JP2005178278A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer that can print a single content on two different printing targets without using two printers whereby an operation for performing the printing such as inputting of data to be printed can be readily carried out. <P>SOLUTION: This printer has a first printer section 3 and a second printer section 4 built in a housing 2. A character string to be printed is input to both of the printer sections 3, 4, and the first and second printer sections 3, 4 are operated in parallel by single print data of the input character string, and then the printing of the single content based on the print data is performed on the two different printing targets. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer apparatus including a first printer unit and a second printer unit in a housing of the apparatus main body.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-72155 discloses a printer for disk printing that prints characters such as a title on a label surface of an optical disk such as a CD-R as a print target. Conventionally, various types of tape printers that produce labels by printing on a tape have been provided.

  By the way, there is a case where a character string such as a title is printed on the label surface of the optical disc, and a label printed with the same character string printed on the label surface of the optical disc is attached to the optical disc storage case for management.

  In such a case, a character string such as a title relating to the contents of electronic data recorded on the optical disc is printed on the label surface of the optical disc using a printer device for disc printing, and then a tape printer device is used on the optical disc. The label is created by printing the same character string as the printed character string on the tape.

  In other words, the character string to be printed is first input to the printer for disk printing, and the details of the print format including the number of lines and the character size are individually set, or the print format is prepared in accordance with a print format prepared in advance. Are collectively set, and the input character string is printed on the optical disc by instructing printing. In the tape printer, the same character string as that printed on the optical disk is input, and the character string is printed on the tape by setting the same format as in the case of disk printing and instructing the printing.

In the conventional printer device, in order to create a printed matter in a desired format, one print format is selected from a plurality of print formats that define a print format prepared in advance, and the print format corresponding to the selected print format is selected. A user can easily create a printed matter by inputting predetermined input items.
JP 2003-72155 A

  However, as described above, when printing directly on the label surface of the optical disk and printing a label to be attached to the storage case, two printer apparatuses, a printer apparatus for optical disk printing and a tape printer apparatus, are used. It is necessary to print separately.

  Therefore, the two different printer apparatuses must be prepared, and the data to be printed must be input to the two printer apparatuses, and the print format must be set for each. , Mistakes in data entry occur, and preparation and operation for printing become troublesome. Then, data is input to one printer and printing is performed, and when it is finished, the procedure is to input data to another printer and perform printing. There is also a problem that the work and printing processing time becomes long.

  Further, in the conventional printer apparatus, it is possible to easily print on the print object using the print format, but for the user, one of the most suitable for data to be printed from a plurality of print formats. Selecting a print format has not always been easy.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such points, and can print on two objects to be printed without preparing two printers and perform printing such as input of data to be printed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer device that can easily perform the above operations.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a printer device that can shorten the user's work time and print processing time for printing on two print objects.

  Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a printer apparatus that can easily obtain a print result most suitable for data to be printed, without the trouble of selecting a print format.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer apparatus including a first printer unit and a second printer unit, wherein the first printer unit and the second printer unit are generated by a single print data common to both printer units. Control means for operating both the printer units to print the single print data is provided.

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that the control means causes the first printer unit and the second printer unit to perform printing operations in parallel.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the control means causes the first printer unit and the second printer unit to sequentially perform printing operations.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer apparatus comprising a first printer unit and a second printer unit, wherein printing operations of the first printer unit and the second printer unit are performed in parallel. A control means is provided. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer apparatus comprising a first printer unit and a second printer unit, wherein the printing operations of the first printer unit and the second printer unit are successively performed. A control means is provided.

  The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that the first printer unit and the second printer unit are configured to print on different print objects.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the first printer unit prints on a label surface of a recording medium for recording electronic data, and the second printer unit is used as a label to be attached to a storage case of the recording medium. It is characterized by printing on a print medium tape.

  The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that printing methods of the first printer unit and the second printer unit are different.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of print format data for defining a print format of a specific input item corresponding to a combination of at least one or more specific input items among a plurality of predetermined input items is stored in advance. Print format storage means for storing; input means capable of inputting data to each of the plurality of input items; and printing corresponding to a specific input item data input from the input means out of the plurality of print format data Print format selection means for selecting format data, and the control means controls the first printer section and the second printer section to input the input according to the print format data selected by the print format selection means. It is characterized by being configured to print data input from the means on a print objectThe invention according to claim 8 is not limited to the printer device having the two printer functions of the first printer unit and the second printer unit, and the print format is not included in the printer device having one normal printer function. A print format selection function including a storage unit, the input unit, and the print format selection unit may be applied.

  The invention of claim 10 is the invention of claim 9, wherein the plurality of input items are composed of at least one required input item for which data input is indispensable and at least one arbitrary input item for which data input is arbitrary. It is characterized by being.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a single printer device can be used to print a single character string or the like on two objects to be printed by both printer units of the device using a single print data. it can. For this reason, it is not necessary to prepare two printer apparatuses, and since the print data used for printing of both printer units is a single common data, the data input can be completed by a single input. For this reason, operations for performing printing such as data input are simplified, and the work time of the user can be shortened. In addition, when inputting data corresponding to two printers as in the past, there may be a mistake that they do not coincide with each other. However, it is only necessary to input a single print data once. It is possible to prevent an input error.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since both printer units operate in parallel with a single print data, the time required for the printing process can be shortened.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since both the printer units operate in sequence with a single print data, the time required for the printing process can be reduced.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to print a character string or the like on two objects to be printed by both printer units using one printer device, and therefore it is necessary to prepare two printer devices. In addition, since both printer units operate in parallel, the time required for the printing process can be reduced.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to print a character string or the like on two objects to be printed by both printer units using one printer device, and therefore it is necessary to prepare two printer devices. In addition, since both printer units operate in sequence, the time required for the printing process can be shortened.

