JP2001171190A - Tape cassette and tape-printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tape cassette for cleaning which can simply clean a cutter edge of a tape-cutting mechanism and a tape-printing apparatus which automatically cleans the cutter edge by identifying setting of the tape cassette. SOLUTION: The tape cassette 10b for cleaning in which a cleaning tape 14 of a cleaning layer 14a and a reinforcing layer 14b is stored is used. Half cutting to the tape 14 for cleaning is carried out by identifying that the tape cassette 10b is set to a cassette setting part 6 of the tape-printing apparatus 1. The cutter edge 27 of the tape-cutting mechanism cuts from the side of the cleaning layer 14a of the tape 14. The cutter edge returns to an original position when a tip of the cutter edge 27 reaches a boundary between the cleaning layer 14a and the reinforcing layer 14b. At this time, an adhesive 12c adhering to the tip of the cutter edge 27 is wiped by the cleaning layer 14a and removed from the tip.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a tape cassette for cleaning a cutter blade of a cutting means for cutting a printing tape mounted on a tape printing apparatus, and a tape printing apparatus using the tape cassette.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A tape printing apparatus which prints characters on a printing tape in which a release layer is laminated on a printing tape layer via an adhesive to prepare various labels has been widely used.

This tape printing apparatus includes a keyboard for inputting character data to be printed, a display unit for displaying the input data, a data control unit for creating print data from the input character data, and a method for transferring the print data to a printing tape. The printer unit includes a printer unit for printing. The printer unit includes a transport mechanism for transporting the printing tape, a thermal head for printing on the printing tape, a cutting mechanism for cutting the printing tape, and the like.

Some of the cutting mechanisms have a full-cut function for cutting the print tape layer of the printing tape together with the release layer, and others have a half-cut function for cutting only the print tape layer while leaving the release layer. .

[0005]

In a tape printer having a full cut function and a half cut function as described above, when a plurality of labels are repeatedly printed on a printing tape by continuous printing while half cutting, The adhesive applied to the back of the printing tape layer adheres to the cutting edge of the cutter blade, resulting in poor sharpness. In particular, in the case of half cut in which the release layer is not cut, since the blade edge of the cutter blade stops at the adhesive portion on the back surface of the print tape layer, the adhesion of the adhesive to the blade edge is more remarkable than in the case of full cut. is there.
However, it is troublesome for the user to remove the adhesive adhering to the cutter blade, and it is dangerous to directly touch the cutter blade, which cannot be easily performed.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a tape cassette containing a cleaning tape capable of removing an adhesive adhered to a cutter blade of a cutting means of a tape printing apparatus for cutting a laminated printing tape including an adhesive layer. The purpose is to do.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tape printer which identifies the mounting of the cleaning tape on the apparatus main body and automatically performs the cleaning operation of the cutter blade.

[0008]

A tape cassette according to the present invention comprises: a cassette mounting portion for mounting a tape cassette containing a printing tape in which a printing tape layer and a release layer are laminated via an adhesive; It is used in a tape printing apparatus having printing means for printing on a printing tape pulled out from a tape cassette mounted on a mounting portion, and cutting means for cutting the printing tape printed by the printing means with a cutter blade. A cassette case configured to be exchangeable with a tape cassette accommodating the printing tape and to be mounted in the cassette mounting portion, and a cassette case accommodated in the cassette case so as to be drawn out and cut by the cutting means. Cleaning tape that cools the cutter blade when the Characterized by comprising the tape member fibrous having a thickness excluding the release layer from the print tape.

According to such a configuration, the tape cassette containing the cleaning tape is mounted on the cassette mounting portion of the tape printing apparatus, and the cleaning tape made of a fibrous material stored in the tape cassette is mounted. By performing the cutting operation, the adhesive adhering to the blade edge of the cutter blade of the cutting means by the cutting of the printing tape is removed by the cleaning tape, and the blade edge of the cutter blade can be cleaned. Adhesion of the adhesive to the cutting edge of the cutter blade is likely to occur in the case of a half-cut process in which the printing tape is cut while leaving a release layer, but the thickness of the cleaning tape is at least separated from the printing tape. By setting the thickness without the layer, it is possible to remove the adhesive adhered to the cutting edge of the cutter blade corresponding to the half-cut processing.

[0010] Further, by forming a tape cassette by accommodating a tape member provided at the beginning or end of the printing tape with the cleaning tape, if the tape cassette is mounted on a tape printing apparatus, printing can be performed. While using the tape for normal printing, and with the tape cassette attached to the tape printer, while using up the printing tape of the tape cassette, the cutter blade of the cutting means using the cleaning tape is used. Cleaning becomes possible.

