EP3121014B1 - Handheld printer - Google Patents

Handheld printer Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3121014B1
EP3121014B1 EP15178087.1A EP15178087A EP3121014B1 EP 3121014 B1 EP3121014 B1 EP 3121014B1 EP 15178087 A EP15178087 A EP 15178087A EP 3121014 B1 EP3121014 B1 EP 3121014B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
housing body
printer
handheld printer
feed channel
back surface
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.)
Active
Application number
EP15178087.1A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP3121014A1 (en
Inventor
Russel Venters
Olaf JANSON
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.)
JT International SA
Original Assignee
JT International SA
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
Application filed by JT International SA filed Critical JT International SA
Priority to EP15178087.1A priority Critical patent/EP3121014B1/en
Priority to RS20180559A priority patent/RS57218B1/sr
Publication of EP3121014A1 publication Critical patent/EP3121014A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP3121014B1 publication Critical patent/EP3121014B1/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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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
    • B41J3/36—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for portability, i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers
    • 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
    • B41J3/28—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers
    • B41J3/286—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers on boxes
    • 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
    • B41J3/4073—Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects
    • 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
    • B41J3/54—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed with two or more sets of type or printing elements
    • B41J3/543—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed with two or more sets of type or printing elements with multiple inkjet print heads

