Paper holding device for label printer

Details Paper holding device for label printer Paper holding device for label printer

2002-05-21

2004-02-24

Colilla, Daniel J. (Department: 2854)

Typewriting machines

Sheet or web

For feeding web record-medium

C400S611000, C400S120160, C242S578000, C242S578200, C242S596700, C242S596800

Reexamination Certificate

active

06695500

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper holding device used for holding a paper roll of a varying size accommodated in a label printer, more particularly, to a paper holding device for a label printer, which is modified in its construction to allow a paper roll to be easily and quickly mounted thereon and avoid malfunction of component elements thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a label printer is used to print a trade name, a price, an expiration date, etc. on a label sheet and thereby allow the printed label sheet to be affixed to a product. A number of label sheets are peelably attached to paper which is wound in the form of a roll, in a manner such that they are spaced apart one from another by a certain distance. Depending upon a use, the paper has a width of about 1 to 4 inches.
The paper which is wound in the form of a roll is accommodated in a body of the label printer. The paper roll is rotatably supported in its center hole by a holding device. Consequently, the paper can be continuously paid out from the roll as a printing work proceeds. The paper is fed between a printing roller and a printing head which constitute a printing section, by a feeding roller, to allow the label sheets to be properly printed.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, there is illustrated a conventional label printer. The label printer has a printer body
3
and a cover
1
which is hingedly coupled to a rear end of the printer body
3
. A printing head
2
is installed on a lower surface of a distal end of the cover
1
. An accommodating section
4
for accommodating paper P wound in the form of a roll is defined in the printer body
3
. A paper guide device for guiding both widthwise edges of the paper P is disposed in front of the accommodating section
4
. Further, a printing roller
5
is arranged in front of the paper guide device to be brought into contact with the printing head
2
. The printing roller
5
functions to support each label sheet attached to the paper P, upon printing. The paper roll P is held in place by a paper holding device.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, the conventional paper holding device employed in the label printer includes left and right holders
10
and
20
, left and right guide links
30
and
40
, a bottom panel
60
, a pinion gear
70
, a pair of tension springs S, and a fastening screw
80
. The left and right holders
10
and
20
respectively have circular protrusions
11
and
21
which are formed at upper ends of the left and right holders
10
and
20
to be inserted into both ends of a center hole P
1
of the paper roll P thereby to support the paper roll P, grips
12
and
22
which are formed adjacent to lower ends of the left and right holders
10
and
20
, and bases
13
and
23
which are formed at the lower ends of the left and right holders
10
and
20
. Each of the bases
13
and
23
is integrally formed, at front and rears ends thereof, with a pair of leg portions. Grooves
13
a
and
23
a
are defined on lower surfaces of the leg portions of the bases
13
and
23
. Two pairs of first locking holes
13
b
and
23
b
are defined through the rear leg portion of the left base
13
and the front leg portion of right base
23
in such a way as to extend in a vertical direction and be communicated with the grooves
13
a
and
23
a
, respectively. A first threaded hole
23
c
is defined through the rear leg portion of the right base
23
to extend in the vertical direction. The left and right guide links
30
and
40
respectively have guide projections
31
and
41
to be received in the grooves
13
a
and
23
a
of the left and right holders
10
and
20
, guide plates
32
and
42
which are integrally secured to lower ends of the guide projections
31
and
41
and formed, on their respective front and rear surfaces, with rack gears
34
and
44
, and hook pieces
33
and
43
which are fastened to respective rear and front surfaces of the guide plates
32
and
42
. The guide projections
31
and
41
are defined with two pairs of second locking holes
31
a
and
41
a
which are respectively aligned with the two pairs of first locking holes
13
b
and
23
b
. A pair of locking screws A are driven into the first locking holes
13
b
and
23
b
and the second locking holes
31
a
and
41
a
to lock the left and right holders
10
and
20
to the left and right guide links
30
and
40
, respectively. The bottom panel
60
is defined with a pair of guide slots
61
and
62
for guiding leftward and rightward movement of the left and right guide links
30
and
40
, and has a shaft portion
63
which is formed on a lower surface of the bottom panel
60
between the pair of guide slots
61
and
62
to project downward. As can be readily seen from
FIG. 2
, the bottom panel
60
further has a plurality of second threaded holes
64
which are defined through the bottom panel
60
over the same width as the right guide slot
62
of the bottom panel
60
. The bottom panel
60
is secured with respect to a floor of the printer body
3
. The pinion gear
70
is rotatably fitted around the shaft portion
63
of the bottom panel
60
to be meshed with the rack gears
34
and
44
of the guide plates
32
and
42
of the left and right guide links
30
and
40
. The pair of tension springs S have one ends which are connected to the hook pieces
33
and
43
of the left and right guide links
30
and
40
and the other ends which are connected to the bottom panel
60
. The tension springs S apply elastic pulling force to the left and right guide links
30
and
40
. The fastening screw
80
is driven into the first threaded hole
23
c
and one of the plurality of second threaded holes
64
to fix the right holder
20
to the bottom panel
60
.
That is to say, the fastening screw
80
functions to fixedly hold the left and right holders
10
and
20
with respect to the bottom panel
60
. By this fact, it is possible to primarily guide both widthwise edges of a separate paper sheet (not shown) which has peelably attached thereto label sheets and is manually fed forward from the rear end of the printer body
3
, between the left and right holders
10
and
20
which are properly adjusted in spacing.
Hereafter, operation of the conventional paper holding device for a label printer, constructed as mentioned above, will be described.
Referring to
FIGS. 2 and 3
, when it is necessary to mount the paper roll P which has a width of about 1 to 4 inches depending upon a use, the paper roll P is first accommodated in the accommodating section
4
which is defined in the printer body
3
. Next, the grips
12
and
22
of the left and right holders
10
and
20
, which are respectively located at both widthwise ends of the accommodating section
4
, are grasped by the hands, and then respectively moved away from each other to define a spacing greater than a width of the paper roll P.
The guide projections
31
and
41
of the left and right guide links
30
and
40
are respectively received in the grooves
13
a
and
23
a
which are defined on the lower surfaces of the rear leg portion of the left base
13
and the front leg portion of right base
23
. Then, by driving the locking screws A into the first locking holes
13
b
and
23
b
of the bases
13
and
23
and the second locking holes
31
a
and
41
a
of the guide projections
31
and
41
, the bases
13
and
23
and the guide projections
31
and
41
are rigidly coupled with each other, respectively. As a consequence, the left and right holders
10
and
20
and the left and right guide links
30
and
40
can be integrally moved along the guide slots
61
and
62
of the bottom panel
60
in a horizontal direction. If the grips
12
and
22
of the left and right holders
10
and
20
are released, the protrusions
11
and
21
of the left and right holders
10
and
20
are respectively inserted into both ends of the center hole P
1
of the paper roll P to support the paper roll P.
Due to the fact that the rack gears
34
and
44
of the guide pla

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