Further, the tape printing apparatus of the present invention accommodates a printing tape in which a printing tape layer and a release layer are laminated via an adhesive, and is provided with a printing tape cassette provided with identification information indicating the type of the tape. A cassette mounting section on which is mounted
Transport means for pulling out the printing tape from the printing tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion and transporting the printing tape; printing means for printing on the printing tape transported by the transport means; and printing by the printing means Cutting means for cutting the printed printing tape with a cutter blade, wherein the cassette mounting portion accommodates a cleaning tape for cleaning the cutter blade when cut by the cutting means, and indicates the type of the tape. A cleaning tape cassette provided with identification information, which is interchangeably mounted with the printing tape cassette, and a detecting means for detecting identification information provided on the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion; The type of tape contained in the tape cassette based on the identification information detected by the detecting means. Determining means for determining, and control means for driving the transport means and the cutting means without driving the printing means when the cleaning tape is determined by the determining means. I do.

According to the tape printing apparatus having such a configuration, when a tape cassette for printing and a tape cassette for cleaning are used together, the tape mounting device is mounted on the cassette mounting portion based on identification information attached to these tape cassettes. By determining the type of the tape, the mounting of the cleaning tape can be automatically determined, and the cleaning operation of the cutter blade of the cutting means can be performed.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a tape printing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a tape cassette mounting portion and a tape cassette.

As shown in FIG. 1, a keyboard 3 and a liquid crystal display unit 4 are provided on an upper surface of an apparatus main body 2 of the tape printer 1, and a cassette mounting unit 6 covered by a lid 5 which can be opened and closed is provided. .

The keyboard 3 has a power key for operating the power of the apparatus, a character / symbol input key for inputting characters and symbols,
Delete key to delete entered characters and symbols, cursor movement key to move the cursor up, down, left and right on the display screen, print key to instruct printing of created document, execution of selection on menu screen, etc. Keys required for the tape printing control processing of the tape printer 1 are provided, such as an execution key for instructing execution of processing or a cancel key for canceling execution of processing.

The cassette mounting section 6 is provided with a printing mechanism of a thermal transfer printer, and is mounted with a printing tape cassette 10a containing a printing tape 12 and an ink ribbon 13 for thermal transfer.

The printing mechanism includes a thermal head 7 in which a heating element is driven to generate heat based on print data, and a printing tape 1 which is driven to rotate when the thermal head 7 is driven.
And a platen roller 8 for transporting the ink ribbon 13 and a ribbon winding shaft 9 for winding the ink ribbon 13 used by thermal transfer.

The thermal head 7 includes a plurality of heating elements arranged in a line in the width direction of the printing tape 12 and is provided so as to be capable of being pressed against and separated from the platen roller 8.

The platen roller 8 is rotated by a drive unit (not shown), and is driven to rotate by a predetermined angle for each printing of one line of the thermal head 7 to convey the printing tape 12 and the ink ribbon 13 by a predetermined distance. 8
The ribbon winding shaft 9 is also rotationally driven by a driving unit (not shown) in conjunction with the rotational driving of, and the used ink ribbon 13 is wound up.

The tape cassette 10a for printing mounted in the cassette accommodating section 6 includes a cassette case 11a, a tape supply reel 15 on which a printing tape 12 is wound, and a ribbon supply reel 17 on which an ink ribbon 13 is wound. Take-up reel 18 driven to rotate by the ribbon take-up shaft 9
And A head insertion portion 19 for accommodating the thermal head 7 is provided in a part of the cassette case 11a, and the printing tape 12 and the ink ribbon 13 are drawn out of the cassette case 11a in an overlapping manner. 7 and a platen roller 8.

In this tape printing apparatus, the printing tape 1
2 and the ink ribbon 13 are conveyed by the rotation of the platen roller 8, and while the used ink ribbon 13 is wound by the rotation of the ribbon winding shaft 9, thermal transfer printing is performed by the heat generation of the thermal head 7. The data of the document consisting of the character string is sequentially printed in the longitudinal direction of the print tape 12. The printed printing tape 12 is discharged from the tape discharge port 20 to the outside of the apparatus, and the tape cutting mechanism 2
1 performs a half-cut or full-cut cutting process.

A tape cassette used for the tape printer 1 includes a printing tape cassette 10a for accommodating the printing tape 12, a tape cutting mechanism 21 described later.
The cleaning tape cassette 10b for accommodating the cleaning tape of the cutting blade 27 is prepared.