  According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to print on different print objects by both printer units.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently print in a short time on a recording medium associated with each other and a label attached to the storage case.

  According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the first printer unit and the second printer unit can be applied even when the printing methods are different from each other.

  According to the invention of claim 9, when the user inputs a specific input item for a plurality of predetermined input items, the print format corresponding to the specific input item is selected from the plurality of print formats. Since it is automatically selected, anyone can easily obtain the print result most suitable for the data to be printed without the troublesome selection of the print format by the user.

  According to the invention of claim 10, since the essential input items are provided as the plurality of input items, it is possible to prevent an error in printing without inputting data, and in addition to the essential input items. Since arbitrary input items are provided, different types of print results can be obtained depending on the combination of these input items.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a printer apparatus including a first printer unit and a second printer unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the printer apparatus.

  The printer apparatus 1 includes a casing 2 as an apparatus main body. Inside the casing 2 is a first printer unit 3 that performs printing on a label surface of a recording medium such as an optical disk, and a second printer that performs printing on a tape. The printer unit 4 is provided.

  On the front side of the housing 2, a keyboard 10 including a key input unit 11 and a liquid crystal display unit 12 is attached to the front panel 2 a of the housing 2 via a hinge 13 so as to be able to move up and down. In addition, an opening 5 is provided in the side panel 2 b of the housing 2, and a tray 21 of the first printer unit 3 on which the optical disk is mounted is movably provided outside the housing 2 from the opening 5. Further, a second printer unit 4 covered with an openable / closable printer cover 6 is provided on the back side 2c of the housing 2.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes a battery cover that covers a battery storage chamber (not shown) provided in the housing 2, and a battery serving as a driving power source for the printer device 1 is stored in the battery storage chamber. Reference numeral 8 denotes a cover provided on the side panel 2b and the front panel 2a for covering the opening for exchanging consumables of the first printer unit 3. Reference numeral 9 denotes an operation for ejecting the tray 21 of the first printer unit 3. This is an operation button.

  The key input unit 11 includes a character input key for inputting characters, symbols, and the like, a cursor key for moving a cursor displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 12, confirmation of various input data and selection data, an instruction to start a specific function, etc. Specific function keys to be operated when performing the operation, a power key for turning on / off the power of the apparatus, and other control keys necessary for other operations.

  FIG. 3 is a front configuration diagram showing the configuration of the main part of the first printer unit 3 provided in the casing 2 of the printer apparatus 1, and FIG. 4 is a side configuration diagram.

  A base 20 is provided inside the housing 2, and a tray 21 that supports an optical disc D as a printing object is provided on the base 20. In addition, a printer mechanism 35 is provided inside the housing 2 for printing titles and the like relating to electronic data recorded on the optical disc D on the label surface of the optical disc D supported by the tray 21. Yes.

  The tray 21 includes a rectangular and plate-like tray main body 22, and the tray main body 22 is provided with a turntable 24 that supports an optical disc D so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 23. A cushioning material sheet 25 is affixed to the surface of the turntable 24, and a plurality of engaging claws 26 that engage with the inner edge of the circular hole of the optical disk D are provided at the center thereof.

  The tray 21 is guided along a pair of guide rails 27 provided on the base 20 at the upper and lower positions in the housing 2, and a predetermined storage position in the housing 2 for printing on the optical disk D, and the optical disk D It is provided so as to be movable between a discharge position outside the housing 2 that can be attached and detached.

  A rack 28 is provided on the lower side edge of the tray body 22. A tray movement motor 31 that rotates the drive gear 29 forward and backward via a drive gear 29 and a gear train 30 that mesh with the rack 28 is provided in the housing 2. Then, by operating the eject button 9 provided on the side panel 2 b of the housing 2, the motor 31 is driven to rotate in one direction, and the tray 21 positioned in the housing 2 is moved from the opening 5 of the housing 2. It is discharged out of the housing 2. Further, the motor 31 is rotationally driven in the reverse direction by the operation of the operation button 9, and the tray 21 located outside the housing 2 is moved to the storage position in the housing 2.

  The turntable 24 provided on the tray 21 uses a tray rotation motor 32 provided on the back side of the tray main body 22 as a drive source, and the driving force of the motor 32 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 23 via the gear train 33 so that It is driven to rotate around.

  The tray main body 22 is provided with a rotation angle detection unit 34 including a switch for detecting the rotation angle of the turntable 24 and controlling the drive of the motor 32. The detection unit 34 is actuated by switch operating projections (not shown) provided at two positions opposite to each other at 180 ° on the outer peripheral edge of the turntable 24, and the rotation position of the turntable 24 is determined by the operation of the detection unit 34. It is configured so that it can be detected.

