Abstract: A thermal printer includes a frame including sidewalls; a platen roller supported by the frame, through bearings, the platen roller being configured to rotate with a rotational shaft; a thermal head disposed opposite the platen roller; a support member for supporting the thermal head, the support member being configured to be pivoted with respect to the frame; and an adjustment mechanism disposed between the rotational shaft of the platen roller and the thermal head, the adjustment mechanism allowing a distance between the rotational shaft of the platen roller and the thermal head to be adjusted, while contacting at least one from among components of the platen roller and components of the thermal head, so that a gap between the thermal head and the platen roller is adjusted.

Abstract: A thermal printer includes a frame including sidewalls; a platen roller supported by the frame, through bearings, the platen roller being configured to rotate with a rotational shaft; a thermal head disposed opposite the platen roller; a support member for supporting the thermal head, the support member being configured to be pivoted with respect to the frame; and an adjustment mechanism disposed between the rotational shaft of the platen roller and the thermal head, the adjustment mechanism allowing a distance between the rotational shaft of the platen roller and the thermal head to be adjusted, while contacting at least one from among components of the platen roller and components of the thermal head, so that a gap between the thermal head and the platen roller is adjusted.

Abstract: When an operation body is urged upward by a flat spring and is in a return position, a projection disposed on the operation body is held between opposing positioning portions and the position of the operation body in an X-direction is set. When the operation body is pressed at a position away from a central portion of the operation body in the X-direction, the operation body pivots on one of retaining structures downward. At this time, the projection moves away from the opposing positioning portions, and resistance against a pressing operation can thereby be reduced.

Abstract: When an operation body is urged upward by a flat spring and is in a return position, a projection disposed on the operation body is held between opposing positioning portions and the position of the operation body in an X-direction is set. When the operation body is pressed at a position away from a central portion of the operation body in the X-direction, the operation body pivots on one of retaining structures downward. At this time, the projection moves away from the opposing positioning portions, and resistance against a pressing operation can thereby be reduced.

Abstract: A cover of a feed tray is attached to a tray body in a movable manner in a direction away from the tray body when the cover is in a closed state for covering an upper surface of the tray body.

Abstract: A cover of a feed tray is attached to a tray body in a movable manner in a direction away from the tray body when the cover is in a closed state for covering an upper surface of the tray body.

Abstract: A recording apparatus including a printing unit that contacts or separates a thermal head with or from a platen using the driving force of a UD motor, one or more sheet feed units that include sheet feed rollers which are rotated forward or backward by the driving force of an LF motor transmitted through a transport gear group and pressure rollers which are supported between a pair of roller supporting members and are urged by elastic members to come into pressure contact with the sheet feed rollers, and are provided on an upstream side and a downstream side of the printing unit in a transport path of a recording sheet, a pressure release mechanism including a cam shaft that is rotatably provided so as to tilt the pair of roller supporting members of the sheet feed units against the urging force of the elastic members and separates the pressure rollers from the sheet feed rollers, and a pressure release gear group that transmits the driving force of the LF motor to the cam shaft of the pressure release mechan

Abstract: A printer includes printing unit provided on a conveying path of a recording sheet and sheet feed unit provided on the downstream and upstream sides of the printing unit in a conveying direction of a recording sheet. The printer includes a platen roller, a first sheet feed roller, a second sheet feed roller, a first branch transmission gear group, a second branch transmission gear group, and thrust amount adjusting unit. A tooth trace of one of the gears of each of the first and second branch transmission gear groups has an inclination angle with respect to an axial direction, and the first and second branch transmission gear groups are formed of first and second idler gears including inclined gear portions of which inclined directions of tooth traces are the same as each other.

Abstract: A printer includes printing unit provided on a conveying path of a recording sheet and sheet feed unit provided on the downstream and upstream sides of the printing unit in a conveying direction of a recording sheet. The printer includes a platen roller, a first sheet feed roller, a second sheet feed roller, a first branch transmission gear group, a second branch transmission gear group, and thrust amount adjusting unit. A tooth trace of one of the gears of each of the first and second branch transmission gear groups has an inclination angle with respect to an axial direction, and the first and second branch transmission gear groups are formed of first and second idler gears including inclined gear portions of which inclined directions of tooth traces are the same as each other.

Abstract: A density unevenness reduction method of a printing apparatus having a sheet transport mechanism which transmits a driving force of a driving device to a roller via a plurality of gears to drive the roller for transporting a sheet, the method includes: assuming one tooth and one turn of each of the gears each to be a simple harmonic oscillation of a single sine wave, and generating a synthesized wave of the sine waves of the gears; and adjusting the module and the number of teeth of each of the gears, thereby dispersing a frequency at which the oscillations of the gears overlap and are amplified in the synthesized wave.

