EP0573187B1 - Thermodrucker - Google Patents

Thermodrucker Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0573187B1
EP0573187B1 EP19930303971 EP93303971A EP0573187B1 EP 0573187 B1 EP0573187 B1 EP 0573187B1 EP 19930303971 EP19930303971 EP 19930303971 EP 93303971 A EP93303971 A EP 93303971A EP 0573187 B1 EP0573187 B1 EP 0573187B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
tape
image
receiving
holding case
tape holding
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19930303971
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0573187A1 (de
Inventor
Charles Robert Sims
Andrew Richard Buchanan Halket
Michael Andrew Beadman
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Esselte NV
Original Assignee
Esselte NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB929211544A external-priority patent/GB9211544D0/en
Priority claimed from GB929215782A external-priority patent/GB9215782D0/en
Priority claimed from GB939300750A external-priority patent/GB9300750D0/en
Application filed by Esselte NV filed Critical Esselte NV
Publication of EP0573187A1 publication Critical patent/EP0573187A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0573187B1 publication Critical patent/EP0573187B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J3/00—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
    • B41J3/407—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for marking on special material
    • B41J3/4075—Tape printers; Label printers

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a thermal printing device.
  • Thermal printing devices of the general type with which the present invention is concerned are known. They operate with a supply of tape arranged to receive an image and means for transferring an image onto the tape.
  • a tape holding case holds a supply of image receiving tape and a supply of an image transfer ribbon, the image receiving tape and the transfer ribbon being passed in overlap through a printing zone of the printing device.
  • a thermal print head cooperates with a platen to transfer an image from the transfer ribbon to the tape.
  • a printing device operating with a tape holding case of this type is described for example in EP-A-0267890 (Varitronics, Inc.).
  • Other printing devices have been made in which letters are transferred to an image receiving tape by a dry lettering or dry film impression process.
  • the construction of the image receiving tape is substantially the same. That is, it comprises an upper layer for receiving an image which is secured to a releaseable backing layer by a layer of adhesive.
  • That portion of the tape is cut off to enable it to be used as a label.
  • the releaseable backing layer is removed from the upper layer to enable the upper layer to be secured to a surface by means of the adhesive layer.
  • a tape holding case houses a supply of a transparent image receiving tape and a supply of an image transfer ribbon.
  • the tape holding case also houses a supply of backing tape which comprises a carrier layer having an adhesive layer on its underside to which is secured a releaseable backing sheet and an adhesive layer on its upper side which can be secured to the image receiving tape after an image has been printed thereon.
  • the image is printed onto the image receiving tape as a mirror image which, when viewed through the image receiving tape, is the correct way round. With this device, the print is protected when the label is used.
  • the colour of the label and the colour of the print are predetermined by the contents of the tape holding case.
  • the colour of the label reference is made to the upper layer of the image receiving tape of the apparatus described in EP-A-0267890 and to the carrier layer of the device described with reference to EP-0322918.
  • the colour of the print is determined by the colour of the image transfer ribbon.
  • ink ribbon cassette In another device, there are two cassettes with an ink ribbon cassette being located within a substrate tape cassette in a nested fashion, on a common side of the print zone. This means that it is fiddly and awkward to remove the ink ribbon cassette to change it. Also, the external dimensions of the ink ribbon cassette are determined by the dimensions of the substrate tape so that its size or capacity could only be increased at the expense of the substrate tape.
