U.S. patent application number 12/230971 was filed with the patent office on 2009-04-23 for paper-blocking mechanism and printer using the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to Qisda Corporation. Invention is credited to Ming-Jie Zhao.
Application Number | 20090102113 12/230971 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40562686 |
Filed Date | 2009-04-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090102113 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zhao; Ming-Jie |
April 23, 2009 |
Paper-blocking mechanism and printer using the same
Abstract
A paper-blocking mechanism is disposed in a printer. The printer
includes at least a main body and an exit roller. The
paper-blocking mechanism includes a stopper portion and a stopper
elastic element. The stopper elastic element is fixed on the
printer and is compressibly connected with the stopper portion.
When the tail of the paper leaves the stopper portion, the stopper
elastic element drives the stopper portion to rise to be higher
than the surface of the exit roller to block the paper exit lest
the paper might be back-rolled and jammed.
Inventors: |
Zhao; Ming-Jie; (Dongming
County, CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BACON & THOMAS, PLLC
625 SLATERS LANE, FOURTH FLOOR
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314-1176
US
|
Assignee: |
Qisda Corporation
Taoyuan
TW
|
Family ID: |
40562686 |
Appl. No.: |
12/230971 |
Filed: |
September 9, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
271/8.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 29/14 20130101;
B65H 29/54 20130101; B65H 2801/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
271/8.1 |
International
Class: |
B65H 29/00 20060101
B65H029/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 23, 2007 |
TW |
96139743 |
Claims
1. A paper-blocking mechanism disposed in a printer comprising a
main body and an exit roller, wherein the paper-blocking mechanism
comprises: a stopper portion disposed on the main body and
juxtaposed with the exit roller; and a stopper elastic element
fixed on the main body and compressibly connected with the stopper
portion, wherein when a paper passes by the exit roller, the
stopper portion is lower than a surface of the exit roller due to a
pressure by the paper, and when the tail of the paper leaves the
stopper portion, the stopper portion is driven by the stopper
elastic element to rise to be higher than the surface of the exit
roller.
2. The paper-blocking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
stopper portion comprises a suspension arm and an extension part,
the stopper elastic element is compressibly connected with one end
of the suspension arm, and the extension part is disposed in the
other end of the suspension arm and extended in an outputting
direction of the paper.
3. The paper-blocking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
stopper elastic element is a spring.
4. The paper-blocking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
material of the stopper portion comprises a conductive
material.
5. The paper-blocking mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the
conductive material is made of metal or plastics doped with
metallic powders.
6. The paper-blocking mechanism according to claim 1, further
comprising a detecting device opposite to the stopper portion and
disposed on the main body for detecting a paper-outputting state of
a paper according to a contacting state between the detecting
device and the stopper portion.
7. A printer, comprising: a main body having a paper exit; an exit
roller disposed on the main body; and at least one paper-blocking
mechanism according to claim 1.
8. The printer according to claim 7 further comprising a spindle
disposed in the main body, wherein the paper-blocking mechanism is
linked to the spindle and rotatable with the spindle.
9. The printer according to claim 7 further comprising a detecting
device, further comprising a detecting device opposite to the
stopper portion and disposed on the main body for detecting a
paper-outputting state of a paper according to a contacting state
between the detecting device and the stopper portion.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Taiwan application
Serial No. 96139743, filed Oct. 23, 2007, the subject matter of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates in general to a paper-blocking
mechanism and a printer using the same, and more particularly to a
paper-blocking mechanism preventing the paper from being
back-rolled and a printer using the same.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] FIG. 1 a structural diagram of a conventional printer with
an auto sheet feed (ASF). As indicated in FIG. 1, the paper 2
placed on the paper frame 4 is fed into the printer for printing
via the pick-up roller 20. After the printing is completed, the
paper is conveyed via the feed roller 30 and the exit roller 40 to
leave the printer. The feed roller 30 and the exit roller 40 are
linked by a synchronous belt (not illustrated) and rotate
synchronously.
[0006] FIGS. 2A-2B show conventional relationships between a feed
roller and a pick-up roller in a paper-feeding state and a
paper-printing state respectively. The pick-up roller 20 and the
feed roller 30 are driven by the same motor 50, but the pick-up
roller 20 is linked to or separated from the motor 50 via the
control of an ASF clutch 60. In the paper-feeding state, as
indicated in FIG. 2A, the ASF clutch 60 is engaged with the gear
set of the pick-up roller 20 such that the rotation of the motor 50
is transmitted to the pick-up roller 20 for taking paper.