Definitions

  • the present invention pertains to a handheld printer, particularly for imparting printed images on the side surfaces of consumer goods packages made from cardboard or similar materials.
  • a handheld printer particularly for imparting printed images on the side surfaces of consumer goods packages made from cardboard or similar materials.
  • a manufacturer of consumer goods it may be desirable for a manufacturer of consumer goods to individualize the packaging and shipping containers of those consumer goods. Even more so, possibilities for customers to personalize consumer goods packaging with specific design, patterns or other customizable images would highly enhance consumer satisfaction and purchase experience.
  • consumer goods packages such as packages for smokeable products like cigarettes or cigarillos may be altered in their visual appearance according to the customers' preferences. Conveying customizable printings, labels or similar visual markings to three-dimensional objects, specifically at point-of-sale locations, is a daunting task.
  • document US 6,312,124 B1 discloses a handheld inkjet printing mechanism for printing selected images on a solid hard or semi-flexible body.
  • Document WO 2015/027229 A1 discloses a portable printer for the personalization of toothbrushes.
  • Document US 6,577,922 B2 discloses a method for personalizing a product at a point-of-sale by a customer.
  • Document US 2013/0152506 A1 discloses a dynamic product personalization system. Specifically for producing individualized consumer goods packages by printing customized images, designs or patterns on the outer surface of the packages, document EP 2 153 412 B1 proposes an apparatus for providing a container with an individually customized surface design.
  • the document US 2010/298028 A1 discloses a handheld printer comprising, in particular: a housing body, a printing device having a printhead (17 in Fig. 9) extending from the back surface of the housing body (Fig. 9), a user input device (keys 6 in Fig. 1 , 9) and a printer controller being configured to output printing control signals to the printing device on the basis of the user input commands.
  • a handheld printer comprises a housing body including a handhold for a user to carry the printer in his/her hands.
  • a guiding bracket is attached to a back surface of the housing body, the guiding bracket forming a feed channel between the back surface of the housing body and an inner wall of the guiding bracket running from a top end to a bottom end of the housing body.
  • At least one first printing device is arranged within the housing body. The first printing device has a printhead which extends at least partially from the back surface of the housing body.
  • a user input device is included in a front surface of the housing body and has a user interface which is configured to receive user input commands.
  • a printer controller arranged within the housing body is coupled to the user input device and the at least one first printing device. The printer controller is configured to output printing control signals to the at least one first printing device on the basis of the user input commands to the user input device.
  • One idea of the invention is to provide a possibility to personalize consumer goods packages, such as cigarette or electronic cigarette packages, with custom-made graphics, patterns, designs, images and/or text by using a portable printer.
  • the portable, handheld printer may be designed with dimensions such as length, height, width and sufficiently low weight so that it can be conveniently held by a user in one or both hands, thus being readily and easily portable.
  • the handheld printer may be equipped with an electrical energy storage such as for example accumulators or one-way batteries, thus obviating the need for cables and wires. This aids in providing sufficient flexibility for the printer to be portable and operable without an external stationary power supply nearby.
  • the handheld printer may be dimensioned to accommodate packages of different sizes in the printing channel so that the printer is flexibly usable for a plurality of applications for different consumer goods and/or various types of packs.
  • the handheld printer may be equipped with a user interface enabling an operator to use the printer to an extent that lets them print customized designs, patterns and/or images on consumer goods packages with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction on their own.
  • the handheld printer is mechanically robust, fail-secure and fail-safe, thereby reducing the need for extensive maintenance and increasing the dependability of the printer.
  • the handheld printer may further comprise at least one conveying device which is arranged in the feed channel and which is configured to convey an object to be imprinted by the handheld printer from the top end to the bottom end of the housing body through the feed channel.
  • the at least one conveying device may be arranged within the inner wall of the guiding bracket.
  • one embodiment may include a resiliently biased pressure roller configured to press against the object to be imprinted fed through the feed channel.
  • the resiliently biased pressure roller may in particular be configured to keep the object to be imprinted in contact with the at least one first printing device while being fed through the feed channel. This advantageously provides precise control over the printing process without the user having the worry about exact positioning of the object to be imprinted. It simplifies the handling process of the printer, while maintaining accurate and predictable printing results to be achieved.
  • the housing body may be integrally formed with the guiding bracket. This provides for a smooth and compact appearance of the printer, increasing mechanical durability and stability.
  • the guiding bracket may comprise a substantially planar support member aligned in parallel to the back surface of the housing body and a spacing member protruding in a substantially orthogonal angle from a side edge of the support member.
  • the spacing member may be affixed to the back surface of the housing body in one embodiment, thereby defining a height of the feed channel corresponding to the protrusion height of the spacing member.
  • At least one second printing device may be arranged within an inner wall of the spacing member of the guiding bracket. This advantageously enables the printer to print two adjacent side surfaces of an object to be imprinted, such as a cigarette package, at once, thereby reducing the amount of iterations needed to print designs, graphics, patterns and/or images on multiple side surfaces of the object. In particular, to imprint all six side faces of a package having cuboid shape, only three iterations of the printing process using the handheld printer are needed.
  • a plurality of first printing devices may be arranged in series within the housing body.
  • the first printing devices may each have printheads extending at least partially from the back surface of the housing body with staggered offsets along the extension of the feed channel.
  • the printer may further comprise at least one registration sensor arranged in the guiding bracket or in the back surface of the housing body, the at least one registration sensor being configured to register a position of an object to be imprinted within the feed channel.
  • the printer controller may be coupled to the at least one registration sensor in one embodiment, being configured to control the at least one first printing device on the basis of sensor signals generated by the at least one registration sensor.
  • registration sensors advantageously enables the printer to enhance printing precision and control over the conveyance of the object to be imprinted through the feed channel.
  • the printer may flexibly adapt to any package dimensions for packages inserted in the feed channel by dynamically determining the position and extension of the packages.
  • the information provided by the registration sensors may advantageously be used by the printer controller to control any conveying devices within the feed channel to hold an already imprinted package at the outlet of the feed channel in a convenient, yet safe position for the user to manually remove the package from the printer.
  • the printer may further comprise an electrical energy storage device arranged within the housing body and configured to provide the at least one first printing device, the user input device and/or the printer controller with electrical energy. Not having to provide electrical energy via wiring or power cables enhances the flexibility of the handheld printer and removes potential hazards during unattended use of the printer by operators.
  • the user interface may comprise a keyboard and/or a display, particularly a touchscreen display.
  • the user interface may advantageously be ruggedized for fail-secure and fail-safe usage by operators, thereby enabling the printer to be employed in potentially unattended point-of-sale locations which are free to use for operators.
  • the printer may further comprise a slidable guide latch arranged within the back surface of the housing body and configured to slidably adjust the inlet width of the feed channel for an object to be imprinted.
  • a slidable guide latch arranged within the back surface of the housing body and configured to slidably adjust the inlet width of the feed channel for an object to be imprinted.
  • Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a handheld printer 10 from a top-front perspective
  • Fig. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the handheld printer 10 from a top-backside perspective
  • the hollow arrows in Fig. 1 generally indicate different views which are subsequently illustrated in Figs. 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 and 8
  • PV indicates a plan view from the front side
  • TV a plan view from the top side
  • RV a view from the right hand side
  • BV a plan view from the backside of the printer 10 in Fig. 1.
  • Fig. 2 shows the front side view
  • Fig. 3 the backside view
  • Fig. 6 the top side view
  • Figs. 7 and 8 details of the right hand side view.
  • Fig. 4 illustrates a cutaway drawing of the handheld printer 10 from a backside perspective with the housing body and the guiding bracket of the printer 10 being drawn transparent to illustrate the components within the printer 10.
