JPS61164872A - Cassette for recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the space required for storing a cassette and to prevent foreign matter or dust from penetrating into the cassette during storage thereof, by providing a mechanism for expanding or contracting the spacing between a payout-side containing part and a take-up side containing part for a recording medium, and a mechanism for taking up a sagged part of the medium when the spacing is contracted. CONSTITUTION:When a take-up side containing casing 3 and a payout-side containing casing 4 are expanded from their state for storage, a slide plate 5 is slidden along a stepped groove 6A of a guide plate 6, and an engaging projected part 5A is engaged to an engaging part 6C. At this time, the part 6C is clamped by a fixed part 5B and the projected part 5A, and the casings 3, 4 are fixed at positions where the spacing between a rotary support shaft for the recording medium in the casing 3 and that in the casing 4 is set to a predetermined value. When the projected part 5A is pushed in as to contract the casing 3, 4 toward each other under pressure, a take-up arm 12 is driven by the tension of a rope 14, and a take-up member 13 takes up the sagged portion of the recording medium 2, whereby the casings 3, 4 are contacted into the state for storage. Accordingly, the space required for storing the cassette is reduced, and the medium 2 is covered by protective covers 3C, 3C to prevent adhesion of foreign matter or the like to the medium 2.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Technical field The present invention relates to a cassette for recording media, and particularly to a cassette for recording media.

The present invention relates to a technique that is effective when applied to a color ink sheet cassette 1- used in a line printer device, a thermal printer device, etc.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, ink sheets used in line printers, thermal printers, etc. are wound into rolls, and the rolls are stored in replaceable cassettes for use.

However, as shown in FIG. 13, in the conventional cassette, the distance between the recording medium support rotation axis A on the supply side and the recording medium support rotation axis B on the take-up side of the ink sheet roll wound into a roll is large. is fixed, which increases the size of the cassette. For this purpose, cassettes of many different sizes are prepared and the cassette of a certain size is selected and replaced as needed. Especially when the cassette is not being used, such as a color ink sheet cassette. There was a problem in that a large space was required to store the cassettes.

Further, the unused cassette must be placed in a plastic bag to prevent dirt and dust from entering the cassette during storage. If dirt or dust adheres to the surface of the ink sheet, there is a problem in that the dirt causes transfer omissions, resulting in missing print information.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing the storage space of a recording medium cassette for storing a recording medium and preventing dirt and dust from entering during storage. It is in.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a recording medium cassette for storing recording media such as rolled ink sheets and recording sheets used in color printers, etc., on the recording medium supply side of the recording medium cassette. A cassette expansion/contraction mechanism that can change the distance between the storage section and the winding side storage section depending on the time of storage and attachment to the device, or a cassette expansion/contraction mechanism that allows the cassette expansion/contraction mechanism to take up the slack of the recording medium that occurs when the cassette expansion/contraction mechanism shortens. This is characterized by the provision of a recording medium winding mechanism that prevents the recording medium from loosening.

The present invention will be specifically described below based on one embodiment.

In addition, in all the examples, parts having the same functions are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof will be omitted.

Embodiment FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic drawings for explaining the principle of this embodiment.

The principle of this embodiment is that when storing a recording medium cassette that stores recording media such as rolled color ink sheets and recording sheets, as shown in FIG. When the distance between the recording medium support rotation shaft 3A of the storage case 3 on the winding side and the recording medium support rotation shaft 4A of the storage case 4 on the supply side is shortened and the device is used while being attached to the device, As shown in Figure 2, the distance is extended.

3 to 11 are diagrams for explaining the recording medium cassette 1- of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the recording medium cassette when it is shortened, and FIG. The figure is a side view, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cassette telescoping mechanism of this embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a storage case on the recording medium winding side of the cassette telescoping mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the structure of the main part of the provided slide plate, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along section line 1-1 in FIG. 5, and FIG.
-■ Cross-sectional view along the cutting line, Figure 9 is the ■-■ section of Figure 3.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the cutting line.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the bearing portion of the recording medium support rotating shaft, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the recording medium winding mechanism taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 9. Note that the recording medium is omitted in FIG. 5 to make the configuration of the main parts easier to understand.

In FIGS. 3 to 11, the storage case 3 on the one-winding side includes a winding recording medium support rotating shaft 3A for winding up the recording medium 2, a side plate 3B, and a protective cover 30. As shown in FIG. 5, the side plate 3B has a six-winding recording medium support rotating shaft 3 provided with a slide plate 5.
A is connected to a drive source (not shown).

