JP2002300334A - Image printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To make it easy to see and touch the monitor screen of the monitor unit, and to prevent foreign substances from entering the recording medium insertion opening and the print outlet. A monitor section having a monitor screen is formed independently of a main body section in which a printing system is housed, the monitor section is supported by a vertically movable column, and insertion ports for various recording media. 9 and the entrance of the print outlet 11 are attached to the slide cover C, and the slide cover C is opened and closed by a rack and pinion mechanism.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of reading image data of a photographic image taken by an image pickup device such as a digital camera from a recording medium or directly reading and outputting a photographic image by an image reading device such as a scanner. The present invention relates to an image printing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, digital data of an image photographed by a digital camera or the like is read, a background or a frame is selected, a predetermined number of printouts are made, and the digital camera is installed in a store or a relatively small space occupying one corner of a street. There has been proposed an image printing apparatus capable of performing such operations. For example,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-341303 describes an image printing apparatus which includes various interfaces corresponding to a plurality of different types of recording media, and is capable of reading and outputting digital data of an image from various types of recording media. .
The image printing apparatus includes a main body having a print system therein, and a monitor provided on the main body for displaying information such as characters and images.

[0003]

However, since this monitor unit is integrally formed with the main body unit and cannot be moved up and down and the inclination angle cannot be changed, a person with a very high or low height can monitor the monitor unit. Not only is it difficult to see the screen, but also it is difficult to touch the touch panel type screen.

Further, the image printing apparatus is usually installed in a place where people gather, such as a convenience store or a market, and when an image to be output is displayed on a monitor, it can be seen by others. . This means that when a customer tries to output an image of themselves, the embarrassment seen by others may be concerned about whether there are others who can see the image, or if there is such someone However, there is a problem that the output is hesitated or stopped.

The monitor section includes a compact disk (CD) and a floppy (registered trademark) disk (F
D), a recording media insertion slot for inserting a plurality of recording media such as smart media is provided,
The main body is provided with a print outlet for printing out the processed printed material.The insertion opening and the print outlet for these recording media are always open, so that trash can be packed by mischief or especially printed. Since the outlet is wide, there is a possibility that foreign materials other than printed matter may be packed and the functions thereof may be impaired.

In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide an image printing apparatus capable of adjusting the height of a monitor according to the height of a user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image printing apparatus in which the tilt angle of the monitor can be adjusted according to the height of the user, and the screen can be easily viewed and touched.

Further, the present invention provides an image printing apparatus in which an insertion slot for a recording medium and an outlet for taking out a printed material are closed when not in use, and are opened only when used, thereby preventing tampering. Aim.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention outputs a photographic image photographed by an image pickup device such as a digital camera, and outputs a photographic image to a main body including a print system and a character, an image, and the like located above the main body. And a monitor for displaying the information of (1), wherein the monitor has at least one of a height adjustment function and an inclination angle adjustment function.

[0010] The present invention also provides image data of a photographic image taken by an image pickup device such as a digital camera by reading from a recording medium and outputting the image data, and an insertion port for the recording medium and an output port for taking out the output printed matter. Wherein at least one of the recording medium insertion opening and the taking-out opening for taking out the printing unit is provided with an openable / closable cover.

Further, the present invention reads out image data of a photographic image photographed by an imaging device such as a digital camera from a recording medium and outputs the image data, and includes a main body having a built-in printing system, and a character positioned above the main body. An image printing apparatus comprising a monitor for displaying information such as images and the like, and having an insertion slot for a recording medium and a print outlet for taking out the output printed matter, wherein the monitor has a height adjustment function. And at least one of an inclination angle adjusting function, and at least one of an insertion opening of the recording medium and an outlet for taking out a printed material is provided with a cover that can be opened and closed.

