JP2001253557A - Printing paper sheet storing cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing paper sheet storing cassette of simple low-profile construction with a less number of parts for ensuring guiding of printing paper sheets one by on and feeding of the printing paper sheets without causing sheet jamming. SOLUTION: The printing paper sheet storing cassette 1 comprises a container body 3 having a bottom plate portion 3a and peripheral wall portions 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, a thrust plate 4 having an engagement 4b engaged with a thrust plate engagement hole 3i formed in the bottom plate portion 3a and a sliding projecting portion 4c on the other end displaceable with a guide groove 3g in the container body 3, with its surface 4a having a friction coefficient with the printing sheets being almost equal to that between printing sheets, an elastic body 6 formed with a conical coil spring or the like for thrusting the thrust body 4 upward, and a closeable lid 5 for closing the container body 3 at its upper side except a printing sheet guide opening and restricting the projection of the printing sheets stacked on the thrust body 4 with a printing sheet restricting portion 5b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus capable of holding a plurality of printing sheets, and when the printing sheet is applied to a printer body corresponding to the printing sheet, the printing sheet held by a predetermined feeding mechanism of the printer body. The present invention relates to a printing paper storage cassette adapted to be drawn out toward a predetermined feeding path on the printer body side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-279110 discloses a printing paper storage cassette which uses printing paper having a relatively small external size, such as a business card size or a telephone card size. The printing paper storage cassette described in this publication has a narrow box formed by bending hard paper into a rectangular parallelepiped and having an opening on one side, and a narrow slit for leading out printing paper one by one on the opening side. The mouthpiece is fitted and bonded with an adhesive, and a predetermined number of printing papers are sealed inside. In this printing paper storage cassette, a hole is provided on the bottom of the box for a leaf spring provided on the printer body side to enter, and a hole for a half-moon-shaped paper feed roller is provided on the top of the box. Has been drilled.

[0003]

In the above-described printing paper storage cassette, a hole is provided in the bottom of the box, into which a leaf spring provided on the printer main body enters, and the box is moved by the elastic force from the leaf spring. The stacked printing papers are pushed up through an internal push-up plate so that the uppermost printing paper comes into contact with a half-moon-shaped paper feed roller with a required pressing force. As described above, in the printing paper storage cassette described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-279110, a leaf spring is inserted into the inside through the hole in the bottom of the box body, and the printing paper is set at the level of the narrow slit provided in the mouthpiece. The sheet is pushed up one by one to the position, and is sequentially led out by a half-moon-shaped sheet feeding roller. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-312841 discloses a printing paper storage cassette applicable to a copier, which has a format in which printing paper can be exchanged. However, this printing paper storage cassette is disclosed in JP-A-10-279.
Unlike the one applied to a printer that is reduced in size and weight as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 110, it has a structure in which the upper part is completely open, and when the printer is taken out of the copier main body, it is not exposed to dust. It is completely vulnerable. Also, the printing paper is constantly urged upward from the bottom plate, but in opposition to this, the position of the protruding end of the printing paper is regulated and the paper surface is moved so that the printing paper is transported one by one. A complicated mechanism having a movable member (separating claw) for holding down and a machine axis as main members is separately provided.

