# US 2013/0278702 A1 · Portable thermal printer

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- Number: US 2013/0278702 A1
- Document ID: US20130278702A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/450,615
- Filed: 2012-04-19
- Published: 2013-10-24
- Earliest claimed: 2012-04-19
- Assignees: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Hiroyasu Ishii; Motohito Tsuchiya
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130278702A1

## CPC

- B41J 15/046: {for the guidance of continuous copy material, e.g. for preventing skewed conveyance of the continuous copy material}
- B41J 15/042: {for loading rolled-up continuous copy material into printers, e.g. for replacing a used-up paper roll; Point-of-sale printers with openable casings allowing access to the rolled-up continuous copy material}
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

A portable thermal printer includes a housing and an anti-skew unit. The housing is provided with a thermal printer head and a platen roller, and is configured to convey a paper between the thermal printer head and the platen roller. The anti-skew unit inside the housing is configured to contact both side edges of the paper in a width direction to prevent the paper, which is being conveyed, from skewing, and the setting of the width of the paper by the anti-skew unit is configured to be adjustable from outside the housing.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A portable thermal printer comprising:
a housing provided with a thermal printer head and a platen roller, and configured to convey a paper between the thermal printer head and the platen roller; and
an anti-skew unit disposed inside the housing, and configured to contact both side edges of the paper in a width direction to prevent the paper, which is being conveyed, from skewing, setting of a width of the paper by the anti-skew unit configured to be adjustable from outside the housing.

### Claim 2

A portable thermal printer comprising:
a housing configured to contain a paper being wound in a form of a roll;
a conveying unit configured to convey the paper along a guide path inside the housing;
a printing unit disposed on the guide path, and configured to print on the paper which is being conveyed; and
an anti-skew unit configured to prevent the paper which is being conveyed from skewing, and provided with a slide adjustment member that contacts both side edges of the paper by setting a width of the paper in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the paper is conveyed, the slide adjustment member of the anti-skew unit protruding out of the housing, configured to be adjustable from outside of the housing.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The printer of claim 2, wherein the anti-skew unit further includes:
a pair of guide fences configured to slide in the width direction of the paper perpendicular to the direction in which the paper is conveyed and contact both side edges of the paper which is being conveyed;
a rail member provided with rail slots, each of guide fences being movably inserted into a corresponding one of the rail slots; and
a rack-and-pinion mechanism provided with rack gears disposed along the rail member, each of the guide fences being connected to a corresponding one of the rack gears, and one or more pinion gears disposed on the rail member and engaged with each of the rack gears,
wherein the slide adjustment member is integrally disposed on each of the rack gears of the rack-and-pinion gear mechanism.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The printer of claim 3, wherein the slide adjustment member includes:
a pair of adjustment knobs configured to be integrally disposed on each of the rack gears, and protrude from the housing; and
at least one fixing screw disposed in at least one of the rack gears and configured to fix or change a position of the rack gears with respect to the housing,
wherein the housing has at least one long hole through which the pair of adjustment knobs are able to slide and an elongated slot thorough which the at least one fixing screw is engaged.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The printer of claim 4, wherein at least one of the rack gears has a recess into which a plate nut is inserted, the at least one fixing screw being screwed into a screw hole of the plate nut through the elongated slot formed in the housing and at least one through-hole formed in the rack gears.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The printer of claim 4, wherein each of the adjustment knobs is aligned with a position of a corresponding guide fence.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The printer of claim 2, wherein the slide adjustment member protrudes from a bottom concave section formed in the bottom of the housing.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The printer of claim 3, wherein the rail member is disposed at a bottom of the housing.