Title: Portable printer with spindle members for rotationally mounting media rolls of different core diameters
Abstract: A portable printer is provided having a housing with a compartment for a roll of media and two spindle members coupled to roll positioning mechanism in the compartment. Each spindle member has tow sides with different diameter conical surfaces and is reversibly mountable in the printer to select such conical surface having a diameter for engaging the core diameter of a roll mounted between the spindle members. Each of the spindle members is reversible in the printer to enable presentation of two different diameter conical surfaces for engaging two different diameter roll cores in the printer. The conical surfaces can also reshape the ends of a crushed roll core from a oval to a circular cross-sectional shape when the spindle members are urged towards each other by the roll positioning mechanism into the ends of the roll core, thereby providing for proper rotational mounting of such roll in the printer.
Patent Number: 6,874,958 Issued on 04/05/2005 to Panebianco, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Panebianco; Gregory P. (Warwick, RI);
Beck; David F. (Exeter, RI);
Klein; Gregory J. (Newport, RI)
|
| Assignee:
|
ZIH Corp. (Hamilton, BM)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
783102 |
| Filed:
|
February 20, 2004 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
400/243; 400/242; 242/358.1; 242/597.4 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B65H 075//00 |
| Field of Search: |
400/242,243,246
242/570,571,571.1,594.1,597.4,358.1
226/184
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 2238191 | Apr., 1941 | Shelton | 242/358.
|
| 3580524 | May., 1971 | Weaver | 242/129.
|
| 4440357 | Apr., 1984 | Vaughan | 242/599.
|
| 4534499 | Aug., 1985 | Cox et al. | 226/184.
|
| 4821974 | Apr., 1989 | Poehlein.
| |
| 5100250 | Mar., 1992 | Suzuki et al. | 400/208.
|
| 5228633 | Jul., 1993 | Johnson et al.
| |
| 5267800 | Dec., 1993 | Petteruti et al.
| |
| 5396313 | Mar., 1995 | Zoltner et al. | 399/23.
|
| 5447379 | Sep., 1995 | Pou.
| |
| 5813343 | Sep., 1998 | Harb.
| |
| 5860753 | Jan., 1999 | Beck et al.
| |
| 5997195 | Dec., 1999 | Burgin | 400/242.
|
| 6422770 | Jul., 2002 | de la Reguera | 400/208.
|
| 6481995 | Nov., 2002 | Delrosario et al.
| |
| 6491252 | Dec., 2002 | Komatsu et al.
| |
| 6536696 | Mar., 2003 | Fiutak et al.
| |
| 6607316 | Aug., 2003 | Petteruti et al.
| |
| 6609844 | Aug., 2003 | Petteruti et al.
| |
| 6796234 | Sep., 2004 | Busshoff | 101/389.
|
| 2003/0141655 | Jul., 2003 | Bryer.
| |
Primary Examiner: Hirshfeld; Andrew H.
Assistant Examiner: Ghatt; Dave A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Alston & Bird LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A printer comprising:
a housing having a compartment for a roll of media having a core with a
diameter;
a roll positioning means; and
two spindle members coupled to said roll positioning means in the
compartment, in which each of the spindle members has two sides with
different diameter conical surfaces and are reversibly mountable to said
roll positioning means to select the side of each of said spindle members
having said conical surfaces of the diameter for engaging the diameter of
the core of the roll mountable between the spindle members.
2. The printer according to claim 1 wherein roll positioning means
comprises two guide members coupled to each other for movement in opposite
directions with respect to a position between said guide members, in which
each of said two spindle members are rotatably mounted upon a different
one of said guide members for engaging ends of a core of the roll when
loaded in the compartment.
3. The printer according to claim 1 wherein each of said spindle members
has a shaft with an opening extending though said sides of the spindle
member centrally disposed with respect to the conical surfaces of the
spindle members, and each of said edge guide members has a shaft for
removably mounting via said opening of one of said spindle members.