  A printer mechanism 35 formed of a thermal transfer printer is provided in the housing 2 so as to face the turntable 24 of the tray 21.

  The printer mechanism 35 includes a bridge-shaped printer frame 36. The printer frame 36 supports a carriage 38 on which a thermal head 37 is mounted, and forms a traveling path that causes the carriage 38 to reciprocate in the vertical direction along the rotary table 24. The printer frame 36 is provided with a guide shaft 39 that slidably guides the carriage 38, and a rack 40 that meshes with a drive gear (not shown) provided on the carriage 38 when the carriage 38 travels. The carriage 38 is a self-propelled system that reciprocates along a guide shaft 39 by driving a drive gear that meshes with the rack 40 by a carriage motor 41 mounted thereon.

  A ribbon cartridge 43 containing an ink ribbon for thermal transfer printing is mounted on the front side of the carriage 38.

  Although not shown, the carriage 38 includes a head moving mechanism that moves the thermal head 37 between a printing position and a non-printing position by a cam mechanism or the like using the motor 41 as a driving source, and a carriage that uses the motor 41 as a driving source. A ribbon take-up mechanism for taking up the ink ribbon by driving the ribbon take-up shaft 42 provided on the plate 38 is provided.

  In the first printer unit 3, the head moving mechanism is operated by the forward rotation of the motor 41, and the thermal head 37 is moved to a printing position where it abuts against and presses the label surface of the optical disk D on the rotary table 24. While maintaining the position, the carriage 38 is moved upward from the lower initial position in FIGS. 3 and 4 while the rotary table 24 is stopped and the optical disk D is stationary, thereby performing printing. During this printing, the ribbon take-up shaft 42 is driven by the forward rotation of the motor 41, and the ink ribbon used for thermal transfer is taken up.

  When the printing is finished, the thermal head 37 is moved to the non-printing position separated from the label surface of the optical disk D by the reverse drive of the motor 41 and is held at that position, and the carriage 38 is moved as shown in FIGS. The return movement is made from the upper side to the lower initial position. The ribbon winding mechanism is provided with a one-way clutch mechanism, and the ribbon winding shaft 42 is not driven when the carriage 38 returns.

  In the first printer unit 3, rectangular printing corresponding to the width (printable width) of the heating element array of the thermal head 37 and the moving distance (printable length) of the thermal head 37 by one printing operation is performed. Printing can be performed in the area. Here, 128 heat generating elements are arranged on the thermal head 37, the printable width is 16 mm, and the printable length is 74 mm. Further, the first printer unit 3 can perform printing on one or two printing areas on the label surface of the optical disc D by one or two printing operations. When printing is performed at two places on the label surface, the tray rotating motor 32 is driven to return the turntable 24 to 180 ° after completion of printing at the first place after the carriage 38 is returned to the initial position or during the return. After the rotation, the second printing operation is performed by moving the carriage 38 in the printing operation direction from the initial position and performing the second printing operation in the same manner as the first printing operation.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, A on the label surface of the optical disc D indicates a first print area, and B indicates a second print area. When printing is performed at only one place, printing is performed in the printing area A, and when printing is performed at two places, printing is performed sequentially on the printing areas A and B. The letters “CD-R” on the optical disc D represent the pre-printed portion P. In the optical disk D having the pre-printed portion P, the pre-printed portion P is used as a reference for alignment when the pre-printed portion P is mounted on the turntable 24 of the tray 21.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the optical disc D is mounted on the turntable 24 of the tray 21 with the pre-printed portion P facing down. After the tray 21 loaded with the optical disk D is housed in the housing 2, before the start of printing, the turntable 24 rotates 180 ° so that the printing area A on the optical disk D corresponds to the printer mechanism 35. Printing is performed in the printing area A. In the case of printing in two places, the turntable 24 is further rotated by 180 °, and printing is also performed on the B printing region.

  FIG. 5 is a front configuration diagram showing the configuration of the second printer unit 4 provided on the back side of the printer apparatus 1 for printing on a tape.

  The second printer unit 4 includes a tape cartridge loading unit 50 covered with a printer cover 6 provided on the back side 2c of the housing 2 so as to be opened and closed. The tape cartridge loading unit 50 includes a tape-shaped print medium and A tape cartridge 51 containing a printing medium (ink ribbon 52 and thermal transfer printing tape 53) is loaded. Note that the printing tape 53 is configured by printing on the front surface and attaching an image receiving tape having an adhesive on the back surface to the peeling tape.

  The tape cartridge loading unit 50 transports the ink ribbon 52 and the thermal transfer printing tape 53 by being thermally driven by a thermal head 56 that performs printing by thermally transferring the ink on the ink ribbon 52 to the printing tape 53 and a driving mechanism (not shown). A tape printer mechanism 55 including a platen roller 57 and a ribbon take-up shaft 58 that takes up the ink ribbon 52 that is used while being rotated together with the platen roller 57 by the drive mechanism is provided. The thermal head 56 has 128 heating elements with a width of 16 mm, and this heating element array is arranged in the width direction of the print tape 53 loaded in the tape cartridge loading section 50.

