Seiko Epson Corporation

Hiroshi Narita

Kenichiro Arai

Masahiko Yamada

Naoki Asai

Yoshiki Kinoshita

Toshiaki Koike

Seiji Kimura

Akira Koyabu

Noboru Otsuki

Kazuhiko Sato

Tetsugo Ishida

Hiroaki Hosomi

Rikuo Yamada

Ayumu Nakamura

Tsutomu Momose

Hideaki Nishijima

Toshihiro Ota

Yoshikazu Itoh

A cutter blade moving mechanism moves a cutter blade to a forward position by a low output drive motor without an urging member urging the cutter blade to the forward position where media is cut. The first cutter blade moving mechanism has a drive gear that moves the first cutter blade forward and back; a drive motor; and a compound gear to which rotation of the drive motor is transferred. The intermittent teeth part of the compound gear meshes with a transfer gear after turning the compound gear is started by drive power from the drive motor, completing a rotation transfer path. Because there is a delay between when driving the drive motor starts and when the path transferring rotation from the drive motor to the drive gear is completed, rotational kinetic energy is stored in the compound gear during this delay. The transfer gear can therefore be turned with greater drive power (rotational kinetic energy) when the compound gear and transfer gear mesh.

Cutter blade moving mechanism, cutter, and printer

A printer has a pair of frame panels that support the ends of a carriage guide shaft, a carriage that carries a print head, a carriage drive motor, and first and second pulleys on which a belt connected to the carriage is mounted. The first and second pulleys limit the range of bidirectional carriage movement so that the maximum width of carriage movement is substantially equal to the width between the pair of frame panels. A tube that carries ink to the print head is disposed curving in a U-shape in the direction of the width between the pair of frame panels. The carriage drive motor is disposed in the space in which the tube is located in the space on the opposite side as the direction in which the tube curves, and the drive shaft of the carriage drive motor is perpendicular to the scanning plane of the carriage.

Printer

Battery charger

A printer has an ASF connection/disconnection sensoras a sheet feeding device detector which detects if an ASFis installed to the main printer unit, a roll paper holder connection sensoras a roll paper holder detector which detects if a roll paper holderis installed to the main printer unit, and a control circuit boardwhich controls operation of the main printer unitaccording to the detection status of the ASF connection/disconnection sensorand roll paper holder connection sensor

Method for controlling the operation of a printer connected to an automatic sheet feeder or roll paper holder

A printer having a main printer unitan image recording unitand a base unit. The image recording unitincludes a carriagehaving an ink head for discharging ink to paper and a guide shaftfor slidably guiding the carriage. The base unitis disposed opposite the image recording unitand supports the image recording unit. A paper transportation pathis located between the image recording unitand base unitfor conveying paper in a paper transportation direction under the operation of paper feed means The printer has opposite sides and an opening extending from each opposite side in common alignment with the paper transportation direction for manually inserting paper of substantially any size into said paper transportation path from any side and includes a continuous paper holder which is removably attached to said printer for supplying paper continuously to said paper transportation path and a sheet feeder device (ASF) which is removably attached to said main printer unit for supplying a plurality of sheets in sequence to said paper transportation path when said continuous paper holder is not supplying paper.

Printer having a continuous paper holder

In a pump driver for selectively driving a plurality of pumps, a sun gear is rotated by a single drive source. A planetary gear is meshed with the sun gear. A planetary carrier rotatably supports the planetary gear revolvably around the sun gear. A plurality of driving gears are arranged in a one-by-one manner with respect to the pumps such that the planetary gear meshes with one of the driving gears to selectively drive one of the pumps. A revolution limiter allows a revolution of the planetary gear in a first direction and restricts a revolution of the planetary gear in a second direction opposite to the first direction at a position where the planetary gear meshes with one of the driving gears.

