JP7725694B1 - printer - Google Patents

Abstract

A printer that accommodates two rolls of printing media inside improves the ease of replacing the printing media.
[Solution] The printer 100 has a housing having a case main body 110 and a drawer section 120 that is pulled out forward in the front-to-back direction L relative to the case main body 110, and is provided with a storage chamber S in which two roll bodies 201, 202 of paper 201a, 202a formed in roll form are placed, and when the drawer section 120 is pulled out forward, one of the two roll bodies 201, 202 stored in the storage chamber S can be replaced while the other roll body 202 remains positioned in the storage chamber S, and the other roll body 202 can be replaced while the one roll body 201 remains positioned in the storage chamber S.
[Selected Figure] Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a printer.

Printers use thermal or inkjet heads to print on print media such as paper or film. Print media can be rolled, such as long pieces of paper or film. Some printers are equipped with two rolls of print media (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The image forming device described in Patent Document 1 arranges the two rolls of print media in an exposed state, making it easy to replace the rolls of print media.

Patent No. 5560960

On the other hand, if you imagine a printer that stores two rolls of printing media inside the case, you need to consider the ease of replacing the printing media.

The present invention was developed in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to improve the ease of replacing rolls in printers that store two or more rolls of printing media (rolls) internally.

The present invention relates to a printer having a housing having a case main body and a drawer section that is pulled out forward in the front-to-rear direction relative to the case main body, and a storage chamber in which multiple rolls of printing media are placed, and in which, when the drawer section is pulled out forward, any one of the multiple rolls can be attached to or detached from the storage chamber, while maintaining the state in which all remaining rolls are placed in the storage chamber.

The printer of the present invention can improve the ease of replacing rolls in printers that store two or more rolls of printing media internally.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the dye-sublimation thermal printer when in use, with the drawer section closed. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the dye-sublimation thermal printer shown in FIG. 1 when replacing a roll body, with the drawer section pulled out and open. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the front surface (front face) in the front-rear direction of the dye-sublimation thermal printer shown in FIG. 1 . 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section cut along a vertical plane along line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the front of the dye-sublimation thermal printer shown in FIG. 4 . 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section cut along a vertical plane along line BB in FIG. 5. 5 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to FIG. 4, showing the printer in a state in which a reverse transport path is attached to the lower storage chamber and a sheet feed unit is attached below the housing. FIG.

An embodiment of a printer according to the present invention is as follows:

<Overall structure>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a dye-sublimation thermal printer 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as printer 100) when in use, with the drawer section 120 closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the printer 100 shown in FIG. 1 when, for example, replacing the roll bodies 201, 202, with the drawer section 120 pulled out and the upper body 121 open. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the front surface 101 of the printer 100 shown in FIG. 1 in the front-to-rear direction L, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross section taken along line A-A in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the front surface 101 of the printer 100 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross section taken along line B-B in FIG. 5.

The printer 100 shown in Figure 1 is, as an example, a dye-sublimation thermal printer. A dye-sublimation thermal printer prints images, etc., on paper by bringing a heat-generating thermal head into contact with sublimation dyes applied to an ink ribbon, causing the sublimation dyes in the ink ribbon to thermally diffuse and migrate (thermal diffusion migration) into the receptor layer of paper (printing medium) placed over the ink ribbon.

As shown in Figure 1, the printer 100 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing. Two discharge outlets 101A and 101B extending along the width direction W are formed side by side, one above the other, at the top of the front surface 101 in the front-to-rear direction L of the printer 100. The first discharge outlet 101A, formed relatively higher in the height direction H, is an opening through which paper 201a from the first roll body 201 (described below) is discharged to the outside. The second discharge outlet 101B, formed below the first discharge outlet 101A, is an opening through which paper 202a from the second roll body 202 is discharged to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 4, the printer 100 has a housing containing a print unit 130, two cutter units 141 and 142, a transport unit 160 with a transport path 150, and a control unit 170. The printer 100 also has a storage chamber S formed inside the housing that contains two rolls 201 and 202. The print unit 130, cutter units 141 and 142, transport unit 160, control unit 170, and storage chamber S are all covered by the housing when the printer 100 shown in FIG. 1 is in use, i.e., when printing on paper 201a and 202a on the rolls 201 and 202.

The first roll 201 is a long sheet of paper 201a wound around an axis C1 to form a roll. The paper 201a is a printing medium having a receptor layer that develops color by receiving sublimation dye that has thermally diffused and migrated from the ink ribbon 132 of the printing unit 130, for example.