A printing paper storage cassette as described in JP-A-10-279110 is also disclosed in JP-A-6-279110.
The printing paper storage cassette as described in Japanese Patent No. 312841 is also designed so that printing paper can be drawn out one by one using an extremely delicate or relatively complicated mechanism, but with a simpler configuration. It is desirable to be able to feed printing paper one sheet at a time without causing paper jams.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a simple structure with a small thickness and a small number of parts, but can reliably derive printing paper one by one without causing a paper jam. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing paper storage cassette of this kind which is capable of feeding a printing paper.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a printing paper storage cassette according to a first aspect of the present invention is capable of holding a plurality of printing papers and is applied to a printer body corresponding to the self. Sometimes a printing paper storage cassette in which the printing paper held by a predetermined feeding mechanism of the printer main body can be drawn out toward a predetermined feeding path on the printer main body side, and a bottom plate portion and A container-shaped body constituted by a peripheral wall portion provided so as to stand up from the periphery of the bottom plate portion and only the upper side is opened;
The upper open portion of the container is opened as a print paper lead-out opening with a relatively narrow limited area relative to the size of the upper open portion in the direction of transport of the print paper. The printing paper leading-out opening is formed so as to close substantially the entire area excluding the printing paper leading-out opening and the edge facing the printing paper leading-out opening or the vicinity of the edge. A lid configured to be openable and closable as a whole without a printing paper regulating portion that regulates protruding from the portion, and an engagement hole provided at an intermediate position of the container-like body bottom plate portion in the printing paper transport direction. An engagement piece provided on one end side of the self is engaged so as to allow a rotational displacement on the other end side, and the other end side is displaced to a position facing the printing paper lead-out opening. And the opening for deriving the printing paper The position of the pressure receiving portion provided at its own predetermined portion so as not to protrude upward from the portion is regulated by the regulating portion provided at the container-like body side, and one end of the pressure receiving portion with respect to the contained printing paper is derived from the printing paper. The printing paper mounting surface is provided with a pressing force in a direction to be exposed to the outside from the opening for printing, and the coefficient of friction between the printing paper mounting surface and the printing paper stacked on the printing paper mounting surface is different from each other. A pressing plate made to be substantially equal to a friction coefficient between the pressing plate and a predetermined portion relatively close to the other end of the pressing plate and a portion corresponding to the predetermined portion of the bottom plate portion. And an elastic body provided so as to constantly generate a resilient force in a direction of separating the two parts.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 13 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a printer device in which various devices are attached to a printer main body. FIG. 2 is a printing paper storage cassette. FIG. 3 is a side view including a partial cross section showing a state of the printing paper storage cassette when the lid is at a closed position, and FIG. 4 is a printing paper when the lid is at a retracted position. FIG. 5 is a side view including a partial cross section showing the state of the storage cassette. FIG. 5 is a side view including a partial cross section showing the state of the printing paper storage cassette when the lid is at the opening operation position. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of the printing paper storage cassette when the number of sheets is relatively small. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of the printing paper storage cassette when the number of stored printing papers is almost the upper limit. 8 is the vicinity of the elastic body in FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the elastic body in FIG. 7, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the paper feed roller retracts due to contact with the inclined surface when the printing paper storage cassette is mounted on the printer body. FIG. 11 is a side view of a printing paper storage cassette mounted on the printer body, and FIG. 12 is a side view of the printing paper storage cassette mounted on the printer body. FIG. FIG. 13 is a side view showing a state in which the end surface in the advancing direction of the printing paper and the inclined surface come into contact with each other when the paper feed roller starts rotating in the paper storage cassette. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which only a sheet is sent out from the side.

[0008] As shown in FIG.
The printing paper storage cassette 1 is mounted on the printer body 12 from the front.
, An ink ribbon cassette 13 is mounted from the right side, a battery 14 is mounted on the back side, and a recording medium 16 for recording an image, a connection cable 17 for connection to a personal computer or the like, or an AC adapter is mounted on the left side. 15 are connected as needed.

The printer main body 12 has an operation panel 12 provided on its upper surface with, for example, various operation buttons for turning on / off the power, setting the number of prints, setting the print mode, and the like.
The operation panel 12a is provided with an LCD panel 12b for displaying various information related to the printer device. Further, adjacent to the operation panel 12a, a heat radiating hole 12c for discharging the heat generated inside to the outside is formed.
A fan or the like forcibly exhausting heat is disposed inside 2c.

At the front of the printer body 12, a cassette slot 1 for mounting the printing paper storage cassette 1 is provided.
2d is provided, and the cassette slot 12d is opened and closed using a hinge or the like.
By 2e, the cover is closed when the printing paper storage cassette 1 is not mounted.

On the right side of the printer body 12, a ribbon loading hole 1 for loading the ink ribbon cassette 13 is provided.
The ribbon loading hole 12g is also closed by a lid 12h that can be freely opened and closed.

On the back side of the printer main body 12, a battery mounting portion 12k for detachably mounting a battery 14 having a thickness substantially equal to the width and height of the printer main body 12 on the left and right sides and substantially the same as the height is provided. Have been. The battery 14 mounted on the battery mounting portion 12k is composed of, for example, a lithium ion secondary battery or the like.
When an AC power supply is connected via the adapter 15, the battery can be charged by a power supply supplied from the printer main body 12.

On the left side of the printer body 12, for example, SmartMedia (registered trademark), Compact Flash,
Alternatively, a mounting slot for mounting a non-volatile recording medium 16 such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk or a magneto-optical disk is provided. As a result, an image photographed by an electronic camera or the like is recorded on these recording media 16, and the recording medium 16 on which the image is recorded is mounted in this mounting slot, so that the image photographed by the electronic camera or the like is printed as it is. You can do it.

Further, a connector receiver for connecting to an external information device is provided on the left side of the printer main body 12, and a connector 17a attached to one end of the connection cable 17 is connected to the connector receiver. By that
For example, information can be exchanged with an external device such as a personal computer. This allows
The image data created by the personal computer can be received and printed by the printer device, or the image data in the recording medium 16 mounted in the mounting slot can be transferred to the personal computer side via the printer device. It is also possible to transfer to.

