Copal Company Limited

Satomi Nanaumi

Koichi Katagiri

Toshimasa Fujiwara

Akio Itabashi

A printer paper feed apparatus having a single-form feed function and a continuous-form feed function, in which a pin tractor mechanism for feeding the continuous forms is situated upstream of the platen in terms of paper feed. The apparatus includes a guide plate member for the single forms having a base end pivotally supported in the vicinity of a single-form insertion inlet formed in an upper side of a printer main body, the guide plate member being capable of selectively assuming a horizontally accommodated position and a paper insertion guide position at which it is raised in an inclined attitude, a clutch mechanism provided in a rotating force transmission system between a tractor drive shaft of the pin tractor mechanism and the paper feed motor, and a clutch control mechanism for controlling engagement and disengagement of the clutch means in dependence upon whether the guide plate member is situated at the accommodated position or the single-form insertion guide position. When the guide plate member is situated at the single-form insertion guide position, the clutch mechanism is placed in a state in which the rotating force cannot be transmitted from the paper feed motor to the tractor drive shaft, thereby terminating drive of the pin tractor mechanism.

Printer paper feed apparatus

The printer is for printing a continuous fan-folded paper web having series of perforations at each side edge thereof which is adapted to be fed into the printer from the bottom of the printer. The printer comprises an upper housing member swingably supported by a lower housing member so that the upper housing member is movable between a closed position for the printing operation and an opened position at which an accessible space is provided between the bottom of the upper housing member and the lower housing member. The upper housing member includes a printing mechanism and a pin-tractor mechanism for feeding the paper web a portion of which extends outwardly downwardly from the bottom of the upper housing member. The lower housing member has a feed-in opening at the bottom thereof for the paper web. Thus, the threading and advancing of the paper web into the printing mechanism by the pin-tractor mechanism are facilitated by swinging the upper housing member to the opened position providing the accessible space between the bottom of the upper housing member and the lower housing member where access to the pin-tractor mechanism is permitted.

Growing community of inventors

Koshigaya, Japan

Satomi Nanaumi