The tape cassette 10a for printing is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1A, a printing tape (tape tape) 12 for producing an adhesive label is housed therein. The printing tape 12 is composed of a printing tape (printing tape layer) 12a and a release paper (release layer) 12b,
2, and is accommodated in a cassette case 11a together with an ink ribbon 13 for thermal transfer to a printing tape layer 12a of the printing tape 12, as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the tape cassette 1 for cleaning
As shown in FIG. 2, a tape supply reel 15 wound with a cleaning tape 14 is accommodated in a cassette case 11b, and the cleaning tape 14 can be pulled out of the cassette case 11b. The cassette case 11b of the cleaning tape cassette 10b has substantially the same outer shape as the cassette case 11a of the printing tape cassette 10a, for example, including the head insertion portion 19. Since no ink ribbon is stored in the cleaning tape cassette 10b, an opening 18b into which the ribbon winding shaft 9 is inserted is formed in the cassette case 11b.

The cleaning tape 14 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a cleaning layer 14a made of, for example, a fiber cloth or a non-woven fabric, and a reinforcing layer 14 made of, for example, high-quality paper, adhered to the back surface thereof through an adhesive (not shown)
b, and a cleaning member 14a
Is housed in the cassette case 10b while being wound on the tape supply reel 15 with the inside facing. The thickness of the cleaning layer 14a of the cleaning tape 14 is at least the thickness of the printing tape 12 excluding the release paper 12b. The thickness of the cleaning tape 14 corresponds to at least the thickness of the printing tape layer 12 a and the adhesive 12 c of the printing tape 12.
When 1 performs a half cut on the printing tape 12,
The adhesive 12c adheres to the depth corresponding to the depth at which the cutting edge of the cutter blade cuts into the printing tape 12.

By setting the thickness of the cleaning tape 14 in this manner, the tape cutting mechanism 21
In the case where the half cutting is performed in 2, the adhesive 12c attached to the cutting edge of the cutter blade can be cleaned. When the thickness of the cleaning tape 14 is smaller than the above-mentioned thickness, the cleaning effect is undesirably small.

When the user performs tape printing, the user mounts the printing tape cassette 10a in which the printing tape 12 is housed together with the ink ribbon 13 on the cassette mounting section 6 and cleans the cutter blade 27 described later. Then, the cleaning tape cassette 10b accommodating the cleaning tape 14 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 6.

Here, in order to indicate the type of tape accommodated in such a plurality of types of tape cassettes, tape identification information is attached to the edges of the cassette cases 11a and 11b. Reference numerals 22a and 22b in FIG.
Is a tape type information section for identifying the type of the printing tape provided at a predetermined position on the edge of the cassette case 11a, 11b.
The identification information is detected by a tape type identification switch 23 provided in the printer.

The tape type identification switch 23 comprises a microswitch, and the tape type information section 22
The shape of the tape accommodated in the cassette case differs between that for printing and that for cleaning. For example, in the case of the tape cassette 10a for printing, a cutout is formed and the tape type identification switch 23 is turned off. In the case of the cleaning tape cassette 10b, there is no notch and the tape type identification switch 23 is turned on.

The reference numeral 24 in FIG.
1a is a tape width information section for identifying the width of the printing tape provided at another predetermined position on the edge of the tape 1a. The tape width identification switch 25 provided on the cassette mounting section 6 of the tape printer 1 identifies the tape width. Information is detected.

Further, the apparatus main body 2 is provided with a tape discharge port 20 for discharging the tape on which printing has been completed to the outside, and a tape cutting mechanism 21 is provided in a tape discharge path between the tape discharge port 20 and the printing mechanism. Can be This tape cutting mechanism 21
Is a full cut that separates the printed portion of the printed tape 12 from the printed tape 12 after printing, and a release layer 12b of the adhered printing tape 12 in which a release layer 12b is laminated on the printed tape layer 12a. Print tape layer 12 to leave
a and a half-cutting process for cutting the adhesive 12c.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of the tape cutting mechanism 21.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 26 denotes a cutter supporting portion for supporting the cutter blade 27; 28, a cutter receiving portion for receiving the cutter blade 27; 29, a cutter driving motor; 30, an output gear provided on a motor output shaft; 34 is a transmission gear for transmitting the rotation of the motor 29, 35 and 36 are cams provided coaxially with the transmission gears 33 and 34, and 37 is a cutter support 2
6 is a spring that urges the cutter 6 toward the cutter receiving portion 28.

Elongated holes 38 and 39 are formed in the cutter supporting portion 26 in the horizontal direction toward the cutter receiving portion 28.
Engagement pins 40, 4 projecting from cams 35, 36 at 8, 39
1 engage. Although not shown in FIG. 4, the cutter support 26 is configured to be movable in the up, down, left, and right directions, but is not moved in the forward and backward directions by the regulating member.

On both sides of the cutter blade 27 of the cutter support 26, legs 42 projecting from the cutter blade 27,
The cutter receiving portion 28 is provided with a pair of recesses 44 and 45.