Further, by introducing software for controlling the printer into the personal computer, the printer can be set from the personal computer or installed in the personal computer before printing by the printer. It is also possible to display an image to be printed on a display device such as a monitor or the like, and perform image correction or the like while viewing the image.

A DC input unit is provided on the left side of the printer body 12, and a connection terminal 15a of the AC adapter 15 is connected to the DC input unit.
By connecting the other end of the adapter 15 to an AC power source or the like,
The current supplied from the AC power supply is converted into a direct current having a predetermined voltage and input to the printer main body 12.

Next, the printing paper storage cassette 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The printing paper storage cassette 1 is for holding a plurality of printing papers P (see FIG. 3 and the like) and, as shown in FIG. 2, stands up from the bottom plate 3a and its surroundings. Peripheral wall portions 3b, 3c, 3d, 3
e, and a pressing member for pressing the printing paper P, which is attached to the inside of the container member 3 and held only by an elastic member 6 described later, to be pressed upward. It has a plate 4 and a lid 5 that covers the container 3 almost tightly from above except for an opening for feeding the printing paper P to the printer main body 12 side. .

The container 3 has a peripheral wall 3b having a predetermined height from four sides of a substantially rectangular bottom plate 3a.
3c, 3d, and 3e are upright, and have a box shape in which only the upper side is open as described above.

The bottom plate 3a of the container 3 is provided with a plurality of pressing plate engaging holes at a position substantially at the center along the feeding direction of the printing paper P so as to be perpendicular to the feeding direction. An engaging end 4b, which is an engaging piece of the pressing plate 4, is fitted and attached.

On the downstream side of the press plate engaging hole 3i of the bottom plate 3a in the feed direction of the printing paper P, there is provided an elastic body attaching portion 3r such as a concave portion. The body 6 is attached, and the elastic body 6
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 and the like, when the paper feed roller 21 which is an element of the feeding mechanism of the printer body 12 contacts the print paper P, the print paper P and the pressing plate 4 are sandwiched. At a position substantially opposite to the paper feed roller 21.

Thus, since the elastic force of the elastic body 6 and the pressing force from the paper feed roller 21 act and balance on substantially the same portion in the opposite direction, an unnecessary moment of force does not act. In addition, it is possible to reduce the rigidity of the pressing plate 4 to an appropriate level to reduce the weight.

As is well known, a conical coil spring as an example of the elastic body 6 has a diameter which is reduced in one direction of a rotating shaft when a wire-shaped elastic material is wound in a coil shape. For example, the diameter is gradually reduced in one direction, and when the conical coil spring is viewed from the rotation axis direction, the wire-shaped elastic members overlap each other. It is configured so that there is no. That is, the elastic body 6 is formed so that its own planar projection shape does not substantially have an overlapping portion, and in the most compressed state, the dimension in the direction of resilient force development is substantially the same as the dimension in the thickness direction of its own material. Each is configured to be equal. Therefore, when the conical coil spring is pressed, it can be compressed to about the diameter of the wire-shaped elastic material.

Returning to the description of FIG.
A plurality of elongated ridges 3h extending in the paper feed direction are provided on the bottom plate 3a of the container 3 which is located on the upstream side in the feed direction of the printing paper P with respect to i. The height is such that the engaging end portion 4b of the pressing plate 4 is connected to the bottom plate portion 3a of the container 3.
The projection height of the end of the pressing plate 4 when engaged with the pressing plate engaging hole 3i is substantially equal to that of the pressing plate engaging hole 3i.

The protruding ridge 3h is formed between the printing paper P and the bottom
This is provided in order to minimize the contact area with the print paper P, thereby reducing the frictional force received when the printing paper P is fed or the attraction force due to static electricity to such an extent that the paper feeding is not hindered. It has become.

In this case, the projection 3h is formed as an elongated ridge along the feed direction. However, the configuration for reducing the frictional force or the like is not limited to this. May be protruded from the bottom plate 3a.

The peripheral wall 3 rising from four sides of the bottom plate 3a
Of the b, 3c, 3d, and 3e, the peripheral wall 3b, which is the front end member located on the downstream side in the feed direction of the printing paper P, is provided to be thicker than the other peripheral walls 3c, 3d, and 3e. And a shape portion having inclined surfaces 3j and 3p as described later is formed.