Like the first roll 201, the second roll 202 is formed by winding a long length of paper 202a around axis C2 into a roll. Like paper 201a, paper 202a is a print medium having a receiving layer that develops color by receiving sublimation dye that has thermally diffused and migrated from the ink ribbon 132. However, unlike paper 201a, paper 202a is, for example, a translucent film label paper with an adhesive applied to one side and attached to a backing. Note that the label paper does not have to be translucent, and can be transparent or opaque.

(Printing department)
The print unit 130 includes a thermal head 131, an ink ribbon 132, and a platen roller 133. The thermal head 131 is provided in the case main body 110. The thermal head 131 generates heat according to an input signal value under the control of the control unit 170.

The ink ribbon 132 and platen roller 133 are provided in the drawer section 120. The platen roller 133 is positioned on the opposite side of the thermal head 131, sandwiching the sheets 201a and 202a transported along the transport path 150.

The ink ribbon 132 has a supply roll 132a, a take-up roll 132b, and a ribbon 132c. The ribbon 132c is a long film coated with a sublimation dye. One end of an unused ribbon 132c is fixed to the supply roll 132a and wound around the supply roll 132a. The other end of the ribbon 132c is fixed to the take-up roll 132b.

The winding roll 132b rotates under the control of the control unit 170 and winds up the ribbon 132c. As a result, the ribbon 132c is unwound from the supply roll 132a and unwound. Because a torque is applied to the supply roll 132a in the opposite direction to the rotational direction in which the ribbon 132c is unwound, the ribbon 132c is stretched between the supply roll 132a and the winding roll 132b under tension.

The ribbon 132c, at its bridged portion, is positioned between the thermal head 131 and the sheets 201a and 202a being transported along the transport path 150.

The printing unit 130 tightly holds the paper 201a, 202a and ribbon 133c transported along the transport path 150 between the platen roller 133 and thermal head 131, and the control unit 170 heats the thermal head 131 while feeding the paper 201a, 202a and ribbon 132c, causing the sublimation dye in the ribbon 133c to thermally diffuse and transfer to the receiving layer of the paper 201a, 202a, printing an image on the paper 201a, 202a with a hue and density corresponding to the signal value.

The portion of ribbon 132c in which the sublimation dye has been thermally diffused and transferred by the thermal head 131 is considered used, so the ribbon 132c wound onto the winding roll 132b is used ribbon 132c.

(Transportation section)
The conveying section 160 includes a conveying path 150, a conveying roller 161, and a flap 162 (path switching section). The conveying path 150 includes a first conveying path 151, a second conveying path 152, a third conveying path 153, a fourth conveying path 154, and a fifth conveying path 155.

The first transport path 151 is a path that runs from the storage chamber S to the printing unit 130, and transports paper 201a unwound from the first roll 201. The second transport path 152 is a path separate from the first transport path 151 that runs from the storage chamber S to the printing unit 130, and transports paper 202a unwound from the second roll 202. In other words, the first transport path 151 and the second path are separate paths.

The third transport path 153 is a path that passes through the printing unit 130, including the area between the thermal head 131 and the platen roller 133, and is a common path that is used by both the paper 201a sent from the first transport path 151 and the paper 202a sent from the second transport path 152.

The fourth transport path 154 is a path that runs from the third transport path 153 to the first discharge outlet 101A, and transports paper 201a after printing by the printing unit 130. The fifth transport path 155 is a path that runs from the third transport path 153 to the second discharge outlet 101B, and is a path separate from the fourth transport path 154, and transports paper 202a after printing by the printing unit 130. In other words, the fourth transport path 154 and the fifth transport path 155 are separate paths.

The flap 162 is provided between the fourth transport path 154, the fifth transport path 155, and the third transport path 153. The position of the flap 162 is changed under the control of the control unit 170, and this change in position switches the destination of the paper sheets 201a and 202a that have passed through the third transport path 153 to either the fourth transport path 154 or the fifth transport path 155.

Since the paper 201a on the first roll 201 is formed in a roll shape, a curl is formed when the paper is unwound from the first roll 201. Therefore, the printer 100 is equipped with a decurling mechanism 180 on the fourth transport path 154. The decurling mechanism 180 presses downward on the paper 201a passing through the fourth transport path 154, shaping the paper 201a into a downwardly convex shape, thereby correcting (decurling) the upwardly convex curl.