Meanwhile, the motor 50 rotates anti-clockwise, so that the pick-up
roller 20 rotates clockwise to take paper. Meanwhile, the feed
roller 30 and the pick-up roller 20 rotate in the same direction,
but the rotating direction of the feed roller 30 is opposite to the
paper-outputting direction. As the feed roller 30 and the exit
roller 40 of FIG. 1 are linked by a synchronous belt and rotate
synchronously in the same direction, the rotating direction of the
exit roller 40 is also opposite to the paper-outputting
direction.
[0007] In the printing state, as indicated in FIG. 2B, the ASF
clutch 60 and the gear set of the pick-up roller 20 are separated,
so that the motor 50 only drives the feed roller 30. Meanwhile, the
motor 50 rotates clockwise so that the feed roller 30 and the exit
roller 40 rotate in an anti-clock direction which is the same with
the paper-outputting direction. When the pick-up roller 20 takes
paper after the printing is completed, if the tail of a paper still
does not completely leave the exit roller 40, the paper will be
back-rolled and jammed because the exit roller 40 rotates in a
direction opposite to the paper-outputting direction.
[0008] Besides, during the process of conveying a paper, the static
electricity generated by the friction between the paper and the
roller will cause the paper to be sucked on the exit roller and
result in paper-jamming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The invention is directed to a paper-blocking mechanism and
a printer using the same are provided. The paper-blocking mechanism
blocks an outputted paper lest the paper might be back-rolled by
the exit roller and jammed.
[0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a
paper-blocking mechanism disposed in a printer is provided. The
printer includes at least an exit roller. The paper-blocking
mechanism juxtaposed with the exit roller includes a stopper
portion and a stopper elastic element. When a paper passes by the
exit roller, the stopper portion is lower than the surface of the
exit roller due to the pressure by paper. The stopper elastic
element is fixed on the printer and compressibly connected with the
stopper portion. When the tail of the paper leaves the stopper
portion, the stopper elastic element drives the stopper portion to
rise to be higher than the surface of the exit roller.
[0011] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a
printer including a main body, an exit roller and a paper-blocking
mechanism is provided. The exit roller and the paper-blocking
mechanism are juxtaposed on the main body. The paper-blocking
mechanism includes a stopper portion and a stopper elastic element.
When a paper passes by the exit roller, the stopper portion is
lower than the surface of the exit roller due to the pressure by
the paper. The stopper elastic element is fixed on the main body
and compressibly connected with the stopper portion. When the tail
of the paper leaves the stopper portion, the stopper elastic
element drives the stopper portion to rise to be higher than the
surface of the exit roller.
[0012] The invention will become apparent from the following
detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiments.
The following description is made with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 (Prior Art) shows a structural diagram of a
conventional printer with an ASF;
[0014] FIGS. 2A-2B (Prior Art) show conventional relationships
between a feed roller and a pick-up roller in a paper-feeding state
and a paper-printing state respectively;
[0015] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a printer according to a
first embodiment of the invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 shows a lateral view of a partial structure of the
printer in FIG. 3 according to the first embodiment of the
invention;
[0017] FIG. 5A shows an enlarged view of a paper-blocking mechanism
in FIG. 4 before the paper is outputted;
[0018] FIG. 5B shows an enlarged view of the paper-blocking
mechanism in FIG. 4 after the paper is outputted; and
[0019] FIG. 6 shows a lateral view of a partial structure of a
printer according to a second embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
First Embodiment
[0020] Referring to both FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a schematic view and a
lateral view of a printer according to a first embodiment of the
invention are respectively shown. The printer includes a main body
100, a feed roller 160, an exit roller 120 and a paper-blocking
mechanism 110. The exit roller 120 is disposed on the main body
100. When printing a paper 10, the paper is driven by the feed
roller 160 to enter a printing area. After the printing is
completed, the paper 10 is taken by the paper-retaining mechanism
130 and the exit roller 120 disposed on the main body 100 to leave
the paper exit 5. After the paper 10 is outputted completely, the
paper 10 will fall onto a tray 150.