4. The printer according to claim 1 wherein said roll positioning means
urges the conical surface of said selected side of each of the spindle
members into ends of the core of the roll.
5. The printer according to claim 1 wherein when the core of said roll is
crushed or of a non-circular cross-sectional shape, the conical surface of
the selected sides of each of the spindle members when located in the core
of the roll reshapes the interior diameter of the ends of the core of the
roll to a substantially circular cross-sectional shape.
6. The printer according to claim 1 wherein said roll positioning means
urges the conical surface of said selected sides of each of the spindle
members into the ends of the core of the roll to locate the conical
surface in the core.
7. The printer according to claim 1 wherein said sides of each spindle
member represents a first side and a second side, said conical surface of
said first side is capable of engaging different ones of the roll having a
first diameter core, and said second side has a conical surface capable of
engaging different ones of the roll of a second diameter core.
8. The printer according to claim 1 wherein roll positioning means
comprises a pair of racks and one or more gears, each said racks being
coupled to one of said guide members and to each other by said gears to
enable each of said guide members to move in opposite directions with
respect to a position between the guide members, and each of said guide
members has means for removably mounting one of said spindle members.
9. The printer according to claim 1 wherein said spindle members represent
two of a plurality of different spindle members each having different
sides of different diameter conical surfaces for adapting the printer for
using rolls having more than two different core diameters.
10. The printer according to claim 1 wherein the conical surfaces of each
of said spindle members is truncated.
11. The printer according to claim 1 wherein said housing is portable.
12. A system for engaging rolls of media having different diameter cores
for printing on the media located on the rolls comprising:
a guide member for positioning the media roll; and
a spindle member for connecting to said guide member, said spindle member
for engaging an end of the roll of media, said spindle member comprising:
a body having first and second sides, in which each of said sides having a
surface for engaging different diameter cores sizes; and
an opening extending through said body centrally with respect to the
surface of each of said sides;
wherein said spindle member is rotatably connectable to said guide via said
opening, and wherein said spindle member is capable of connection to said
guide in a first position such that said first face of said spindle member
faces and engages the roll of media having a first diameter core and is
capable of connection to said guide in a second position such that said
second face of said spindle member faces and engages a roll of media
having a different diameter core.
13. The spindle member according to claim 12 wherein said spindle member is
attachable via said opening in a printer to select one of a first of said
sides to engage a core of a roll in the printer, or a second of said sides
to engage a core of a different diameter core than said first of said
sides.
14. The spindle member according to claim 12 wherein said core of the roll
has two ends, and said surface of each of said sides is conical to enable
the spindle member when inserted in one of said ends of said core to
reshape said one of said ends when said one of said ends is oval.
15. A printer for printing on media from a roll of media having a core
comprising:
a housing;
two guide members in said housing; and
two spindle members each rotatably mounted upon a different one of said
guide members for engaging ends of a core of the roll when loaded in the
compartment, each of said spindle member having a surface for engaging
different diameter core sizes, and a hub for enabling attachment and
detachment to one of said guide members in the printer to select a first
of two sides to face and engage a core of a roll in the printer, or
selecting a second of two sides to face and engage a core of a different
diameter core than said first side.
16. The printer according to claim 15 wherein said guide members are spring
biased towards each other to urge said spindle members toward each other
into the ends of the core of the roll, each of said spindle members has a
surface when urged into the ends of the core of the roll that shapes the
interior diameter of the ends of the core of a roll to a substantially
circularly cross-sectional shape when said roll is crushed.
17. The printer according to claim 15 wherein said surface of each of said
spindle member is of a conical shape.
18. The printer according to claim 15 wherein said housing is portable.
19. A printer for printing on media from a roll of media having a core
comprising:
a housing with a compartment for a roll of media;
means in said housing comprising two guide members coupled to each other
for movement in opposite directions with respect to a position between
said guide members;
two spindle members are rotatably mounted upon a different one of said
guide members for engaging ends of a core of the roll when loaded in the
compartment; and
each spindle member comprises a disk with two sides, each of said sides
having one of a conical or cylindrical protruding portion of a different
diameter, and said disk having a hub enabling attachment and detachment
from its respective guide member to select one of said sides having a
protruding portion of a diameter to face and engage the core of the roll
when loaded in the compartment.