The tips of the legs 42 and 43 of the cutter support 26 project from the tip of the cutter blade 27 by T.
Is a dimension substantially corresponding to the thickness of the release layer 12b. Further, the protrusion dimension T of the legs 42 and 43 with respect to the cutter blade 27 is set.
Is smaller than the depth of the concave portions 44 and 45 formed in the cutter receiving portion 28.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the tape cutting mechanism 24.
It is a figure explaining operation | movement of full cut. The full cut is to completely cut the tape. For example, in the case of the printing tape 12, the printing tape layer 12a, the adhesive 12c, and the release layer 12b are cut.

From the initial state shown in FIG.
, The cams 35 and 36 rotate in the direction of arrow A, and accordingly the engagement pins 40 and 41 also move on an arc trajectory in a circle indicated by a dashed line. Then, the engagement pins 40,
The cutter support portion 26 supporting the cutter blade 27 moves downward in FIG. 5A because the slot 41 and the elongated holes 38 and 39 are engaged and urged in the direction of the cutter receiving portion 28 by the spring 37. While moving toward the cutter receiving portion 28. When the cutter drive motor 29 further rotates forward, the engagement pins 40 and 41
The cutter support 26 moves in accordance with the movement of
In (b), the printing tape 12 on the cutter receiving portion 28 is fully cut while moving upward. FIG. 5B shows a state at the time of completion of the full cut.

When the full-cut process is completed, the cutter driving motor 29 rotates in the reverse direction, and the cutter support 26 returns to the initial position in FIG. The initial position and the end position of the full cutting of the cutter blade 27 are performed by detecting the rotation angles of the cams 35 and 36 by a sensor.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show the tape cutting mechanism 21.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the half-cut operation of FIG. The half cut is to partially cut the printing tape 12 having the release layer 12b. For example, in the printing tape 12, the printing tape layer 12a and the adhesive 12c are cut while leaving the release layer 12b. In the cleaning tape 14, the portion of the cleaning layer 14a is cut while leaving the reinforcing layer 14b.

At the time of half cutting, the cutter driving motor 29 rotates in the reverse direction from the initial state shown in FIG.
In this direction, the engagement pins 40 and 41 also move on an arc trajectory in a circle indicated by a chain line. Then, since the engaging pins 40 and 41 and the elongated holes 38 and 39 are engaged with each other and urged in the direction of the cutter receiving portion 28 by the spring 37, the cutter supporting portion 26 moves upward in FIG. It moves toward the cutter receiving portion 28 while moving. Then, the legs 42 and 43 of the cutter support 26 come into contact with the cutter receiver 28. When the cutter driving motor 29 is further driven to rotate in the reverse direction, the cutter supporting portion 26 moves downward in FIG.
On the printing tape 8, half cut is performed to cut only the printing tape layer 12 a of the printing tape 12 arranged with the printing tape layer 12 a toward the cutter blade 27 and the release layer 12 b toward the cutter receiving portion 28.

In this case, the legs 42 of the cutter support 26,
The tip of 43 protrudes from the tip of the cutter blade 27 by a dimension of T corresponding to the thickness of the peeling layer 12b, and there is a T gap between the cutter receiving portion 28 and the cutter blade 27. The printing tape layer 12a and the adhesive 12c are cut while leaving 12b. FIG. 6B shows a state at the end of the half cut.

When the half-cut processing is completed, the cutter drive motor 29 rotates forward and the cutter support 26 returns to the initial position in FIG. The initial position of the half-cut of the cutter blade 27 is the same as the initial position of the full-cut, and the initial position and the end position of the half-cut are performed by detecting the rotation angles of the cams 35 and 36 with a sensor.

Here, when the tape cutting mechanism 21 continuously performs the half-cut on the printing tape 12, the adhesive 12 c of the printing tape 12 adheres to the cutting edge of the cutter blade 27. The amount of adhesion increases in accordance with the number of consecutive half-cuts, and makes the cutter blade 27 less sharp. In order to remove the adhesive 12c attached to the cutter blade 27, a cleaning tape cassette 10b containing the cleaning tape 12 is used.

This cleaning tape cassette 10
b is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 6 in exchange for the tape cassette 10a for printing. The fact that the cleaning tape cassette 10b has been mounted on the cassette mounting section 6 is identified by the tape type identification switch 23, and after the identification, the cleaning mode is set. In the cleaning mode, a predetermined number of half-cut operations are performed on the cleaning tape 14 stored in the cleaning tape cassette 10b by pressing a “cleaning” key provided on the keyboard 3 by the user.

This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7 shows a tape cassette 1 for cleaning.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a cleaning operation of the cutter blade 27 when 0b is used.