[0021] The paper-blocking mechanism 110 is disposed on the main
body 100 via the connection to a spindle 116. The paper-blocking
mechanism 110 is rotatable with the spindle 116. The paper-blocking
mechanism 110 includes a stopper portion 114 and a stopper elastic
element 112. During the outputting process of the paper 10, the
stopper portion 114 is lower than the surface of the exit roller
120 due to the pressure by the paper 10. The stopper elastic
element 112 is connected to the spindle 116 and compressibly
connected with the stopper portion 114 for providing the stopper
portion 114 with an elastic force to support the paper 10. After
the paper 10 is released from the exit roller 120, the stopper
elastic element 112 drives the stopper portion 114 to rise to be
higher than the surface of the exit roller 120 to avoid the paper
10 being back-rolled. In the present embodiment of the invention,
the stopper elastic element 112 is exemplified as a spring, and the
paper-retaining mechanism 130 includes a star wheel 132 and a
retaining elastomer 134. The retaining elastomer 134 is a spring
disposed on the main body 100 for providing the star wheel 132 with
an elastic force to retain the paper 10.
[0022] As indicated in FIG. 4, the stopper portion 114 includes a
suspension arm 114a and an extension part 114b, wherein one end of
the suspension arm 114a is linked to the spindle 116, and the
extension part 114b is disposed in the other end of the suspension
arm 114a and extended in the outputting direction of the paper
10.
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, an enlarged view of a
paper-blocking mechanism in FIG. 4 before and after the paper is
outputted are respectively shown. As indicated FIG. 5A, the
paper-retaining mechanism 130 and the exit roller 120 in FIG. 4
retain the paper 10 so that the paper 10 is strained to press the
stopper portion 114 downwards. Thus, before the paper 10 leaves the
paper exit 5, the stopper portion 114 is pressed downwards by the
strain force for allowing the paper 10 to pass smoothly. Meanwhile,
the stopper elastic element 112 linked to the stopper portion 114
is compressibly connected with one end of the suspension arm and
stores up an elastic force. As indicated in FIG. 5B, when the tail
of the paper 10 leaves the stopper portion 114, the elastic force
stored up by the stopper elastic element 112 drives the stopper
portion 114 to rise so that the extension part 114b is higher than
the surface of the exit roller 120. Despite the paper 10 is sucked
on the exit roller 120 due to static electricity or the exit roller
120 is reversed, the paper 10 will not be driven to the paper exit
5 and jammed.
[0024] Furthermore, the material of the stopper portion 114 may
include a conductive material made of metal or plastics doped with
metallic powders. Thus, the electrostatic charges stored up on the
paper 10 will be drained lest the paper 10 might be sucked on the
exit roller 120.
[0025] Anyone who is skilled in the technology of the invention
will understand that the technology of the invention is not limited
thereto. As indicated in FIG. 3, the printer of the invention may
further include a second paper-blocking mechanism 170 disposed on
the main body 100 at an interval with the paper-blocking mechanism
110. Thus, the paper of different sizes can correspond to the
paper-blocking mechanism deposed in different positions to avoid
paper jamming. Also, the number of the paper-blocking mechanism is
not limited to 1 or 2 but is determined according to the size and
type of the corresponding paper.
Second Embodiment
[0026] Referring to FIG. 6, a lateral view of a partial structure
of a printer according to a second embodiment of the invention is
shown. The present embodiment of the invention differs with the
first embodiment in that the second embodiment further includes a
detecting device 180 opposite to the stopper portion 114 and
disposed on the main body 100. As for other elements similar to the
first embodiment, the same designations are used and are not
repeated here. The detecting device 180 is a contact type sensor.
Whether the paper 10 is released from the exit roller 120 is
determined according to the contacting state between the detecting
device 180 and the stopper portion 114. For example, when there is
no paper, the detecting device 180 and the stopper portion 114
contact each other. When the paper is inputted, the stopper portion
114 is pressed downwards. Meanwhile, the detecting device 180 no
more contacts the stopper portion 114, and the detecting device 180
outputs a signal to inform the printer that the paper is already
inputted. After the paper is outputted completely, the detecting
device 180 contacts the stopper portion 114 again. Meanwhile, the
detecting device 180 again outputs another signal to inform the
printer that the paper has left completely. Such design assures
that the exit roller 120 will not be reversed unless the stopper
portion 114 bounces back, hence avoiding paper-jamming.
[0027] According to the paper-blocking mechanism and the printer
using the same disclosed in the above embodiments of the invention,
a paper-blocking mechanism formed by a stopper elastic element and
a stopper portion effectively avoids the paper being sucked on the
exit roller and jammed. Preferably, the stopper portion can be made
from a conductive material to drain the electrostatic charges.
Besides, a detecting device can be disposed to assure that the exit
roller cannot be reversed unless the paper is completely outputted
and released from the exit roller and that the paper-blocking
mechanism functions effectively.
[0028] While the invention has been described by way of example and
in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended
to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and
procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should
be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such
modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.
* * * * *