The peripheral wall portions 3b, 3c, 3d, and 3e on both sides in the feed direction of the printing paper P.
Reference numerals c and 3d denote slide grooves 3k formed on the outer surface on the downstream end side in the feed direction along the mounting direction so as to be fitted in positioning protrusions in the printer main body 12 to perform vertical positioning.
And a predetermined distance from the front edge of the upper surface of the upper side of the slide groove 3k. The roller is located at the base end of the rotation shaft 21b of the roller 21a of the paper feed roller 21. A positioning concave portion for partially engaging with a peripheral surface of a large-diameter portion 21c (see FIG. 10 and the like) provided as a base portion having a relatively larger diameter than 21a to perform positioning in a sliding direction at the time of mounting. When the large diameter portion 21c of the paper feed roller 21 engages with the positioning concave portion 3l,
A relief portion 3s provided so as not to prevent the rotation of the pressing plate 1b, and a pressure receiving portion serving as a pressure receiving portion formed on a surface substantially inside the slide groove 3k and projecting from both sides of the pressing plate 4. A guide groove 3g, which is a restricting portion that guides the moving protrusion 4c and restricts the position of the upward movement, and protrudes from a middle outer surface to engage with an L-shaped groove 5n of the lid 5 described later. And a predetermined length along the feed direction on the upstream side in the feed direction of the printing paper P so as to engage with a convex portion 3n, which is an engaging piece, and a convex portion 5m of the lid 5 described later. And a long groove 3m.

The upper end of the peripheral wall 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e is fed to the peripheral wall 3e on the upstream side in the feed direction of the printing paper P in order to gather one end of the printing paper P. A refrigerator-like portion 3f slightly extending in the direction is formed.

Next, the pressing plate 4 is formed of a metal plate or the like having a substantially rectangular planar shape. As described above, the sliding protruding portions 4c extend from both left and right sides, and An engagement end 4b is provided for fitting into the pressing plate engagement hole 3i of the bottom plate 3a.

As described above, the pressing plate 4 is provided with the engaging end 4
The end on the side provided with the sliding protrusion 4c opposite to the engagement end 4b is attached to the container 3 on the side b, and the end of the side on which the slide Accordingly, it swings up and down while the sliding range is regulated by the guide groove 3g.

The upper surface 4a of the press plate 4, which is the upper surface of the printing paper, has a coefficient of friction with respect to the printing paper P.
The printing paper P is processed so as to be substantially equal to the friction coefficient between the printing papers P, and does not hinder the sliding of the printing paper P in the feed direction, and does not simultaneously move a plurality of printing papers P. It is devised so that it can be smoothly sent out to one sheet.

The lid 5 has a substantially rectangular flat plate-shaped upper portion 5a having no holes and the like, and two sides on the left and right sides along the transfer direction of the printing paper P of the upper plate 5a. And dangling side plate portions 5c and 5d.

On the lower surface side of the upper plate portion 5a, a ridge 5h which is substantially the same as the ridge 3h of the bottom plate portion 3a and is configured to be slightly longer is provided in the feed direction of the printing paper P. The upper surface 5a is formed so as to be as narrow as possible so that the contact between the printing paper P and the upper surface plate portion 5a is minimized.

The side plates 5c, 5d of the lid 5
An L-shaped groove 5n engaging with the convex portion 3n is formed on the inner surface side in the middle of the feeding direction, and a cylindrical convex portion 5m engaging with the long groove 3m is formed on the upstream side in the feeding direction. Are formed.

The L-shaped groove 5n constitutes a guide mechanism by engaging with the projection 3n. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and the like, the L-shaped groove 5n is formed so as to be parallel to the feed direction (first direction along the advance / retreat direction). And a groove 5j (a second direction intersecting the first direction) that is suspended downward from the end of the groove 5i and communicates with the outside from the lower ends of the side plates 5c and 5d. A holding portion 5k is provided at the base end side of the groove portion 5i to form a click mechanism for locking to a closed position described later.
Is formed, and a holding portion 51 constituting a click mechanism for locking to a retracted position described later is formed in the middle of the groove portion 5i.

With such a configuration, the lid 5 is displaced relative to the container 3 as described later, so that the inside can be substantially sealed to prevent intrusion of dust and dirt. The printing sheet P can be replenished by opening the closed position (see FIG. 3), the retracted position (see FIG. 4) where the printing paper is fed, and the upper side of the container 3. The opening operation position (see FIG. 5) can be taken.

The L-shaped groove 5n and the long groove 3m are formed as grooves here, but may be formed as an L-shaped hole or a long hole.

