release lever 17 in place of the first knob 19. The second knob 21 includes a second knob body 65, a second screw fastening portion 67, and a knob portion 69. The second knob body 65 and the second screw fastening portion 67 are configured substantially the same as the first knob body 45 and the first screw fastening portion 47, respectively, but the second knob body 65 does not include an action portion 51, and instead the second knob 21 includes a knob portion 69.

The knob 69 protrudes in the +Z direction from the +Z end of the second knob body 65 and is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape. The +Z end of the knob 69 is located in the +Z direction relative to the inhibition portion 55 before the user applies force to the second knob 21, i.e., when the lock release lever 17 is in the non-operating position (see FIG. 11).

Therefore, the inhibition portion 55 does not inhibit the application of force to the second knob 21 from the +Z direction. In other words, the user can pinch the gripping portion 69 from the +Z direction and apply force to the second knob 21 without being hindered by the inhibition portion 55. This allows the user to more easily rotate the unlock lever 17 from the inoperative position to the operative position, and more easily open the opening/closing cover 5, compared to when the first knob 19 is attached. Note that an operation mark 71 indicating the operation direction of the second knob 21 is provided on the -Y direction surface of the second knob body 65.

In addition, before the user applies force to the first knob 19 or the second knob 21, i.e., when the unlocking lever 17 is in the non-operating position, the knob fixing screw 39 is located within the lever opening 35 (see Figures 5 and 11). At this time, the head of the knob fixing screw 39 is covered by the edge of the lever opening 35, making it difficult for the user to operate the knob fixing screw 39, i.e., to tighten or loosen it.

On the other hand, when the user applies force to the first knob 19 or the second knob 21, i.e., when the lock release lever 17 is in the operative position, the knob fixing screw 39 is located in a position corresponding to the notch 57, i.e., in the -Z direction relative to the notch 57 (see Figures 7, 8, 13, and 14). Therefore, with the lock release lever 17 rotated to the operative position, the user can easily operate the knob fixing screw 39 by inserting a tool such as a screwdriver through the notch 57 from the +Z direction.

As described above, according to the printing device 1 of this embodiment, the provision of the inhibition portion 55 prevents the opening/closing cover 5 from being opened unnecessarily, while the provision of the notch 57 in the inhibition portion 55 allows a user who is aware of the existence of the notch 57 to easily open the opening/closing cover 5.

The printing device 1 also has a first knob 19 and a second knob 21 that can be selectively attached, allowing the user to select whether or not to have a tamper-proof function. Here, "tampering" means that the opening/closing cover 5 is opened unnecessarily by a customer or the like. The first knob 19 is a knob with a tamper-proof function, and the second knob 21 is a knob without a tamper-proof function. When a user such as a store clerk installs the printing device 1 in a location where there is a risk that the opening/closing cover 5 will be opened unnecessarily by a customer or the like, the user can simply attach the first knob 19 to the lock release lever 17. On the other hand, when a user such as a store clerk installs the printing device 1 in a location where there is a low risk that the opening/closing cover 5 will be opened unnecessarily by a customer or the like, the user can simply attach the second knob 21 to the lock release lever 17.

[Other Modifications]
It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various configurations can be adopted without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the above-described embodiment can be modified as follows in addition to the above. Also, the embodiment and the modified examples may be combined to form a configuration.

The inhibition unit 55 is not limited to being provided on the opening/closing cover 5, and may be provided on the device main body 3, for example. In other words, the inhibition unit 55 may be configured to be positioned in the +Z direction with respect to the first knob 19 and inhibit the application of force to the first knob 19 before the user applies force to the first knob 19 when the opening/closing cover 5 is closed, and there is no particular limit as to which member the inhibition unit 55 is provided on.

The first knob 19 is not limited to being attached to the unlocking lever 17 by screwing, but may be attached to the unlocking lever 17, for example, by simply fitting the knob attachment portion 29 of the unlocking lever 17 into the attachment recess 49 of the first knob 19. The same applies to the second knob 21.

The printing device 1 is not limited to a configuration including both the first knob 19 and the second knob 21, and may be configured to include only the first knob 19 of the first knob 19 and the second knob 21. In other words, if there is no need to select whether or not to include a tamper-proof function, the printing device 1 may be configured to include only the first knob 19, which prevents the opening/closing cover 5 from being opened unnecessarily, while allowing any user who is aware of the existence of the notch 57 to easily open the opening/closing cover 5.

The printing device 1 does not necessarily have to be configured with a thermal head, but may have other printing mechanisms. In other words, the printing method of the printing device 1 is not limited to the thermal method, and may be, for example, an inkjet method or an electrophotographic method.