  • the handheld printer 10 comprises a housing body 1 with a front surface 1a and a back surface 1b on a generally opposite side the front surface 1a.
  • the front surface 1a of the housing body 1 is facing a user during normal, i.e. intended use of the printer 10.
  • the housing body 1 includes a handhold 4 for a user to carry the printer 10 in his/her hands.
  • the handhold 4 may be integrally formed with the housing body 1 which may in turn be made from injection molded plastics or resin for example.
  • the handhold 4 may be ergonomically designed to fit a user's hand to provide a comfortable grip for a user.
  • a guiding bracket 3 forms a feed channel between the back surface 1b of the housing body 1 and an inner wall of the guiding bracket 3.
  • the guiding bracket 3 may for example be integrally formed with the housing body 1 as well.
  • the guiding bracket 3 may comprise a substantially planar support member 3a aligned in parallel to the back surface 1b of the housing body 1.
  • the support member 3a is held in a spaced apart position from the back surface 1b of the housing member 1 by virtue of a spacing member 3b which protrudes in a substantially orthogonal angle from a side edge of the support member 3a.
  • the spacing member 3b may be affixed to the back surface 1b of the housing body 1. As can be best seen from Fig. 6 , the spacing member 3b defines a height H of the feed channel that corresponds to the protrusion height of the spacing member 3b.
  • the feed channel runs from a top end to a bottom end of the housing body 1.
  • the feed channel is designed to receive a consumer goods package of generally cuboid shape, such as a cigarette package P.
  • the package P is manually inserted at an inlet on the top side of the printer 10 in an insertion direction I and is conveyed through the feed channel until it may be retrieved by a user again at an outlet on the bottom side of the printer in a retrieval direction R.
  • the printer 10 may comprise at least one conveying device 9 arranged in the feed channel.
  • conveying devices 9 there may be several conveying devices 9 spaced apart within the inner wall of the guiding bracket 3, enabling a handover between subsequent conveying devices 9 the further the package P travels within the feed channel.
  • the conveying devices 9 may for example be resiliently biased pressure rollers that are configured to press against the package P. By way of friction, the pressure rollers 9 keep the package P in contact with the backside surface 1b of the housing body while the package P is travelling through the feed channel.
  • At least one first printing device 6a is arranged within the housing body 1.
  • Each of the printing devices 6a may have a printhead extending or protruding at least partially from the back surface 1b of the housing body 1.
  • a package P travelling through the feed channel is pressed against the first printing devices 6a by way of the conveying devices 9 so that the printheads may be in contact with a side surface of the package P.
  • the first printing devices 6a may further comprise conventional printing components such as ink tanks, thermal transfer rollers and the like, so that designs, patterns, text or other printing images may be imparted on the package P by the printheads.
  • the printing devices 6a may include laser printing or inkjet printing technology with a resolution of for example 600 dpi.
  • the first printing devices 6a may be arranged with staggered offsets along the extension of the feed channel so that eventually each region of the side surface of the package P in contact with the printheads may be imprinted along the feed channel.
  • the printer 10 further includes a printer controller 7a which is arranged within the housing body 1.
  • the printer controller 7a may for example comprise a microcontroller storing an operating system, firmware and/or other software for operating the various electronic components of the printer 10 on a read-only memory.
  • the printer controller 7a is configured to output printing control signals to the first printing devices 6a, thereby controlling, coordinating and synchronizing the first printing devices 6a to impart coherent and tiled printing images on the package P.
  • the printer controller 7 stores a design library for an operator to choose from design components to be printed on the package P.
  • the printer 10 may further comprise second printing devices 6b - similar in construction and printing mechanism to the first printing devices 6a - which are arranged in an inner wall of the guiding bracket 3, preferably in an inner wall of the spacing member 3b.
  • the printheads of the second printing devices 6b may be facing inward towards a package P transferred past the second printing devices 6b in order to impart printing images on a surface of the package P under control of the printer controller 7a.
  • a slidable guide latch 5a may be slidably held in a sliding channel 5b in the back surface 1b of the housing body 1.
  • the slidable guide latch 5a may provide a movable side wall of the feed channel opposite to the side wall provided by the inner wall of the support member 3b.
  • the slidable guide latch 5a may be used to adjust the inlet width W of the feed channel for a package P to be imprinted.
  • packages P with cuboid shape of various sizes may be handled by the printer 10.
  • the feed channel may be designed to receive packages P of a width of up to 110 mm, a length up of to 110 mm and a height of up to 30 mm.
  • other dimensions for the feed channel may be implemented as well, depending on the desired maximum sizes of objects to be imprinted.
  • the printer 10 may comprise various registration sensors in order to register a position of a package P to be imprinted within the feed channel.
  • the printer 10 may for example comprise a line of first registrations sensors 8a lined up in the back surface 1b of the housing body 1 along the feeding direction of the package P.
  • the first registrations sensors 8a are configured to track a conveying location of the package P within the feed channel.
  • the printer 10 may comprise second registrations sensors 8b arranged in a horizontal line along the inlet of the feed channel, registering the lateral and longitudinal dimensions of any package P inserted in the feed channel.
  • more registrations sensors may be included in the back surface 1b of the housing body 1 of components of the guiding bracket 3.
  • the registrations sensors may for example comprise optical sensors, contact sensors, ultrasonic sensors, light barriers, registration mark readers or similar devices. All registrations sensors 8a, 8b may output sensor signals which are input to the printer controller 7a which in turn may be configured to control the first and/or second printing devices 6a, 6b on the basis of the received and evaluated sensor signals.
  • the printer 10 may further comprise an electrical energy storage device 7b, such as an accumulator or a replaceable battery, which is arranged within the housing body 1.
  • the electrical energy storage device 7b may be coupled to all electronic components within the printer 10 and may provide electrical power for the operation of the components.
  • the printer 10 includes a user input device included in the front surface 1a of the housing body 1.
  • the user input device may include a user interface 2, such as a keyboard and/or a display, for example a touchscreen display.
  • the user interface 2 is configured to receive user input commands which are conveyed to the printer controller 7a which in turn is configured to output the printing control signals to the first and/or second printing devices 6a, 6b on the basis of the user input commands input to the user input device.
  • the user input device may include further components such as various pushbuttons 2a, for example power switches or volume sliders, or input/output ports 2b such as USB ports, memory card slots or interface for charging cords.
  • the user input device may in particular allow the operator of the printer to choose design components to be printed on a package P from a design component library stored in the printer controller 7a or a memory accessible by the printer controller and user input device.
  • the user input device may generally resemble a tablet computer which may be connectable to the housing body 1 by means of a socket integrated into the housing body 1.
  • Operating system information OS may be displayed on the user interface 2, such as application information, home buttons, timing information or other icons and widgets.
  • the user input device may run an operating system such as iOS, Android, Cyanogen, Tizen, Ubuntu Mobile, Firefox or any similar mobile operating system.
  • the user interface 2 may for example display drag & drop content in a display bar DB that may be selected by a user, such drag & drop content being available from a design component library as previously explained.
  • the drag & drop content may be previewed in a preview image PV on the screen and then edited by use of digital paint tools displayed in a paint dialogue bar TB, such as recoloring tools, re-sizing tools, cropping tools, rotating tools or formatting tools.
  • the user interface 2 may display a three-dimensional graphical representation of the package with an envisioned look after printing.
  • a print button PB may be displayed when the user is done with customizing the printing model and wants to initiate the printing process.
  • the user interface 2 may display instructions for the user to insert a package P inn the inlet on the top side of the printer 10.
  • the package P will be automatically pulled in through the conveying devices 9 and will be imprinted by the various printing devices 6a, 6b.
  • the package P will then be fed to the bottom side of the feed channel where it will be held in place by the conveying devices 9 until it is pulled out manually by the user again.
  • One or two side surfaces of the package P may be printed at a time. If other side surfaces are to be imprinted, the package P may need to be re-inserted in the feed channel.
  • the user interface 2 may display instructions to the user on how to rotate and insert the package P correctly so that the right side surfaces will be printed in the desired orientation of the printing images.
EP15178087.1A 2015-07-23 2015-07-23 Handheld printer Active EP3121014B1 (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP15178087.1A EP3121014B1 (en) 2015-07-23 2015-07-23 Handheld printer
RS20180559A RS57218B1 (sr) 2015-07-23 2015-07-23 Ručni štampač

