MOVABLE PAPER GUIDE STRUCTURE OF A LABEL PRINTER

Abstract

A movable paper guide structure of a label printer includes: a paper guide body installed in the label printer including a roller and a print head; a movable unit that is movably installed on the paper guide body close to one end of the print head, adapts to a displacement of the roller and the print head because of a changed contact position, and keeps approaching the print head during a print process of the label printer for neither gap between the tip of the movable unit and the print head nor other problems such as a label sticker on printing paper improperly peeled off, printing crooked and paper jam.

Claims

1. A movable paper guide structure of a label printer, comprising: a paper guide body, which is installed in the label printer including a roller and a print head and used to guide a piece of paper to be printed for a forward movement along a designated printing route during a printing process of the print head; and a movable unit, which is movably installed on the paper guide body close to one end of the print head and adapts to a displacement of the roller and the print head because of a changed contact position, the movable unit comprises a sharp portion which gradually tapers toward one end of the print head and keeps abutting the print head in case of the displacement of the movable unit.

2. The movable paper guide structure of the label printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable unit is pivotally fitted to the paper guide body by a pivot and movably installed on the paper guide body close to one end of the print head.

3. The movable paper guide structure of the label printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable unit is mounted on the paper guide body with a spring, a belt or a motor and movably installed on the paper guide body close to one end of the print head.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view for an installed position of a movable paper guide structure of a label printer;

[0016] FIG. 1a is a partial enlargement view for the movable paper guide structure of the label printer in FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic plane view for a movable paper guide structure of a label printer during a printing process; and

[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic plane view for a fixed paper guide structure of a conventional label printer during a printing process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1, 1a and 2 for a movable paper guide structure of a label printer, which comprises a paper guide body 100 and a movable unit 200.

[0020] The paper guide body 100 installed in a label printer 300 is used to guide a piece of printing paper 400 for a forward movement along a designated printing route wherein the piece of printing paper 400 fed into a printing area is pressed by a roller 500 mounted inside the label printer 300 and contacts with a print head 600 by which a pattern is printed on the piece of printing paper 400 and/or a label sticker 410 as required.

[0021] In an embodiment, the movable unit 200 is pivotally fitted to the front end of the paper guide body 100 by a pivot 210 and movably installed on the paper guide body 100 close to one end of the print head 600 such that the print head 600 is approached by the movable unit 200 during a rotary motion without generation of a gap.

[0022] According to the above structural composition, a movable paper guide structure of a label printer in the present disclosure is characterized in that the movable unit 200 rotates about the pivot 210 as a center of rotation such that the print head 600 is approached by the front end of the movable unit 200 without generation of a gap. In principle, the printing paper 400 in the present disclosure denotes a label paper roll on which a distinct type of label sticker 410 with a certain thickness is coated. When the label sticker 410 on the printing paper 400 is pressed by the roller 500 and contacts with the print head 600, a displacement of the roller 500 and the print head 600 due to the label sticker 410 with a distinct thickness occurs. If this issue is not corrected properly, the printing paper 400 pulled back during a printing process probably collides with the front end of the movable unit 200 and is peeled off or other incidents such as printing crooked and paper jam take place. Accordingly, the movable unit 200 in the present disclosure shifts automatically by referring to a changed contact position of the roller 500 and the print head 600 such that the front end of the movable unit 200 is always close to the print head 600 effectively for neither the label sticker 410 improperly peeled off nor other problems such as printing crooked and paper jam.

[0023] Moreover, the movable unit 200 is characteristic of a sharp portion 220 forward tapering from the pivot 210 in shape such that the sharp portion 220 with good flexibility features an adjustable position based on a displacement of the roller 500 and the print head 600 and always abuts the print head.

[0024] In addition, the movable unit 200, which is mounted on the paper guide body 100 with a spring, rotates automatically in case of a displacement of the roller 500 and the print head 600; alternatively, the movable unit 200 is driven by a belt, a motor or another equivalent mechanism for the same effect. In the present disclosure, a movable paper guide structure of a label printer is described with a label sticker 410 used in an embodiment and even applicable to an alternative printing mode without a label sticker 410, for example, thermal transfer receipt printing, in which the movable unit 200 always abuts the print head 600 in structural design for fewest drawbacks like printing crooked.

[0025] While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.