  • US 5111216 discloses a portable handheld thermal printing device. This device has a housing to which is attachable a self-contained tape supply cartridge. In the thermal printing device of US 5111216, it is intended that the tape is advanced by manually pulling the tape past the printhead.
  • US 5028934 has two separately attachable self-contained units for constituting a printing device.
  • US 5028934 discloses a recording medium transport unit which is detachably mounted to a handheld portable printer unit.
  • the object of the present invention is to solve that problem.
  • thermo printing device as claimed in claim 1.
  • thermo printing device in combination with selectively inserted first and second tape holding cases according to claim 6.
  • This arrangement has the advantage not only that print and background colours can be "mixed and matched" but that the second tape holding case can accommodate significantly more image transfer ribbon than the first tape holding case can accommodate image receiving tape.
  • the "ink ribbon cassette" can be made more cheaply since the proportional cost of ink ribbon is less than the coat of an extra tape holding case. A user also has less need to change the ink ribbon cassette as frequently. Furthermore, the ink ribbon is less likely to run out during printing of a label so that there is less wastage of substrate tape due to printing of defective labels.
  • the second tape holding case has five times more ink ribbon than the first tape holding case has image receiving tape.
  • each case can be easily removed and located separately without affecting the other.
  • each tape holding case is received separately, one is not required to guide the other so they can be removed, mixed and matched as desired. Further, the size and capacity of each cassette is determined only by the cassette receiving portions and not by each other.
  • Figure 1 shows in plan view two cassettes arranged in a printing device 1.
  • the upper cassette or first tape holding case 2 is located in a first cassette receiving portion 26 and contains a supply of image receiving tape 4 which passes through a print zone 3 of the printer to an outlet 5 of the printer.
  • the image receiving tape 4 comprises an upper layer for receiving a printed image on one of its surfaces and having its other surface coated with an adhesive layer to which is secured a releaseable backing layer.
  • the cassette 2 has a recess 6 for accommodating a platen 8 of the printer, and guide portions 22,24 for guiding the tape 4 through the print zone.
  • the platen 8 is mounted for rotation within a cage moulding 10. As an alternative, the platen 8 could be mounted for rotation on a pin.
  • the lower cassette or second tape holding case 37 is located in a second cassette receiving portion 28 and contains a thermal transfer ribbon which extends from a supply spool 30 to a take-up spool 32 within the cassette 37.
  • the thermal transfer ribbon 12 extends through the print zone 3 in overlap with the image receiving tape 4.
  • the cassette 37 has a recess 14 for receiving a print head 16 of the printer and guide portions 34,36 for guiding the ink ribbon 12 through the print zone 3.
  • the print head 16 is movable between an operative position, shown in Figure 1, in which it is in contact with the platen and holds the thermal transfer ribbon 12 and the image receiving tape in overlap between the print head and the platen and an inoperative position in which it is moved away from the platen to release the thermal transfer ribbon and image receiving tape.
  • the platen In the operative position, the platen is rotated to cause image receiving tape to be driven past the print head and the print head is controlled to print an image onto the image receiving tape by thermal transfer of ink from the ribbon 12.
  • the print head is a conventional thermal print head having an array of pixels each of which can be thermally activated in accordance with the desired image to be printed.
  • the printing device has a lid which is not shown but which is hinged along the rear of the cassette receiving portion and which covers both cassettes when in place.
  • a stepper motor drives the platen 8 in steps so that for each position of the platen a column of print is printed on the image receiving tape 4.
  • the platen 8 drives the image receiving tape through the print zone under the action of its own rotation.
  • the rotation of the platen and the energisation of the print head 16 are controlled by a microprocessor as described in our British Applications Nos. 9212423.9 and 9215782.5.