Ink pump selective driver and ink jet printer incorporating the same

A winding shaft, for use in a printer allows a wound recording paper to be easily removed therefrom. The winding shaft includes a shaft main body, a winding portion and a support-removing member. The winding portion, which sandwiches the shaft main body, winds the recording paper therearound. The shaft main body includes a pair of support-removing members, which respectively project from the shaft main body. The two support-removing members are respectively supported on the two side portions of the shaft main body in such a manner that they can be freely rotated about their respective support shafts. A tension-coiled spring is bridgingly disposed between the two support-removing members, so that the two support-removing members remain in standing positions when no external force is applied to them. If the recording paper is lightly rotated in a direction opposite to the winding direction of the recording paper, then the two support-removing members are brought down in the same direction due to an external force applied thereto from the innermost peripheral recording paper. As a result, the innermost peripheral recording paper is loosened, that is, is caused to float loosely from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft main body, thereby enabling the removal of the recording paper from the winding shaft.

Winding shaft and a printer using the same

A winding shaft, for use in a printer, which allows a wound recording paper to be easily removed therefrom. The winding shaft includes a shaft main body, a winding portion and a support-removing member. The winding portion, which sandwiches the shaft main body, winds the recording paper therearound. The shaft main body includes a pair of support-removing members, which respectively project from the shaft main body. The two support-removing members are respectively supported on the two side portions of the shaft main body in such a manner that they can be freely rotated about their respective support shafts. A tension-coiled spring is bridgingly disposed between the two support-removing members, so that the two support-removing members remain in standing positions when no external force is applied to them. If the recording paper is lightly rotated in a direction opposite to the winding direction of the recording paper, then the two support-removing members are brought down in the same direction due to an external force applied thereto from the innermost peripheral recording paper. As a result, the innermost peripheral recording paper is loosened, that is, is caused to float loosely from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft main body, thereby enabling the removable of the recording paper from the winding shaft.

A printer including a driving shaft having first, second and third worms for feeding a recording paper, advancing a printing ribbon, and moving a carriage, respectively. The third worm for moving the carriage may be replaced by a belt. The driving shaft may include two separate portions, with the first, second and third worms connected to ends of the separate portions. The driving shaft may be rotatably supported adjacent the first, second and third worms.

Printer with drive mechanism

A paper transfer apparatus for transferring a recording paper by rotating a first and second sprocket wheels having a plurality of pins to be engaged with sprocket holes disposed on both sides of the recording paper comprising a first paper guide for forming a paper transfer path having a first intersection with a rotational locus of the tip of the pins mounted on the first sprocket wheel, and a second paper guide for forming a paper transfer path having a second intersection with a rotational locus of the tip of the pins mounted on the second sprocket wheel, the first intersection being placed upstream in a paper transfer direction from the second intersection.

Paper transfer apparatus and printer using the same

A recording medium feed mechanism for a printer includes first, second and third transport sections in the printer along a medium pathway wherein the first transport section is disposed at the insertion point of the recording medium into the printer, the second transport section is disposed immediately before the printer section relative to the direction of transport of the recording medium and the third transport section is disposed immediately after the printer section relative to the direction of transport of the recording medium. A single drive source is adapted for driving in common drive rollers at all three transport sections. First, second and third opening/closing mechanisms are incorporated respectively at the first, second and third transport sections to provide closure and medium engagement and its transport when the medium is present at a particular transport section and to provide its opening when the medium is not present or no longer present at a particular transport section. A method of control is provided for determining when a recording medium is present or absent from a particular transport section utilizing a recording medium stop member and detector in the medium pathway from which the location of the leading or trailing edges of the recording medium can be ascertained. Enhancement in accurate control is achieved in medium transport permitting the extension of data printing in medium margins adjacent the leading and trailing edges of the medium.

Recording medium feed mechanism for a printer and method of medium feed

A plurality of micro medium feed mechanisms are provided at different locations in a printer and are all driven by a single step motor through a plurality of clutches and are selectively capable of feeding several different types of mediums, e.g., a sheet medium, a card medium or a rolled medium, i.e., feeding each such medium independently of the another presented via different inlets to the printer for each different type of medium. The step motor, therefore, functions as the sole driving source for a multiple medium handling type printer thereby providing a less expensive micro printer which is capable of incrementally feeding multiple different kinds of medium types in the same printer wherein printing can be accomplished from the very top edge to the very bottom edge of the fed medium due to the particular locations of the micro medium feed mechanisms in the micro printer. Also, a micro medium feed mechanism provided in at least one medium feed location of the printer is capable of selectively feeding at least one type of medium in predetermined incremental amounts in stepped values less than 1 mm.

Growing community of inventors

Nagano-ken, Japan

Hiroshi Narita