Tokyo Electric Co.

Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha

Kabushiki Kaisha Tec

Satoshi Kitahara

Ikuzo Sugiura

Tsugio Shiozaki

Kazuaki Sugimoto

Osamu Koizumi

Kazuhiro Fushimi

Hiroyasu Ishii

Akio Yamamoto

Shuji Koyama

Mitsuo Uchimura

Hidemi Mihara

Takashi Ichikawa

Norifumi Shishido

Kaname Iga

Seiichirou Yamamoto

A printer includes a thermal print head, a supply shaft, a winding shaft, a light emitting device, and a photodetector. The light emitting device and the photodetector are aligned along a line parallel to a line passing through rotational axes of the supply and winding shafts at a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is greater than a radius of the supply shaft and a radius of the winding shaft. The predetermined distance is less than a radial distance from the rotational axis of the supply shaft to an outer surface of the ink ribbon on the supply shaft and a radial distance from the rotational axis of the winding shaft to an outer surface of the ink ribbon on the winding shaft when a length of the ribbon on the supply shaft is equal to a length of the ribbon on the winding shaft.

Printer

A printer contains a ribbon holding shaft; a ribbon winding shaft; a printing section to print using an ink ribbon and a print head; a winding motor to rotationally drive the ribbon winding shaft; a damper section, provided on a conveyance path of the ink ribbon; a controller to control an operation of the ribbon winding shaft at the start of driving by increasing an input voltage applied to the winding motor; a detection section configured to detect movement of the damper section; a calculation section to calculate a winding diameter of the ink ribbon on the ribbon winding shaft side using the input voltage when the movement of the damper section is detected and characteristics of the damper section; and a voltage determination section to determine an input voltage to be applied to the motor according to the calculated winding diameter.

Printer and ribbon winding features

A printer comprises a housing which is composed of a box-shaped main body section with an opening on one surface thereof and a cover for opening and closing the opening of the main body section and forming a paper discharge port between the cover and the main body section at the time the cover is located at a position to close the opening; a storage section houses a roll paper; a printing section carries out printing on the paper; a cutter which has a cutting edge used to cut the paper; a support section which supports the cutter in a manner of freely moving between a use position at the time of cutting the paper by the cutting edge and a non-use position close to an edge of the paper discharge port with respect to the use position.

According to one embodiment, a tractor comprises a guide shaft, a first belt unit, a second belt unit, a fixing unit and a connecting unit. The first belt unit is supported by the guide shaft so as to move in an axis direction of the guide shaft. The second belt unit is arranged to face the first belt unit in the axis direction of the guide shaft and supported by the guide shaft. The fixing unit, which is movably supported by the guide shaft in the axis direction of the guide shaft and is capable of being fixed on the guide shaft. The connecting unit configured to connect the first belt unit to the fixing unit with a clearance in the axis direction of the guide shaft.

Tractor and printer using the same

A color printer includes a plurality of platens arranged on paper feeding path to feed paper on which a plurality of printing areas are arranged in series, a plurality of print heads arranged on the feeding path to face the platens to print data on the same printing areas of the paper fed on the feeding path, a feeding roller for feeding, to the print heads, the paper along the feeding path, a front-edge sensing section disposed between the feeding roller and a print head nearest the feeding roller to detect that the paper has been positioned at a printing start position, and a plurality of head lift mechanisms for setting the print heads from the platens to a standby position apart from the platens before the paper is fed to the printing start position and to a contact position at which the print heads come in contact with the platens after the paper has been fed to the printing start position. Particularly, the color printer has an engine controller for sequentially driving the head lift mechanisms to set the print heads to the contact position when the front edge of the paper has reached positions slightly advanced over the print heads.

Printer device

A printer comprises a convey roller for withdrawing continuous paper from a roll of the paper and conveying the paper along a predetermined convey path. The convey roller is rotated at a predetermined peripheral speed and conveys the paper with a first convey force. Four printing portions are provided sequentially along the convey path. Each of the printing portion has a printing head, and a platen roller which is brought into contact with the paper while opposing the printing head and conveys the paper with a second convey force. A sum of second convey forces of the platen rollers is set to be smaller than the first convey force. The platen rollers are rotated at peripheral speeds higher than that of the convey roller, and such that the peripheral speeds thereof are sequentially increased in an order of a platen roller adjacent to the convey roller toward a platen roller separated from the convey roller.

Printer and method of supplying continuous paper to printing portion

A transfer printer comprises a printer body having first and second support frames separated from and opposing to each other. A printing portion includes a platen roller supported by the first and second support frame, and a line thermal head having one end portion supported by the first support frame and a free end located near the second support frame. A ribbon magazine having an ink ribbon is detachably fitted in the printer body from a free end side of the thermal head. The first support frame has first magazine positioning pins for engaging the support body of the fitted ribbon magazine to position and support the ribbon magazine. The second support frame has second magazine positioning pins for engaging the support body of the fitted ribbon magazine to position and support the ribbon magazine. The support body of the ribbon magazine has head positioning pins for engaging the free end of the thermal head to position and support the free end.