According to these inventions, the screen of the monitor section can be held at an arbitrary height or an inclined angle, so that the screen can be easily viewed and touched by the user. In addition, when the output takes time, such as when outputting images continuously, the monitor unit can be turned down to prevent the screen from being seen by others, and the image displayed on the monitor cannot be seen by others. Useful when you feel ashamed. In addition, since the insertion slot of the recording media or the exit for printed printed matter is opened only when used, it is effective not only for preventing tampering but also for inserting the wrong recording media into the insertion openings of multiple recording media. Nor.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, an image printing apparatus M according to the present invention comprises a main body 1 having a built-in printing system, and a monitor 2 supported on an upper portion of the main body 1. The main body 1 has a housing 3, and an input device 4 is provided on a front surface of the housing 3. The input device 4 has insertion ports 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 corresponding to various recording media. For example, the insertion slot 5 is a CD
-For ROM, insertion slot 6 is floppy disk (FD)
The insertion slot 7 is set for a PC card, the insertion slot 8 is set for a smart media, and the insertion slot 9 is set for a compact flash (registered trademark). The main unit 2 includes a reading unit that reads information from the inserted recording medium, a writing unit that writes information to the recording medium, a control unit that controls each function, and a printing unit that prints on printing paper. The system is built-in. A print outlet 11 for taking out a printed material printed by the print unit is provided at a lower front part of the main body 1. Note that a scanner unit 10 for mounting and reading printed matter such as a photograph is provided on the upper surface of the main body unit 1,
The printing unit prints out a predetermined number of prints to a print outlet 11 based on information read from the scanner unit 10 or various recording media of the input device 4.

A slide cover C which is slidable is provided on the back side of each of the insertion openings 5, 6,... 9 and the print outlet 11, as shown in FIG. The rack 20 is opened and closed by a cover opening / closing mechanism including a rack 20 extending in the direction of the arrow, a pinion 21 provided near an end of the rack 20, and a motor 22 for rotating the pinion 21. A motor 22 may be provided for each of the vertically arranged insertion ports. One motor 22 is provided for this, and the rack and pinion function of each cover is connected via a clutch to select the motor. If only the insertion opening is opened, the motor 22
Can be reduced.

The monitor section 2 is provided independently of the main body section 1 and is provided on the main body section 1 via a column 30 so that the vertical position of the monitor section 2 can be adjusted. A rack is formed near the lower end of the column 30, and a pinion 3 is attached to the rack 30a.
The pinion 31 is rotated by a motor 32. This motor 32 is mounted on the main body 1
Of the operation panel 33 provided on the upper surface of the housing 3. The number of rotations of the motor 32 is controlled by operating the buttons on the operation panel 33, and the column 30 is moved up and down along a slide support mechanism (not shown).

A monitor screen 2a is formed on the front of the monitor section 2. The screen 2a is composed of a CRT or a liquid crystal panel, further provided with a touch panel, for providing guidance for operation, operation status, read images or processed images. Is displayed.
The monitor section 2 can be adjusted to an arbitrary inclination angle by a ball bearing b formed at the upper end of the support column 30. As shown in FIG. 2, for a tall user 100, it is easier to see if the screen of the monitor unit 2 is inclined slightly upward, and in the case of a touch panel system, it becomes easier to touch with a finger. Handles h, h are provided on the side surface of the monitor unit 2, and the tilt angle of the monitor unit 2 is adjusted with the handles h, h. In addition, it goes without saying that various known tilt angle changing mechanisms can be employed instead of the ball bearing b. Also, the insertion openings 5, 6 of the recording medium are provided.
.. 9 are provided on the main body 1, but it is also possible to design the side of the screen 2a of the monitor 2 wide and provide it there. Further, various operation mechanisms (not shown) are provided on the upper surface of the housing of the main body 1.

Next, a specific operation will be described.

In FIG. 2, the user 100 operates the operation buttons on the operation panel 33 to move the column 30 up and down to adjust the height position of the monitor unit 2. Then, the tilt angle is adjusted by holding the handle h. After such a state, for example, the following printing operation is started.

