Typewriting machines – Sheet or web – For feeding web record-medium
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-29
2001-03-06
Eickholt, Eugene (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Sheet or web
For feeding web record-medium
C400S613000, C400S642000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196741
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus for printing characters or figures on a rolled paper by using a printer head, and, more particularly, to a printing apparatus having a considerably simple structure, for which replacement of the rolled paper and removal of a jammed paper can be carried out easily, while decreasing incidents of paper jam.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, most of known printing apparatus of the kind have been such that a printed output is of a definite format, and, upon completion of printing, it generally sends out the printed output with a paper transfer mechanism in a manner that a perforated line of a 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 yeas, in which a printed output is transferred to a discharge port by using a transfer means, etc. after it is cut while the printing is stopped for a moment within the apparatus, as shown in
FIG. 26
, in order to adapt printed output of an irregular shape (varied in length) and to avoid paper jams due to a consequent strain of the recording paper during the printing.
That is, a numeral
51
in the figure represents a rolled paper, which is so arranged 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 with a printer unit
52
. Also, a numeral
56
represents a rolled-paper holder for supporting the rolled paper
51
rotatably, and numerals
57
and
58
are a roller and a printer head respectively, as they represent 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 a 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 inserted simply and easily into the feeding port of the printer unit
52
, and the jammed paper occurred 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 previous structure.
There has been a fear that the rolled paper
51
is inadvertently rumpled or torn, if the rolled paper
51
could not be set easily in position. Also, there has been another fear that a part of the jammed paper is left behind in the printing apparatus, if the jammed paper can not be removed easily. They have been a cause to lead another paper jam again. Widening the space between the rolled paper
51
and the printer unit
52
could clear this problem, but it would raise a new problem in which a dimensional reduction of the apparatus is restricted.
Also, the structure of the prior art has frequently caused paper jams in the transfer means
54
. Although there is a way to prevent it, in that the transfer means
54
is disused, and recording papers are freely dropped with their own weight, leading them to the discharge opening after printing, it poses a problem with the papers that fly out of the discharge opening by an impetus of the dropping.
Furthermore, the structure of the prior art tends to cause the rolled paper
51
to stick with 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 an 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 replacement of a 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 the 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 an impairment to operation of the paper transfer mechanism and the cutter mechanism, even under such severe conditions as an extended stand-by time and 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, wherein 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 the setting work (“paper setting position”) to a position for the printing operation (“printing work position”). The above structure provides the apparatus with an effect of facilitating the setting of a rolled paper and removal of jammed papers, and prevents a 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 to fall with its own weight, and that 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 disuse a transfer means and to prevent paper jams, because of an effect of the stopper and the projection that 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 toward a reverse direction after it be once moved toward a forward direction, and to drive the cutter, when a predetermined time is 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 a paper transfer mechanism and a cutter mechanism from oxidation, corrosion, hardening of grease, etc., so as to avoid a paper jam.
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patent: 3276559 (1966-10-01), De Man
patent: 3277992 (1966-10-01), Bremer
patent: 3366212 (1968-01-01), McInnis
patent: 3593833 (1971-07-01), Bretti
patent: 4097147 (1978-06-01), Portewig
patent: 4860031 (1989-08-01), Lejcek
patent: 5201588 (1993-04-01), Sakai et al.
patent: 5276527 (1994-01-01), Sugiyama et al.
patent: 5407115 (1995-04-01), Blalock et al.
patent: 5411342 (1995-05-01), Horie et al.
patent: 5478161 (1995-12-01), Suzuki et al.
Arakawa Tohru
Koshi Kazumine
Matsui Masaaki
Saito Noriyuki
Tanaka Toshio
Eickholt Eugene
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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