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP15178087.1A EP3121014B1 (en) 2015-07-23 2015-07-23 Handheld printer

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3121014A1 EP3121014A1 (en) 2017-01-25
EP3121014B1 true EP3121014B1 (en) 2018-03-07

Family

ID=53776358

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP15178087.1A Active EP3121014B1 (en) 2015-07-23 2015-07-23 Handheld printer

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP3121014B1 (sr)
RS (1) RS57218B1 (sr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN111301022A (zh) * 2020-02-27 2020-06-19 珠海奔彩打印科技有限公司 一种打印方法、装置，手持式打印机及存储介质

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3272540B1 (en) * 2016-07-19 2021-01-27 JT International S.A. Handheld printer

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AUPP702198A0 (en) * 1998-11-09 1998-12-03 Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd Image creation method and apparatus (ART79)
US6312124B1 (en) 1999-10-27 2001-11-06 Hewlett-Packard Company Solid and semi-flexible body inkjet printing system
US6577922B2 (en) 2001-07-30 2003-06-10 The Coca-Cola Company Point of sale product personalization system
EP2026284A1 (en) 2007-06-05 2009-02-18 Philip Morris Products S.A. Apparatus and method for providing a container with a customized design
US20130152506A1 (en) 2011-12-15 2013-06-20 Anantha Pradeep Dynamic package personalization system
WO2015027229A1 (en) 2013-08-22 2015-02-26 Robert B Mcdonald Dmd Pc Apparatus and method for low cost custom printing on objects

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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Title
None *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN111301022A (zh) * 2020-02-27 2020-06-19 珠海奔彩打印科技有限公司 一种打印方法、装置，手持式打印机及存储介质

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
RS57218B1 (sr) 2018-07-31
EP3121014A1 (en) 2017-01-25

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