When the cleaning tape cassette 10b is mounted in place of the printing tape cassette 10a and the "cleaning" key is depressed, the rotation of the platen roller 8 causes the cleaning stored in the cleaning tape cassette 10b. The tape 14 is conveyed by a predetermined amount and is discharged from the tape discharge port 20. The tape discharge port 20 is provided with a tape cutting mechanism 21, and a half cutting operation is performed by the cutter blade 27 of the tape cutting mechanism 21.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the cutter blade 27 is attached to the cleaning layer 1 of the cleaning tape 14.
4c, as shown in FIGS. 7 (c) and 7 (d),
The cutting edge of the cutter blade 27 is composed of the cleaning layer 14a and the reinforcing layer 1.
After reaching the boundary with 4b, it returns to the original position. that time,
The adhesive 12c attached to the cutting edge of the cutter blade 27 is wiped off by the cleaning layer 14a made of fiber cloth or non-woven fabric, and is removed from the cutting edge. By repeating such a cutting operation a predetermined number of times while transporting the cleaning tape 14 for each predetermined amount, the adhesive 12c can be completely removed from the cutting edge of the cutter blade 27.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic circuit of the tape printer.

The control unit 50 activates a system program stored in the ROM 51 in advance in response to a key operation signal from the keyboard 3, and controls the operation of each circuit unit.

The control unit 50 includes a RAM 52 for storing various data relating to the printing process of the printing apparatus, a display character generator 53 for generating pattern data of a font for display, and a printing for generating pattern data of a font for printing. A character generator 54, a display unit 4 for displaying input document data and data necessary for print processing are connected, and a printer unit 55 is connected. The printer section 55 is provided with a thermal head 7 and a drive circuit 56 thereof, and a step motor 57 for rotating and driving the platen roller 8 and the ribbon winding shaft 9 and a drive circuit 58 thereof, for driving the tape cutting mechanism 24. The cutter driving motor 29 and its driving circuit 59 are provided.

Further, a tape type identification switch 23 for detecting information of the tape type information section 22 provided in the cassette cases 11a and 11b, and the cassette cases 11a and 11b.
A tape width identification switch 25 for detecting information of the tape width information section 24 provided in b.

Further, a plurality of sensors 60 for detecting an initial position, a full cut end position, and a half cut end position of the tape cutting mechanism 24 are provided.

Next, the operation of the present apparatus will be described.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a print control process of the tape printer in the first embodiment.

It is set in advance whether or not to perform the half-cut processing before starting printing. If the user desires the half cut, the user selects and sets it on the display screen to perform the half cut processing.

When the printing of the input character string is instructed, the state of the tape type identification switch 23 is confirmed and determined (steps A1 and A2).

If it is determined that the tape type identification switch 23 is in the OFF state, the tape member in the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting section 6 is the printing tape 12. That is, the printing tape cassette 10 a containing the printing tape 12 is currently mounted on the cassette mounting section 6.

When the printing tape cassette 10a is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 6, the thermal head 7 is driven and controlled according to the printing instruction to print all of the printing data (steps A3 and A4). Then, the printing tape 12 is transported by the margin secured at the rear of the character string (step A5), and the tape 12 is further transported by the distance between the thermal head 7 and the tape cutting mechanism 21 (step A6).

Here, it is determined whether or not there is a half-cut setting (step A7). If there is a setting for half-cut, as described in FIG. 6, half-cut is performed by driving the cutter drive motor 29 in the reverse direction while the tape conveyance is stopped to operate the tape cutting mechanism 21 at the initial position. Do. When the half cut is completed, the cutter drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward to return the tape cutting mechanism 21 to the initial position (Step A8). After that, the tape transport is restarted and transported by a predetermined distance (step A).
9) As described with reference to FIG. 5, in a state where the transport of the tape 12 is stopped, the cutter drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward to operate the tape cutting mechanism 21 from the initial position to perform the full cut. When the full cut is completed, the cutter driving motor 29 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction to return the tape cutting mechanism 21 to the initial position (Step A10), and the printing process ends.

If it is determined in step A7 that there is no half-cut setting, the half-cut is not performed and
A full cut is performed (step A10), and the process ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step A2 that the tape type identification switch 23 is turned on, the tape member in the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting section 6 is the cleaning tape 14. That is, the cleaning tape cassette 10b containing the cleaning tape 14 is currently mounted on the cassette mounting section 6. The cleaning tape cassette 10b is provided by the user by confirming or estimating that the adhesive 12c has adhered to the cutter blade 27 of the tape cutting mechanism 21.
Is mounted on the cassette mounting section 6 by exchanging with.

When the mounting of the cleaning tape cassette 10b is identified, the cleaning mode is set (step A2 → A11). In cleaning mode,
The printing operation by the thermal head 7 is not performed, and when the “cleaning” key provided on the keyboard 3 is pressed,
A half-cut operation is performed on the cleaning tape 14.

