JP2006198839A - Processing tape, tape cartridge and tape processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a processing tape or the like which can make it easily recognize that a tape main body wound on a tape core is used up without decreasing production efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: A tape main body T, consisting of a recording tape Ta the underside of which is provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer Tab, and a releasing tape Tb stuck on the recording tape Ta through the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer Tab, and the tape core 27 on which the tape main body T is wound into a rolled shape, are provided. The processing tape 26 cuts the delivered tape main body T in its width direction to obtain a tape piece Tr. A tape end recognizing part E by cutting processing on the tape main body T is formed in the vicinity of a winding starting end Te of the tape main body 26 on the tape core 27. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing tape, a tape cartridge, and a tape processing apparatus in which a so-called tape with release paper (tape main body with release tape) is wound around a tape core in a roll shape.

  Conventionally, as a processing tape on which ink characters (character strings such as letters and symbols) are printed and Braille is stamped, a recording tape provided with an adhesive layer (adhesive layer) on the back surface, and an adhesive layer, 2. Description of the Related Art A tape body (tape) composed of a release tape (release paper) attached to a recording tape and wound around a tape core in a roll shape is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). This processing tape is obtained by winding a roll of a raw sheet in which a recording sheet and a release sheet are overlapped, slicing this to form a raw tape having a predetermined width, and then feeding out the raw tape. While being wound around the tape core, it is cut to a predetermined length.

Then, the processing tape is attached to a tape processing apparatus (tape printing apparatus) provided with a printing means and a marking means, and is used for ink-character printing and Braille stamping. And the tape piece in which the ink letter and the Braille were formed is used as a label by peeling off a peeling tape from a recording tape, and sticking a recording tape on an adherend through an adhesive layer.
JP-A-8-58203

  However, with the conventional processing tape, if ink characters are printed or Braille stamped when the remaining amount of the tape body is small, the length of the tape body is insufficient, so that any tape length or ink character string / braille character string A label (unfinished label) shorter than the tape length determined by the length is produced. In this case, since the processing tape is mounted on the tape processing apparatus, the user cannot immediately determine whether the tape main body has been used up. It is also possible to identify whether the printed label is an incomplete label unless the printed character string is printed halfway (the printed character string is cut halfway). Have difficulty. Especially for labels with Braille stamps, many users (sighted people) have little knowledge of Braille rules, so even if Braille is stamped only halfway, it is an unfinished label. It was impossible to judge whether or not there was, and the problem was remarkable.

  In this regard, in order to easily recognize that the tape body has been used up, it is conceivable that the winding start end of the tape body around the tape core is colored with an ink different from the recording tape. However, if the winding start end portion is colored with ink, it is necessary to wait until the ink dries so that the ink does not move to the portion wound immediately around the winding start end portion. It's not realistic.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a processing tape, a tape cartridge, and a tape processing apparatus that can easily recognize that a tape body wound around a tape core has been used up without lowering production efficiency.

  The treated tape of the present invention is a tape body comprising a recording tape having a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer provided on the back surface, and a release tape attached to the recording tape via the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and the tape body is wound into a roll. A processing tape for obtaining a tape piece by cutting the fed tape main body in the width direction thereof, in the vicinity of the winding start end of the tape main body to the tape core, the cutting processing to the tape main body The tape end recognizing part is formed.

  According to this configuration, the tape end recognition portion is formed in the vicinity of the winding start end of the tape main body, so that the tape end recognition is provided at the rear end portion of the tape piece produced when the remaining amount of the tape main body is small. Will be included. And the user who saw the tape piece which has a tape end recognition part can recognize easily that the tape main body wound around the tape core was used up. Moreover, in this production process of the treated tape, before the tape body is wound around the tape core, the cutting process can be immediately performed after the cutting process is performed in the vicinity of the winding start end. There is no reduction.

  In this case, it is preferable that the tape end recognition part is a cutout part obtained by cutting out a part of the tape main body.

  According to this configuration, since a part of the tape main body is cut out, the presence of the tape end recognition unit can be surely recognized by the user.

  In this case, it is preferable that the cut-out portion is cut out in the character form of the end display character that indicates that it has been used up.

  According to this configuration, the user who sees the character shape of the end display character can easily understand that it means the tape end. The end display characters are, for example, “end”, “END”, and the like.

  In this case, the tape end recognition part is preferably a cut line formed so as not to reach both the width end and the winding start end of the tape body.