  The tape cartridge loading unit 50 is provided with a receiving base 60 that receives a corner portion of the tape cartridge 51 and an alignment protrusion 61 that engages and positions the tape cartridge 51. The receiving cartridge 60 has a tape cartridge loading unit 50. There is provided a tape cartridge detector 62 for detecting the type of tape cartridge 51 loaded in the cartridge, that is, the width of the tape by a combination of a plurality of switches. The tape cartridge 51 is formed with a tape width identifying portion 51a having a shape corresponding to the width of the tape accommodated in the corner portion, and a plurality of switches of the tape cartridge detecting portion 62 are turned on / off by the tape width identifying portion 51a. The tape width can be detected by the operating combination.

  In addition, a conveyance path 63 is formed from the tape cartridge loading unit 50 to the outside of the housing 2, and the printing tape 53 after printing is discharged at an end portion of the conveyance path 63 located at the side surface of the housing 2. A discharge port 64 is provided. Near the discharge port 64, there is provided a full cutting cutter 65 that includes a fixed blade 66 and a movable blade 67 and moves the movable blade 67 toward the fixed blade 66 by a drive mechanism (not shown) to cut the printing tape 53. Further, a movable cutter 69 and a blade receiving portion 70 for receiving the movable blade 69 are provided, and a half cutter 68 for cutting the image receiving tape portion while leaving the peeling tape portion of the printing tape 53 is provided. The configurations of the full-cut cutter 65 and the half cutter 68 are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-277184 related to the applicant's patent application. Here, the same configuration can be used.

  The thermal head 56 of the tape printer mechanism 55 is configured to be separated from the platen roller 57 when the printer cover 6 is opened by a moving mechanism (not shown), to close the printer cover 6 and to press the platen roller 57.

  The tape cartridge 51 loaded in the second printer unit 4 includes a tape spool 53a around which a printing tape 53 is wound, a ribbon supply spool 52a around which an ink ribbon 52 is wound, and a ribbon around which the ink ribbon 52 is wound. A take-up spool 52b is incorporated. As the tape cartridge 51, for example, a plurality of different types such as tape widths of 6 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm, 18 mm, and 24 mm are prepared.

  In the second printer unit 4, when the platen roller 57 is driven during the printing operation, the thermal head 56 is in a state where the print tape 53 and the ink ribbon 52 are overlaid from the tape cartridge 51 loaded in the tape cartridge loading unit 50. After the thermal transfer printing is performed by the thermal head 56, the printing tape 53 is discharged out of the housing 2 from the discharge port 64 through the conveyance path 63. At the same time, the ribbon take-up shaft 58 is driven, and the ink ribbon 52 used for printing is taken up by the ribbon take-up spool 52b. When printing is completed, the full cutting cutter 65, or the half cutter 68 and the full cutting cutter 65 are operated to cut the printing tape 53 and separate it as a label.

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration of an electric circuit of the printer apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The printer device 1 includes a control unit (CPU) 80 that controls the first printer unit 3 and the second printer unit 4. The control unit 80 includes a ROM 81 and a RAM 82. The ROM 81 includes a printer device. Program data such as a system program for controlling the operation of each unit 1 and data necessary for printing are stored. The RAM 82 stores an input data memory for storing input data and print pattern data. A print data memory is provided. Data necessary for the printing operation is temporarily stored. Further, the key input unit 11 and the display unit 12 are connected to the control unit 80, and a font ROM 83 that generates character fonts for display and printing is connected to the control unit 80.

  The tray moving motor 31 and the tray rotating motor 32 provided in the first printer unit 3 are connected to the control unit 80 via motor drivers 84 and 85, and are rotated and driven under the control of the control unit 80. Is moved in and out of the housing 2 and the turntable 24 is rotated. The carriage motor 41 provided in the first printer unit 3 is connected to the control unit 80 via the motor driver 86, and is driven under the control of the control unit 80 to move the carriage 38, and the thermal head. 37 is connected to the controller 80 via a head driver 87. A detection signal from the rotation angle detection unit 34 of the tray 21 is supplied to the control unit 80.

  The second printer unit 4 is provided with a tape transport motor 88 and a cutter motor 90, which are connected to the control unit 80 via motor drivers 89 and 91, respectively. The tape transport motor 88 rotates the platen roller 57 to transport the printing tape 53, and the cutter motor 90 operates the full cutting cutter 65 and the half cutter 68 to perform full cutting and half cutting of the printing tape 53.

  The thermal head 56 provided in the second printer unit 4 is connected to the control unit 80 via a head driver 92. The control unit 80 is supplied with a detection signal from the tape cartridge detection unit 62.

  The printer apparatus 1 includes a battery 93 as a driving power source. In FIG. 6, 94 is a power switch, and 95 to 98 are voltage converters. The voltage converter 95 converts the battery voltage of DC12V to DC3.3V, and the voltage converter 96 converts the battery voltage to DC20.5V. The voltage converter 98 converts the battery voltage into DC5V. The voltage converter 97 always maintains a DC voltage of 12 V and outputs it because the battery voltage decreases with consumption. Reference numerals 99 to 101 denote switching circuits which are inserted between the battery 93 and the voltage converters 95 to 98 and are controlled by the control unit 80. When the first printer unit 3 is driven, the switching circuits 99 and 101 are turned on. The switching circuits 100 and 101 are turned on when the second printer unit 4 is driven, and the switching circuits 99 to 101 are turned on when the first printer unit 3 and the second printer unit 4 are driven in parallel. . Reference numeral 102 denotes a voltage detector for monitoring the battery voltage by the controller 80, which detects the voltage across the battery 93 and outputs a voltage detection signal to the controller 80.