20. The printer according to claim 19 wherein said housing is portable.
21. A method in a printer for rotationally mounting a roll of media having
a core comprising the steps of:
providing two roll supporting members rotationally mountable in the
printer, in which each of said members has two sides, each side has
features for engaging rolls of different diameter cores than the other
side of said member; and
rotationally mounting each member in the printer in which the side of each
member facing said roll has the features for engaging the interior
diameter of the core of the roll.
22. The method according to claim 21 wherein said features along each side
of said member represents one of conical or cylindrical protruding
surfaces.
23. The method according to claim 21 further comprising the steps of:
urging the members of each of the guide members toward each other into the
ends of the core of the roll; and
providing upon each member a surface which when urged into the ends of the
core of the roll shapes the interior diameter of the ends of the core of a
roll to a substantially circularly cross-sectional shape when the ends of
the roll are oval.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to portable printers which print on media
from a roll, and relates particularly to rotationally mounting of media
rolls of different core sizes in a portable printer between a pair of
reversible spindle members, where each spindle member has two sides each
with features for engaging roll cores of different diameters.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional portable printers use a roll of wound media, such as paper or
label stock, which is loaded into the printer such that the media from the
roll will properly feed and align with a thermal print head for printing.
These rolls have tubular cores and portable printers typically have a pair
of holder members each with an extending cylindrical shaped surface for
engaging into a roll core, thereby limiting mounting of such rolls with
cores of a inner diameter which can frictionally engage the outer diameter
of the cylindrical shaped surface. Often such holder members are part of a
roll positioning mechanism with respect to printing elements of the
printer. One example of such a portable printer is shown in U.S. Pat. No.
6,609,844, which has a rack and pinion gear centering mechanism having two
rotational spindle members for mounting a roll.
Often rolls are crushed during transportation or storage and will lack a
circular cross-sectional shape for proper rotational mounting when loaded
in the portable printer, resulting in misaligned rolls which can
negatively effects printer performance. This is due to such crushed rolls
having a non-circular (oval or eye shape) cross-sectional shaped core,
rather than the needed circular cross-sectional shape for mounting on
holders or spindle members. Although a user can attempt to recrush the
roll in another dimension to re-circularize the roll, the roll is prone to
damage and may still not properly rotationally mount in the printer. Thus,
holders or spindle members for mounting rolls are desirable which can be
used for different diameter rolls and can automatically reshape (or
re-circularize) the ends of core crushed rolls.
Different mechanisms have been developed for supporting a roll of media
between two members via insertion into the ends of a roll's tubular core.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,343 describes a roll mounting mechanism with two
holders each having a cylindrical head with axially spaced concentric
steps to accommodate the inner diameters of different dimension tubular
cores, such holders are spring urged towards each other. The front of each
concentric step extends to a truncated conical form. U.S. Pat. No.
6,536,696 describes a point of sale printer having pair of spherical
bearing members each extending into the ends of a central core of a roll.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,974 describes a large document printer having two
spindles shafts each with a conical surface and a hub assembly having
compression springs for urging the each shaft's conical surface into the
ends of a media roll core. None of these patents provide spindle members
for rotationally mounting a roll which are reversibly mountable in the
printer to accommodate different diameter core rolls and have surfaces
capable of automatically re-circularizing the ends of a crushed roll core
when such holder or spindle members are urged together into the roll core.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable printer for
rotationally mounting media rolls of different core sizes between a pair
of spindle members which are reversibly mountable in the printer to
accommodate different diameter core rolls in the printer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide rotationally
mounting of media rolls between a pair of spindle members each having a
surface capable of automatically re-circularizing the ends of a crushed
roll core when the spindle members are urged together.