Further, a protrusion is provided on the upper end of the side plate portions 5c and 5d on the downstream side in the outer surface feeding direction so that the user can pinch the cover 5 with a finger or the like when moving the lid 5 to the opening operation position or the like. A finger hook 5f is provided. Even if the user grips the left and right finger hooks 5f from both sides with his / her fingers and presses the finger hooks 5f, the side plate 5c and the side plate 5d are thereby held.
Are protruded outward from both sides of the upper end portion, which is substantially at the same level as the upper surface plate portion 5a, so that they do not bend in directions approaching each other. Thereby, when the cover 5 is moved to the closing position, the retreating position, the opening operation position, and the like,
The operation is not hindered by frictional force or the like.

Further, a printing paper regulating portion 5b is provided at the leading end side of the upper plate portion 5a of the lid 5 in the feeding direction, and the printing paper regulating portion 5b is provided with an elasticity applied through the pressing plate 4. This is for preventing the printing paper P from protruding due to the urging force of the body 6 and preventing the printing paper P from falling off when the lid 5 is in the closed position.

Next, the opening and closing operation of the lid 5 will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. FIG.

As described above, the lid 5 can take a closed position as shown in FIG. 3, a retracted position as shown in FIG. 4, and an open operation position as shown in FIG. Are in the closed position shown in FIG.
The upper surface of the container 3 whose upper side is only open is almost airtightly covered. Even when the printing paper storage cassette 1 is detached from the printer main body 12 and carried alone, dust and dirt are contained inside. Is configured to prevent intrusion. At this time, the convex portion 3n is engaged with the holding portion 5k provided on the base end side of the groove portion 5i of the L-shaped groove 5n to hold the lid 5 in the closed position.

In this state, when the user grips the finger hook 5f with a finger or the like and applies a force to slide the lid 5 in the horizontal direction with respect to the container 3, the convex portion 3n becomes The movement starts over the step between the holding portion 5k and the groove portion 5i.

The lid 5 is provided with the above-mentioned convex portion 5m and the long groove 3
m, the groove 5i of the L-shaped groove 5n and the projection 3
It moves relative to the container 3 along the direction of engagement of n. At this time, since the side plates 5c and 5d do not bend due to the pinching force of the finger hook 5f as described above, this movement is not hindered.

Thus, when the projection 3n is engaged with the holding portion 51 of the L-shaped groove 5n, the printing paper storage cassette 1 can be mounted in the cassette slot 12d of the printer body 12.

At this time, the leading end of the printing paper regulating portion 5b of the lid 5 is retracted by a predetermined distance with respect to the peripheral wall 3b having the inclined surfaces 3j and 3p of the container 3, and the printing paper leading-out opening is formed. Is formed.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the roller section 21 a of the paper feed roller 21 built in the printer main body 12 abuts on the print paper P. And an opening having a width of a predetermined interval W such that no extra gap is formed.

When the lid 5 is moved to the opening position, the protrusion 3n is further slid along the groove 5i of the L-shaped groove 5n to move the L-shaped groove 5n.
Is reached, it is moved along the groove 5j. Thereby, the lid 5 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 4 around the engagement position between the convex portion 5m and the long groove 3m.

After being released from engagement with the groove 5j, the print paper P is further rotated in the same direction. When the print paper P is moved to an appropriate position as shown in FIG. It will be necessary to replenish or replace. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the lid 5 rises substantially perpendicularly to the container 3, but the lid 5 can be further rotated to a position that opens counterclockwise. The opening position of the lid 5 may be locked by a certain locking mechanism at a narrower opening position.

Next, the manner in which the elastic body 6 expands and contracts according to the amount of the printing paper P stored therein will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 6 and 8 show a state in which a relatively small number of printing papers P are stored.
Extend to push up the pressing plate 4 and urge the printing paper P into contact with the paper feed roller 21 with an appropriate pressing force.

As a result, when the paper feed roller 21 rotates, an appropriate friction between the roller portion 21a of the paper feed roller 21 and the uppermost printing paper P1 (see FIG. 13 and the like) among the plurality of papers. A force is to be generated.

FIGS. 7 and 9 show a state in which the printing paper P is stored up to the upper limit number of sheets, and the elastic body 6 is compressed to about the thickness of the material.
Is the above-mentioned conical coil spring, as described above, it is compressed to about the diameter of the wire-like elastic material, and is housed in the elastic body mounting portion 3r formed of a concave portion as described above. .

At this time, the height of the elastic body 6 is equal to the height of the inner bottom surface of the bottom plate 3a, and the pressing plate 4 is
It retreats until it almost touches a. Press plate 4 at this time
Is configured to be substantially the same as the height of the ridge 3h, so that the maximum number of sheets can be printed inside the printing paper storage cassette 1 by effectively using the volume in the printing paper storage cassette 1. The sheet P can be stored.