  In this printer apparatus 1, a voltage of 3.3 V DC output from the voltage converter 95 is supplied as an operating voltage to each unit of the control unit 80, ROM 81, RAM 82, ROM 83, key input unit 11 and display unit 12. The In addition, a DC voltage of 20.5 V output from the voltage converter 96 is supplied as an operating voltage to the thermal head 37, the carriage motor 41, and the motor driver 86 of the first printer unit 3.

  A DC 12V voltage output from the voltage converter 97 is supplied as an operating voltage to the thermal head 56, the tape transport motor 88, the motor driver 89, the cutter motor 90, and the motor driver 91 of the second printer unit 4. . Further, a voltage of DC 5 V is supplied from the voltage converter 98 to the head driver 87 of the first printer unit 3 and the head driver 92 of the second printer unit 4.

  FIG. 7 shows a timing chart of the operation of the thermal head 56.

  In the printer apparatus 1, the first printer unit 3 and the second printer unit 4 can be operated individually, while two printer units are operated in parallel based on a single print command by a single print data. Can be operated in sequence or in sequence.

  FIG. 7 shows a case where the first printer unit 3 and the second printer unit 4 are operated in parallel by a single print data. “DATA1”, “LATCH1”, and “STB1” illustrated in FIG. 7 are a print data signal, a latch signal, and a strobe signal that are output from the control unit 80 to the first printer unit 3, respectively. ”And“ STB2 ”are a print data signal, a latch signal, and a strobe signal output from the control unit 80 to the second printer unit 4, respectively.

  As shown in the figure, the data signals “DATA1” and “DATA2” for one line of single print data from the control unit 80 to the head driver 87 of the first printer unit 3 and the head driver 92 of the second printer unit 4. Are sequentially transferred, and the latch signals “LATCH1” and “LATCH2” and the strobe signals “STB1” and “STB2” are sequentially output to the head drivers 87 and 92, and printing is performed line by line. Here, while the strobe signal “STB1” is at the high level (energization time Ta), the strobe signal “STB2” is made to correspond to the low level (non-energization time Tc), and the strobe signal “STB1” is at the low level. In the interval (non-energization time Tb), the strobe signal “STB2” is made to correspond to the high level (energization time Td), so that the thermal head 37 and the thermal head 56 do not energize one line of printing simultaneously. By doing so, two control units can be controlled by one control unit 80, and the burden on the power source is reduced.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram when printing on an optical disk and a printing tape is performed according to a predetermined print format, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams of print format data stored in the ROM 81. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a discrimination table for setting the print format stored in the ROM 81.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the printer apparatus 1 has four types of print formats (1) to (4), and these print formats correspond to six input items. These input items are “Title”, “Comment”, “Not like 1”, “Not like 1”, “Not like 2”, “Not like 3”, and “Not like 4”, and these input items The user inputs an arbitrary character string from the key input unit 11. For example, a title character string representing electronic data to be recorded on the optical disc D can be input to the “title” of the input item. In addition, a comment character string can be input in the “comment” item. In addition, a character string representing the contents of the electronic data recorded on the optical disc D can be input to the input items “not to be 1” to “not to be 4”, respectively. Of these input items, “Title” is an indispensable input item that must be entered, but the other 5 items are optional input items that the user inputs as needed. If you don't need it, you don't have to enter it.

  These four types of print formats can be commonly used for printing on the optical disk D by the first printer unit 3 and printing on the tape 53 by the second printer unit 4. That is, four types of single print formats are provided, and each single print format can be commonly used for printing on the optical disc D and printing on the tape 53.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the print format (1), when printing D on the optical disc, the character string input corresponding to the input item “title” is printed in one line only in the upper print area A. In printing on the tape 53, the character string input corresponding to the input item “title” is printed in one line on a single label L1 having a predetermined length.

  In the print format (2), when printing on the optical disc D, an input character string related to the “title” of the input item is printed on the first line in the print area A, and the input item is displayed on the second line. In the printing on the tape 53, the input character string related to the “title” of the input item is printed on the first line for one label L1. In the second line, a character string related to “comment” of the input item is printed.

  In the print format (3), the input character strings related to the input items “title”, “comment”, and “not to be used 1” are printed on the recording area A or the label L1 of the optical disc D in three lines. .

  In the print format (4), when printing on the optical disc D, the input character string related to the “title” of the input item is displayed on the first line and the input item is displayed on the second line with respect to the upper printing area A. An input character string related to “comment” is printed, and further, input character strings related to “not to be 1” to “not to be 4” are printed from the first line to the fourth line in the lower print area B. In the case of tape printing, the same printing as the printing on the upper printing area A and the lower printing area B of the optical disk D is performed on the two labels L1 and L2 depending on the printing format. To do. Note that the character string “CD-R” indicated by the symbol P in FIG. 8 is a pre-printed character preprinted on the label surface of the optical disc.