  According to this structure, a tape end recognition part can be formed, without generating a piece (dust). Therefore, garbage is reduced and environmental problems are dealt with.

  In this case, the cut line is preferably formed in a shape that is convex in the length direction of the tape body.

  According to this structure, the convex part which made the cut line an outline is formed in a tape main body. On the other hand, the wound tape when it was wound around the tape core remains in the cut tape piece. Therefore, the convex part of the tape piece protrudes in a scaly shape toward the outside in the radial direction due to the curl. Therefore, the presence of the tape end recognizing part (convex part) can be surely recognized by the user.

  In this case, the cut line is preferably formed in a shape that is convex toward the winding start end.

  According to this configuration, even if the protruding convex portion contacts the tape guide or the like in the tape running path on which the tape main body that is fed out travels, the force acts in the direction of tilting the convex portion, so the convex portion is the tape. It will not get caught in the guide. That is, the convex portion does not affect the tape running property.

  In this case, the cut line is a half-cut line formed only on the peeling tape, and the half-cut line preferably constitutes an endless outline for partially cutting the peeling tape.

According to this configuration, when the peeling tape is peeled off from the recording tape, the object to be cut out surrounded by the outline is peeled off from the peeling tape and remains on the recording tape, and a cutout portion due to the outline is generated in the peeling tape. A user who has seen the recording tape can easily recognize that the tape body wound around the tape core has been used up. Further, since the cut line is not formed on the recording tape, the recording tape can be used as a label when the length of the tape piece may be slightly shorter. That is, since the tape piece does not become dust, an environmentally friendly processing tape can be provided.
In this case, it is preferable that the half-cut line constitutes an outline of an end display character that indicates that it has been used up.

  The tape cartridge of the present invention includes the above-described processing tape and a cartridge case for storing the processing tape.

  According to this configuration, the user can use up the tape main body even when the tape main body is extended when the tape main body is low by attaching the tape cartridge containing the processing tape to the tape processing apparatus. Can be easily recognized. Therefore, it is possible to provide a label that can be identified as to whether it is an incomplete label.

  In this case, the tape main body is fed to a tape processing apparatus provided with a feeding means, and a cutting means for cutting the tape main body to be fed, located downstream of the feeding means in the feeding direction of the tape main body, The tape end recognizing part is formed at the position closest to the feeding end side from the reference position existing on the feeding end side of the tape body from the winding start end with the same distance as the separation distance between the feeding means and the cutting means. preferable.

  The processing tape set in the tape processing device is no longer sent forward when the winding start end of the tape core passes the feeding means. For this reason, the last cut position by the cutting means in one roll of the processing tape is always the distance between the feeding means and the cutting means, and the reference position existing on the feeding end side of the tape body from the winding start end. Become. That is, this reference location is the rear end of the final tape piece obtained from the processing tape, and the winding start end side from the reference location is not a tape piece. In this regard, according to the above configuration, the tape end recognition unit is located at the rear end of the final tape piece obtained from one roll of processing tape. That is, by forming the tape end recognition portion from the reference location on the feeding end side, the tape end recognition portion is not included on the winding start end side from the reference location, and is surely included in the final tape piece, The user can be surely visually recognized the tape end recognition unit. Furthermore, by forming this in the immediate vicinity of the reference location, it is possible to reduce the waste tape body as much as possible and to cope with environmental problems.

  The tape processing apparatus of the present invention is characterized by comprising a cartridge mounting portion to which the tape cartridge described above is detachably mounted, a feeding means, and a cutting means.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to easily recognize that the tape body has been used up by mounting the processing tape. For this reason, it can be reliably identified whether the produced tape piece is an incomplete label.

  In this case, it is preferable to further include a printing unit that prints ink characters on the processing tape that is sent and / or a printing unit that performs braille printing on the tape piece.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to produce a label on which the ink-jet printing and / or braille printing is performed on the tape main body. Since the tape end recognition unit can easily recognize that the tape body has been used up, for example, when the ink character print area is set to “front-adjusted” or only the Braille stamping is performed on the tape body. Even in this case, it is possible to identify whether the produced tape piece is an incomplete label.

  Hereinafter, a label production apparatus (tape processing apparatus) to which a processing tape to which the present invention is applied and a tape cartridge containing the processing tape are detachably mounted will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This label producing apparatus is a composite apparatus that performs ink-printing on a tape main body fed out from a mounted tape cartridge and performs Braille stamping on a manually inserted tape piece.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the label manufacturing apparatus 1 in a closed state, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the label manufacturing apparatus 1 in an open state. As shown in both figures, the label producing apparatus 1 accommodates an apparatus main body 2 that performs ink-printing and braille stamping on a tape main body T, a tape main body T, and an ink ribbon R, and is detachable from the apparatus main body 2. And a tape cartridge C to be mounted.