Note that the paper 202a on the second roll 202 is also formed in a roll shape, but the paper 202a, which is label paper made of the illustrated translucent film (including transparent and opaque film), is a sealing material with an adhesive. The sealing material causes the adhesive to adhere to the decurl mechanism, and if the adhesive accumulates, it can adversely affect the operation of the decurl mechanism or the transport operation of the paper 202a (causing jams, etc.). Therefore, a decurl mechanism 180 is not provided on the fifth transport path 155.

If the printer 100 uses a printing medium without adhesive as the second roll body 202, a decurling mechanism may be provided in the fifth transport path 155 to flatten the printing medium.

However, in the printer 100 of this embodiment, the flap 162 switches the destination of the paper 201a, 202a, and the decurling mechanism 180 can be used to select whether or not to flatten the curl of the paper 201a, 202a, thereby selecting whether or not to decurl. Therefore, the printer 100 does not need to provide a decurling mechanism 180 on the fifth transport path 155 in addition to the fourth transport path 154.

The transport rollers 161 are an example of a transport means that transports the sheets 201a and 202a in the forward direction (towards the discharge ports 101A and 101B) or the reverse direction (opposite the forward direction) along the transport path 150 under the control of the control unit 170. In Figures 4 and 6, only one transport roller 161 is shown as an example on the path where the first transport path 151 and the second transport path 152 converge, but transport rollers 161 are also provided on the third transport path 153, the fourth transport path 154, and the fifth transport path 155. However, the transport rollers 161 provided on the third transport path 153, the fourth transport path 154, and the fifth transport path 155 are not shown in the printer 100.

(cutter part)
The first cutter unit 141 is provided on the fourth conveying path 154, in front of the first discharge port 101A. Under the control of the control unit 170, the first cutter unit 141 cuts the long paper 201a wound around the first roll body 201 along the width direction W to a predetermined length.

The second cutter unit 142 is provided on the fifth conveying path 155, in front of the second discharge port 101B. Under the control of the control unit 170, the second cutter unit 142 cuts the long paper 202a wound around the second roll body 202 along the width direction W to a predetermined length.

The control unit 170 is provided in the case main body 110. As described above, the control unit 170 controls the input of signal values to the thermal head 131, the feeding of the ink ribbon 132, the transport of the papers 201a and 202a, and the driving of the cutter units 141 and 142.

(Housing)
The housing of the printer 100 has a case main body 110 and a drawer section 120. The case main body 110 accounts for most of the exterior of the printer 100. The drawer section 120 is externally located in front of the case main body 110.

2 and 6, the drawer section 120 is equipped with the ink ribbon 132 and platen roller 133 of the printing section 130, the transport path 150, and the cutter sections 141 and 142. As shown in FIG. 4, the drawer section 120 is also equipped with a storage chamber S that stores two rolls 201 and 202 (described below) without them coming into contact with each other. The storage chamber S has two areas: an upper storage chamber S1 that stores the first roll 201, and a lower storage chamber S2 that stores the second roll 202. The upper storage chamber S1 and the lower storage chamber S2 are formed as a single connected space (storage chamber S), but may also be separated into two spaces by a partition wall or the like.

The drawer section 120 is movable forward in the front-to-rear direction L relative to the case main body 110. Therefore, when the drawer section 120 of the printer 100 is pulled forward in the front-to-rear direction L as shown in Figures 2 and 6, the storage chamber S, ink ribbon 132, platen roller 133, transport path 150, and cutter sections 141 and 142 are also pulled forward together with the drawer section 120.

When the drawer section 120 is not pulled out, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, the thermal head 131 is in contact with the ribbon 132c of the ink ribbon 132, and the paper 201a and ribbon 132c, or the paper 202a and ribbon 132c, are sandwiched between the thermal head 131 and the platen roller 133, enabling printing by the printing section 130.

The drawer section 120 has a front end 120a and a tray section 122b. A removable chip bin 105 is provided at the front end 120a. The chip bin 105 collects chips of paper 201a, 202a cut by the cutter sections 141, 142 as they fall downward in front of the discharge openings 101A, 101B. The front surface of the chip bin 105 forms the front face 101, which is the front end face in the front-to-rear direction L, of the printer 100 in the state shown in Figure 1.

The front end 120a and chip bin 105 are exposed on the exterior of the printer 100. When the printer 100 is in the closed state shown in Figure 1, the tray section 122b is housed inside the case main body 110 and is not exposed to the outside. As shown in Figure 2, when the tray section 120b is pulled out forward from the closed state shown in Figure 1, at least a portion of it is exposed outside the case main body 110.

The drawer section 120 is divided into an upper body 121 and a lower body 122. The upper body 121 is positioned relatively higher in the height direction H. The lower body 122 is positioned below the upper body 121.