The winding recording medium support rotating shaft 3A, the side plate 3B, the protective cover 30, and the slide plate 5 are respectively.

For example, it is made by integrally molding an elastic resin material.

As shown in FIG. 6, the slide plate 5 is provided with an elastic engagement protrusion 5A at a predetermined position, and furthermore, a fixing part 5B is provided at the tip of the slide plate 5. There is. This fixing portion 5 is for slidably attaching the slide plate 5 and also serves as a stopper during stretching. .

The storage case 4 on the supply side includes a bearing 10 for removably attaching a recording medium support rotating shaft 4A for a rolled recording medium 2, a side plate 4B, and a protective cover 4G. As shown in FIG. 5, the side plate 4B has a guide plate 6.
is provided.

The bearing 10, the side plate 4B, the protective cover 4C, and the guide plate 6 are each made of, for example, a resin material by integral molding.

As shown in FIG. 5, the guide plate 6 has a step groove 6A that fits into the slide plate 5, and an affected area 6B.

An engaging portion 6C that engages with the engaging protrusion 5A of the slide plate 5 is provided.

Further, approximately in the center of the protective cover 30 of the storage case 3, a mounting member 7 and a drawer member 8 for mounting the recording medium cassette 1 on the apparatus are provided. A side plate 4B of the storage case 4 is provided with a recess 9 for mounting the recording medium cassette l to the device.
The mounting recess 9 is adapted to fit into a mounting rod-shaped member provided on the device.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the slide plate 5 is slidably fitted into the stepped groove 6A of the guide plate 6, and when stretched, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, The engagement protrusion 5A of the slide plate 5 engages with the engagement portion 6C of the guide plate 6, and is fixed by the engagement protrusion 5A and the fixing member 5B.

As shown in FIG. 9, inside the storage case 4 on the supply side of the recording medium cassette 1, there is a removable color ink roll 2A in which the recording medium 2 is rolled around a cylindrical rotation support shaft lO. is attached to. This attachment is carried out as shown in FIG.
0 and is fixed by the spring pressure of a plate spring 11 or the like. Reference numeral 12 denotes a winding arm for winding up slack in the recording medium 2, and is rotatably attached to the one-turn support shaft 10. Reference numeral 13 denotes a recording medium winding member, which is provided on the slack winding arm 12 parallel to the one-rotation support shaft 10.

This recording medium winding member 13 is for winding up slack in the recording medium 2.

14 is a rope, one end of which is connected to the winding arm 12
It is attached to a fixing member 16 provided in
5 is attached to an elastic body fixing member 18 provided on the side plate 4B of the storage case 4 on the supply side of the recording medium cassette 1. As a result, the rope 14 is given a predetermined tension. The tension of the rope 14 drives the 9-winding arm 12 in the direction of winding up the slack of the recording medium, such as the recording medium 2, thereby removing the recording medium. Rolling member 1
Give winding force to 3.

The winding force of this recording medium winding member 13 is smaller than the spring pressure that presses and fixes the recording medium support rotating shaft 4A. This is to prevent the recording medium support rotating shaft 4A of the recording medium roll 2A from returning backward. Reference numeral 19 denotes a static eliminating brush for preventing the recording medium 2 from being charged.

Next, the operation of the recording medium cassette of this embodiment will be explained.

When using the recording medium cassette l of this embodiment, the storage case 3 on the winding side and the storage case 4 on the supply side are
It is expanded from the storage state shown in the figure and FIG. 4 to the state shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the slide plate 5 provided on the side plate 3B of the storage case 3 on the 1-winding side is moved from the step of the guide plate 6 provided on the side plate 4B of the storage case 4 on the supply side. When the slide plate 5 slides along the groove 6A and the engagement protrusion 5A of the slide plate 5 comes to the position of the engagement part 6C of the guide plate 6 provided on the side plate 4B of the storage case 4,
The engagement protrusion 5A engages with the engagement portion 6C due to its elasticity. At this time, the fixed part 5B of the slide plate 5 and the engagement protrusion 5
By sandwiching the engaging portion 6C of the guide plate 6 with A, the storage cases 3 and 4 are assembled.

The recording medium is fixed when the distance between the two recording medium support rotating shafts 3A and 4A reaches a predetermined length. In this condition.

The mounting member 7 provided on the protective cover 30 of the storage case 3 and the mounting surface 9 provided on the side plate 4B of the storage case 4 are used to attach the device to a device such as a thermal color printer.