  9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams of print format data corresponding to each print format described in FIG. 8, and as shown in FIG. 9, the print format data includes print position data, character size setting data, and characters. It consists of interval data and character direction data. For example, for the print format (1), the print position data is the first line of the first location (the print area A for the optical disc D and the first label L1 for the print tape 53), and the character size is set. The data is character size setting A.

  In the print format (4), the “second place” in which the input items “not to be 2” to “not to be 4” are printed is the print area B in the case of the optical disc D, and is printed. In the case of the tape 53, it is the second label L2.

  With respect to the setting of the character size, as will be described with reference to FIG. 10, the character size is automatically determined in accordance with the number of input characters. 5 × 5 (1 × 1 is the basic size, and the size is 3 mm in length and width), the character size is 4 × 4 when the number of input characters is 10 to 12, and the character size is 3 × 3 when the number of input characters is 13 to 16. When the number of input characters is 17 to 24, the character size is 2 × 2, and when the number of input characters is 25 to 37, the character size is 1 × 1.

  In this way, the character size is reduced in accordance with the increase in the number of input characters so that the print characters can be accommodated in the print area. Further, the character spacing data is set to a numerical value such that the number of input characters fits in the print area with the set character size, and the character direction data is set to horizontal writing in this case.

  Further, the first printer unit 3 sets the positions of the print area A and the print area B with reference to the preprint portion P of the optical disc D, and the print region A and the print in the vertical direction of the characters of the preprint portion P. The upper and lower directions of characters to be printed in the area B are aligned. However, for the reason of the structure of the printer mechanism 35 of the first printer unit 3, the character string to be printed in the print area A is correct. The characters of the character string obtained by rotating 180 degrees from the standing state and inverting the left, right, top, and bottom of the character string are developed in a reverse print pattern and printed sequentially from the tail.

  On the other hand, the character string to be printed in the print area B does not need such a rotation process, and the character string is expanded in an upright state in the order of the characters and printed in order from the top. Accordingly, the print format (1) includes data for rotating the character string.

  Similarly, in order to perform printing on the optical disc D and the print tape 53 according to each print format described with reference to FIG. 8, the print formats (2) to (4) are also shown in FIGS. Predetermined data such as the printing position, character size, character spacing, character direction, and character string rotation on the optical disc D and the printing tape 53 (labels L1 and L2) are stored in the print format data storage area set in the ROM 81. Has been.

  This printer apparatus 1 is configured such that one of a plurality of print formats (1) to (4) prepared in advance is automatically selected and set according to the input status of input items. The discrimination table shown in FIG. 11 is for discriminating one print format corresponding to the input status of the input item from the four types of print formats and setting it. As described above, the input item includes “required” “title” and optional input items “comment”, “not 1”, “not 1”, “not 2”, and “not 3”. , “No 4”, and print format data is selected according to the input status of the combination of these items.

  For example, if only the “Title” input item is required, the print format (1) is selected. If there is a “Comment” input in addition to the “Title” input, the print format (2) is selected. If there is a “title not” 1 in addition to the “title” input, or a “comment” input in addition to that, the print format (3) is selected, and in addition to the “title” input, the “no” Print format (4) if there is at least one input of “Yo 2”, “No Yi 3” and “No Yi 4”, or in addition to this, “Comment” or “No 1” Will be selected.

  Next, a printing operation by the printer apparatus 1 including the first printer unit 3 and the second printer unit 4 will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the printer apparatus 1.

  Turn on the power of the device and input and edit data to be printed. In this case, an input operation is performed from the key input unit 11 according to a guide for input items displayed on the input editing screen of the display unit 12. First, “Title” is displayed as an input item on the input editing screen, and the user is prompted to input a character string related to the input item. In accordance with the instruction, the user inputs an arbitrary character string related to “title” from the key input unit 11 (step S1). This input item is an indispensable input item that must be entered. The display screen displays a warning to that effect, and if the input is not completed, it will not proceed to the next processing step unless this processing operation is completed. It has become.

  When there is an input of “title” of the input item, an input editing screen prompting input of each input item of “comment” and “not to be 1” to “not to be 4” is displayed on the display unit 12, so that the user Inputs necessary items according to the instruction (step S2). The input items of these five items are optional input items to be input when the user needs them, and it is not always necessary to input all the five items, and it is not necessary to input them at all.

  Note that the number of characters that can be input on the input editing screen is limited. The required input items are 37 characters, and the optional input items are 49 characters. When the number of input characters exceeds, a known process for invalidating the input of the excessive number of characters and alerting the user by performing error notification is performed.

  When the input work for the input items is completed, a print object selection screen to be printed is displayed on the display unit 12 with the print object name as an option, and the user selects it (step S3). In this selection screen, “disk and tape” indicating that the first printer unit 3 and the second printer unit 4 are operated in parallel to perform printing on the optical disk and the printing tape, and the first printer unit 3 is operated. Thus, it is possible to select three types: “disk” representing printing on the optical disk and “tape” representing printing on the printing tape by operating the second printer unit 4. First, “disc and tape” can be selected from one of the disc limbs of the first printer unit 3.

  On the selection screen, confirmation items for execution of printing and cancellation of printing are displayed, and it is determined whether or not the user has instructed to select any of the confirmation items after selecting the print object (step S4).