The upper body 121 is equipped with a portion of the third transport path 153, the fourth transport path 154, the fifth transport path 155, the flap 162, the cutter units 141 and 142, and the decurling mechanism 180. The upper body 121 has an upper front end portion 121a and a pivoting portion 121b. The upper front end portion 121a is the upper portion of the front end portion 120a. Therefore, the upper front end portion 121a is always exposed from the exterior of the printer 100.

The swivel section 121b is located behind the upper front end 121a. Part of the third transport path 153 is located in the swivel section 121b. A shaft 121c located at the rear end of the swivel section 121b is rotatably supported by the tray section 122b. When the printer 100 is in the state shown in FIG. 1, the swivel section 121b, including the shaft 121c, is housed inside the case main body 110 and is not exposed to the outside. On the other hand, when the swivel section 121b is pulled out forward as shown in FIG. 2, part of the swivel section 121b, including the shaft 121c, is exposed outside the case main body 110.

Therefore, the drawer section 120 moves forward integrally with the lower body 122 from the state shown in Figures 1 and 4 to the drawn-out state shown in Figures 2 and 6. When the drawer section 120 is in the drawn-out state and the shaft 121c has moved forward of the case main body 110, the printer 100 can be placed in an open state in which the upper body 121 rotates upward and rearward about the shaft 121c. When the shaft 121c is housed inside the case main body 110, the printer 100 cannot rotate the upper body 121 upward and rearward about the shaft 121c.

When the printer 100 has the drawer section 120 in the drawn-out state and the upper body 121 in the pivoted state, the top of the storage chamber S can be left open. Furthermore, when the printer 100 has the drawer section 120 in the drawn-out state and the upper body 121 in the pivoted state, the chip bin 105 can be removed from the front end 120a. With the chip bin 105 removed from the front end 120a, the front of the storage chamber S can be left open. Therefore, when the printer 100 has the drawer section 120 in the drawn-out state, the upper body 121 in the pivoted state, and the chip bin 105 removed, the front and top of the storage chamber S can be left widely open.

The lower body 122 has a lower front end 122a and a tray portion 122b. The lower front end 122a is the lower portion of the front end 120a that is located below the upper front end 121a. Therefore, the lower front end 122a is always exposed from the exterior of the printer 100.

The tray section 122b is located behind the lower front end section 122a. The tray section 122b has support sections (not shown) formed in the storage chamber S that houses the roll bodies 201 and 202, which support the axis C1 of the first roll body 201 and the axis C2 of the second roll body 202.

The support portion formed in the storage chamber S supports the axis C1 of the first roll body 201 so that the axis C1 is parallel to the width direction W, and supports the axis C2 of the second roll body 202 so that the axis C2 is parallel to the width direction W. Furthermore, the support portion supporting the axis C1 supports the first roll body 201 so that it can rotate freely around the axis C1, and the support portion supporting the axis C2 supports the second roll body 202 so that it can rotate freely around the axis C2.

As shown in Figure 4, the support portions formed in the storage chamber S are arranged in a vertically and front-to-back manner so that, when the first roll body 201 and the second roll body 202 are stored in the storage chamber S, the axis C2 is shifted downward in the height direction H and forward in the front-to-back direction L relative to the axis C1.

Furthermore, the vertical deviation H1 between axes C1 and C2 along the height direction H is set to be smaller than the sum (= r1 + r2) of the maximum radius r1 of an unused first roll 201 that does not contain any printing medium and the maximum radius r2 of an unused second roll 202 that does not contain any printing medium (H1 < r1 + r2), and the longitudinal deviation L1 along the longitudinal direction L is set to be smaller than the sum (= r1 + r2) of the maximum radius r1 of the first roll 201 and the maximum radius r2 of the second roll 202 (L1 < r1 + r2).

This allows the printer 100 to reduce the dimension in the front-to-rear direction L compared to when the two roll bodies 201, 202 are lined up in the front-to-rear direction L with their axes C1, C2 aligned at the same position in the height direction H. The printer 100 can also reduce the dimension in the height direction H compared to when the two roll bodies 201, 202 are lined up in the height direction H with their axes C1, C2 aligned at the same position in the front-to-rear direction L.

Furthermore, when the support section supporting axis C1 supports the first roll body 201 with a maximum radius r1, and the support section supporting axis C2 supports the second roll body 202 with a maximum radius r2, the distance D1 between axes C1 and C2 when axes C1 and C2 are connected by a straight line is set to be larger than the sum of the maximum radius r1 of the first roll body 201 and the maximum radius r2 of the second roll body 202 (= r1 + r2) (r1 + r2 < D1). As a result, the printer 100 is positioned in the storage chamber S so that the first roll body 201 with a maximum radius r1 and the second roll body 202 with a maximum radius r2 do not come into contact with each other.

