Printer

Details Printer Printer

2003-05-29

2004-08-31

Eickholt, Eugene H. (Department: 2854)

Typewriting machines

Sheet or web

For feeding web record-medium

C346S024000, C101S227000, C083S477200, C083S485000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06783291

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer using a roll of paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a printer using a roll of paper, because a print head, especially a thermal head, is pressed against the paper during printing and is heated, it gets dirty easily and requires periodical maintenance. Thus, it is required to achieve easy access to the print head at the time of maintenance, and various types of printers has been developed.
For example,
FIG. 6
shows a printer wherein a platen
40
is attached to a roll cover frame
2
which is rotatably attached to a roll holding frame
1
for holding a roll of paper R. Because the platen
40
can be widely separated from the print head
12
, the maintenance of the print head becomes easy. However, a stationary blade
21
, which cooperates with a movable blade
22
, driven by a cutter unit
20
, to cut the paper, is also attached to the roll cover frame
2
. Thus, there is a problem that the adjustment of the relative positions of the movable blade
22
and the stationary blade
21
to realize favorable cut of the paper is difficult.
Also, as shown in
FIG. 7
, there is a printer wherein the stationary blade
21
is attached to the cutter unit
20
and the cutter unit
20
can be rotated. In this type of printer, because the stationary blade
21
and the movable blade
22
are attached to the same cutter unit
20
, the above mentioned problem that the adjustment of the relative positions of the movable blade
22
and the stationary blade
21
is difficult does not occur. However, in order to separate the platen
40
from the print head
12
, at first the cutter unit
20
is rotated to separate the stationary blade
21
from the print head
12
, and then, the roll cover frame
2
is rotated to separate the platen
40
, that is, two motions are required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention resides in providing a printer using a roll of paper having a simple structure wherein a print head can be accessed by a simple operation.
According to the present invention, there is provided a printer using a roll of paper, comprising a printer body unit having at least a print head attached thereto and a cutter unit for cutting the paper printed by the print head, wherein the cutter unit is rotatably attached to the printer body unit, the cutter unit includes a stationary blade and a movable blade which cooperate, above the print head, to cut the paper during the cutting operation, the print head is provided with a platen for pressing the paper against the print head, and the stationary blade, the movable blade and the platen can be displaced from a position above the print head, by rotating the cutter unit.
Preferably, the cutter unit can be rotated to a position in which the platen is located on the non-printing surface side of the print head, opposite to a printing surface, with respect to an extension line of a rear surface of the print head, when the printer is not used.
Preferably, a connecting member is attached to the printer body unit and the cutter unit is rotatably attached to the connecting member.
Preferably, the platen is attached to a lower surface of the cutter unit through a platen mounting member.
Preferably, the platen mounting member can also serve as a paper guide for guiding the paper into the cutter unit.


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patent: 6508600 (2003-01-01), Nonaka
patent: 6511240 (2003-01-01), Yamada
patent: 5-63855 (1993-08-01), None

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