  • the basic circuitry for controlling the printing device is shown in Figure 2.
  • a microprocessor chip 100 having read only memory (ROM) 102, a microprocessor and random access memory capacity indicated diagrammatically by RAM 104.
  • the microprocessor is connected to receive data input to it from a data input device such as a keyboard 106.
  • the microprocessor chip 100 outputs data to drive a display 108 via a display driver chip 109 and also to drive the print head 16 and the stepper motor 7 for controlling the platen 8.
  • the microprocessor chip also controls a cutting mechanism including a cutter 17 to cut off lengths of printed tape.
  • the keyboard and display are located on the upper surface of the printing device to the right hand side of the cassette receiving portion as indicated by the dotted lines.
  • Data to be printed is typed into the printing device using data input keys on the keyboard 106.
  • the data input keys are designated generally by the block 109 but will in practice comprise a plurality of lettered and numbered keys.
  • the microprocessor 101 As the data is entered into the keyboard 106 it is supplied to the microprocessor 101 which drives the display 108 to display the data as it is entered. To do this, for each character which is entered, the microprocessor calls up a stored version of the character from the ROM 102. As the character is stored in compressed form this font data is stored temporarily in the RAM 104 and is manipulated by the microprocessor 100 to generate pixel data to form the character. This pixel data is transmitted in one form to the display 108 and in another form to the print head for printing. Character data is not passed to the print head for printing until a print operation is executed. Firstly, the characters for the label are entered and edited using function keys on the keyboard 106 in conjunction with the display 108.
  • the label is composed by the user as a plurality of pages. Each page has unique characteristics in terms of its print style, size of font and number of lines to be printed. The pages will be printed side by side with a distance between them corresponding to normal character spacing. Pages can be of differing lengths. Where a page has been composed using the display and a next page is to be printed in a different colour, a colour key 120 can be actuated which signals to the microprocessor that it should store end of page colour change data. Formulation of the label can then continue for the next page until there is to be another colour change when the colour key 120 is again depressed.
  • Figure 3 shows a label composed of three pages; PAGE 1, PAGE 2 and PAGE 3. The dotted lines in between the pages are there for diagrammatic purposes only and will not appear on the finished label. As an example, PAGES 1 and 3 are to be printed in black and PAGE 2 is to be printed in red.
  • the microprocessor is aware of the pixel data for each page to be printed and has also calculated the overall length of the label.
  • a print operation is instigated using the print key 112 a column of pixel data is transmitted to the print head which prints this column of the image receiving tape.
  • the stepper motor then moves the image receiving tape forward by one column width and the next column data is transferred to the print head and printed.
  • the tape holding case is replaced manually by a user.
  • the printing device could have means for automatically manipulating tape holding cases so as to replace one by another on receipt of the appropriate signal.
  • the stepper motor moves the image receiving tape through a distance corresponding to the distance between the print head and a zone where cutting is implemented. A cutting operation is then executed by the cutter 7 to cut off the printed portion of the tape constituting the label.
  • each page can be determined by a user and in particular each page can have only a single character.
  • a label is to have multiple lines with different character sizes in each line it can be advantageous to inhibit operation of the colour change key in between characters to ensure that a situation does not arise where an attempt is made to change the colour midway through printing one character. This is done in the preferred embodiment by the microprocessor accepting a colour change instruction as a page break instruction, so that a new page is automatically commenced when a different colour is instructed.