When the printer 100 is in a state where the drawer section 120 is drawn out, the upper body 121 is open, and the chip bin 105 is removed from the front end 120a, a large open space is formed diagonally above and forward of the first roll body 201 supported by the support section of the drawer section 120, as shown in Figure 6. This space forms the path along which the first roll body 201 travels, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 6, from the position where the first roll body 201 is supported by the support section (shown by the solid line) to the position where it is removed outside the housing (shown by the two-dot chain line).

This path for the first roll body 201 is formed larger than the diameter of the first roll body 201 (twice the radius r1) so that the second roll body 202, which is supported on the support portion of the drawer section 120, can be maintained in a position on the support portion, i.e., so that the first roll body 201 can pass to the outside of the housing without moving the second roll body 202 from the support portion and without contacting the second roll body 202 with the upper body 121 and the lower body 122.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 6, the printer 100 can remove the first roll body 201 from the storage chamber S by moving it diagonally forward and upward without coming into contact with the second roll body 202, which remains placed in the storage chamber S, or the housing, and can also install it in the storage chamber S from the removed state.

In addition, when the printer 100 is in a state where the drawer section 120 is drawn out, the upper body 121 is open, and the chip bin 105 is removed from the front end 120a, a large open space is formed diagonally above and forward of the second roll body 202 when it is supported by the support part of the drawer section 120, as shown in Figure 6. This space forms the path along which the second roll body 202 travels, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 6, from the position where the second roll body 202 is supported by the support part (shown by the solid line) to the position where it is removed outside the housing (shown by the two-dot chain line).

This path for the second roll body 202 is formed larger than the diameter (twice the radius r2) of the second roll body 202 so that the first roll body 201, which is supported on the support portion of the drawer section 120, can be maintained in a position on the support portion, i.e., so that the second roll body 202 can pass to the outside of the housing without moving the first roll body 201 from the support portion and without contacting the first roll body 201 with the upper body 121 and the lower body 122.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 6, the printer 100 can remove the second roll body 202 from the storage chamber S by moving it diagonally forward and upward without contacting the first roll body 201, which remains placed in the storage chamber S, or the housing, and can also install it in the storage chamber S from the removed state.

In this way, with the printer 100 of this embodiment in a state where the drawer section 120 is drawn out, the upper body 121 is open, and the chip bin 105 is removed from the front end 120a, the first roll body 201 or the second roll body 202 can be individually attached and detached from the support part of the storage chamber S without moving the second roll body 202 or the first roll body 201.

Therefore, when replacing only one of the two rolls 201, 202 housed in the housing's internal storage chamber S, the printer 100 of this embodiment can individually replace the other roll 202, 201 while it remains in place (without moving it), improving the workability of replacing the rolls 201, 202.

Furthermore, the printer 100 of this embodiment is provided with cutter units 141, 142 corresponding to each of the rolls 201, 202. That is, the printer 100 has the first cutter unit 141 provided in the fourth transport path 154 along which the paper 201a from the first roll 201 is transported, and the second cutter unit 142 provided in the fifth transport path 155 along which the paper 202a from the second roll 202 is transported. Therefore, the first cutter unit 141 cuts only the paper 201a from the first roll 201, and does not cut the paper 202a from the second roll 202.

When the cutter unit cuts label paper coated with adhesive, the adhesive adheres to the blade of the cutter unit, and the amount of adhesive adhering to the blade increases as the number of label paper sheets cut increases. For this reason, the cutter unit blade used to cut label paper needs to be replaced with a new blade more frequently than the cutter unit blade used to cut paper without adhesive.

In addition, when using cutter blades to cut paper of different materials or thicknesses, there may be differences in durability, which may result in differences in the frequency with which the blades need to be replaced.

Therefore, when the cutter unit used to cut the paper 201a from the first roll 201 and the cutter unit used to cut the paper 202a from the second roll 202 are separate, the frequency of blade replacement can be reduced compared to when a single cutter unit is shared between cutting the paper 201a from the first roll 201 and cutting the paper 202a from the second roll 202.

In the printer 100 of this embodiment, the cutter unit 141 used to cut the paper 201a from the first roll 201 and the cutter unit 142 used to cut the paper 202a from the second roll 202 are separate, which reduces the frequency with which the blades of the cutter units 141 and 142 need to be replaced.