  If printing execution is instructed, the process proceeds to step S5 (Yes in step S4), and if printing stop is instructed, the process is terminated (No in step S4, end).

  When printing execution is instructed in step S4, one print format is set according to the input status of the mandatory input item input in step S1 and the optional input item input in step S2 (step S5).

  The discrimination table shown in FIG. 11 holds data representing the relationship between the input status of the input items and the print format. Based on this discrimination table, the corresponding print format is selected and stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 82. Is set.

  Next, the character string data of the essential input items input in step S1 and the optional input items input in step S2 are developed into print pattern data (print data) based on the print format data set in step S5 ( Step S6).

  In the development of the print data, as described above, the print area A of the optical disc D and the first label in the tape printing are developed into a character string pattern rotated 180 ° with the top, bottom, left and right reversed. The print area B of the optical disc D and the second label in tape printing are developed into a character string pattern that is erected in the order of the character strings without such rotation.

  Then, the type of the print object selected previously is determined (step S7). If the print object is “disk and tape”, the thermal heads 37 and 56 control as shown in the timing chart of FIG. The first printer unit 3 and the second printer unit 4 operate in parallel under the control of the unit 80, and printing is performed on each of the optical disc D and the print tape 53 by the print pattern data created in step S6 (step S6). S8).

  In printing by the first printer unit 3, printing is performed by operating the printer mechanism 35 on the printing area A of the optical disk D that is stationary with the rotary table 24 stopped, and the printing format (4) is set. In this case, after printing on the printing area A, the rotary table 24 is rotated by 180 ° and stopped, and the printer mechanism 35 is operated on the printing area B of the stationary optical disk D to perform printing.

  On the other hand, in the printing by the second printer unit 4 performed in parallel, the tape printer mechanism 55 is operated by a single print data used for printing by the first printer unit 3 to perform printing on the printing tape 53. After printing, the entire cutting cutter 65 is operated to cut the printed portion to create a label.

  In the case of the printing format (4) for creating two labels, the half cutter 68 is operated between the first label and the second label to cut only the image receiving tape, or the entire cutting cutter. Operate 65 to separate into two labels.

  If it is determined that the printing object selected in step S7 is a “disk”, only the first printer unit 3 operates to print the print pattern data created in step S6 on the optical disk D. (Step S9). Further, if it is determined that the print object selected in step S7 is “tape”, only the second printer unit 4 operates and the print pattern data created in step S6 is printed on the print tape 53. (Step S10).

  FIG. 13 shows an example of printing by the processing of steps S8 to S10. FIG. 13 (a) shows an example of printing on an optical disc, and FIG. 13 (b) shows an example of printing of a label created by a printing tape.

  FIG. 13 shows “Nursing Monthly Report” as “Title”, “ABC Hospital Neonatal Room” as “Comment”, “November 1” as “November 2003”, “Naiyo 2” as “October 2003”, This is an example of printing when data “September 2003” is input as “Not so 3” and “August 2003” is input as “Not so 4”, and as a result, the print format (4) is set. .

  If “disc and tape” is selected in the selection of the print object in step S3, the print area A (first position) on the upper side of the optical disc D with reference to the preprinted portion P as shown in FIG. In the print area), data corresponding to the input items of “title” and “comment” is printed according to the format defined by the print format (4) by the first printing operation of the first printer unit 3, In the printing area B (second printing area) on the side, data corresponding to the input items “not to be 1” to “not to be 4” by the second printing operation of the first printer unit 3 is the print format. Printed according to the format specified in (4).

  Then, the second printer unit 4 is operated in parallel with the printing operation of the first printer unit 3 so that data corresponding to the input items of “title” and “comment” is printed on the print tape 53 in the print format (4). Is printed in accordance with the format determined by the printer, and the printed portion is cut by the full-cutting cutter 65 or the half-cutting cutter 68 to produce the first label L1. The data corresponding to the input item “4” is printed in accordance with the format defined by the print format (4), and the printed portion is cut by the whole cutting cutter 65 to create the second label L2. The produced labels L1 and L2 are peeled off from the release tape and adhered to the optical disk storage case C with the adhesive on the back surface.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 12, the first printer unit 3 and the second printer unit 4 are operated in parallel at substantially the same time. However, the first printer unit 3 and the second printer unit 4 may be operated so that a part of the printing time overlaps. In addition, one printer unit may perform a printing operation in response to one printing instruction, and the printing operation of the other printer unit may be performed following the end of the printing operation.

  The first printer unit 3 and the second printer unit 4 are both provided with a thermal transfer type printer mechanism using an ink ribbon, but one printer mechanism is an ink jet type and the other printer mechanism is a thermal transfer type. It is good.

  From the viewpoint of shortening the total printing time in the two printer units, not only the single print data is printed by the two printer units, but also different data is input corresponding to the two printer units. Each print data of the different input data is created in the RAM 82, and the two printer units are operated in parallel based on the print data, or the two printer units are operated in succession to each printer. You may make it print on the printing target object of a part.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 14 shows a configuration of a printer apparatus according to the second embodiment.

