Roland DG has been granted a patent for a printer that includes a driving roller to move a medium in a predetermined direction. The printer also has pinch roller assemblies with an actuator that allows the pinch roller to be spaced from the driving roller. The actuator is located upstream of the pinch roller and includes an operation portion on the rear panel for user control. GlobalData’s report on Roland DG gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Roland DG, Smart factory applications was a key innovation area identified from patents. Roland DG's grant share as of September 2023 was 36%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Printer with pinch roller assemblies and rear panel actuator
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11772393B2) describes a printer and cutting device with improved pinch roller assemblies. The printer includes a support table for the medium, a driving roller to move the medium in a predetermined direction, and a plurality of pinch roller assemblies facing the driving roller. Each pinch roller assembly consists of a pinch roller, a support to hold the pinch roller, and an actuator with a contact portion and an operation portion. The actuator is positioned upstream of the pinch roller and can be operated by a user to move the pinch roller away from the driving roller. The operation portion is located on the rear panel of the printer, exposed in the transportation direction.
In addition, the printer features an overall moving device that allows all the pinch rollers in the plurality of pinch roller assemblies to be simultaneously contacted or spaced from the driving roller. Each actuator can individually hold the corresponding pinch roller spaced from the driving roller. The overall moving device can release all the pinch rollers at the same time from their held positions.
The support in the printer is swingable, allowing the pinch roller to contact or be spaced from the driving roller. The actuator can move between a holding position, where the contact portion presses the support, and a separated position, where the contact portion is separated from the support. The overall moving device includes an overall swing mechanism connected to an overall operation portion. When the support is pressed by the overall swing mechanism while in contact with the contact portion, it is separated from the contact portion. The actuator moves from the holding position to the separated position when the contact portion separates from the support.
The actuator can be moved to the separated position by its own weight. The printer also includes a stopper to prevent the actuator from moving to the separated position. The stopper can be attached or detached from a stopper attachment portion. When the stopper is attached and the actuator is inhibited by the stopper, the pinch rollers are separated from the driving roller.
The operation portion of the printer includes a rotation shaft and a handle that can rotate around the shaft to move the contact portion towards or away from the support. An eccentric cam, connected to the handle, is rotatable about the rotation shaft and has different positions on its outer circumferential surface, each with a different distance from the rotation shaft. The contact portion is located on the outer circumferential surface of the eccentric cam.
The cutting device described in the patent has similar features to the printer, including the pinch roller assemblies, support table, driving roller, cutting head, and rear panel. The cutting device also includes an overall moving device and an actuator capable of individually holding the pinch rollers spaced from the driving roller. The actuator can be moved by the user to separate the pinch roller from the driving roller. The operation portion of the cutting device is also located on the rear panel and includes a rotation shaft, handle, and eccentric cam.
Overall, this patent describes a printer and cutting device with improved pinch roller assemblies that allow for easy separation and contact of the pinch rollers with the driving roller. The design provides convenience and efficiency in printing and cutting processes.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