Transfer printer

A label printer comprises a supporting frame having a pair of side plates facing each other. A print head and a platen roller are arranged between the side plates. Above the print head is arranged a ribbon supply device for running a transfer ribbon between the print head and the platen roller. The ribbon supply device includes a ribbon drive section, and a ribbon unit supported on a supporting member and movable between a first position wherein the unit engages the drive section and a second position wherein the unit is located outside the supporting frame. A fixing member is attached to one of the side plates and movable between a release position wherein the fixing member allows the ribbon unit to move and a fixing position wherein the fixing means engages the ribbon unit to hold it in the first position.

Transfer printer with ribbon lock

A label printer includes a body frame and a separating device for separating printed lables from a base. The separating device is detachably mounted on first and second mounting shafts attached to the body frame. The separating device includes a supporting shaft, a pair of supporting members mounted on the opposite end portions of the supporting shaft, and a pair of hook members rotatably mounted on the supporting shaft. Each supporting member has a supporting surface and a engaging recess. The first mounting shaft is removably fitted to the engaging recesses so that the supporting members are rotatable about the first mounting shaft between an off position and a holding position wherein each supporting surface contacts the second mounting shaft so that the supporting member is held between the mounting shafts. Each hook member has a hook portion which engages the second mounting portion to lock the supporting member in its hold position. A separating frame is rotatably mounted on the supporting shaft and supports a separating roller.

Label printer

A label printer comprises a supporting frame having a pair of side plates facing each other. A print head and a platen roller are arranged between the side plates. Above the print head is arranged a ribbon supply device for running a transfer ribbon between the print head and the platen roller. The ribbon supply device includes a ribbon unit supported on a supporting mechanism, and a ribbon drive section attached to the side plate so as to drive the ribbon unit. The supporting mechanism includes a fixed arm fixed to the side plate, and a slider mounted on the fixed arm. The slider supports the ribbon unit thereon and is slidable between a first position where the ribbon unit engages the ribbon drive section and a second position where the ribbon unit is situated outside the supporting frame.

A printer includes a platen roller and a print head for printing information on a recording medium moving between the platen roller and the head in a predetermined direction. The platen roller is supported by a supporting frame which is rotatably mounted on a supporting shaft so that the platen roller is rockable in directions to touch and leave the head. The platen roller is pressed against the head by an urging member. The platen roller is shifted in a direction in parallel to the moving direction by a shifting mechanism as the roller rocks, so that the position of the roller relative to the head is kept constant with respect to the moving direction of the recording medium.

Printer with media thickness adjustment of platen

A thermal printer includes a ribbon supply device for running a transfer ribbon through a printing section. The device includes a ribbon unit and a ribbon drive section which are removably mounted on a head supporting frame of the printing section. The ribbon unit includes a supply shaft on which the ribbon is wound, a take-up shaft for take-up the ribbon drawn from the supply shaft, a tension shaft, and a ribbon drive shaft. The supply and tension shafts are arranged to be symmetrical to the take-up and ribbon drive shafts, respectively, about an imaginary plane which extends between the supply shaft and the take-up shaft and between the tension shaft and the ribbon drive shaft, in parallel with these shafts, so that the unit is capable of being remounted on the head supporting frame while the unit is turned through 180 degrees.

Thermal printer with removable ribbon unit

A transfer printer includes a platen drive mechanism for rotating a platen roller facing a print head, and a paper feed mechanism for feeding a paper sheet passing between the platen roller and the head. A ribbon supply device is driven through a transmission mechanism by the drive power of the feed mechanism. The transmission mechanism has a roller holder supporting a transmission gear and arranged to be movable between a transmission position wherein the transmission gear engages an interlocking gear of the feed mechanism and an input gear of the ribbon supply device and a release position wherein the transmission gear is disengaged from the input gear so as to interrupt the power transmission. The roller holder is urged by a spring toward the transmission position, and restricted an excessive movement to the transmission position so that the transmission gear is in mesh with the input gear with a suitable backlash.

Transfer printer with ribbon transmission drive gear

A printer includes a print head and a platen roller facing the head. The platen roller is supported by supporting frames. The frames are rotatably supported by a stationary shaft. A second set lever is mounted on the supporting frame to be movable integrally with the frames, and includes a pressing portion facing a paper guide. The paper guide is pressed against a feed roller for feeding a paper sheet passing between the head and the platen roller. When the supporting frames are rotated in a direction to leave the platen roller from the head by a first set lever, the pressing portion pushes the paper guide so as to leave it from the feed roller.

Growing community of inventors

Mishima, Japan

Satoshi Kitahara