Landscapes

  • Impression-Transfer Materials And Handling Thereof (AREA)
  • Printers Characterized By Their Purpose (AREA)
  • Electronic Switches (AREA)

Claims (7)

  1. Thermodruckgerät mit:
    Mitteln (26) zum Aufnehmen eines ersten Bandhalterungsgehäuses (2), das einen Vorrat an Bildempfangsband (4) mit einer bestimmten Hintergrundfarbe enthält,
    einem zweiten Kassettenaufnahmebereich (28) zum Aufnehmen eines zweiten Bandhalterungsgehäuses (37), das einen Vorrat an Bildübertragungsband (12) enthält, das zum Drucken eines Bildes in einer bestimmten Farbe geeignet ist,
    einem Druckkopf (16) und einer Druckwalze (8), die einen Druckbereich definieren,
    Mitteln zum Bewegen des Bildempfangsbandes (4) durch den Druckbereich (3) in Überlagerung mit dem Bildübertragungsband (12) und zu einem Auslaß (5), so daß ein Bild vom Bildübertragungsband auf das Bildempfangsband übertragen werden kann, wobei der Auslaß (5) auf derselben Seite der Mittel (26) zum Aufnehmen des ersten Bandhalterungsgehäuses (2) wie der Druckbereich (3) angeordnet ist,
       wobei das erste und das zweite Bandhalterungsgehäuse individuell entnehmbar und einsetzbar sind,
    dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Thermodruckgerät ein Gehäuse (1) aufweist, das den zweiten Kassettenaufnahmebereich (28) definiert und einen ersten Kassettenaufnahmebereich (26) als die Mittel zum Aufnehmen des ersten Bandhalterungsgehäuses (2) definiert, wobei der erste und der zweite Kassettenaufnahmebereich auf gegenüberliegenden Seiten des Druckbereichs (3) angeordnet sind, und wobei die Mittel zum Bewegen des Bildempfangsbandes einen Motor (7) zum Bewirken einer Drehung der Druckwalze (8) umfassen.
  2. Thermodruckgerät nach Anspruch 1, wobei das zweite Bandhalterungsgehäuse (37) mehr Farbband (12) enthält, als das erste Bandhalterungsgehäuse (2) Bildempfangsband.
  3. Thermodruckgerät nach Anspruch 2, wobei das zweite Bandhalterungsgehäuse fünf mal mehr Farbband enthält als das erste Bandhalterungsgehäuse.
  4. Thermodruckgerät nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, welches weiterhin einen Deckel umfaßt, der das erste und das zweite Bandhalterungsgehäuse überdeckt, wenn er an seinem Platz ist, und wobei der Druckkopf zwischen einer Betriebsstellung, in der er das Bildübertagungsband (12) und das Bildempfangsband (4) in Überlappung im Druckbereich (3) hält, und einer Außerbetriebsstellung, in der er von der Druckwalze (8) fortbewegt ist, bewegbar ist, wobei Schließen des Deckels den Druckkopf in seine Betriebsstellung bringt.
  5. Thermodruckgerät nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, welches eine Schneideeinrichtung (17) zum Abschneiden eines Abschnittes vom Bildempfangsband (4), auf den ein Bild gedruckt ist, umfaßt.
  6. Thermodruckgerät in Kombination mit selektiv eingesetzten ersten und zweiten Bandhalterungsgehäusen, wobei das erste Bandhalterungsgehäuse (2) einen Vorrat an Bildempfangsband (4) mit einer bestimmten Hintergrundfarbe enthält, und das zweite Bandhalterungsgehäuse (37) einen Vorrat an Bildübertragungsband (12) enthält, der geeignet ist, ein Bild einer bestimmten Farbe zu drucken, wobei das Thermodruckgerät weiterhin aufweist:
    einen Druckkopf (16) und eine Druckwalze (8), die eine Druckzone definieren;
    Mittel zum Bewegen des Bildempfangsbandes durch den Druckbereich (3) in Überlagerung mit dem Bildübertragungsband und zu einem Auslaß (5), so daß ein Bild vom Bildübertragungsband auf das Bildempfangsband übertragen werden kann, wobei der Auslaß auf derselben Seite eines Bereichs (26) zum Aufnehmen des ersten Bandhalterungsgehäuses wie der Druckbereich angeordnet ist,
       wobei das erste und das zweite Bandhalterungsgehäuse einzeln entnehmbar und ersetzbar sind,
    dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Thermodruckgerät ein Gehäuse aufweist, das den ersten Kassettenaufnahmebereich (26), der selektiv das erste Bandhalterungsgehäuse (29) aufnimmt, und einen zweiten Kassettenaufnahmebereich (28), der selektiv das zweite Bandhalterungsgehäuse (37) aufnimmt, definiert, wobei der erste und der zweite Kassettenaufnahmebereich auf gegenüberliegenden Seiten der Druckzone sind, und wobei die Mittel zum Bewegen des Bildempfangsbandes einen Motor (7) zum Bewirken einer Drehung der Druckwalze aufweisen.
  7. Kombination nach Anspruch 6, wobei das Bildempfangsband eine obere Schicht aufweist, die eine bestimmte Hintergrundfarbe zum Aufnehmen eines gedruckten Bildes auf einer seiner Oberflächen hat, und deren andere Oberfläche mit einer Klebstoffschicht beschichtet ist, an der eine abziehbare Rückseitenschicht befestigt ist.
EP19930303971 1992-06-01 1993-05-21 Thermodrucker Expired - Lifetime EP0573187B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (8)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9211544 1992-06-01
GB929211544A GB9211544D0 (en) 1992-06-01 1992-06-01 Label printing apparatus
GB9212423 1992-06-11
GB9212423 1992-06-11
GB9215782 1992-07-24
GB929215782A GB9215782D0 (en) 1992-07-24 1992-07-24 Thermal printing device
GB9300750 1993-01-15
GB939300750A GB9300750D0 (en) 1992-06-01 1993-01-15 Thermal printing device