In FIG. 4, when a start switch (not shown) is turned on (S1), a monitor screen is displayed (S1).
2) Select a menu from the digital photo, frame print, index, sticker, or ID photo by touching the screen (S3). After that, the type of recording medium that the user wants to input is changed to Compact Flash Memory (CF), Smart Media (SM), PC Card, Floppy Disk (FD), Compact Disk (C).
D) or input from the scanner 10 is selected (S4). The type of the recording medium is P
In the case of a C card, the control unit drives the motor 22 shown in FIG. 3 according to information from the touch panel so as to open the cover C of the PC card insertion slot 7 which is closed when not in use. Thereby, the PC card insertion slot 7 is opened, and the PC card is inserted therein (S5). At this time,
Since the other insertion ports 5, 6, 8, and 9 are closed, a PC card is not inserted into an incorrect insertion port. When not in use, all the insertion ports 5, 6,..., 9 are closed, so that no dust enters or is tampered with. When the PC card is inserted into the insertion slot 7, a message confirming attachment is displayed on the screen (S6), and the data is read (S7). Then, images are displayed on the screen in thumbnails of 10 frames each, and the user 100 selects one of the images (S8). Then, the image is synthesized with the frame by performing enlargement, reduction, movement, rotation, etc. of the image (S9), and the number of prints is designated (S10). Thereafter, a billing process is performed (S11), and when the PC card is removed from the insertion slot 7, the confirmation is displayed (S12). Thereafter, the cover C of the insertion slot 7 for the PC card is turned on by the signal from the control unit.
2 is driven to close the cover C. Then, a printing operation is performed (S14), and the cover C of the print outlet 11 is opened (S15). Until this time, print outlet 1
Since the cover C is closed, no foreign matter is put into the relatively large print outlet 11, and mischief is effectively prevented. The user then takes out the printed material (S16), and the control unit that detects this takes the print outlet 1 out.
1 is closed (S17), and a series of operations is completed.
It returns to step S2 of the demonstration screen display.

The demonstration screen shows a demonstration image to passers-by when the printing apparatus is not outputting an image. At the time of this demonstration, it is preferable to provide a function of automatically adjusting the position and inclination so that a passerby can easily see the demonstration screen. The position and the inclination can be arbitrarily set in advance, and a plurality of settings can be provided depending on the date and time.

[0022]

The present invention is configured as described above.
According to the height, the user can easily view the screen of the monitor and hold it in a position that is easy to touch,
In addition, when not in use, the insertion slot and print outlet of various recording media are closed and opened only when used by automatic control of the control unit, so that dust or foreign matter can be inserted into each insertion slot or print outlet. This has the effect that it can be effectively prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a state of an insertion slot of various recording media.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a print operation when a PC card is used as a recording medium.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body part 2 ... Monitor part 7 ... PC card insertion slot 11 ... Print outlet 30 ... Prop b ... Ball bearing C ... Cover

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 7/18 H04N 101: 00 // H04N 101: 00 G06K 19/00 Q F term (Reference) 5B035 BB09 BC00 5B058 KA05 KA06 KA12 YA18 5C052 AA12 AA17 DD02 EE03 EE08 FA04 GA02 GA03 GE06 GE08 5C054 CE11 GA05 HA14 5C062 AA05 AB22 AB23 AD01 AD06 BA00

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A main unit having a built-in printing system for outputting a photographic image photographed by an imaging device such as a digital camera, and a monitor unit which is located at an upper portion of the main unit and displays information such as characters and images. The image printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the monitor has at least one of a height adjusting function and a tilt angle adjusting function. 2. An image processing apparatus comprising: a recording medium for reading and outputting image data of a photographic image photographed by an imaging device such as a digital camera; and a recording medium insertion port, and an output port for taking out the output printed matter. An image printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of an insertion opening of said recording medium and an outlet for taking out a printed material is provided with an openable / closable cover. 3. The image printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cover automatically opens and closes in response to a user operation of the image printing apparatus. 4. An image data of a photographic image photographed by an image pickup device such as a digital camera is read from a recording medium and output, and a main body having a built-in printing system, and a character, image, An image printing apparatus comprising a monitor for displaying information such as information, and having an insertion slot for a recording medium and an outlet for taking out the output printed matter, wherein the monitor has a height adjustment function and an inclination angle. An image printing apparatus having at least one of the adjusting functions, wherein at least one of an insertion opening of the recording medium and an outlet for taking out a printed material is provided with an openable / closable cover.