Since the elastic body 6 in the state shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 is more compressed than the state shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the force for urging the pressing plate 4 is strong. However, since the weight of the printing paper P itself placed on the pressing plate 4 also increases in accordance with the number of sheets stored, the urging force is partially offset, and the uppermost printing paper P in the superimposed printing paper P The pressure at which P comes into contact with the roller portion 21a of the paper feed roller 21 is still maintained at such a level as to generate an appropriate frictional force.

In this way, the maximum number of printing papers P that can be stored can be stored, so that the printing paper storage cassette 1 is small and has a large storage capacity. The high quality printing paper storage cassette 1 can be brought into contact with the paper feeding roller 21 with an appropriate pressing force, and can feed the paper smoothly.

Next, a more detailed configuration of the inclined surface provided on the peripheral wall portion 3b and its operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

On the inner side of the upper end of the peripheral wall 3b, the inclined surface 3j, which is the second inclined surface, is formed as described above.
More specifically, the inclined surface 3j has a flat portion 3j1 having a substantially constant slope and an upper end connected to the flat portion 3j1, and the slope gradually increases from there, and the lower end becomes substantially vertical. And a curved surface portion 3j2 composed of an R surface or the like connected to the inner wall surface 3q.

Further, on the outer side of the peripheral wall portion 3b, an inclined surface 3p as a first inclined surface having a function of pushing up the sheet feeding roller 21 is formed as described later.

In such a configuration, in order to mount the printing paper storage cassette 1 on the printer main body 12, when the slide groove 3k is engaged with the positioning protrusion in the printer main body 12 and inserted into the cassette slot 12d, As shown in FIG. 10, the large-diameter portion 21c of the sheet feeding roller 21 disposed above the vicinity of the opening of the cassette slot 12d abuts on the inclined surface 3p. At this time, the roller unit 21
Since a has a smaller diameter than the large diameter portion 21c as described above, the roller portion 21a does not contact the inclined surface 3p at all.

In this state, the printing paper storage cassette 1
Is pressed, the sheet feed roller 2 is brought into contact with the inclined surface 3p.
1 is pressed upward. This paper feed roller 21
It is supported in the printer main body 12 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and is urged downward by an elastic member such as a spring. The paper roller 21 is moved upward to get over the peripheral wall 3b.

When the large-diameter portion 21c of the paper feed roller 21 engages with the positioning recess 3l, the positioning is performed and the loading of the printing paper storage cassette 1 is completed.
The state shown in FIG. At this time, the roller portion 21a of the paper feed roller 21 is in contact with the uppermost printing sheet P1 of the plurality of printing sheets P.

In this state, when printing is started, the paper feed roller 21 starts rotating, and the roller portion 21a
A force acting on the printing paper P downstream in the transport direction acts on the printing paper P due to the frictional force with the above. In this way, when the printing paper P starts to move and comes into contact with the peripheral wall portion 3b, a state as shown in FIG. 12 is obtained.

That is, the uppermost printing paper P1 of the plurality of printing papers P comes into contact with the flat portion 3j1, and the next printing paper P2 or the third printing paper P2 from the top next. P3 and the like come into contact with the curved surface portion 3j2 and the inner wall surface 3q.

More specifically, as shown in FIG.
The angles θ1, θ2, θ3,... At which the printing papers P1, P2, P3,.
n (n = 2, 3,...) is established.

Further, the printing paper P1
Is greater than the frictional force in the feed direction acting on the printing paper P2 from the printing paper P1, and is also greater than the frictional force in the feeding direction acting on the printing paper P3 from the printing paper P2. Have a relationship.

As described above, since the greatest force in the feeding direction acts on the printing paper P1 and the contact angle of the printing paper P1 with the inclined surface 3j is the smallest, the feeding roller is shifted from the state shown in FIG. Further rotation of 21 causes only the uppermost printing paper P1 to be sent out, as shown in FIG.
The print papers P2, P3,... Remain in the print paper storage cassette 1 as they are.

The printing paper P 1 sent out in this way is fed by a feeding mechanism provided inside the printer body 12.
The printing paper is transported along the printing paper feeding path formed in the printer main body 12, and predetermined printing is performed.

After the printing paper P1 is sent out, the printing paper P2 is located at the top of the plurality of printing papers P on which the next printing paper P2 is superimposed. , Only the printing paper P2 is sent out.

