Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
JA9-85-005
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PRINTER
Detailed Description of the Invention:
Background of the Invention
This invention relates to a printer that can use both
long print paper with perforations for feed on its
side edges (so-called continuous form) and short
print paper without perforation (so-called cut form).
The printer is characterized in its relation to a
form feed path with a platen and its construction in
which a continuous form feeding means can be
evacuated.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is a perspective view of overall configura-
tion of the invention.
Figure 2 ls a schematic view of the prior art.
Figure 3 is a diagram showing problems in a roller
platen.
Figure 4 is a schematic view when a continuous form
is fed.
Figure 5 is a schematic view showing positional re-
lations when a cut form is inserted.
1 ... printing head; 2 O~ platen; 3, 4 ... feed
roller; 5 ... pin feed tractor; 5a ... pin; 5b ...
paper holding plate; 5c ... hinge; 6 ... continuous
form; 7, 8 ... gear; 9 ... toothed belt; lO ...
motor; 11 ... cam; 12 ... lever; 15 ... cut form;
A-A ... form feeding plane
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Prior Art (Figure 2)
Although Japanese Laid~open Patent Specification No.
38175/82 relates to a feeding apparatus that can use
the continuous form and the cut form, it fails to
provide a linear form feed path because it has a
roller platen.
Although a planar platen is known, there is no such
one that relates a continuous form feeding means with
a cut form feeding means as in this invention.
!
Problems to Be Solved by the Invention
The roller platen has been employed in printers for
both the continuous and the cut forms because it
feeds the print paper along a curved path and change
of path can be easily attained. However, if the cut
form is of carbon copy type consisting of multiple
sheets, for example, of five plies, the radius of
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each sheet from the center of platen varies with each
other to cause slight difference of feed for the
upper and lower sheets, so that it has a problem to
cause so-called shingling where the printing po-
sitions for the upper and lower sheets are gradually
shifted (Figure 3).
On the other hand, when the feeding path for the cut
form is overlapped with that for the continuous form
by using the planar platen, there is such problem
that the feeding means for the continuous form (pin
feed tractor~ becomes an obstacle when the cut form
is inserted.
The insertion of the cut form is prevented by the
facts that the pin feed tractor projects a plurality
of pins over the continuous form surface, and that
there is a paper holding plate over the pins.
The subject of the invention is to solve simulta-
neously both of the above-mentioned problems.
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Means for Solving the Problems (Figure 1)
The shingling should be eliminated if the form feed
path in a prin-ting station consisting of a printing
head and a platen is arranged to be linear. Thus, as
the platen, a planar type that provides a linear
feeding path is employed in place of a roller type.
Another problem caused by this that prevent the cut
form from insertion because of overlapping of feeding
paths for the continuous and cut forms is solved by
evacuating the pin feed tractor at least at end
portions near the platen from the form feeding path
A-A. It may be allowed to evacuate entire pin feed
tractor.
Embodiment of the Invention (Figures 1, 4 and 5)
A printer shown in Figure 1 comprises a printing head
1, a planar platen 2 that provides an opposite plane
to the printing head, feed rollers 3 and 4, and a pin
feed tractor for feeding a continuous form.
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Since the platen 2 is sufficient to be one of which
portion holding the form during printing provides a
linear path, it may have any cross sectional config-
uration including a trapezoid, a rectangular and a
circle with subtense. The rollers 3 and 4 feed the
form by holding it between their upper and lower
rollers. The roller 4 is for feeding the leading
edge of print paper toward the platen 2, and may be
eliminated.
The pin feed tractor 5 has a series of pins 5a engag-
ing with feed perforation of the continuous form, a
paper holding plate 5b, and a hinge 5c mounting the
paper holding plate on the pin feed tractor body in
such a manner that the plate is permitted to be
freely opened or closed. The series of pins 5a are
driven by a gear 7, which is in turn engaged with a
gear 8 that is driven by a motor 10 through a toothed
belt 9.
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Figure 4 is a side elevational view of a state feed-
ing the continuous form that is perspectively shown
in Figure 1. The pin feed tractor 5 feeds linearly
the continuous form 6 along the form feed line con-
necting the upper surface of the platen 2 and the
holding point of the feed roll 3. secause the path
of the continuous form 6 shown in Figure 4 is in-
clined by about 45, it is convenient for observation
of printing condition, or insertion or removal of a
cut form. The inclination may be set at any angle
from 0~ to 90 if required.
Now, it is assumed that it is required to switch the
paper to the cut form. Although it is not required
to remove the continuous form being used from the pin
feed tractor 5, it is required to cut or reversely
feed the continuous form so that its remaining por-
tion does not protrude from the end of pin feed trac-
tor near the platen (see 6a in Figure 5). Then, when
a lever 12 is rotated clockwise (in Figure l) around
a pivot 13 by a cam 11 (or any other means such as an
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electromagnet), the end of pin feed tractor 5 near
the platen 2 is rotated clockwise around a shaft 14
and evacuated under the form feed plane A-A. At that
moment, the gear 7 is disengaged from the gear 8.
Therefore, there arises no trouble even if the
remaining continuous form on the pin feed tractor is
not removed. A cut form 15 is inserted from the
upper right portion of Figure 5. At that moment, the
lower end 15a of the cut form 15 slides over the
paper holding plate 5b of the pin feed tractor 15 and
the continuous form left thereon to maintain a
substantially linear feeding path. If there is no
continuous form 6, the lower end 15a of the cut form
15 slides over the paper holding plate 15a and an
intermediate guide plate 16 to maintain a
substantially linear feeding path. The cut form 15
may be inserted from the lower left portion to the
upper right portion with inclination in the figure.
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Operation is described when the continuous form is
used again. When the lever 12 is rotated counter-
clockwise by the cam 11, the pin feed tractor 5 re-
turns on the form feeding path. At that moment, the
gear 7 engages with the gear 8 to complete the drive
transmission relation. At that moment, if good
meshing between the gears is not obtained because
their teeth abut with each other, it is sufficient to
slightly vibrate the gear 8 clockwise and counter-
clockwise by supplying control signals for a moment
to normally and reversely rotate the motor 10.
Effects o:f the Invent.ion
The printer of the invention that can use both the
continuous and cut forms can eliminate the problem of
displacement of printing because it does not have a
roller platen providing a curved feeding path and not
cause the shingling when a multiply cut form is used.
Evacuating the pin feed tractor from the form feeding
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path solves the problem of prevention of the cut
form, and disconnects automatically the drive trans-
mission relation to the pin feed tractor, so that
necessity to remove the remaining continuous form
from the pin feed tractor. This allows to omit an
operation to mount or dismount the continuous form to
or from the pin feed tractor when the form is
switched, so that the productivity of printing opera-
t.ion is irnproved.
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Figure 1
Overall view
1 ... printiny head
2 ... platen
3, 4 ... feed roller
5 ... pin feed tractor
5a ... pin
5b ... paper holding plate
5c ... hinge
7, 8 ... gear
9 ... toothed belt
10 ... motor
11 ... cam
12 ... lever
13 ... pivot
14 ... shaft
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Figure 2
Prior art
(1) Continuous form
(2) Guide plate
(3) Cut form
(4) Roller platen
(5) Printing head
(6) Guide plate
(7) Pin feed tractor
Figure 3
Problems in the roller platen
~1) Roller platen
(2) Displacement (shingling)
(3) Multiply cut form
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Fi~ure _
When the continuous form is used
Fl~ure 5
When the cut form is used
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