That is, when the cleaning mode is set, the “cleaning”
When the key is depressed (step A12), the cleaning tape 14 is transported by a predetermined amount (step A13), and in a state where the transport is stopped, the cutter driving motor 29 is driven in reverse to drive the tape cutting mechanism 21 at the initial position. By performing the operation, half cutting is performed to cut only the cleaning layer 14a while leaving the reinforcing layer 14b of the cleaning tape 14. When the half-cut is completed, the cutter drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward to return the tape cutting mechanism 21 to the initial position (Step A14).

By the half-cutting operation on the cleaning tape 14, the adhesive 12c attached to the cutting edge of the cutter blade 27 is wiped off by the cleaning layer 14a and removed from the cutting edge as described with reference to FIG. . By repeating this cutting operation a predetermined number of times, the adhesive 12c can be completely removed from the cutting edge of the cutter blade 27.

More specifically, for example, a predetermined number of cleanings n is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 52 shown in FIG. 8, and the value of n is decremented by one each time the cutting operation on the cleaning tape 14 is performed once. The process of steps A13 and A14 is repeated while decrementing by one until the value of n becomes "0" (steps A15 and A16). When n = 0, that is,
When a predetermined number of cutting operations have been performed, the cleaning process ends here. After the predetermined number of half-cut operations are completed, the tape cutting mechanism 21 is driven to perform a full-cut process, and the used cleaning tape 14 is cut (step A10).

As described above, when the adhesive 12c adheres to the blade edge of the cutter blade 27 and the sharpness deteriorates, the user can mount the cleaning tape cassette 10b without directly touching the cutter blade 27. By performing the half-cutting operation on the cleaning tape 14 a plurality of times, the adhesive 12c can be removed from the cutting edge to restore the original sharpness. In addition, the cleaning tape 14 is cleaned by a plurality of half cuts to clean the cutting edge, and finally a full cut is performed. Therefore, although the cleaning layer 14a of the cleaning tape 14 is cut by the half cut, the cleaning layer 14a is cut on the reinforcing layer 14b. , So that the cleaning layer 14a is not shredded and scattered.

In FIG. 9, the cleaning process is started by operating the "cleaning" key of the keyboard 3 in step A12.
May be omitted, and if the mounting of the cleaning tape cassette 10b is identified in step A2, the process may be executed immediately after the cleaning mode is set.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, the cleaning tape cassette 10b is prepared separately from the printing tape cassette 10a, and the user mounts the cleaning tape cassette 10b. The cleaning of the cutter blade 27 is performed.
In the embodiment, the printing tape 12 (the printing tape layer 12
a and a release layer 12b are laminated by an adhesive 12c), and a cleaning tape 14 is provided at the beginning or end of the laminated tape to enable both printing and cleaning with a single tape cassette. is there.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the tape configuration according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 (a) is a plan view showing the tape configuration, and FIG. 10 (b) is the tape configuration. FIG.

The print tape layer 12a shown in FIG.
A cleaning layer 14a made of a fiber cloth or a non-woven fabric shown in FIG. 3B is provided on the reinforcing layer 1 at the end of the printing tape 12 in which the printing layer 12 and the release layer 12b are laminated via an adhesive 12c.
4b, a cleaning tape 14 reinforced by the cleaning layer 1b is provided.
It is fixed to the tape supply reel 15 via the double-sided tape 71 with the surface of 4a inside. A black connection tape 72 is attached to the outer surface of the boundary between the cleaning tape 14 and the printing tape 12. The connection tape 72 connects the cleaning tape 14 and the printing tape 12 and is used as a mark indicating a boundary between the two.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the cassette mounting section 6 of the tape printing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

The tape member having the cleaning tape 14 and the printing tape 12 is housed in a tape cassette 10c together with an ink ribbon 19 for thermal transfer. The tape cassette 10c for printing and cleaning has the same shape and internal structure as the tape cassette 10a for printing of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the cassette mounting section 6, a mark sensor 73 is attached to the tape cutting mechanism 21 so as to face the surface of the tape member accommodated in the tape cassette 10c on which the connecting tape 72 is provided. Is provided in the vicinity of. This mark sensor 73 is composed of a photo sensor,
The black connection tape 72 is detected from the amount of light reflected. The mark sensor 73 is connected to the control unit 5 shown in FIG.
When the black connection tape 72 is detected, the detection signal is output to the control unit 50.

Next, the operation in the case where such a tape cassette 12 for printing and cleaning is used will be described.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a print control process of the tape printer according to the second embodiment.

As in the first embodiment, whether or not to perform the half-cut processing before the start of printing is set in advance. If the user desires the half cut, the user selects and sets it on the display screen to perform the half cut processing.