  In the apparatus main body 2, an outer shell is formed by the apparatus case 3, and a keyboard 4 constituting the operation unit 101 (see FIG. 3) is disposed on the upper surface of the front half of the apparatus case 3. A cartridge mounting portion 5 to which the tape cartridge C is mounted is formed in the left portion of the upper surface of the rear half of the device case 3 so as to be recessed, and the cartridge mounting portion 5 is connected to the tape main body T that is fed out from the mounted tape cartridge C. On the other hand, a print head 21 for printing ink characters is provided.

  On the other hand, in the right part of the upper surface of the rear half of the apparatus case 3, a printed tape main body T (tape piece Tr, see FIG. 11) discharged from a printing tape discharge port 16 described later is manually inserted from the front. The tape insertion part 6 and the embossed tape discharge | emission part 7 in which the tape main body T in which Braille embossing was discharged | emitted back are each formed. Further, a stamping assembly mounting portion (not shown) for mounting a stamping assembly 40 for performing Braille stamping on the tape body T is recessed between the stamping tape insertion portion 6 and the stamping tape discharge portion 7. It is formed. The stamped assembly mounting portion is covered with a stamped portion cover 9 on the upper surface thereof so that foreign matter does not enter from the outside. Note that the stamped portion cover 9 is made of a translucent resin and also serves as an inspection lid.

  The cartridge mounting portion 5 is provided with an opening / closing lid 11 for opening and closing the cartridge mounting portion 5, and a rectangular display 12 for displaying an input result from the keyboard 4 is formed on the front side of the opening / closing lid 11. A viewing window 13 for visually confirming the mounting / non-mounting of the tape cartridge C in the closed state is formed.

  A printing tape discharge port 16 that communicates the cartridge mounting portion 5 with the outside is formed on the left side of the device case 3, and the tape body T that is fed out from the tape cartridge C is inserted into the printing tape discharge port 16. A cutter unit 35 for cutting is facing. Then, by cutting the rear end portion of the tape body T by the cutter unit 35, the tape piece Tr after the ink-character printing is discharged from the printing tape discharge port 16. On the other hand, a power supply port 17 for supplying power and a connection port 18 (interface) for connecting to an external device such as a personal computer (not shown) are formed on the right side of the device case 3. Although not shown, a circuit board constituting a control unit 107 (see FIG. 3) that performs overall control of the apparatus main body 2 is mounted inside the apparatus case 3.

  The cartridge mounting portion 5 includes a print head 21 having a heating element and covered with a head cover, a platen drive shaft (not shown) for feeding the tape main body T and the ink ribbon R of the tape cartridge C, and a winding drive shaft ( In addition, a print feed motor 22 that drives the platen drive shaft and the take-up drive shaft, a gear train, and the like are incorporated on the back side of the cartridge mounting portion 5, thereby printing ink characters. The unit 102 (see FIG. 3) is configured.

  The tape cartridge C, which will be described in detail later, is a processing case 26 in which a tape main body T is wound around a tape core 27, a ribbon feeding reel 29 in which an ink ribbon R is wound, and a winding in a cartridge case 25 that is divided into upper and lower parts. The reel 30 and the platen roller 31 are accommodated (see FIG. 4). When the tape cartridge C is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 5, the print head 21 is inserted into the through opening 28 of the tape cartridge C from the apparatus side, and the platen drive shaft and the winding reel 30 are placed on the platen roller 31 and the winding reel 30. When the drive shafts are engaged with each other, the print head 21 sandwiches the tape main body T and the ink ribbon R and comes into contact with the platen roller 31 to enable printing of ink characters.

  Then, while the platen roller 31 is driven to feed the tape body T, the print head 21 prints the ink characters based on the character data created by the control unit 107 corresponding to the character information input from the keyboard 4 or the like. Printing (printing of character strings such as characters and symbols) is performed. After ink printing, only the tape body T is discharged as a tape piece Tr from the tape delivery port 32 of the tape cartridge C, and the ink ribbon R is wound inside (winding reel 30).

  The tape body T has a cut length set based on the input tape length, or ink character data (length of the ink character print area) and braille data (braille print area) created from the input character information. ) And the cut length set based on the layout of each of these areas, and the cut is made at the rear end (details will be described later).

