Typewriting machines – Sheet or web
Patent
1998-06-10
2000-09-05
Eickholt, Eugene
Typewriting machines
Sheet or web
400663, B41J 1300
Patent
active
061132926
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a printer that is provided with a mounting unit for mounting a cartridge containing a recording medium. More specifically, it relates to a head release mechanism for printers of this form, capable of moving the print head, relative to the recording medium supplied from a mounted cartridge, to the print position and to a release position that is away from the print position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printers referred to as tape printers and label printers have come into use in recent years. In general, the recording media used on this type of printer are tape-shaped media. The backside of such a recording medium is an adhesive surface covered by a piece of peel-off paper. The recording medium is stored in a cartridge in a spooled form. A cartridge-mounting unit for mounting the cartridge on a detachable basis is formed on the printer side. The cartridge-mounting unit is covered by a cover and is configured in such a way that one opens the cover to mount a cartridge, closes the cover, and then performs printing.
A head release mechanism is incorporated into the printer so that the print head that prints on the recording medium supplied from the mounted cartridge is not damaged when the cartridge is attached or detached and so that the print head does not hinder the cartridge attaching or detaching operation. The head release mechanism moves the print head from the print position, protruding to the recording medium side, to the release position, which is away from the print position.
FIG. 11A shows a conventional printer called a tape printer. As indicated in the figure, the first half of the top portion of printer 1 is keyboard 2. The second half is opening/closing cover 3. When cover 3 is opened, as illustrated in the figure, mounting unit 4 for tape cartridge 4 (see FIG. 11B) formed inside the cover comes into view. Head unit 7, with a built-in thermal head 6 as a print head, is provided on mounting unit 5. As shown in FIG. 12, tape cartridge 4 holds, in its case 41, roll 8 for tape-form recording medium T and roll 9 for ink ribbon R. A transport path is formed so that these items become stacked at the position in which they pass through platen roll 42.
Formed adjacent to platen roll 42 is a head unit insertion hole 43 through which head unit 7 is inserted when a tape cartridge is mounted. Thermal head 6, which is incorporated in head unit 7 that is inserted into hole 43, can be moved by the head release mechanism built into the printer, from the print position (indicated by the solid line in the figure) protruding to the side of platen roll 42 to the release position (indicated by dashed lines in the figure) that is located in the back.
The conventional head release mechanism basically comprises a head carrier component that supports thermal head 6 to allow the thermal head to move from the print position to the release position, a spring component that always holds the component onto the side of the head release position, a moving component that moves the head carrier component to the print position against the spring force of the spring component, and a locking component that locks the head carrier component, that has moved to the print position, in the new position. The head release mechanism of this composition is incorporated into the backside of the cartridge-mounting unit.
In printer 1 shown in FIG. 11A, the moving component that moves thermal head 6 to the print position is protrusion 31 that is formed on the backside of cover 3. When cover 3 is closed, protrusion 31 intrudes into hole 11, formed on the case side, and moves the internally provided head carrier component toward the print position against the spring force. Therefore, when cover 3 is closed, against the spring force, the head carrier component is moved by protrusion 31 in conjunction with the closing operation. This causes head 6, held at that location, to protrude into the print position. When cover 3 is completely closed, hook 32, fo
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Aida Chieko
Hashimoto Akira
Kameda Takanobu
Shimmura Tomoyuki
Unno Teruhiko
Eickholt Eugene
Seiko Epson Corporation
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