Abstract: A ribbon cassette and a printer are provided for preventing an ink ribbon from being wound or drawn to a printing-portion paper transport unit of the printer so as to satisfactorily wind and transport the ink ribbon. A convex portion is formed on a wall-portion contact surface of a first connecting member opposed to a space portion, thereby securing a gap between a wall portion of the ribbon cassette and a printing-portion paper transport unit of the printer. A top portion of the convex portion comes in contact with a driven-roller mounting plate disposed in the space portion when a ribbon cassette is mounted in a ribbon cassette mounting portion of a printer.

Abstract: A sheet feed mechanism is provided. In a sheet feed mechanism, a first sheet feeding device includes a first sheet feed roller and a first pressure contact roller that can be in pressure contact with the first sheet feed roller. The sheet feed mechanism further includes a recording sheet, which can be conveyed downstream by the rotation of the first sheet feed roller while being held in pressure contact between the first sheet feed roller and the first pressure contact roller. The first pressure contact roller is connected to a pressure contact release mechanism that can release the pressure contact of the first pressure contact roller with the first sheet feed roller. The pressure contact release mechanism is provided near the center in an axial direction of the first pressure contact roller.

Abstract: An ink ribbon cassette is provided. A first and second ribbon-receiving parts of an ink ribbon cassette according to the invention includes wallsthat face each other with a predetermined distance therebetween. An ink ribbon slides on a first ribbon-sliding portion formed at a first wall of the first ribbon-receiving part and a second ribbon-sliding portion formed at a first wall of the second ribbon-receiving part, and is wound on a take-up reel from the feeding reel. A ribbon guide, which prevents the ink ribbon exposed at the second ribbon-sliding portion from coming in contact with a printer body (not shown) when the ink ribbon cassette is mounted in the printer body, is provided outside the second ribbon-sliding portion.

Abstract: A paper feed mechanism is provided. The paper feed mechanism includes a pair of paper feed rollers at the upstream side and the downstream side of a printing device in a direction in which a recording paper is fed during printing, and press contact rollers in press contact therewith. The back surface of the recording paper receives a pushing force from projections formed on the pair of paper feed rollers by a predetermined depth such that the recording paper is fed during printing by the printing device.

Abstract: A recording apparatus including a printing unit that contacts or separates a thermal head with or from a platen using the driving force of a UD motor, one or more sheet feed units that include sheet feed rollers which are rotated forward or backward by the driving force of an LF motor transmitted through a transport gear group and pressure rollers which are supported between a pair of roller supporting members and are urged by elastic members to come into pressure contact with the sheet feed rollers, and are provided on an upstream side and a downstream side of the printing unit in a transport path of a recording sheet, a pressure release mechanism including a cam shaft that is rotatably provided so as to tilt the pair of roller supporting members of the sheet feed units against the urging force of the elastic members and separates the pressure rollers from the sheet feed rollers, and a pressure release gear group that transmits the driving force of the LF motor to the cam shaft of the pressure release mechan

Abstract: A printer capable of printing high-quality recording is provided. A driving force transmission gear mounted on a platen roller, driven rollers mounted on a pair of conveying rollers, respectively, and intermediate gears that always mesh with both the driving force transmission gear, and the driven rollers form a re-transmission mechanism that re-transmits the driving force transmitted to the platen roller from a driving motor to each of the one pair of conveying rollers. Also, gear supporting shafts that rotatably support intermediate gears are configured so as to be adjustable in position.

Abstract: A printer capable of printing high-quality recording is provided. A driving force transmission gear mounted on a platen roller, driven rollers mounted on a pair of conveying rollers, respectively, and intermediate gears that always mesh with both the driving force transmission gear, and the driven rollers form a re-transmission mechanism that re-transmits the driving force transmitted to the platen roller from a driving motor to each of the one pair of conveying rollers. Also, gear supporting shafts that rotatably support intermediate gears are configured so as to be adjustable in position.

Abstract: An ink ribbon cassette includes a first case and a second case. Positioning holes for mounting the ink ribbon cassette in a cassette mounting unit of a printer are formed in either one of the first case and the second case.

Abstract: A ribbon cassette and a printer are provided for preventing an ink ribbon from being wound or drawn to a printing-portion paper transport unit of the printer so as to satisfactorily wind and transport the ink ribbon. A convex portion is formed on a wall-portion contact surface of a first connecting member opposed to a space portion, thereby securing a gap between a wall portion of the ribbon cassette and a printing-portion paper transport unit of the printer. A top portion of the convex portion comes in contact with a driven-roller mounting plate disposed in the space portion when a ribbon cassette is mounted in a ribbon cassette mounting portion of a printer.

Abstract: A first pressing member, which is in the form of a leaf spring, is disposed within a gap between a second support-side sidewall and a support shaft of a feed bobbin included in an ink-sheet unit. A second pressing member, which is in the form of a leaf spring, is disposed within a gap between the second support-side sidewall and a support shaft of a take-up bobbin included in the ink-sheet unit. The pressing members are in contact with ends of the support shafts of the feed bobbin and the take-up bobbin so as to bias the feed bobbin and the take-up bobbin towards a second drive-side sidewall. The pressing members are integrated with the second support-side sidewall.