  The tape main body T accommodated in the tape cartridge C is prepared in two types (12 mm, 24 mm) having different tape widths. As will be described in detail later, the tape width of 12 mm corresponds to the height of one square braille, and the tape width of 24 mm is divided into two upper and lower stages, one row of ink letters and the other. Is to display a braille string. As will be described in detail later, the tape body T is a tape with so-called release paper, and is composed of a recording tape Ta and a release tape Tb affixed to the recording tape Ta (see FIG. 4).

  Although not shown, a plurality of small holes to be detected are formed on the back surface of the cartridge case 25, and the tape identification sensor 23 (micro switch, see FIG. 3) provided at the corner of the cartridge mounting portion 5 is used. The plurality of detected holes are identified, and the mounting and type of the tape body T are identified based on the combination (bit pattern) of the detected holes and the tape identification sensor 23.

  The cutter unit 35 is disposed between the cartridge mounting portion 5 and the printing tape discharge port 16 (on the downstream side of the platen drive shaft), and the recording tape Ta of the tape body T is driven by a motor drive (full cutter motor 38). And a full cutter 36 that cuts both the release tape Tb in a scissor form and a downstream of the full cutter 36 in the tape feed direction, and a motor drive (half cutter motor 39) stops only the recording tape Ta of the tape body T. And a half cutter 37 for cutting in a scissors form (see FIG. 3). The user can easily peel off the peeling tape Tb using the half-cut portion as a clue. The separation distance between the cutting position by the full cutter 36 and the platen drive shaft (platen roller 31) is set to 9 mm, for example.

  On the other hand, the stamping assembly 40 is for stamping stamped convex portions constituting Braille on the discharged tape piece Tr, and was manually inserted from the processing tape insertion portion 6. A tape feeding unit 41 that feeds the tape piece Tr toward the processing tape discharge unit 7, a stamping unit 42 that performs Braille stamping on the tape piece Tr that is fed, and a tape feeding unit 41 and a stamping unit 42 are supported. The base frame 43 is provided.

  Although omitted in FIG. 2, the tape feeding unit 41 is configured by a motor-driven (stamping feeding motor 46) grip roller. Further, the embossing unit 42 selectively jumps up the three embossing pins 48 using the three solenoids 47 as driving sources to form a so-called six-dot Braille embossing projection on the tape piece Tr (FIG. 3). reference).

  Next, the configuration of the control system of the label manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The label producing apparatus 1 includes a keyboard 4 and a display 12, and includes an operation unit 101 that controls a user interface such as input of character information and display of various information by a user, a tape cartridge C, a print head 21, and a print feed motor 22. The ink printing unit 102 that prints ink character data based on the character information input on the tape body T while feeding the tape body T and the ink ribbon R, the full cutter 36 and the half cutter 37, and these are driven. A tape cutter having a full cutter motor 38 and a half cutter motor 39, a cutting portion 103 for performing full cut and half cut on a printed tape body T, a stamp feed motor 46, a solenoid 47 and a stamp pin 48, and a tape Braille data based on character information is printed on the tape piece Tr while feeding the piece Tr. A braille embossing unit 104, a sensor 105 having various sensors such as a tape identification sensor 23, a detection unit 105 for performing various detections, a display driver 111, a head driver 112, a print feed motor driver 113, a cutter motor driver 114, an engraving. It has a driver 115 and an engraving feed motor driver 116, and includes a drive unit 106 that drives each unit and a control unit 107 that is connected to each unit and controls the entire label producing apparatus 1.

  The control unit 107 includes a CPU 121, a ROM 122, a RAM 123, and an input / output control device 124 (IOC: Input Output Controller), which are connected to each other via an internal bus 125. Then, the CPU 121 inputs various signals and data from each unit in the label producing apparatus 1 via the IOC 124 according to the control program in the ROM 122. In addition, various data in the RAM 123 is processed based on the various signals and data that are input, and various signals and data are output to each part in the label producing apparatus 1 via the IOC 124, so that the ink-character printing process and Braille printing are performed. Control the time stamping.

  In the present embodiment, in response to a mode selection instruction from the keyboard 4 or the like, a first processing mode for performing ink character printing and Braille stamping on the tape body T, a second processing mode for performing only ink character printing, and Braille stamping. Any one of the third processing modes to be performed is selected. However, in the third processing mode, in order to obtain a strip-shaped tape body T for manual insertion, first, blank printing instead of ink printing in the first processing mode (only feeding tape without printing anything) After the tape is cut and discharged, the tape body T is stamped in braille.

