Typewriting machines – Sheet or web – For feeding web record-medium
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-26
2001-08-07
Eickholt, Eugene (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Sheet or web
For feeding web record-medium
C101S227000, C400S708000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06270270
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing characters or figures on rolled paper by using a printer head, and, more particularly, to a printing apparatus having a considerably simple structure, with which replacement of the rolled paper and removal of jammed paper can be carried out easily, while decreasing paper jam incidents.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, most of known printing apparatus of this kind have been such that the printed output is of a definite format, and, upon completion of printing, it generally sends out the printed output with a paper transfer mechanism such that a perforated line of recording paper comes out of the apparatus, allowing the printed output to be cut along the perforated line.
Accordingly, some apparatus have been proposed in recent years in which the printed output is transferred to a discharge port by using a transfer means, etc. after it is cut and while the printing is stopped for a moment within the apparatus, as shown in
FIG. 26
, in order to adapt to printed output of an irregular shape (varied in length) and to avoid paper jams due to consequent strain of the recording paper during the printing. That is, a numeral
51
in the figure represents rolled paper which is arranged so that it is cut in a predetermined length by a cutter unit
53
and transferred to a discharge port
55
by a presenter
54
after it is printed by a printer unit
52
. Also, numeral
56
represents a rolled-paper holder for rotatably supporting the rolled paper
51
, and numerals
57
and
58
are a roller and a printer head, respectively, representing structural elements of the printer unit
52
.
With the above described structure of the prior art, a leading end of the rolled paper
51
held in the rolled-paper holder
56
needs to be inserted into a feeding port (not shown in the figure) of the printer unit
52
when the rolled paper
51
is reset in the printer unit
52
for replacement of the rolled paper
51
, or after removal of jammed paper, etc. In doing this task, however, the leading edge of the rolled paper
51
held in the rolled paper holder
56
can not be simply and easily inserted into the feeding port of the printer unit
52
, and jammed paper between the rolled paper
51
and the printer unit
52
can not be readily removed, because of a very tight space between the rolled paper
51
and the printer unit
52
in the prior art structure.
There has been a fear that the rolled paper
51
is inadvertently rumpled or torn if the rolled paper
51
could not be easily set in position. Also, there has been another fear that a part of the jammed paper may be left behind in the printing apparatus if the jammed paper can not be removed easily. They have been causes leading to other paper jams. Widening the space between the rolled paper
51
and the printer unit
52
could resolve this problem, but it would raise a new problem in that the dimensional reduction of the apparatus is restricted.
Also, the structure of the prior art has frequently caused paper jams in the transfer presenter
54
. Although there is a way to prevent it, in that the transfer presenter
54
is disused, and recording papers are freely dropped under their own weight to lead them to the discharge opening after printing, this poses a problem with papers that fly out of the discharge opening by impetus of the dropping.
Furthermore, the structure of the prior art tends to cause the rolled paper
51
to stick to a surface of the roller
57
or the printer head
58
during a long stand-by time, or if it is used in an environment of high temperature, high humidity, low temperature, low humidity, etc. regardless of the stand-by period, so as to result in a failure of feeding the paper in the succeeding printing operation and to become liable to cause a paper jam. Also, there have been cases in which the paper transferring operation is impaired due to oxidation, corrosion, hardening of grease, etc. of components such as a gear, an axle, a bearing, etc. that constitute a paper transfer mechanism. There have also been impairments with the operation of a cutter mechanism having a similar component structure.
The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and it aims at providing a printing apparatus of a small size that facilitates the replacement of rolled paper, removal of jammed papers, etc. with a considerably simple structure.
The invention also aims at providing a printing apparatus of considerably simple structure that reliably delivers a printed output to a discharge port without causing a paper jam, even for printed output of an irregular shape (varied in length).
The invention further aims at providing a highly reliable printing apparatus which prevents a paper jam in a succeeding printing operation, and avoids impairment of the operation of the paper transfer mechanism and the cutter mechanism, even under such severe conditions as an extended stand-by time and a use environment of high temperature, high humidity, low temperature, low humidity, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A printing apparatus of the present invention comprises a rolled-paper holder for supporting a rolled paper which is provided with a first holder for use in carrying out printing on the rolled paper and a second holder for use in setting the rolled paper. The rolled paper is moved from the second holder to the first holder on the rolled-paper holder as a main body of the apparatus is shifted from a position for carrying out setting work (“paper setting position”) to a position for the printing operation (“printing work position”). The above structure provides the apparatus with the effect of facilitating the setting of rolled paper and removal of jammed papers, and prevents paper jam, since it is provided with a holder for temporarily holding the rolled paper when the rolled paper is reset or when the rolled paper is provisionally evacuated for replacement of the rolled paper or removal of jammed papers, etc.
Also, the printing apparatus of the present invention comprises a printer unit for printing on the rolled paper, a cutter unit for cutting the rolled paper according to a printed length on the rolled paper, and an L-shaped guide unit for leading the cut paper toward a discharge port by letting the paper fall under its own weight. The discharge port is provided with a stopper for preventing the cut paper from flying out and a projection on a ceiling portion deep in the discharge port. This enables the structure to avoid use of a presenter and to prevent paper jams, because the effect of the stopper and the projection can positively prevent the cut paper from flying out, even when the printed output is of an irregular shape (varied in length).
Moreover, the printing apparatus of the present invention is designed to move the recording paper in a reverse direction after it is once moved in a forward direction, and to drive the cutter, when a predetermined amount of time has elapsed during a stand-by period. This effectively avoids the recording paper from being stuck completely with the roller or the printer head by temporarily freeing the paper which begins to stick, and, at the same time, prevents component parts of the paper transfer mechanism and the cutter mechanism from undergoing oxidation, corrosion, hardening of grease, etc., so as to avoid a paper jam.
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Arakawa Tohru
Koshi Kazumine
Matsui Masaaki
Saito Noriyuki
Sakai Keita
Eickholt Eugene
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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