When printing of the input character string is instructed, the state of the mark sensor 73 is confirmed and determined (steps B1 and B2).

If the mark sensor 73 does not detect the black connection tape 72 affixed to the boundary between the printing tape 12 and the cleaning tape 14, the inside of the tape cassette 10 c mounted on the cassette mounting section 6 Is a printing tape 12. In this case, the thermal head 7 is driven and controlled according to the print instruction to print all of the print data (steps B3 and B3).
4) Then, the printing tape 12 is transported by an amount of the margin secured at the rear part of the character string (step B5), and the tape 12 is further transported by the distance between the thermal head 7 and the tape cutting mechanism 21 (step B6). .

Here, it is determined whether or not there is a half-cut setting (step B7). If there is a setting for half-cut, as described in FIG. 6, half-cut is performed by driving the cutter drive motor 29 in the reverse direction while the tape conveyance is stopped to operate the tape cutting mechanism 21 at the initial position. Do. When the half cutting is completed, the cutter driving motor 29 is driven to rotate forward to return the tape cutting mechanism 21 to the initial position (step B8). Thereafter, the tape transport is restarted, and the tape is transported a predetermined distance (step B).
9) As described with reference to FIG. 5, in a state where the transport of the tape 12 is stopped, the cutter drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward to operate the tape cutting mechanism 21 from the initial position to perform the full cut. When the full cut is completed, the cutter driving motor 29 is driven in the reverse direction to return the tape cutting mechanism 21 to the initial position (step B10), and the printing process is completed.

If it is determined in step B7 that there is no half-cut setting, the half-cut is not performed.
A full cut is performed (step B10), and the process ends.

On the other hand, when the mark sensor 73 detects the connection tape 72 in the step B2, the tape member fed out from the tape cassette 10c mounted on the cassette mounting section 6 is replaced by the cleaning tape 14c.
It is. In this case, the cleaning tape 14 is transported by a predetermined amount without performing the printing operation (step B11).
While the conveyance is stopped, the cutter drive motor 29 is driven in the reverse direction to operate the tape cutting mechanism 21 at the initial position, thereby performing the half cut. When the half cut is completed, the cutter drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward to return the tape cutting mechanism 21 to the initial position (step B1).
2).

By the half-cutting operation on the cleaning tape 14, the adhesive 12c adhered to the blade edge of the cutter blade 27 is wiped off by the cleaning layer 14a and removed from the blade edge as described with reference to FIG. . By repeating this cutting operation a predetermined number of times, the adhesive 12c can be completely removed from the cutting edge of the cutter blade 27.

More specifically, for example, a preset number of times n of cleaning is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 52 shown in FIG. 8, and the value of n is decremented by one each time the cutting operation on the cleaning tape 14 is performed once. The process of steps B11 and B12 is repeated while decrementing each time until the value of n becomes "0" (steps B13 and B14). When n = 0, that is,
When a predetermined number of cutting operations have been performed, the cleaning process ends here. After the predetermined number of half-cut operations are completed, the tape cutting mechanism 21 is driven to perform a full-cut process, and the used cleaning tape 14 is cut (step B10).

As described above, the cleaning tape 14 is attached to the end of the printing tape 12 in the tape cassette 10c.
Is provided, the cutting edge of the cutter blade 27 is removed by the cleaning tape 1 until the printing tape 12 is used up.
In step 4, cleaning can be performed.

Although the cleaning tape 14 is provided at the end of the printing tape 12 in the second embodiment, the cleaning tape 14 may be provided at the starting end of the printing tape 12.

In the second embodiment, the cleaning tape 14 is identified by detecting the black connection tape 72 with the mark sensor 73. May be printed, and the mark is detected by the mark sensor 73.

[0090]

As described in detail above, the cleaning tape cassette of the present invention is mounted on the cassette mounting portion of the tape printer, and the cleaning tape made of a fibrous material stored in the tape cassette is mounted. By performing the cutting operation, the cutter blade of the cutting means can be easily cleaned.

Adhesion of the adhesive to the cutting edge of the cutter blade is likely to occur in the case of a half-cut process in which the printing tape is cut while leaving a release layer. By setting the thickness of the tape excluding the release layer, the adhesive adhered to the cutting edge of the cutter blade can be removed corresponding to the half-cut processing.

Further, by using a tape cassette for both printing and cleaning in which the cleaning tape made of the fibrous material is provided at the start end or the end of the printing tape, the time until the printing tape is completely used up can be obtained. In addition, the cutter blade of the cutting means can be cleaned with the cleaning tape.