  Next, the layout setting and the cut length setting of the ink character printing area and the Braille embossing area which are performed before the printing and embossing in the label producing apparatus 1 will be briefly described. In this layout setting, the relative position between the ink print area and the braille marking area on the tape body T, the allocation of each area to the tape body T, the length of each area are set, and the character size for ink print For example, the same setting as that of a general tape printer or word processor is performed.

  First, when the detection result of the tape width is 12 mm, the tape width is the minimum length in which the size of one Braille square (the length in the tape width direction) can be stamped. The area is arranged in the same row (printed Braille). In this case, the layout of the ink print area and the braille stamping area in the tape length direction is either the pre-printed braille, the post-printed braille, or the printed braille overlay. Selected.

  On the other hand, if the detection result of the tape width is 24 mm, the layout of either the upper part of the ink character printing area and the lower part of the braille embossing area, or the lower part of the ink character printing area and the upper part of the braille embossing area (these are Both are referred to as ink braille writing). Further, in the case of this ink-character braille writing, one of the left-aligned, center-aligned, and right-aligned layouts is selected as the relative position of the ink-character printed area and the braille-inscribed area in the tape length direction.

  In addition, in both the case of ink braille writing and ink braille writing, if the user designates the tape length (designation of fixed length), the assignment of the ink print area and the braille embossing area to the tape body T One of the following layouts is selected: front-aligned (white space behind the tape main body T), center-aligned (white space before and after the tape main body T), and rear-alignment (white space before the tape main body T).

  When the layout is set in this manner, the cut length that is the length of the tape piece Tr to be manufactured is subsequently set. In this cut length setting, first, it is identified whether or not a fixed length is specified. When the fixed length is specified, the process shifts to the fixed length cut length setting, and when the fixed length is not specified, the process shifts to the automatic length cut length setting.

  In automatic length cut length setting, in the case of ink-braille parallel writing, the longer length of the ink-printing area / braille-printing area, in the case of ink-braille overwriting, The cut length is calculated and set based on the longer length of the two areas, and the total length of both areas after the braille before / after braille. .

  In the fixed length cut length setting, the specified tape length is compared with the cut length (temporary cut length) calculated in the same way as the above automatic length cut length setting, and the temporary cut length is less than the tape length. If there is, the tape length is set as the cut length. When the temporary cut length is longer than the tape length (that is, there is a possibility of printing failure or stamping failure), a message is displayed indicating that the ink characters and Braille are over the fixed length.

  As described above, in the label manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, one of the first to third processing modes is selected, and the ink character print region and the braille stamp region are set in various layouts and designated. The cut length is set based on the tape length, or based on the length of the ink-character print area, the length of the braille print area, or the layout of each area, and ink-character printing and braille printing are performed. For example, the tape piece Tr shown in FIG. 11A is set to “first processing mode (lower braille), no fixed length designation, left alignment” with respect to a 24 mm wide tape main body T, and is printed in ink and braille. The tape piece Tr shown in FIG. 5B is stamped (hereinafter referred to as the first label L1). The tape piece Tr shown in FIG. ), “Adjusted”, and only ink characters were printed (hereinafter referred to as the second label L2). The input character information is “Azusa 12 Go”.

  Next, the processing tape 26 according to the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the processing tape 26 has a tape main body T to be subjected to the above-described ink character printing process and braille embossing process, a recording tape Ta on the outer side, and a peeling tape Tb on the inner side. And a tape core 27 wound in a roll shape. The processing tape 26 is accommodated in a cartridge case 25 that is divided into upper and lower parts so as to be freely fed out. The ribbon feeding reel 29, the take-up reel 30, and the platen roller 31 that are rotatably accommodated in the cartridge case 25 are accommodated. In addition, a tape cartridge C is configured. A slit-shaped tape delivery port 32 opened in the vertical direction is formed on the left side of the cartridge case 25. Further, inside the cartridge case 25, there is formed a tape running path 33 through which the tape body T fed from the processing tape 26 passes through the tape guide 34, the platen roller 31 and the tape delivery port 32 and is discharged to the outside. In this figure, the tape running path 33 is indicated by a one-dot chain line indicating the tape body T.

