Tape printing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10226945-B2
Application number	US-201615560988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2016
Priority date	Mar 23, 2015
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

A tape printing device that is vertically long and can be operated by being handheld includes a main key operating portion configured with a plurality of groups of keys 215, 217 , and 219 on a front surface, in which, among the plurality of groups of keys 215, 217 , and 219 , a group of keys 215 having a high frequency of operations is disposed at a position near a gravity center portion in a longitudinal direction, and the groups of keys 217 and 219 having a low frequency of operations are disposed at a position distant from the gravity center portion in the longitudinal direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tape printing device that is vertically long and is able to be operated by being handheld, comprising:
a main key operating portion; and
a plurality of groups of keys positioned on the main key operation portion on a front surface of the tape printing device,
wherein the plurality of groups of keys comprises a first group of keys having a high frequency of operations and a second group of keys having a low frequency of operations,
wherein the first group of keys having a high frequency of operations is disposed at a position near to a center of gravity in a longitudinal direction of the tape printing device, and the second group of keys having a low frequency of operations is disposed at a position distant from the center of gravity in the longitudinal direction of the tape printing device.

2. The tape printing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a handheld supporting portion that is configured to be handheld,
wherein the main key operating portion is disposed on a front surface of the handheld supporting portion, and
wherein the first group of keys having the high frequency of operations and the second group of keys having the low frequency of operations are disposed side by side in the longitudinal direction.

3. The tape printing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first group of keys having the high frequency of operations includes a group of character keys, and
wherein the second group of keys having the low frequency of operations includes a group of cursor keys.

4. The tape printing device according to claim 3 ,
wherein a plurality of the character keys constituting the group of character keys are disposed with a gap therebetween and are each formed to be vertically long.

5. The tape printing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a color of each of the plurality of groups of keys is different from each other.

6. A tape printing device that is vertically long and is able to be operated by being handheld, comprising:
a main key operating portion;
a plurality of groups of keys positioned on the main key operation portion on a front surface of the tape printing device,
wherein the plurality of groups of keys comprises a first group of keys having a high frequency of operations and a second group of keys having a low frequency of operations,
wherein the first group of keys having a high frequency of operations is disposed at a position near to a center of gravity in a longitudinal direction of the tape printing device, and the second group of keys having a low frequency of operations is disposed at a position distant from the center of gravity in the longitudinal direction of the tape printing device;
a cartridge mounting portion on which a tape cartridge is detachably mounted;
an opening/closing lid that opens and closes the cartridge mounting portion;
a displaying portion that is provided in the opening/closing lid; and
a sub-key operating portion that is provided in the opening/closing lid.

7. The tape printing device according to claim 6 ,
further comprising a hinge for opening and closing the opening/closing lid that includes a rotation load resisting blockage due to a weight itself of the opening/closing lid.

8. The tape printing device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the opening/closing lid includes a finger hooking portion for opening and closing the opening/closing lid, and
wherein the finger hooking portion protrudes from a front surface of the displaying portion and a front surface of the sub-key operating portion.

9. The tape printing device according to claim 2 , wherein the tape printing device extends longitudinally between a distal end side and a base end side, wherein the center of gravity is positioned closer to the distal end side than the handheld supporting portion.

10. The tape printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the center of gravity is closer to a printing mechanism portion of the tape printing device than the handheld supporting portion.

11. The tape printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the center of gravity is closer to a display portion of the tape printing device than the handheld supporting portion.

12. The tape printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the first group of keys is disposed to be substantially symmetrical.

13. The tape printing device according to claim 2 , wherein an outer shell of the handheld supporting portion is formed to be constricted, the first group of keys is disposed at a narrowest constricted part.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Kubota Tomoyuki
• Sasaki Taishi
• Shintani Akihiro
• Sugawara Haruki
• Nishimura Naoya

Classifications

• B41J29/00

  Details of, or accessories for, typewriters or selective printing mechanisms not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B41J3/4075 Primary

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J3/39

  hand-held · CPC title

• B41J3/36

  for portability {, i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers (B41J3/4075 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G06F3/0219

  Special purpose keyboards · CPC title