Further, when a tape cassette for printing and a tape cassette for cleaning are used together, the type of the tape accommodated in the tape cassette mounted in the cassette accommodating portion is determined from the identification information attached to these tape cassettes. Since the determination is made, the mounting of the cleaning tape cassette can be automatically determined, and the cleaning operation of the cutter blade of the cutting means can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a tape printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a tape cassette accommodating portion and a tape cassette of the tape printer.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of a printing tape housed in a printing tape cassette used in the tape printing apparatus and a structure of a cleaning tape housed in a cleaning tape cassette.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a tape cutting mechanism of the tape printer.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a full cutting operation of the tape cutting mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the half-cutting operation of the tape cutting mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a cleaning operation of a cutter blade when the cleaning tape cassette is used.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic circuit of the tape printer.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a print control process of the tape printer according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining a tape configuration according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a cassette accommodating portion of the tape printer according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating print control processing of the tape printer according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tape printing apparatus 2 ... Device main body 3 ... Keyboard 4 ... Liquid crystal display part 5 ... Lid 6 ... Cassette accommodating part 7 ... Thermal head 8 ... Platen roller 9 ... Ribbon winding shaft 10a ... Printing tape cassette 10b ... Cleaning Tape cassette 10c: Tape cassette for printing and cleaning 11a to 11c Cassette case 12: Printing tape 12a: Printing tape layer 12b: Peeling layer 12c: Adhesive 13: Ink ribbon 14: Cleaning tape 14a: Cleaning layer 14b ... Reinforcing layer 15 ... Tape supply reel 17 ... Ribbon supply reel 18 ... Ribbon take-up reel 19 ... Head insertion part 20 ... Tape discharge port 21 ... Tape cutting mechanism 22 ... Tape type information part 23 ... Tape type identification switch 24 ... Tape width Information part 25: Tape width identification Switch 26 Cutter support 27 Cutter blade 28 Cutter receiver 29 Cutter drive motor 35, 36 Cam 37 Spring 38, 39 Long hole 40, 41 Engagement pin 42, 43 Leg 44, 45 ... recess 50 ... control unit (CPU) 51 ... ROM 52 ... RAM 53 ... display character generator 54 ... print character generator 55 ... printer unit 56 ... print head drive circuit 57 ... step motor 58 ... motor drive circuit 59 ... motor drive Circuit 60: Sensor 71: Double-sided tape 72: Connection tape 73: Mark sensor

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cassette mounting portion for mounting a tape cassette containing a printing tape in which a printing tape layer and a release layer are laminated via an adhesive, and pulled out from the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion. A tape cassette used in a tape printing apparatus, comprising: a printing unit that prints on a printing tape; and a cutting unit that cuts the printing tape printed by the printing unit with a cutter blade. A cassette case configured to be exchangeable with a tape cassette accommodating the cassette case, and configured to be mountable on the cassette mounting portion; and a cleaning housed in the cassette case so as to be drawn out and cooling the cutter blade when cut by the cutting means. And a cleaning tape, wherein the cleaning tape removes at least the release layer from the printing tape. A tape cassette comprising a fibrous tape member having a variable thickness. 2. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning tape is made of a non-woven fabric. 3. A cassette mounting portion for mounting a tape cassette containing a printing tape in which a printing tape layer and a release layer are laminated via an adhesive, and are drawn out of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion. A tape cassette used in a tape printing apparatus, comprising: a printing unit that prints on a printing tape; and a cutting unit that cuts the printing tape printed by the printing unit with a cutter blade. A cassette case configured to be replaceable with a tape cassette containing the tape cassette and configured to be mounted on the cassette mounting portion, and a tape member that is housed so as to be able to be pulled out into the cassette case, wherein the tape member is formed of the printing tape. At the beginning or end, at least the thickness of the printing tape except for the release layer, is cut by the cutting means A cleaning tape made of a fibrous material that cools the cutter blade when the tape cassette is cooled. 4. A cassette mounting section for housing a printing tape in which a printing tape layer and a release layer are laminated via an adhesive, and mounting a printing tape cassette provided with identification information indicating the type of the tape. Transport means for pulling out and transporting a printing tape from the printing tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion, printing means for performing printing on the printing tape transported by the transport means, and printing means Cutting means for cutting the printed printing tape with a cutter blade, wherein the cassette mounting section contains a cleaning tape for cleaning the cutter blade when cut by the cutting means, and stores the type of the tape. Tape printing apparatus in which a cleaning tape cassette provided with identification information indicating the information is interchangeably mounted with the printing tape cassette. Detecting means for detecting identification information provided on the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion; and discrimination for determining the type of tape contained in the tape cassette based on the identification information detected by the detecting means. And a control unit for driving the transporting unit and the cutting unit without driving the printing unit when the cleaning tape is determined by the determining unit. apparatus.