  The tape body T is formed by laminating a recording tape Ta provided with an adhesive layer Taa on the back surface of the base sheet Tab and a release tape Tb attached to the recording tape Ta via the adhesive layer Taa. Has been. The base sheet Tab is composed of a resin sheet (polyethylene terephthalate or the like) having a thickness of about 50 μm, and the surface on which the ink characters are printed is processed in order to improve the ink transfer by thermal transfer.

  The release tape Tb makes the tape body T easy to handle until use and protects the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer Taa from dust and the like. The surface of the release tape Tb is approximately 80 μm thick resin sheet ( Polyethylene / polypropylene copolymer). Therefore, the adhesive force exerted on the peeling tape Tb by the adhesive layer Taa is extremely smaller (weak adhesion) than the adhesive force exerted on the base sheet Tab. Therefore, the user can easily peel off the peeling tape Tb from the recording tape Ta. However, the adhesive layer Taa is applied to the peeling tape Tb during the tape feeding operation at the time of ink-printing, during the tape feeding at the time of Braille stamping, or during storage of the tape body T (tape piece Tr). It has enough adhesive strength not to peel off.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the processing tape 26 of this embodiment is produced as follows. First, a wide tape 74 is formed by rolling a raw sheet 71 obtained by superposing a wide recording tape Ta (recording sheet 72) and a wide release tape Tb (release sheet 73) in a roll shape (FIG. a)). Subsequently, this is sliced to form a raw material tape 75 having a predetermined width ((b) in the figure).

  Subsequently, a processing tape 26 in which the tape body T is a small volume is formed on the tape core 27 so as to be accommodated in the tape cartridge C. Here, prior to winding around the tape core 27, the tape body T is cut in advance from the side of the peeling tape Tb by the cutting device 51 described later in the vicinity of the winding start end Te around the tape core 27, and the tape end recognition unit E ( Details will be described later). Then, while feeding the tape body T from the raw material tape 75, the recording tape Ta is turned outside, and the release tape Tb is turned inside to be wound around the tape core 27 to constitute a small processing tape 26 ((c) in the figure). .

  Finally, after winding the tape body T to a predetermined length (for example, 8 m), the rear end is cut (full cut) by the cutting device 51 (or a straight blade cutter provided separately from this) (same as above). (D). In this way, the processing tape 26 in which the tape body T having the tape end recognition portion E is wound around the tape core 27 in the vicinity of the winding start end Te around the tape core 27 can be produced. That is, unlike the case where the winding start end portion is colored with ink, it is not necessary to wait until the ink dries. Therefore, the tape end recognition portion E is formed on the tape body T without reducing the production efficiency of the processing tape 26. be able to.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 6 thru | or FIG. 10, the tape end recognition part E is demonstrated concretely. FIG. 6 shows a tape end recognition unit E obtained by cutting the tape body T into a circle at the winding start end Te of the tape body T. According to this tape end recognition part E, since the tape main body T is partially cut out, the presence of the tape end recognition part E can be made to be surely recognized by the user. In this case, as the cutting device 51, for example, a punching device is used.

  FIG. 7 shows a tape end recognition unit E in which the tape body T is cut out in the shape of “end” (end display character). According to the tape end recognizing unit E, the user who sees this can easily understand that it means a tape end. In this case, as the cutting device 51, for example, a cutting plotter device is used. The end display character may be “END” or the like.

  FIG. 8 shows a tape end recognition portion E including three cut lines Ec extending in the tape length direction and formed so as not to reach the winding start end Te of the tape body T. The three cut lines Ec are aligned in the tape width direction, and the intermediate cut line Ec is displaced to the winding start end Te side with respect to the upper and lower cut lines Ec. In this case, the tape end recognition part E can be formed by the cutting device 51 (for example, a press cutter having three straight blades) without generating a cut end (dust). Therefore, garbage is reduced and environmental problems are addressed.

  FIG. 9 shows a tape end recognition portion E that is formed in a shape that is convex toward the winding start end Te side of the tape main body T and that includes three cut lines Ec aligned in the tape length direction. According to the tape end recognizing portion E, three convex portions Et having the cut lines Ec as outlines are formed on the tape body T. In this case, as the cutting device 51, for example, a cutting plotter device is used.

  On the other hand, the curl that was wound around the tape core 27 remains in the tape piece Tr. Therefore, the convex portion Et of the tape piece Tr is projected in a scaly shape toward the outer side in the radial direction due to the curl (see FIG. 5B). Therefore, the presence of the tape end recognition part E (convex part Et) can be reliably recognized by the user. Further, even if the protruding convex portion Et contacts the tape guide 34, the tape delivery port 32, etc. in the tape running path, a force acts in the direction of tilting the convex portion Et. It is not caught by the guide 34 or the tape delivery port 32. That is, the convex portion Et does not affect the tape running performance.