  The printer device 111 is a so-called handy printer that performs printing directly on a printing object by moving the casing 114 onto the printing object by manual operation as the first printer unit 112. The unit 113 is a tape printer similar to that of the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 14, a pair of wheels 115 that rotate in contact with an object to be printed are provided on the bottom surface of the housing 114, and a first printer unit 112 and a second printer unit 113 are provided in the housing 114. Is provided.

  The first printer unit 112 includes a thermal head 116 protruding from the bottom of the casing 114, an ink ribbon winding shaft 117, and a transmission mechanism 118 including a gear train that transmits the rotation of the wheels 115 to the ink ribbon winding shaft 117. And an encoder 119 that is provided in the transmission mechanism 118 and generates a timing pulse for driving the thermal head 116 each time the casing 114 moves a predetermined distance in accordance with the rotation of the wheel 115. Is done.

  A ribbon cartridge 120 is mounted on the first printer unit 112. The ribbon supply reel 122 around which the ink ribbon 121 is wound, and the ribbon take-up reel on which the ink ribbon 121 is wound by being fitted to the ink ribbon take-up shaft 117. 123.

  The second printer unit 113 includes a thermal head 124, a platen roller 125, a ribbon take-up shaft 126, and a cutter 128 in the vicinity of the tape discharge port 127.

  A tape cartridge 51 is attached to the second printer unit 113. Since this tape cartridge 51 is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  Although not shown in the drawing, a key input unit for inputting data to be printed on the outer surface of the casing 114 and necessary for displaying the input data and performing various settings. A display unit for displaying data is provided. An electronic circuit including the control unit described in FIG. 6 and storage means such as ROM and RAM is also provided in the housing 114.

  In the printer device 111, the casing 114 is placed on the label surface of the optical disc D, moved by manual operation, and directly printed on the label surface by the thermal head 116 of the first printer unit 112. In parallel with the printing operation of the first printer unit 112, the second printer unit 113 is operated by the same single print data as the print data used for the printing operation, and printing is performed on the printing tape 53.

  As a result, printing of title characters and the like on the label surface of the optical disc D and creation of a label to be attached to the storage case C can be performed simultaneously.

1 is an overall perspective view of a printer apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The side view of the printer apparatus. FIG. 3 is a front configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of a first printer unit of the printer apparatus. FIG. 3 is a side configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of a first printer unit of the printer apparatus. The front block diagram which shows the structure of the principal part of the 2nd printer part of the printer apparatus. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric circuit of the printer apparatus. The timing chart which shows operation | movement of the thermal head of the printer apparatus. Explanatory drawing about the printing format of the printer apparatus. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of print format data stored in a ROM. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of print format data stored in a ROM. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a discrimination table for setting a print format stored in a ROM. 3 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the printer apparatus. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a printing object by the printer device. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a printer apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer apparatus 2 ... Housing 3 ... 1st printer part 4 ... 2nd printer part 10 ... Keyboard 11 ... Key input part 12 ... Liquid crystal display part 20 ... Base 21 ... Tray 23 ... Rotating shaft 24 ... Turntable 25 ... buffer material sheet 27 ... guide rail 31 ... tray movement motor 32 ... tray rotation motor 34 ... rotation angle detector 34 ... detector 35 ... printer mechanism 37 ... thermal head 38 ... carriage 41 ... carriage motor 42 ... ribbon take-up shaft 43 ... Ribbon cartridge 50 ... Tape cartridge loading unit 51 ... Tape cartridge 52 ... Ink ribbon 53 ... Thermal transfer printing tape 55 ... Tape printer mechanism 56 ... Thermal head 57 ... Platen roller 65 ... Full cutting cutter 68 ... Half cutter 80 ... Control unit 114 ... Case 115 ... Wheel 116 ... Thermal head 28 ... cutter

Claims (10)

A printer apparatus comprising a first printer unit and a second printer unit,
A printer apparatus comprising: control means for operating both the first printer unit and the second printer unit according to a single print data to print the single print data.   The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes printing operations of the first printer unit and the second printer unit to be performed in parallel.   The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the first printer unit and the second printer unit to sequentially perform printing operations. A printer apparatus comprising a first printer unit and a second printer unit,
A printer apparatus comprising control means for performing printing operations of the first printer unit and the second printer unit in parallel. A printer apparatus comprising a first printer unit and a second printer unit,
A printer apparatus comprising: control means for sequentially performing printing operations of the first printer unit and the second printer unit.   The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first printer unit and the second printer unit are configured to print on different print objects.   The first printer unit prints on a label surface of a recording medium for recording electronic data, and the second printer unit prints on a printing medium tape used as a label to be attached to a storage case of the recording medium. The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein   8. The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first printer unit and the second printer unit have different printing methods. Print format storage means for preliminarily storing a plurality of print format data defining a print format of the specific input item corresponding to a combination of at least one or more specific input items among a plurality of predetermined input items; ,
Input means capable of inputting data into each of the plurality of input items;
Print format selection means for selecting print format data corresponding to a specific input item that is data-inputted from the input means from among the plurality of print format data;
The control unit controls the first printer unit and the second printer unit to print data input from the input unit on a print object according to the print format data selected by the print format selection unit. 9. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the printer device is configured as described above.   10. The printer apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of input items include at least one essential input item for which data input is essential and at least one arbitrary input item for which data input is optional. .

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