Also, when the printing paper P is the last one, as described above, the pressing plate 4 is set so that the friction coefficient of the surface 4a is substantially equal to the friction coefficient between the printing papers P. Because it has been processed, it is fed out as smoothly as the previous printing paper. Further, at this time, as described above, the ridges 3h formed on the bottom plate 3a of the container 3 and the ridges 5h formed on the top plate 5a of the lid 5 cause unnecessary friction on the printing paper P. There is no suction force due to force or static electricity.

According to such an embodiment, the bottom of the container and the side peripheral surface are substantially airtightly covered by the bottom plate and the peripheral wall, and when the lid is in the closed position, the top of the container is closed. Since the side is almost airtightly covered, the possibility of dust or the like entering from the outside can be suppressed to an extremely small level. Furthermore, when the lid is in the retracted position, the lid constitutes a printing paper lead-out opening that opens a relatively narrow limited area, and closes almost all other areas. It is possible to maintain high airtightness as a printing paper storage cassette and to suppress intrusion of dust and the like to a small extent.

Also, since the lid can be opened and closed,
By replenishing or replacing the internal printing paper, the printing paper storage cassette can be used repeatedly without being disposable, and the cost is high and resource loss is suppressed.

Further, the elastic body is shaped so that its own planar projection shape has substantially no overlapping portion, and in the most compressed state, the size of the elastic force developing direction is the thickness direction of its own material. Since the dimensions can be almost equal to each other, the overall thickness of the printing paper when it is stored to the maximum of the specifications can be reduced, and a large amount of printing paper can be stored while reducing the thickness and size. It is possible to do.

When the lid is in the closed position,
The print paper restricting section provided on the lid itself closes the print paper lead-out opening, so that the print paper does not protrude from the print paper storage cassette without increasing the number of parts, and it is inadvertently dropped. Can be prevented.

In addition, sandwiching the printing paper and the pressing plate,
Because the elastic body is located at the position facing the paper feed roller,
Since the elastic force of the elastic body and the pressing force from the paper feed roller act on substantially the same part in the opposite directions on substantially the same line to be balanced, no undesired moment acts on the pressing plate. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the required rigidity, and the weight can be reduced.

Further, since the friction coefficient of the surface of the pressing plate with the printing paper is set to be substantially equal to the friction coefficient of the printing paper, the printing paper can be reliably derived one by one without causing paper jam. It becomes possible to feed.

Further, by forming a ridge along the feeding direction on the bottom plate portion of the container and the upper plate portion of the lid, the printing paper can be formed on the bottom plate of the container and the upper plate of the lid. Sticking does not occur and printing paper can be smoothly fed to the last sheet.

Since the height of the ridge and the height of the pressing plate protruding from the bottom plate of the container are substantially equal, the step is eliminated, and the transfer of the printing paper is not hindered by the step, and the printing paper is not hindered. Is not damaged by the step.

Since the click mechanism for regulating the position of the printing paper storage cassette at the closed position or the retracted position with a predetermined holding force is formed, the closed position can be held.
The opening width of the printing paper lead-out opening can be reliably ensured. Also, this click mechanism is provided by an L formed on the lid.
Since the holding portion, which is the shape of the U-shaped groove, is formed by the engagement of the protrusion protruding from the peripheral wall of the container, there is an advantage that the structure is simple and the manufacturing is easy.

In addition, since the finger hooks are formed so as to protrude outward from the same level position as the upper face plate portion of the side plate portion of the lid, unnecessary deformation is caused when the finger hooks are picked and operated. Does not occur on the side plate, and the sliding operation and the opening / closing operation can be performed smoothly.

Since the second inclined surface is provided on the inner side of the peripheral wall of the container at the downstream side in the feeding direction, only the uppermost printing sheet out of the superposed printing sheets is fed. The printing paper can be transported by the rollers and the other printing paper can be kept in the printing paper storage cassette, and the printing paper can be reliably fed one by one.

Further, since the first inclined surface is provided on the outer surface side of the peripheral wall portion of the container at the downstream side in the feeding direction, power or the like is used when loading the printing paper storage cassette into the printer main body. The paper feed roller can be passed over without being retracted, and the configuration can be simplified and the size can be reduced.

A positioning recess is formed in each of the side walls of the container-like body peripheral wall at a position retracted from the front edge by a predetermined distance so as to fit with the peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion of the paper feed roller. However, even if a type in which only a part of the printing paper storage cassette is used by being stored in the printer main body, the printing paper storage cassette itself is fitted without interfering with the rotation of the paper feed roller. Can be reliably performed.