The printer 100 of this embodiment is provided with a first cutter unit 141 on the fourth transport path 154 of the first roll body 201 and a second cutter unit 142 on the fifth transport path 155 of the second roll body 202, but the printer according to the present invention may also have a single cutter unit shared by multiple roll bodies.

In other words, the printer according to the present invention may merge some of the multiple transport paths along which multiple rolls are transported into a single transport path, provide a single cutter unit on that single merged transport path, and share that single cutter unit among the print media on the multiple rolls.

In the printer 100 of this embodiment, a fourth transport path 154 is formed relatively higher in the height direction H, along which the paper 201a of the first roll 201 is transported, and a fifth transport path 155 is formed below the fourth transport path 154 in the height direction H, along which the paper 202a of the second roll 202 is transported. Furthermore, a first transport path 151 is formed relatively higher in the height direction H, along which the paper 201a of the first roll 201 is transported, and a second transport path 152 is formed below the first transport path 151 in the height direction H, along which the paper 202a of the second roll 202 is transported. For this reason, the transport paths along which the paper 201a from the first roll 201 is transported (first transport path 151, third transport path 153, and fourth transport path 154) and the transport paths along which the paper 202a from the second roll 202 is transported (second transport path 152, third transport path 153, and fifth transport path 155) intersect.

The printer 100 may be configured such that the fifth transport path 155 is formed relatively higher in the height direction H, and the fourth transport path 154 is formed below the fifth transport path 155 in the height direction H. In this case, the printer 100 is configured such that the transport paths along which the paper 201a from the first roll 201 is transported (first transport path 151, third transport path 153, and fourth transport path 154) and the transport paths along which the paper 202a from the second roll 202 is transported (second transport path 152, third transport path 153, and fifth transport path 155) do not intersect.

In addition, since the printer 100 has the fourth transport path 154 formed above the fifth transport path 155, it is suitable for placing the decurl mechanism 180 above the fourth transport path 154.

In the printer 100 of this embodiment, a partition member may be disposed between the first roll body 201 and the second roll body 202, which are supported by the support portion of the storage chamber S, to separate the space housing the first roll body 201 from the space housing the second roll body 202.

In this way, by disposing a partition member in the storage chamber S, the printer 100 can reliably prevent contact between the roll bodies 201 and 202 when replacing the first roll body 201 or the second roll body 202.

In the printer 100 of this embodiment, the front end 120a that forms the front of the housing is divided into an upper body 121 that opens by pivoting upward and backward, and a removable chip bin 105. When the printer 100 has the drawer section 120 pulled out forward, the upper body 121 is opened and the chip bin 105 is removed, opening the front of the housing and forming paths for the rolls 201, 202 from their respective locations in the storage chamber S to the outside of the housing.

However, the printer according to the present invention may also be configured so that, with the drawer section pulled out forward, the front of the housing is opened by, for example, tilting it forward and downward, thereby forming a path for each roll body from its respective location in the storage chamber to the outside of the housing.

Furthermore, the printer according to the present invention may be configured so that when the drawer section is pulled out forward, the front of the housing opens, for example, to the side, thereby forming a path for each roll body from its respective location in the storage chamber to the outside of the housing.

In addition, while the printer 100 of this embodiment is an example in which two rolls are stored in the storage chamber S, the printer according to the present invention may also be configured so that the storage chamber S stores three or more rolls. In a printer according to the present invention having a storage chamber that stores three or more rolls, any one of the three or more rolls stored in the storage chamber may be detachably placed in the storage chamber with the drawer section pulled out forward, without moving the remaining rolls.

The printer 100 in this embodiment is a dye-sublimation thermal printer, but the printer according to the present invention is not limited to dye-sublimation thermal printers and may be a thermal printer other than a dye-sublimation printer, or a printer using a printing method other than a thermal printer, such as an inkjet printer.

In the printer 100 of this embodiment, the first roll 201 and the second roll 202 are print media wound with different types of paper 201a and 202a, but the printer according to the present invention may also print on print media wound with the same type of paper 201a and 202a.

Furthermore, the printer 100 of this embodiment is not limited to printing media in which the paper 201a, 202a has a receiving layer that develops color by receiving sublimation dye that has thermally diffused and migrated from the ink ribbon 132 of the printing unit 130, but may be any printing medium that is compatible with the printing method of the printer of the present invention.

In the printer 100 of this embodiment, "paper" is not limited to "paper material" but can also be "plastic film" or the like. In short, "paper" can be paper or any other material, as long as it is a print medium that can be printed on by the printer's print section.

