A printer with multi-function paper feeding mechanism

Claim 2

A printer having a platen (11), a print head (13) which faces said platen (11) so as to print on a sheet of printing paper at a printing position on said platen (11), and a paper guide path (21) for guiding the printing paper through said printing position, said printer comprising: a guide means (25) having a guide plane (26) for inserting a sheet of printing paper in said paper guide path (21), and an automatic paper feeding means (121) installed above said guide means (25) for feeding stacked sheets of printing paper one after another into said paper guide path (21).

Claim 3

A printer according to claim 1, wherein said automatic paper feeding means (121) comprises an opening (126) provided facing said guide plane (26) of said guide means (25), whereby the printing paper discharged from said automatic paper feeding means (121) is guided into said guide path (21) via said guide plane (26).

Claim 4

A printer according to claim 2, wherein said automatic paper feeding means (121) comprises at least two stackers (122, 123) disposed substantially parallel to one or other for stacking up the printing paper, and said opening (126) is disposed at an outlet of one of said stackers (122, 123) spaced from said paper guide path (21).

Claim 5

A printer according to claim 1, wherein said paper guide path (21) is substantially flat and slants upward so that a paper inlet portion thereof is located lower than a paper discharge portion thereof, said guide plane (26) on said guide means (25) is disposed substantially in a horizontal manner, and said automatic paper feeding means (121) is disposed within an angle made by said paper guide path (21) and said guide plane (26).

Claim 6

A printer according to claim 4, wherein said print head (13) is located below said platen (11) so as to print on a lower surface of the printing paper in said paper guide path (21).

Claim 7

A printer according to claim 5, wherein said paper guide path (21) comprises a pair of feeding rollers (16, 17) at the paper inlet portion and another pair of feeding rollers (18, 19) at the paper discharge portion in such a manner that said platen (11) is located between the pair of feeding rollers (17 and 18) at the paper inlet portion and the other pair of feeding rollers (16 and 19) at the paper discharge portion.

Claim 8

A printer according to claim 1, further comprising pin tractor means (5) installed below said guide means (25) for feeding a continuous web into said paper guide path (21), the continuous web comprising pin feed holes along outer edges thereof so as to be engaged with said pin tractor means (5).

Claim 9

A printer according to claim 7, wherein said paper guide path (21) is substantially flat and slants upward so that a paper inlet portion thereof is located lower than a paper discharge portion, said guide plane (26) on said guide means (5) is disposed substantially in a horizontal manner, and said pin tractor means (5) is substantially parallel to the paper guide path (21).

Claim 10

A printer according to claim 7, wherein an end portion of said pin tractor means (5) near said paper guide path (21) is located adjacent to a lower surface of said guide means (25), so that the lower surface of said guide means (25) helps to guide the continuous web.

Claim 11

A printer comprising a platen (11, 202), a print head (13, 204) which faces said platen (11, 202) so as to print on a sheet of printing paper at a printing position on said platen (11, 202), a paper guide path (21, 214) for guiding the printing paper through said printing position, and a guide means (25, 210) having a guide plane (26) for inserting a sheet of printing paper in said guide path (21, 214); wherein said paper guide path (21, 214) comprises a paper inlet portion (205) at one end thereof for inserting the printing paper thereto and a paper discharge portion (206) at the other end thereof for discharging the printing paper therefrom, said paper guide path (21, 214) is a substantially flat path extending from said paper inlet portion (205) to said paper discharge portion (216), and said guide plane (26) of said guide means (25, 210) is connected with said paper inlet portion (205) of said paper guide path (21, 214) and meets said paper guide path (21, 214) at an obtuse angle.

Claim 12

A printer comprising a platen (11, 202), a print head (13, 204) which faces said platen (11, 202) so as to print on a sheet of printing paper at a printing position on said platen (11, 202), a paper guide path (21, 214) for guiding the printing paper through said printing position, and a guide means (25, 210) having a guide plane (26) for inserting a sheet of printing paper in said guide path (21, 214); wherein said paper guide path (21, 214) comprises a paper inlet portion (205) at one end thereof for inserting the printing paper thereto and a paper discharge portion (206) at the other end thereof for discharging the printing paper therefrom, said paper guide path (21, 214) is a substantially flat path extending from said paper inlet portion (205) to said paper discharge portion (216), and said guide plane (26) of said guide means (25, 210) is connected with said paper inlet portion (205) of said paper guide path (21, 214) and meets said paper guide path (21, 214) at an obtuse angle.

Claim 13

A printer according to claim 10, wherein said paper guide path (21, 214) slants upward to the paper feed direction so that said paper inlet portion (205) is located lower than said paper discharge portion (206).

Claim 14

A printer according to claim 11, wherein said print head (13, 204) is located below said platen (11, 202) so as to print on a lower surface of the printing paper in said paper guide path (21, 214).

Claim 15

A printer according to claim 12, wherein said paper guide path (21, 214) comprises a pair of feeding rollers (16-­17, 203) at the paper inlet portion (205) and another pair of feeding rollers (18-19, 203) at the paper discharge portion (206) in such a manner that said platen (11, 202) is located between the pair of feeding rollers (16-17, 203) at the paper inlet portion (205) and the other pair of feeding rollers (18-19, 203) at the paper discharge portion (206).

Claim 16

A printer according to claim 13 wherein said printing position on the platen (11, 202) is disposed closer to said print head (13, 204) than to a straight line (L) connecting a pair of the feeding rollers (16-17, 203) on the paper inlet portion (205) and the other pair of the feeding rollers (18-19, 203) on the paper discharge portion (206).