Next, when removing it, pull up and remove the drawer member 8 provided on the protective cover 3C of the storage case 3, and push in the engagement protrusion 5A of the slide plate 5 provided on the side plate 3B of the storage case 3. Shrink storage cases 3 and 4. At this time, the recording medium 2 becomes slack and the winding arm 12
is driven in a direction to wind up the slack in the recording medium 2 due to the tension of the rope 14, and the recording medium winding member 13 winds up the slack in the previous recording medium 2. In this way, the recording medium winding member 13 sequentially winds up slack in the recording medium 2, thereby shortening the storage cases 3 and 4 to the storage state, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

For example, if the distance between the recording medium support rotation axes 3A and 4A of the storage cases 3 and 4 during use is 160 mm, the distance between the recording medium support rotation axes during storage can be reduced to 65 companies.

As can be seen from the above description, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) When using a recording medium cassette such as a recording medium cassette, the recording medium support rotation shaft 3A of storage cases 3 and 4
, 4A to a predetermined length and shorten the length when storing or transporting, the storage space can be reduced and the transport can be made easier.

(2) By covering the recording medium 2 with the protective covers 30.4C of the storage cases 3 and 4 during storage, it is possible to prevent dirt and dust from adhering to the recording medium 2. This makes it possible to prevent transcription defects and the like.

(3) By providing a mechanism that sequentially takes up the slack in the recording medium 2 that occurs when the storage cases 3 and 4 are shortened, damage to the recording medium 2 that occurs when the storage cases 3 and 4 are shortened can be prevented.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, the storage cases 3 and 4 of the above embodiment may be stored by being bent at right angles, and then stretched horizontally when in use.

The present invention has been specifically explained above based on examples, but
It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) When storing or transporting a recording medium cassette, shorten the length between the storage case on the winding side and the storage case on the supply side between the recording medium support rotating shafts, and when in use, stretch it to the specified length. By using the cassette as a storage medium, the storage space for the recording medium cassette can be reduced and it can be easily carried.

(2) By covering the entire recording medium with the protective cover of the recording medium cassette during storage, it is possible to prevent dirt and dust from adhering to the recording medium. This makes it possible to prevent transcription defects and the like.

(3) In (1) above, by providing a mechanism that sequentially takes up slack in the recording medium when the recording medium cassette is shortened, it is possible to prevent damage to the recording medium that occurs when the recording medium cassette is shortened.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are reproduction diagrams for explaining the principle of this embodiment. FIGS. 3 to 11 are diagrams for explaining a recording medium cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the recording medium cassette when it is shortened, FIG. 4 is a side view thereof, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cassette expansion/contraction mechanism of this embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 1-1 in FIG. 5. FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■--■ in FIG. 5. 9 is a sectional view taken along the cutting line ■-■ in FIG. 3, FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the bearing part of the rotation support shaft in FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a mV in FIG. 9. - A cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the recording medium winding mechanism along the IV cutting line, FIG. 12 is 1
External view showing a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the present invention FIG. 13 is an external view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional recording medium cassette. In the figure, 1... Recording medium cassette, 2... Recording medium, 3... Winding side storage case, 4... Supply side storage case, 5... Slide plate, 6... Guide plate, 7
...Mounting parts, 8...Drawer parts, 9...
・Installation is in the recess, lO...bearing, 11...plate spring,
12... Arm for winding up, 13... Recording medium winding member, 14... Rope, 15 Elastic body.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a recording medium cassette that stores rolled ink sheets, recording sheets, etc. used in color printers, etc., the recording medium support rotation shaft of the recording medium supply side storage section of the recording medium cassette and the winding side storage section 1. A cassette for a recording medium, characterized in that the cassette is provided with a cassette expansion/contraction mechanism that can change the distance between the cassette and the recording medium support rotation axis depending on whether the cassette is stored or installed in an apparatus. (2) In a recording medium cassette that stores rolled ink sheets, recording sheets, etc. used in color printers, etc., the recording medium support rotating shaft of the recording medium supply side storage section of the recording medium cassette and the winding side storage section A cassette extension/retraction mechanism that can change the distance between the recording medium support rotation axis during storage and installation into the device, and a cassette extension/retraction mechanism that takes up the slack in the recording medium that occurs when the cassette extension/retraction mechanism is shortened, so that the recording medium is always loosened. A cassette for a recording medium, characterized in that it is provided with a recording medium winding mechanism to prevent the recording medium from falling.