Briefly described, a portable printer is provided having a housing with a
compartment for a roll of media having a core, a roll positioning
mechanism, and two spindle members coupled to the roll positioning
mechanism to face each other in the compartment. Each of the spindle
members has two sides with different diameter conical surfaces and is
reversibly mountable to the roll positioning mechanism to select the side
of each of the spindle members having the conical surfaces of a diameter
for engaging the diameter of the core of the roll mountable between the
spindle members.
The spindle members can be detached, reversed, and reattached in the
printer, thereby enabling presentation of two different diameter conical
surfaces for engaging two different diameter roll cores in the printer.
The conical surfaces can also reshape the ends of a crushed roll core from
a oval cross-sectional to a substantially circularly cross-sectional shape
when the spindle members are urged towards each other by the roll
positioning mechanism (with or without manual assistance) into the ends of
the roll core, thereby providing for proper rotational mounting of such
roll in the printer. Thus, the present invention can compensate for rolls
with oval cores if loaded in the portable printer.
In a preferred embodiment, the portable printer has a housing with a
compartment for a roll of media, a centering mechanism having two edge
guide members movable in opposite directions with respect to a position
between the edge guide members, two spindle members each rotatably
mountable upon a different one of the edge guide members for engaging the
ends of a tubular core of a roll when loaded in the printer's compartment,
thereby aligning media from the roll for printing and advancement in the
printer. Each spindle member represents a disk shaped element with two
sides, each side having a truncated conical surface of a different
diameter extending from the disk element, where the diameter of the
conical surface decreases away from the disk element, and an opening
extending through the sides of the disk member centrally disposed with
respect to the conical surface of each side to provide a hub for enabling
rotational mounting of the spindle member upon a shaft extending from its
respective edge guide member. Each of the spindle members are detachable
and attachable to its respective edge guide member such that the side of
each spindle member facing the roll is selected to have the conical
surface of a diameter for engagement into a core of a roll when loaded in
the printer's compartment.
The present invention also provides a method for using the spindle members
in a printer having the steps of providing two roll supporting members
rotationally mountable in the printer, in which each of the members has
two sides, each side has features for engaging rolls of different diameter
cores than the other side of the member; and rotationally mounting each
member in the printer in which the side of each member facing the roll has
the features for engaging the interior diameter of the core of the roll.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing objects, features and advantages of the invention will become
more apparent from a reading of the following description in connection
with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable printer having a pair of spindle
members for rotationally mounting a media roll in accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 1A is the same perspective view as FIG. 1 with a roll of media located
between the spindle members;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the assembly of the edge guide arms and
spindle members of FIGS. 1 and 1A with respect to a media roll;
FIG. 3 is a side view of one of the spindle members of FIGS. 1, 1A, and 2;
and
FIG. 4 is an end view of a roll core illustrating a crushed core and
uncrushed core upon each of the two different diametered conical surfaces
of one of the spindle members.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1A, a portable printer 10 is shown having a
housing 12 with a roll centering mechanism to enable the media wound upon
a roll 14 to be centered in a compartment 15 of the housing with respect
to a print head for printing on media from the roll. Media may represent
paper, or label stock to provide printing of labels from a paper carrier.
The centering mechanism has two spindle members 16 each rotationally
mountable on an edge guide arm (member) 18, and a rack and pinion assembly
(not shown) located in the printer housing 12 for enabling movement of the
spindle members 16 along with their respective edge guide arm 18, in
opposite directions with respect to a center position between them. The
printer has a thermal print head for printing on media extending from the
roll 14, and when a cover 20 of the housing 12 over compartment 15 is
closed, such media from the roll is advanced by a motor driven platen 22
across the print head and exits the printer. FIG. 1A shows an example of a
roll 14 when loaded in the printer 10 prior to closure of cover 20, which
is pivotally mounted about a hinge 21. The housing 12 contains printer
electronics for controlling operation of the printer, including the print
head and motor driving the platen, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No.