Claim 17

A printer according to claim 11, wherein said paper guide path (21, 214) is formed between a guide member (31) and a paper path member (20), said guide member (31) being disposed on the upper side of a tangent line of the printing position on said platen (11, 202) and said paper path member (20) being disposed on the lower side of the tangent line thereof.

Claim 18

A printer according to claim 13, wherein one feeding roller (19) adjacent to said print head (13) at said paper discharge portion can rotate around the other feeding roller (18) at said paper discharge portion.

Claim 19

A printer according to claim 15, wherein said feeding roller (19) adjacent to said print head (13) at said paper discharge portion is supported at each free end by one of a pair of arms (51) provided one on each end of the other feeding roller (18).

Claim 20

A printer according to claim 15, wherein a resilient film (113) is attached to an edge of said guide means (25) and projects toward said paper guide path (21) and is closely adjacent to said paper path member (20).

Claim 21

A printer according to claim 18, wherein said edge of said guide means (25) is supported rotatably around an axis which is parallel to an edge line of said path member (20) at the paper inlet portion, thereby bending and keeping said resilient film (113) in contact with said paper path member (20), to allow the angle defined by said guide means (25) and said paper guide path (21) to be selectively changed between at least two values.

Claim 22

A printer according to claim 18, further comprising pin tractor means (5) installed below said guide means (25) for feeding a continuous web into said paper guide path (21) through a space between said resilient film (113) and said paper path member (20), wherein said continuous web comprises pin feed holes along outer edges thereof so as to be engaged with said pin tractor means (5).

Claim 23

A printer comprising a platen (202, 311), a print head (204, 313) which faces said platen so as to print on a sheet of printing paper at a printing position on said platen (202, 311), a paper guide path (214, 321) for guiding the printing paper through said printing position, a guide means (210, 325) for inserting a sheet of printing paper in said paper guide path (214, 321), and pin tractor means (209, 305) for feeding a continuous web into said paper guide path (214, 321), the continuous web comprising pin feed holes along outer edges thereof so as to be engaged with said pin tractor means (209, 305); wherein said paper guide path (214, 321) comprises a paper inlet portion (205) at one end thereof for inserting printing paper thereto and a paper discharge portion (206, 328) at the other end thereof for discharging printing paper therefrom, said guide means (210, 325) is disposed at said paper inlet portion (205) of said paper guide path (214, 321), and       said printer further comprises a reverse guide means (219, 329) provided at said paper discharge portion (206, 328) and selectively disposed in a first position (I) and in a second position (II), said first position (I) being provided whereby the continuous web discharged from said paper discharge portion (206, 328) being guided in the extended direction of the paper feed direction, and said second position (II) being provided whereby the continuous web discharged from said paper discharge portion (206, 328) being reversed toward an opposite side to said paper discharge portion (206, 328).

Claim 24

A printer comprising a platen (202, 311), a print head (204, 313) which faces said platen so as to print on a sheet of printing paper at a printing position on said platen (202, 311), a paper guide path (214, 321) for guiding the printing paper through said printing position, a guide means (210, 325) for inserting a sheet of printing paper in said paper guide path (214, 321), and pin tractor means (209, 305) for feeding a continuous web into said paper guide path (214, 321), the continuous web comprising pin feed holes along outer edges thereof so as to be engaged with said pin tractor means (209, 305); wherein said paper guide path (214, 321) comprises a paper inlet portion (205) at one end thereof for inserting printing paper thereto and a paper discharge portion (206, 328) at the other end thereof for discharging printing paper therefrom, said guide means (210, 325) is disposed at said paper inlet portion (205) of said paper guide path (214, 321), and       said printer further comprises a reverse guide means (219, 329) provided at said paper discharge portion (206, 328) and selectively disposed in a first position (I) and in a second position (II), said first position (I) being provided whereby the continuous web discharged from said paper discharge portion (206, 328) being guided in the extended direction of the paper feed direction, and said second position (II) being provided whereby the continuous web discharged from said paper discharge portion (206, 328) being reversed toward an opposite side to said paper discharge portion (206, 328).

Claim 25

A printer according to claim 21, wherein said paper guide path (214) slants upward to the paper feed direction so that said paper inlet portion (205) is located lower than said paper discharge portion (206).

Claim 26

A printer according to claim 21, wherein said paper discharge portion (206) comprises a window (211), said reverse guide means (219) and said window (211) form a slit (212) substantially on the extended line of said paper guide path (214) when said reverse guide means (219) is located in said first position, and said reverse guide means (219) is located substantially on the extended line of said paper guide path (214) when said reverse guide means (219) is located in said second position.

Claim 27

A printer according to claim 23, and further comprising a paper stack means (213) disposed below said window (211) for stacking the discharged printing paper thereon when said reverse guide means (219) is located in said first position.

Claim 28

A printer according to claim 22, wherein an upper surface of said reverse guide means (329) is disposed substantially in parallel to the paper feed direction when said reverse guide means (329) is located in said first position (I), thereby stacking the discharged printing paper on the upper surface of said reverse guide means (329), and further wherein the upper surface of said reverse guide means (329) meets the discharged continuous web at a predetermined angle, thereby reversing the paper discharge direction into the opposite direction to said paper discharge portion (328).

Claim 29

A printer according to claim 21, wherein said guide means (325) is disposed in the reversed direction of the continuous web, whereby the discharged and reversed continuous web being stacked on said guide plane of said guide means (325).

Claim 30

a printer according to claim 26, wherein said guide means (325) comprises a pair of sliding guides (327) movably along the width of the printing paper, each of said sliding guides (327) comprising a hook (342a) for preventing the stacked continuous web on said guide means (325) from moving toward the printing position.