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
  • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
  • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
  • B41J2/01—Ink jet
  • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
  • B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
  • B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
  • B41J2/17543—Cartridge presence detection or type identification
  • B41J2/17546—Cartridge presence detection or type identification electronically
• • 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
  • B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements  of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
  • B41J11/36—Blanking or long feeds; Feeding to a particular line, e.g. by rotation of platen or feed roller
  • B41J11/42—Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
  • B41J11/46—Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering by marks or formations on the paper being fed
• • 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
  • B41J29/00—Details of, or accessories for, typewriters or selective printing mechanisms not otherwise provided for
  • B41J29/38—Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
  • B41J29/393—Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns

Definitions

• This invention relates to an arrangement for the automatic setting of printers, and more particularly to the setting of printer parameters by means of code reading.
• the parameters concern the printer work parameters, data communication or printing layout.
• the code to be read may be affixed directly onto material to be used in the printer, or onto separate sheets or labels.
• This invention also relates to materials, i.e. printing materials and dyes, to be used together with a printer. With the aid of the present invention, an optimum setting of the printer is automatically obtained, entailing a high quality and making the printer easily usable also for unqualified staff members.
• the setting of the printer was performed by entering parameters using a keyboard in connection to the printer, or by data transfer.
• parameters to be entered There are, however, many parameters to be entered, and the parameter theory is rather complicated, implying that frequently the user may not be able to perform a correct printer setting himself.
• some parameters are factory set and can only be changed by a qualified service technician. This of course means that the quality of the printed product will be less than optimal.
• the present invention resolves the problem of setting the printer by affixing a code onto, or in connection with, materials to be used together with the printer.
• the code may be read automatically or through a simple manipulation performed by the printer user.
• an optimum setting of the printer is achieved fully automatically or semi-automatical ly. This means that a high print-out quality can be warranted.
• the invention allows for quick and easy exchange of dye and receiver material with an automatic or semi-automatic optimal setting of the printer work parameters with regard to the dye as well as to the receiver material.
• other printer functions such as data communication with peripheral equipment, and printing layout, can be controlled in a simple manner.
• the present invention thus provides an arrangement for the automatic setting of a printer means.
• the arrangement includes a printing mechanism and a control unit for providing a print-out on a printing material with the aid of a dye.
• a code reader is connected to the control unit for reading a code for controlling at least one parameter of the printer means.
• the code may be associated with the printing material, the dye, a printer means peripheral device, or a printing layout.
• Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement according to the invention
• Fig. 2 shows an example of a code
• Fig. 3 illustrates a material onto which a code has been applied in accordance with an embodiment of the invention
• Fig. 4 illustrates a material onto which a code has been applied in accordance with another embodiment of the invention
• Fig. 5 illustrates a core of a roll of material, onto which a code has been applied in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention
• the printer 1 comprises a printing mechanism 2, performing the actual printing.
• the printing mechanism is of the thermo-transfer type, i.e. the printing mechanism includes a printing head having heated points or dots (not shown).
• the dots act on a heat-sensitive dye or transfer ribbon which transfers dye to a receiver material, normally paper, but synthetic materials are also commonly used.
• the paper may be a single layer or comprise of a carrier or back paper carrying labels or tickets to be printed.
• the receiver material may come in the form of a roll, loose sheets, or a continuous web.
• the transfer ribbon is delivered as a roll which is fitted into the machine and wound past the printer head. Printing mechanisms of this type are well known in the trade and do not, as such, constitute any part of the invention.
• the printing mechanism is controlled by a control unit 3 (CPU), which may be microprocessor based.
• a code reader is used.
• the code reader may be external 4, and be complemented by an internal code reader 5, or vice versa, as will be explained below.
• the code reader reads a code, in the discussed example illustrated by a bar code 6 (Fig. 2), which is provided in connection with the transfer ribbon and the receiver material.