Further, the positioning in the vertical direction is performed by the sliding grooves on both side walls of the container-like body peripheral wall, and the positioning in the mounting direction is performed by the positioning recesses in cooperation with the positioning. The printing paper storage cassette can be more reliably positioned with respect to the printer body.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0086]

As described above, according to the printing paper storage cassette of the present invention according to the first aspect, the printing paper mounting surface of the pressing plate is formed so that the friction coefficient between the printing paper and the printing paper is equal to the friction coefficient between the printing papers. Because they are almost the same, it is possible to feed out printing paper one sheet at a time, even though it is thin, has a small number of parts, and has a simple configuration, and can feed printing paper without causing paper jams. Becomes

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a printer in which each device is attached to a printer main body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a printing paper storage cassette in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view including a partial cross section showing a state of a printing paper storage cassette when a lid is at a closed position in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view including a partial cross section showing a state of the printing paper storage cassette when the lid is at a retracted position in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view including a partial cross section showing a state of the printing paper storage cassette when the lid is at the opening operation position in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of a printing paper storage cassette when the number of printing papers stored in the embodiment is relatively small.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of the print paper storage cassette when the number of print papers stored in the embodiment is approximately the upper limit.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a state in the vicinity of an elastic body in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a state in the vicinity of the elastic body in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the paper feed roller is retracted by contact with an inclined surface when the print paper storage cassette is mounted on the printer main body in the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a state before a paper feed roller rotates in a print paper storage cassette mounted on the printer body of the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a state in which the end face in the traveling direction of the printing paper and the inclined surface come into contact with each other when the paper feeding roller starts to rotate in the printing paper storage cassette mounted on the printer body of the embodiment. FIG.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing a state in which the paper feed roller is further rotated to send out only the uppermost print sheet in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printing paper storage cassette 3 ... Container-like body 3a ... Bottom plate part 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e ... Peripheral wall part 3f ... Cellular part 3g ... Guide groove (restriction part) 3h ... Convex ridge 3i ... Press-plate engagement hole 3j ... Slope surface 3j1 ... Flat surface portion 3j2 ... Curved surface portion 3k ... Slide groove 3l ... Positioning concave part 3m ... Long groove 3n ... Convex part (engaging piece) 3p ... Slope surface 3r ... Elastic body attaching part 4 ... Press plate 4a ... Surface 4b Engaging end (engaging piece) 4c sliding protrusion (pressure receiving part) 5 lid 5a top plate 5b printing paper regulating unit 5c, 5d side plate 5f finger hook 5h ridge 5i Reference numeral 5j Groove 5k, 5l Holder 5m Projection 5n L-shaped groove 6 Elastic body 12 Printer body 12d Cassette slot 21 Paper feed roller 21a Roller 21b Rotary shaft 21c Large diameter section (Base with relatively large diameter) P ... Printing paper

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus capable of holding a plurality of printing papers,
The printing is performed so that the printing paper held by the predetermined feeding mechanism of the printer main body when applied to the corresponding printer main body can be led out to a predetermined feeding path on the printer main body side. A paper storage cassette, comprising a bottom plate portion and a peripheral wall portion provided so as to stand up from the periphery of the bottom plate portion, a container-shaped body opened only at an upper side, and an upper side opening of the container-shaped body The opening portion is opened as a printing paper lead-out opening with a relatively narrow limited area relative to the size of the upper opening portion in the printing paper transport direction, and substantially the entire area except the printing paper lead-out opening is opened. The edge which is adapted to be closed and which faces the printing paper lead-out opening or the vicinity of the edge thereby projects the printing paper from the printing paper lead-out opening with a predetermined pressing force. A lid configured so as to be able to be opened and closed as a whole without a printing paper restricting portion that regulates the above, and one end side of its own in an engagement hole provided at an intermediate position of the container-like body bottom plate in the printing paper transport direction. Is engaged so as to allow a rotational displacement of the other end, and the other end is displaceable to a position facing the printing paper lead-out opening. The pressure receiving portion provided at its own predetermined portion is regulated by the regulating portion provided on the container-like body side so as not to protrude upward from the printing paper lead-out opening portion, and the position of the pressure receiving portion is regulated with respect to the contained printing paper. One end side is provided with a pressing force in a direction to be exposed to the outside from the printing paper lead-out opening, and its own printing paper mounting surface has a coefficient of friction with the printing paper stacked on the printing paper mounting surface. Coefficient of friction between printing papers placed And a direction in which both parts are separated between a predetermined part relatively close to the other end side of the pressing plate and a part corresponding to the predetermined part of the bottom plate part. And a resilient member provided so as to constantly generate the resilience of the printing paper storage cassette.