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0573187A1 EP0573187A1 (de) 1993-12-08
EP0573187B1 true EP0573187B1 (de) 1997-12-17

Family

ID=27450883

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19930303971 Expired - Lifetime EP0573187B1 (de) 1992-06-01 1993-05-21 Thermodrucker

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0573187B1 (de)
JP (1) JPH0647937A (de)
AU (1) AU660254B2 (de)
DE (2) DE573187T1 (de)

Families Citing this family (17)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2560474B2 (ja) * 1989-05-15 1996-12-04 村田機械株式会社 紡績装置における運転方法
JPH06328821A (ja) * 1993-05-19 1994-11-29 Brother Ind Ltd テープカセット
GB9322984D0 (en) * 1993-11-05 1994-01-05 Esselte Dymo Nv Drive system for a printing appratus
GB9400897D0 (en) * 1994-01-18 1994-03-16 Esselte Nv Cutting system for a printing apparatus
US6132120A (en) * 1995-03-29 2000-10-17 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Tape-shaped label printing device
JP3644111B2 (ja) * 1996-01-31 2005-04-27 ブラザー工業株式会社 テープ状ラベル作成装置
US5727888A (en) * 1995-03-29 1998-03-17 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Printer and a composite cassette including a tape cassette and a ribbon cassette used in the printer
JPH08332749A (ja) * 1995-06-07 1996-12-17 Brother Ind Ltd テープ状ラベル作成装置
GB9523053D0 (en) * 1995-11-10 1996-01-10 Esselte Dymo Nv Thermal printing device
DE59608999D1 (de) * 1995-11-10 2002-05-08 Esselte Nv Satz von Bandkassetten und Druckgerät
GB9601124D0 (en) * 1996-01-19 1996-03-20 Esselte Dymo Nv Drive system for a printing apparatus
GB2318093A (en) 1996-10-14 1998-04-15 Esselte Nv A tape printing apparatus having two modes of operation
DE19832093A1 (de) * 1997-08-22 1999-02-25 Esselte Nv Banddruckgerät
EP0958927B1 (de) * 1998-04-23 2003-10-29 Esselte N.V. Banddruckgerät und Bandkassette
DE19957715C2 (de) * 1998-12-01 2002-01-17 Toyota Motor Co Ltd Abgasausstoß-Steuerungsvorrichtung für eine Brennkraftmaschine
GB0315148D0 (en) * 2003-06-27 2003-08-06 Esselte Nv Tape printing apparatus and tape cassette
FR2988509B1 (fr) * 2012-03-22 2015-01-02 Evolis Procede et dispositif de suivi d'un objet dans une sequence d'au moins deux images

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2161754B (en) * 1984-07-18 1988-05-11 K Sun Corp Two-piece tape/ribbon cartridge
US5111216A (en) * 1988-07-12 1992-05-05 Kroy Inc. Tape supply cartridge for portable thermal printer
EP0354815B1 (de) * 1988-08-12 1994-04-20 Esselte Meto International Produktions Gmbh Druckverfahren
US5028934A (en) * 1988-10-31 1991-07-02 Seiko Epson Corporation Hand-held portable printing system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU3877793A (en) 1993-12-02
AU660254B2 (en) 1995-06-15
EP0573187A1 (de) 1993-12-08
DE69315745T2 (de) 1998-04-30
JPH0647937A (ja) 1994-02-22
DE69315745D1 (de) 1998-01-29
DE573187T1 (de) 1994-06-16

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