Paper feeder for portable printer

• US 5,531,431 A
• Filed: 04/05/1995
• Issued: 07/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Isotec Ltd. (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Isotec Ltd. (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Okuyama, Masaki, Saito, Yukio, Munekata, Tsutomu, Kawamura, Takumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bollinger, David H.
• Application Number:
  US08/417,244
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 271/3.14, 271/4.01, 271/4.08, 271/10.01, 271/10.09, 271/126, 271/127, 271/162, 271/163, 271/145, 271/157, 400/624, 400/625, 400/629, 400/680, 400/691, 400/692, 400/693
• US Class Current: 271/4.01
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/103 for the sheet feeding section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 211/01 Magnetic article holder

Abstract

A paper feeder is arranged so that a hand-carry type portable printer per se is mounted thereon, and a magnetic repulsion and/or a mechanical engagement are utilized to properly orientate and position the printer with respect to the base frame, when mounting the printer on the base frame.

Claims

1. A paper feeder suitable for a hand-carry type portable printer, comprising:

base frame means for detachably mounting said printer thereon;

paper feed means for feeding a sheet of paper to be printed to said printer mounted on said base frame means, whereby printing on the paper can be performed by said printer;

paper discharge means for discharging said paper from said printer and said base frame means after printing thereon is completed, said paper discharge means being shiftable between a first state in which said paper discharge means positively engages the paper sheet for discharging same and a second state in which said paper discharge means is disengaged from the paper sheet whereby the paper sheet passes freely therethrough;

first shifting means for shifting said paper discharge means from said first state to said second state before each leading edge of each sheet of said paper to be printed reaches said paper discharge means; and

second shifting means for shifting said paper discharge means from said second state to said first state after the printing of each sheet of said paper is completed.

2. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said paper discharge means comprises a paper discharge roller having a circumferential surface defined by a flat surface portion and a partially circular surface portion, and a paper discharge roll member engageable with said partially circular surface portion and disengageable with said flat surface portion, wherein in said first state, said paper discharge roller is positioned such that the partially circular surface portion is engaged with said paper discharge roll member and, in said second state, said paper discharge roller is positioned such that the flat surface portion thereof is directed toward but does not engage with said paper discharge roll member.

3. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 2, wherein said paper discharge roller has a generally D-shaped cross section.

4. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a common drive source selectively operable for driving in opposite, forward and reverse directions;

first coupling means for coupling the common drive source to said paper feed means and operable for driving said paper feed means only when said common drive source is selectively operated for driving in the forward direction; and

second coupling means for coupling the common drive source to said paper discharge means and openable for driving said second coupling means only when said common drive source is selectively driven in a reverse direction.

8. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said orientation means comprises mechanical means for mechanically carrying out the proper and forcible orientation of said printer with respect to said paper feed means.

9. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 8, wherein said mechanical means comprises a projection provided on said base frame means and adapted to be received in a recess provided in said printer, said projection being out of alignment with said recess when said printer is improperly oriented for being mounted on said base frame means.

10. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said paper feed means comprises a paper feed roller, a movable plate member for receiving a stack of paper sheets thereon, spring means for resiliently lifting said plate member and thereby to resiliently press said stack of papers against said paper feed roller for feeding the uppermost paper sheet from said stack of paper sheets by the paper feed roller, and lock means for releasably locking said plate member in a lowered position when said plate member is lowered against the resilient lifting force of said spring means, whereby said stack of paper sheets can be easily placed on said movable plate member.

11. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 10, wherein said lock means comprises a manual lever movable between a lock position in which said plate member is locked in said lowered position and a release position in which the manual lever releases of said plate member from the locked, lowered position.

12. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 11, wherein said lever is arranged so that said lever is moved from said release position to said lock position by the force of gravity when said plate member is manually lowered to said lowered position against the resilient force of said spring means.

13. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 11, further comprising lever spring means for resiliently moving said plate member from said release position to said lock position when said plate member is manually lowered to said lowered position against the resilient force of said spring means.

14. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said printer comprises first and second elongated rectangular casings pivotally connected to each other by a hinge provided at the inner side edges of the respective bottoms of the casings, so that said first and second casings are movable to a closed, facing relationship in registration with each other, each of said first and second casings having a thickness of about one inch so that when closed and registered, said first and second casings have a total thickness of about two inches, and wherein said base frame means is arranged so as to receive the bottoms of the closed and registered first and second casings.

15. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 1, further comprising orienting and positioning means for properly and forcibly orienting and positioning said printer with respect to said base frame means and said paper feed means, when mounting said printer on said base frame means.

16. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 15, wherein said orienting and positioning means comprises mechanical means for mechanically carrying out the proper and forcible orienting and positioning of said printer with respect to said paper feed means.

17. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 16, wherein said mechanical means comprises at least two projections provided on said base frame means and adapted to be received in respective, at least two recesses provided in said printer, said projections being out of alignment with said recesses when said printer is improperly oriented for being mounted on said base frame means.

18. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said paper feed means comprises a paper feed roller, a movable plate member for placing a stack of paper sheets thereon, spring means for resiliently lifting said plate member and thereby to resiliently press said stack of paper sheets against said paper feed roller for feeding the uppermost paper sheet from said stack of papers by the paper feed roller, and lock means for releasably locking said plate member in a lowered position when said plate member is lowered against the resilient lifting force of said spring means, whereby said stack of paper sheets can be easily placed on said movable plate member.

19. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 18, wherein said lock means comprises a manual lever movable between a lock position in which said plate member is locked in said lowered position and a release position in which the manual lever releases said plate member from the locked, lowered position.

20. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 19, wherein said lever is arranged so that said lever is moved from said release position to said lock position by the force of gravity when said plate member is manually lowered to said lowered position against the resilient force of said spring means.

21. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 19, further comprising lever spring means for resiliently moving said plate member from said release position to said lock position when said plate member is manually lowered to said lowered position against the resilient force of said spring means.

22. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said printer comprises first and second elongated rectangular casings pivotally connected to each other by a hinge provided at the inner side edges of the respective bottoms of the casings, so that said first and second casings are movable to a closed, facing relationship in registration with each other, each of said first and second casings having a thickness of about one inch so that when closed and registered, said first and second casings have a total thickness of about two inches, and wherein said base frame means is arranged so as to receive the bottoms of the closed and registered first and second casings.

23. A paper feed as recited in claim 1, further comprising a battery pack for supplying power to said hand-carry type portable printer and said paper feed, comprising:

a battery pack body having a top surface on which said printer is detachably mounted; and

at least two projections provided on said top surface and adapted to be received in respective, at least two recesses provided in said printer, said projections and said recesses being arranged such that said projections can be received in said recesses only when said printer is properly oriented and positioned with respect to said top surface, when mounting said printer on said battery pack body.

5. A paper feeder as set forth in claim further comprising orientation means for properly and forcibly orienting said printer with respect to said base frame means and said paper feed means, when mounting said printer on said base frame means.

6. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 5, wherein said orientation means comprises magnetic means for magnetically carrying out the proper and forcible orientation of said printer with respect to said paper feed means.

7. A paper feeder as set forth in claim 6, wherein said magnetic means comprises at least one magnetic element provided on said base means, and at least one magnetic element provided on said printer, said first and second magnetic elements magnetically repelling each other when said printer is improperly oriented for being mounted on said base frame means.