6,609,844, which is herein incorporated by reference. The centering
mechanism and its rack and pinion assembly may be as described in this
patent, with or without automatic alignment to roll width, for coupling
racks for reciprocal movement. The centering mechanism and rack and pinion
assembly may have multiple (e.g., three) pinions or gears coupling racks
for reciprocal movement, such as described in U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 10/350,970, filed Jan. 23, 2003, published under U.S. Publication No.
US2003/0141655, which is also herein incorporated by reference. However,
other roll centering mechanisms may also be used which have other
assemblies for mounting a roll between two members biased towards each
other. The spindle members 16 are urged together by a spring coupled to
the rack and pinion assembly, as described in the above incorporated
patent and patent application, however such spring may be in the pinion
gear, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,316, which is also
incorporated by reference. The present invention is directed to the
improved spindle members 16, which are coupled to the edge guide arms
similar to those shown in the incorporated patent, and a printer and
method with such improved spindle members. The portable printer is
miniature in that it is of a weight and size suitable for being carried or
worn by a user, such as on the belt. Examples of such printers include
Models QL220, QL320, and QL420 printers sold by Zebra International, Inc.
of Vernon Hills, Ill. However, the improved spindle members described
herein may be incorporated in roll mounting mechanisms in other printers
by modification of their edge guide arm or other means for rotational
mounting the roll supporting spindle members.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, each spindle member 16 has a circular or disk
shaped member (or body) 16a having two sides 23a and 23b. Sides 23a and
23b each have a surface 24a and 24b, respectively, and a centrally
disposed conical wall 26a and 26b, respectively, extending from respective
surfaces 24a and 24b to edge 27a and 27b, respectively. Walls 26a and 26b
provide outer conical surface 28a and 28b, respectively, of decreasing
diameter from a maximum diameter at its border with respective surface 24a
and 24b. Conical surfaces 28a and 28b are of different maximum diameters
to engage roll cores 14a of different diameters, and may have rounded or
tapered circular front edge 27a and 27b, respectively. For example,
conical surface 28a may be used for mounting 1 and 3/8 inch roll, and
conical surface 28b may be used for mounting 3/4 inch rolls. The conical
surfaces may be of other diameters depending on the desired two roll core
diameter sizes to engage the spindle members. A cylindrical shaft 30
having an opening 31 there through extends through disk member 16a and
both sides 23a and 23b centrally with respect to conical walls 26a and
26b. The shaft 30 provides a hub for mounting the spindle member 16 on an
edge guide arm 18. The front 29a and 29b of respective conical walls 26a
and 26b is shown open to show the inside of each conical wall 26a and 26b
about the part of shaft 30 extending along respective sides 23a and 23b.
However, the front 29a and 29b may be closed about shaft 30, such as by a
wall extending from respective edges 27a and 27b, or by providing two post
or portions providing the conical surface 28a and 28b, central circular
opening 31 extending through such posts or portions rather than shaft 30,
where surfaces 24a and 24b represent a ring extending outward radially
from the base of such posts or portions. For example, each conical surface
28a and 28b extends about 1/4 inch from its respective surface 24a and
24b. The spindle members 16 may be composed of one piece of molded
plastic, or of multiple molded plastic parts integrated together.