  Finally, FIG. 10 shows a tape end recognition portion E in which only the peeling tape Tb of the tape body T is outline-cut into the shape of “END” (end display character). That is, the tape end recognizing section E is formed by forming an outline of “END” which is a cut target Tbc of the peeling tape Tb by a cutting plotter device capable of half-cutting (adjustable cutting depth). In this case, when the peeling tape Tb is peeled off from the recording tape Ta, the cut target Tbc surrounded by the outline is peeled off from the peeling tape Tb and remains on the recording tape Ta, and the cutout portion “END” by the outline is formed on the peeling tape Tb. Therefore, the user who sees the peeling tape Tb and the recording tape Ta can easily recognize that the tape body T wound around the tape core 27 has been used up.

  Further, since no cut line is formed on the recording tape Ta, all ink characters and Braille are printed and engraved, and the length of the tape piece Tr may be slightly shorter. The recording tape Tr can be used as a label and is not wasted. That is, since the tape piece Tr does not become dust, the environment-friendly processing tape 26 can be provided. In this case, the cut target Tbc adhered to the back surface of the recording tape Ta is not an obstacle when the recording tape Ta is adhered to the adherend.

  Note that the processing tape 26 set in the label producing apparatus 1 is no longer sent forward (platen roller) when the rear end of the tape body T (the winding start end Te to the tape core 27) passes through the platen roller 31. 31 is idle). For this reason, the last cut portion of the processing tape 26 of one turn by the full cutter 36 always has the same reference distance d as the separation distance between the platen drive shaft and the full cutter 36 from the winding start end Te to the tape body T. It becomes the reference location B existing on the feeding end side. That is, this reference location B becomes the rear end of the final tape piece Tr obtained from the processing tape 26 (see FIGS. 11 and 12), and the winding start end Te side from the reference location B does not become the tape piece Tr. , It remains in the tape cartridge C.

  Therefore, the tape end recognizing portion E is formed at a position closest to the feeding end side from the reference location B. According to this, the tape end recognition part E will be located in the rear-end part of the last tape piece Tr obtained from the roll of processing tape 26. FIG. That is, by forming the tape end recognizing portion E from the reference location B on the feeding end side, the tape end recognizing portion E is not included on the winding start end Te side from the reference location B, and the final tape piece Tr is surely received. Thus, the tape end recognition unit E can be surely visually recognized by the user. Furthermore, since this is formed in the immediate vicinity of the reference location B, the waste tape body T can be reduced as much as possible, and environmental problems are addressed.

  Further, in order to use the tape main body T without waste, it is preferable to shorten the dimension in the tape length direction of the tape end recognition portion E as much as possible. However, if this is too short (for example, 5 mm), the reference point B Since the tape end recognition part E does not appear until just before, the length of the final tape piece may be extremely short (for example, 5 mm). The extremely short tape piece Tr may be clogged at the cutter portion and may not be properly discharged (jamming) from the printing tape discharge port 16. For this reason, the tape length direction dimension of the tape end recognition portion E is preferably 2 cm to 3 cm. According to this, an environment-friendly type in which waste (dust) is minimized as much as possible without causing jamming. A processing tape 26 can be provided. For example, in the tape end recognition part E shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of circular cutout parts are formed over a range of 2 cm to 3 cm.

  FIG. 11 shows the first label L1 (FIGS. (A) and (c)) and the second label L2 (FIG. 11) produced by mounting the tape cartridge C containing the processing tape 26 on the apparatus main body 2 described above. It is a figure which shows the same figure (b) and (d). Of these, (a) and (b) in the figure are the cases where the remaining amount of the tape body T is sufficient, respectively (c) and (d) are the cases where the remaining amount of the tape body is small (final) Tape piece Tr). The tape end recognition unit E in FIG. 11 is the one shown in FIG. 6, but may be another form of tape end recognition unit E.

  Further, FIG. 12 shows that, instead of the processing tape 26 described above, a tape cartridge C in which a tape main body T without the tape end recognizing portion E is wound at the winding start end Te around the tape core 27 is accommodated in the above-described apparatus. It is a figure which shows the 1st label L1 (the figure (a)) and 2nd label L2 (the figure (b)) which were produced when the main body 2 was mounted | worn and there is little remaining amount of the tape main body T.