• the code is preprinted or affixed directly onto the start end of the dye ribbon roll and the roll of receiver material. When such rolls, respectively, are fitted into the printer, the internal code reader is utilised, reading the code at the beginning of the roll, before any print-out has been performed. Thereby, the printer is immediately set for optimum printing quality.
• the printer according to the invention preferably includes also an external code reader 4, that may completely replace the internal code reader, e.g. if wanting to modernise an existing printer without a code reader.
• the external code reader 4 may be used for reading from e.g. separate sheets comprising codes for various possible paper and dye ribbon qualities.
• a printer manufacturer could for example enclose such a separate sheet with many different codes listing dye ribbon and printing material data from different manufacturers, in order to make his printer flexible and not to be confined to certain manufacturers. The materials manufacturer obtains the same advantage of increased flexibility, as his material will not be confined to a certain printer.
• Another suitable location for affixing the code may be on a material packing. This is especially preferable when the printing material comes in sheets rather than on a roll, and when the dye consists of ink or dye powder that is not suitable in itself to carry the code.
• the code may in this case be read either internally, if the package or a part thereof is fed into the reader, or be read by the external code reader.
• magnetic codes and magnetic code readers are suitable for the present invention.
• the magnetic code may be applied directly onto the material in question, or onto a label in the same manner as the above described bar code.
• the magnetic code may also be provided on a plastic card and be read by an internal or external slot reader.
• the code may also be provided in the form of a conductive metal layer for electronic reading.
• the metal layers might preferably be arranged on the packaging for internal reading; compare film cartridges in minicameras.
• Codes may also be read electronically by means of RF tags or RF labels. These consist of metal layers constituting electronic components. When subjected to a radio frequency magnetic field, caused by the code reader, they answer with a frequency comprising the code.
• Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention, where an RF tag 7 is positioned at the beginning of a roll of material 8, i.e. at the exterior end 9 of the roll.
• the RF tag is read automatically by an integrated RF code reader.
• an RF tag 10 may alternatively be positioned at the inner end 14 of the roll, i.e. adjacent the core 1 1, or support, upon which the material has been wound. As the reading is electronic, reading through the material can be performed without problems.
• One advantage with this location is that the RF tag 10 is completely protected and there is no risk of it accidentally falling off or being torn off.
• a further variant is to place an RF tag 12 directly on the outside of the core before winding the material on, or an RF tag 13 on the inside of the core 1 1.
• the RF tag can be placed on the inside also when the material has already been wound onto the core. It is also possible to use a mechanical reading, by arms being placed in different positions by means of protrusions and recesses provided on a dye powder cartridge or similar.
• the invention may also be applied to other types of printers.
• Direct thermo- printers function in a similar manner to thermo- transfer printers but utilise no transfer ribbon. Instead, the printing head is allowed to apply heat directly onto a heat-sensitive paper.
• the printer has been set mainly with regard to the print-out quality.
• the invention is not intended to be limited to this only, but the reading may also be used for controlling the data communication between the printer and its peripheral equipment, such as baud rate and number of bits, and printing layouts.
• the printing can thus be controlled by a simple reading of a code from a "ready-reckoner", best done using the external reader 4.
• the code constitutes a command to the control unit or to an external computer, controlling the printing layout.

Landscapes

• Accessory Devices And Overall Control Thereof (AREA)
• Ink Jet (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Credit Cards Or The Like (AREA)
• Mirrors, Picture Frames, Photograph Stands, And Related Fastening Devices (AREA)
• Impression-Transfer Materials And Handling Thereof (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Related Child Applications (1)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=20403531

Family Applications (2)

Family Applications Before (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (14)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 1996
  • 1996-08-07 SE SE9602934A patent/SE508004C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1997
  • 1997-08-04 EP EP00203281A patent/EP1093930A3/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-08-04 WO PCT/SE1997/001322 patent/WO1998005508A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1997-08-04 AT AT97934840T patent/ATE242127T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1997-08-04 EP EP97934840A patent/EP0929403B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1997-08-04 DE DE69722638T patent/DE69722638T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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