<Sheet reversal transport path>
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view equivalent to Figure 4 showing the printer 100 in a state in which the reverse transport path 156 is attached to the lower storage chamber S2 in which the lower second roll body 202 of the storage chamber S is placed, and the sheet feed unit 190 is attached below the housing.

The printer 100 of this embodiment may be provided with a removable reversing conveying path 156 in the lower storage chamber S2 that reverses the front and back sides of other paper (sheets 203).

In other words, as shown in Figure 7, the printer 100 allows the sheet feed unit 190 to be removably positioned below the housing, i.e., below the drawer unit 120, and the reverse transport path 156 to be removably positioned in the lower storage chamber S2 when the second roll body 202 is removed.

Note that the printer 100 can be fitted with the reverse transport path 156 without removing the support part supporting the second roll body 202 from the lower storage chamber S2, but the printer 100 may also be configured to remove the support part supporting the second roll body 202 and then install the reverse transport path 156.

(Sheet paper feed section)
The sheet feed unit 190 includes a storage unit S3, a payout mechanism 191, and a payout conveyance path 159. The storage unit S3 stores sheets 203 cut to a predetermined length, stacked in the height direction H. The payout mechanism 191, under the control of the control unit 170, sends out only the topmost sheet 203 from the sheets 203 stacked in the storage unit S3 to the payout conveyance path 159.

The payout conveying path 159 is a conveying path that connects the paper sheet 203 paid out from the storage section S3 by the payout mechanism 191 to the feed conveying path 158 of the reversing conveying path 156 located in the lower storage chamber S2.

(Reverse transport path)
The reversing conveyance path 156 is a path along which the paper sheet 203 is conveyed, and reverses the paper sheet 203 from front to back (turns the paper sheet 203 over). The reversing conveyance path 156 includes a feed conveyance path 158 and a return conveyance path 157. The feed conveyance path 158 is a path along which one paper sheet 203 fed from the feed conveyance path 159 is fed to the third conveyance path 153 in which the printing unit 130 is disposed, and is provided below the first conveyance path 151. The downstream side of the feed conveyance path 158 in the feed direction is connected to the third conveyance path 153, and the upstream side of the feed direction is connected to the return conveyance path 157.

The return transport path 157 is the path along which sheets 203 that have been printed by the printing unit 130 are sent from the third transport path 153. The downstream side of the return transport path 157 in the feed direction is connected to the feed transport path 158, and the upstream side of the return transport path 157 in the feed direction is connected to the third transport path 153.

The forward conveying path 158 and the return conveying path 157 are each provided with conveying rollers (not shown). Like the conveying roller 161, these conveying rollers rotate under the control of the control unit 170, and feed the paper sheets 203 along the forward conveying path 158 and the return conveying path 157, as described above.

The printer 100 uses the payout mechanism 191 to send one sheet of paper 203 from the storage section S3 to the payout conveyance path 159. The sheet of paper 203 sent to the payout conveyance path 159 is sent to the third conveyance path 153 via the feed conveyance path 158, and while being pulled back along the third conveyance path 153 in the direction opposite to the feed direction, printing is performed on one side in the printing section 130. The sheet of paper 203 with one side printed is sent to the feed conveyance path 158 via the return conveyance path 157.

The sheet 203 sent from the return conveyance path 157 to the feed conveyance path 158 is in an inverted state, i.e., upside down, compared to when it was first sent from the payout conveyance path 159 to the feed conveyance path 158. Therefore, when the sheet 203 is sent again from the feed conveyance path 158 to the third conveyance path 153 and is printed in the printing unit 130 while being pulled back along the third conveyance path 153, printing is performed on the side opposite to the one side that has already been printed (the other side).

Therefore, the printer 100 can print on both the front and back sides of the paper sheet 203 simply by passing the paper sheet 203 through the reversing conveying path 156.

The printer 100 of this embodiment is interchangeable between the second roll 202 and the reversing transport path 156 for the paper sheets 203 when the sheet feed unit is installed. This allows for switching between using two types of rolls 201 and 202, or using double-sided printable paper sheets 203 and one roll 201, providing great convenience.

In the printer 100 of this embodiment, two rolls are stored in the storage chamber S. However, in a printer where the storage chamber S stores three or more rolls, it is preferable to position the reverse transport path 156 in the area of the storage chamber S that stores the lowest of the three or more rolls. This allows the printer according to the present invention to position the reverse transport path 156 closest to the sheet feed unit 190, which is located below the drawer unit 120.