Each of the edge guide arms 18 has a three (or other number) of prongs 18a
along a cylindrical shape to form a shaft 18b upon which to mount one of
the spindle members 16. To mount one of the spindle members 16 upon its
respective edge guide arm 18, the prongs 18a are received through opening
31 of shaft 30. The conical surfaces 28a and 28b are each truncated at
their distal end along front 29a and 29b, respectively, from disk member
16a such that the shaft 30 and its opening 31 is of a length enabling
mounting on shaft 18b of each edge guide arm 18. The end of each prong 18a
has a latch member 18c providing a ledge extending over the end of the
shaft 30 when the spindle member 16 is mounted thereon, thereby retaining
the spindle member on shaft 18a and allowing rotation of the spindle
member upon shaft 18a. Each spindle member 16 is mounted on its respective
edge guide arm 18 such that either side 23a or 23b of the spindle member
faces the edge guide arm 18 and the other side will face the roll when
loaded in printer compartment 15. For each of spindle members 18, the side
23a or 23b to face a roll is selected such that the maximum diameter of
conical surfaces of the selected side will frictionally and releasably
engage the inner diameter of the end 14b of a core 14a of a roll 14, such
that both spindle members can engage the two opposing ends of roll core
and rotate with the roll 14 upon shafts 18b of their respective edge guide
arms 18. Diameter of shaft 30 is less than the diameter of shaft 18a such
that the spindle member can rotate upon shaft 18a. The edge guide arms 18
may be made of self-lubricating material, such as plastic with
Teflon.RTM., to reduce friction when spindle members rotate. To remove
each spindle member 16 from its respective edge guide arm 18, the latch
members 18c are pushed by a user in an inward radial direction to release
latch members 18c from the end of shaft 30 while pulling the spindle
member away from the edge guide arm.
In operation, each of the spindle member 16 is attachable to its respective
guide member 18 such that the side 23a or 23b of each spindle member 16
facing the roll 14 is selected to have a conical surface 28a or 28b of a
diameter for engagement into a core of a roll when loaded in the printer's
compartment. The sides of each of the spindle members has a surface 24a or
24b from which the conical surface of the side extends and the conical
surface has a maximum diameter suitable to engage the inner diameter of
the end 14b of a roll core 14a mountable upon the conical surface, such
that annular region outside the base of the conical surface at surface 24a
and 24b contacts side edge 14c of the roll 14 when such spindle member
fully engages the roll core 14a. The ability to detach and reverse each
spindle member 16 with respect to its respective guide arm 18 thus enables
presentation of two different diameter conical surfaces for engaging two
different diameter roll core 14a in the printer. For purposes of
illustration, FIG. 2 illustrates an example where conical surface 27a of
each of the spindle members 16 faces the roll 14, and reversing each of
the spindle members 16 would enable conical surface 27b of each of the
spindle members to mount onto a roll 14 of a smaller diameter than the
roll shown in this figure.
When the crushed roll is mounted it sometimes will not have a core with a
circular cross-sectional shape, rather the cross-sectional shape would be
oval. The conical surfaces 28a and 28b of each spindle member 16 reshapes
the ends of a crushed roll core from a oval cross-sectional to a
substantial circularly cross-sectional shape when the spindle members are
urged (such as by spring force) towards each other by the centering
mechanism into the ends of the roll core. If needed, the user may manually
provide additional pressure to push the roll core onto the desired conical
surface. This is illustrated by FIG. 4 in which line 32 represents the
circular end of the core of a crushed roll prior to locating the roll core
on a spindle member 16, and dotted line 33 represents the reshaped or
circularized end of the same core after being loaded upon conical surface
28a. Similarly, line 34 represents the circular end of the core of a
crushed roll prior to locating of the roll on a spindle member 16, and
dotted line 35 represents the reshaped or circularized end of the same
core after being loaded upon conical surface 28b.
Although each printer has two identical reversible spindle members 16 for
rotationally mounting a roll, a set of multiple different pairs of spindle
members 16 maybe provided each pair having sides with conical surfaces for
different diameter roll cores. Thus, enabling the printer 10 to be adapted
for use with more than two roll core diameters as desired.
Preferably, the surfaces extending from sides 23a and 23b of the spindle
member are conical to enable reshaping of crushed cores. Less preferably,
the sides of each spindle member 16 may have two cylindrical protruding
portions, walls, or post, of different diameters to provide an outer
cylindrical surface, rather than conical surfaces 28a and 28b, for
engaging two different diameter roll cores.
From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that there has been
provided a portable printer with improved spindle members for rotationally
mounting media rolls of different core diameters. Variations and
modifications in the herein described portable printer, spindle members,
and method of use, in accordance with the invention will undoubtedly
suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing
description should be taken as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
*