[Additional Notes]
The printing device will be described below.
The printing device comprises a roll paper holder that stores roll paper, an opening/closing cover that opens and closes the roll paper holder, a locking member that locks the opening/closing cover in a closed position, an unlocking lever that unlocks the locking member, a first input member provided on the unlocking lever and to which a user applies force to unlock the locking member, and an inhibiting portion that is positioned in a first direction relative to the first input member and inhibits the application of force to the first input member before the user applies force to the first input member when the opening/closing cover is closed, and the inhibiting portion is provided with a notch that allows the user to apply force to the first input member.

According to this configuration, the provision of an inhibiting portion prevents the opening/closing cover from being opened unnecessarily, while the provision of a notch in the inhibiting portion allows a user who is aware of the existence of the notch to easily open the opening/closing cover.
The first knob 19 is an example of a “first input member.” The +Z direction is an example of a “first direction.”

In this case, the first input member has an action portion that protrudes in the first direction from the end in the first direction, and the action portion is preferably located in a position corresponding to the notch when the opening/closing cover is closed and before the user applies force to the first input member.

With this configuration, the action part is located at a position corresponding to the notch, so that a force can be applied to the action part by inserting a fingertip or the tip of a pen through the notch from the first direction.

In this case, it is preferable that the first input member is attached to the unlocking lever by a screw, and that the screw is located at a position corresponding to the notch when a force is applied to the first input member by the user.

According to this configuration, a user can easily operate the screw by inserting a tool such as a screwdriver through the notch from the first direction while applying force to the first input member.
The knob fixing screw 39 is an example of a "screw".

In this case, the first input member is removably attached to the unlocking lever, and a second input member is removably attached to the unlocking lever in place of the first input member and to which a force is applied by the user to unlock the locking member, and it is preferable that the end of the second input member in the first direction is positioned in the first direction relative to the inhibiting portion when the opening/closing cover is closed and before the user applies force to the second input member.

According to this configuration, the first input member has a function of preventing the opening/closing cover from being opened unnecessarily, whereas the second input member does not have a function of preventing the opening/closing cover from being opened unnecessarily, so that the user can select whether or not to have the function of preventing the opening/closing cover from being opened unnecessarily.
The second knob 21 is an example of a "second input member."

1...printing device, 5...opening cover, 7...roll paper holder, 13...locking member, 17...unlocking lever, 19...first knob, 21...second knob, 39...knob fixing screw, 51...acting portion, 55...obstructing portion, 57...notch.

Claims (3)

a roll paper holder for accommodating roll paper;
an opening/closing cover for opening and closing the roll paper holder;
a locking member for locking the opening/closing cover in a closed state;
an unlocking lever for unlocking the locking member;
a first input member provided on the unlocking lever, to which a force is applied by a user in order to unlock the locking member;
an inhibition portion that is located in a first direction with respect to the first input member and inhibits the application of force to the first input member before a user applies force to the first input member while the opening/closing cover is in a closed state;
the inhibition portion is provided with a notch that allows a user to apply force to the first input member ,
the first input member has an action portion protruding in the first direction from an end portion in the first direction,
a first input member that is in contact with the first surface of the printing device and that is in contact with the first surface of the printing device; a roll paper holder for accommodating roll paper;
an opening/closing cover for opening and closing the roll paper holder;
a locking member for locking the opening/closing cover in a closed state;
an unlocking lever for unlocking the locking member;
a first input member provided on the unlocking lever, to which a force is applied by a user in order to unlock the locking member;
an inhibition portion that is located in a first direction with respect to the first input member and inhibits the application of force to the first input member before a user applies force to the first input member while the opening/closing cover is in a closed state;
the inhibition portion is provided with a notch that allows a user to apply force to the first input member ,
The first input member is attached to the lock release lever by a screw,
A printing device , wherein the screw is located at a position corresponding to the notch when a force is applied to the first input member by a user . a roll paper holder for accommodating roll paper;
an opening/closing cover for opening and closing the roll paper holder;
a locking member for locking the opening/closing cover in a closed state;
an unlocking lever for unlocking the locking member;
a first input member provided on the unlocking lever, to which a force is applied by a user in order to unlock the locking member;
an inhibition portion that is located in a first direction with respect to the first input member and inhibits the application of force to the first input member before a user applies force to the first input member while the opening/closing cover is in a closed state;
the inhibition portion is provided with a notch that allows a user to apply force to the first input member ,
The first input member is detachably attached to the lock release lever,
a second input member that is detachably attached to the unlock lever in place of the first input member and to which a force is applied by a user to unlock the lock member,
A printing device characterized in that the end of the second input member in the first direction is positioned in the first direction relative to the inhibiting portion before a user applies force to the second input member when the opening/closing cover is closed .

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