100 Dye-sublimation thermal printer (printer)
110 Case main body 120 Drawer section 121 Upper body 122 Lower body 130 Printing section 141 First cutter section 142 Second cutter section 151 First transport path 152 Second transport path 153 Third transport path 154 Fourth transport path 155 Fifth transport path 170 Control section 201 First roll body 202 Second roll body 201a, 202a Paper sheets C1, C2 Axis L Front-rear direction S Storage chamber W Width direction

Claims (8)

a housing having a case main body and a drawer section that is drawn forward in a front-to-rear direction relative to the case main body, and a storage chamber in which a plurality of rolls of printing media are disposed;
When the drawer section is drawn out to the front, any one of the plurality of roll bodies can be attached to and detached from the storage chamber while maintaining a state in which all the remaining roll bodies are disposed in the storage chamber,
a sheet feeder unit containing sheets of paper is detachably disposed below the housing;
A printer in which a reversing conveying path that reverses the front and back sides of the paper sheets and conveys them when the lowest-positioned roll body is removed is removably arranged in an area of the storage chamber where the lowest-positioned roll body among the plurality of roll bodies is stored . 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the area for accommodating the roll body arranged at the lowest position is switchable between a state in which the roll body arranged at the lowest position is accommodated and a state in which the reversing conveying path is arranged when the sheet feeding unit is attached. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein, when the drawer section is pulled out forward and all the remaining roll bodies are housed in the housing, a path taken by the one roll body from a position where the one roll body is disposed in the housing to a position where the one roll body is removed outside the housing is formed to be at least larger than a diameter of the one roll body. 4. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the storage chamber supports the plurality of roll bodies so that an amount of vertical deviation along the height direction between the axis of the roll body positioned at the highest position among the plurality of roll bodies and the axis of the roll body positioned at the lowest position among the plurality of roll bodies is smaller than the sum of the maximum radii of the plurality of roll bodies, and an amount of front-to-rear deviation along the front-to-rear direction between the axis of the roll body positioned at the frontmost position among the plurality of roll bodies and the axis of the roll body positioned at the rearmost position among the plurality of roll bodies is smaller than the sum of the maximum radii of the plurality of roll bodies . a conveyance path along which the paper from the plurality of rolls is conveyed is formed as a common path through a printing unit that prints on the print medium, and is formed as a plurality of separate paths corresponding to the plurality of rolls at a portion leading to an outlet through which the paper is discharged from the housing;
4. The printer according to claim 3 , wherein a cutter unit for cutting the print medium is provided individually for each of a plurality of portions that communicate with the ejection port. a conveyance path along which the paper from the plurality of rolls is conveyed is formed as a common path through a printing unit that prints on the print medium, and is formed as a plurality of separate paths corresponding to the plurality of rolls at a portion leading to an outlet through which the paper is discharged from the housing;
a decurling mechanism for correcting curling of the print medium to make it flat, in one of the portions connected to the discharge port formed in a plurality of sections;
4. The printer according to claim 3, further comprising a path switching unit between the portion of the transport path that passes through the printing unit and the portion that leads to the discharge outlets, which are formed in multiple sections, for switching the destination of the printing medium that has passed through the portion that passes through the printing unit to the portion that leads to one of the discharge outlets . a conveyance path along which the paper from the plurality of rolls is conveyed is formed as a common path through a printing unit that prints on the print medium, and is formed as a plurality of separate paths corresponding to the plurality of rolls at a portion leading to an outlet through which the paper is discharged from the housing;
a decurling mechanism for correcting curling of the print medium to make it flat, in one of the portions connected to the discharge port formed in a plurality of sections;
5. The printer according to claim 4, further comprising a path switching unit between the portion of the transport path that passes through the printing unit and the portion that leads to the discharge outlets, which are formed in multiple sections, for switching the destination of the printing medium that has passed through the portion that passes through the printing unit to the portion that leads to one of the discharge outlets . a conveyance path along which the paper from the plurality of rolls is conveyed is formed as a common path through a printing unit that prints on the print medium, and is formed as a plurality of separate paths corresponding to the plurality of rolls at a portion leading to an outlet through which the paper is discharged from the housing;
a decurling mechanism for correcting curling of the print medium to make it flat, in one of the portions connected to the discharge port formed in a plurality of sections;
6. The printer according to claim 5, further comprising a path switching unit between the portion of the transport path that passes through the printing unit and the portion that leads to the discharge outlets, which are formed in multiple sections, for switching the destination of the printing medium that has passed through the portion that passes through the printing unit to the portion that leads to one of the discharge outlets .