  As shown in FIG. 12 (a), when the first label L1 is produced when the remaining amount of the tape body T is small with respect to a normal tape with release paper, the length of the tape body T is insufficient, so “Azusa 12 Go” is all printed, but Braille is an unfinished label that breaks out at the eighth square out of all ten squares (see FIG. 11A). However, many users (sight-seeing people) lack knowledge of the Braille rules, so it is not known that the Braille is broken, and it is not possible to identify whether it is an incomplete label.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11C, when the first label L1 is produced when the remaining amount of the tape body T is small with respect to the processing tape 26 of the present embodiment, the rear end portion of the first label L1 Since the tape end recognition portion E is formed, it is obvious that the tape body T has been used up. Therefore, it can be easily identified that the first label L1 is an incomplete label.
In addition, although the 1st label L1 of FIG.11 (c) is compared with the 1st label L1 of the same figure (a) and FIG. After the ink-character printing, when the tape body T is discharged from the printing tape discharge port 16, it is determined that it is an unfinished label, so that braille stamping is not performed unnecessarily.

  The same can be said for the second label L2 as with the first label L1. That is, as shown in FIG. 12B, when the second label L2 is produced when the remaining amount of the tape body T is small with respect to a normal tape with release paper, the length of the tape body T is insufficient. The label is shorter than the fixed length (100 mm, see FIG. 11B). However, since there is a long blank space behind the ink character “Azusa 12 Go”, it is different from the case where the ink character is cut off halfway, and at first glance, it can be identified whether it is an incomplete label. I can't.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11D, when the second label L2 is produced when the remaining amount of the tape body T is small with respect to the processing tape 26 of the present embodiment, the rear end of the second label L2 is Since the tape end recognition portion E is formed, it is obvious that the tape body T has been used up. Therefore, it can be easily identified that the second label L2 is an incomplete label shorter than the fixed length.

  As described above, according to the processing tape 26 and the tape cartridge C of this embodiment, it is possible to easily recognize that the tape body T wound around the tape core 27 has been used up without lowering the production efficiency. . And according to the label production apparatus 1 of this embodiment, it can identify reliably whether the produced tape piece Tr is an incomplete label.

It is an external appearance perspective view of the label production apparatus of a closed lid state. It is an external appearance perspective view of the label production apparatus in an open state. It is a control block diagram of a label production apparatus. It is sectional drawing of the tape cartridge which accommodated the processing tape. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing process of a processing tape. It is a figure which shows the tape end recognition part which cut out the tape main body circularly in the winding start end of a tape main body. It is a figure which shows the tape end recognition part which cut out the tape main body in the shape of an end display character. It is a figure which shows the tape end recognition part which consists of three cut lines formed so that it might extend in the tape length direction. It is a figure which shows the tape end recognition part which consists of three cut lines formed in the shape which becomes convex at the winding start end side of a tape main body. It is a figure which shows the tape end recognition part which outline-cut only the peeling tape in the shape of the end display character. It is a figure which shows the label produced with the label production apparatus using the processing tape which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the label produced by the label production apparatus using the processing tape which wound the tape main body without a tape end recognition part.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Label production apparatus 2 ... Apparatus main body 21 ... Print head 25 ... Cartridge case 26 ... Processing tape 27 ... Tape core 31 ... Platen roller 35 ... Cutter unit 40 ... Stamping assembly B ... Reference location C ... Tape cartridge d ... Reference distance E ... Tape end recognition part Ec ... Cut line T ... Tape body Ta ... Recording tape Taa ... Adhesive layer Tb ... Release tape Te ... Winding start end Tr ... Tape piece

Claims (11)

A recording tape provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer on the back surface, a tape main body comprising a release tape attached to the recording tape via the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and a tape core in which the tape main body is wound into a roll. Provided, a processing tape for obtaining a tape piece by cutting the tape body that has been fed out in the width direction,
A processing tape comprising a tape end recognition portion formed by a cutting process on the tape body in the vicinity of a winding start end of the tape body on the tape core.   The processing tape according to claim 1, wherein the tape end recognizing unit is a cut-out unit obtained by cutting out a part of the tape main body.   The processing tape according to claim 2, wherein the cut-out portion is cut into a character shape of an end display character that indicates that the cut-out portion has been used up.   2. The processing tape according to claim 1, wherein the tape end recognition part is a cut line formed so as not to reach both width ends and the winding start end of the tape body.   The processing tape according to claim 4, wherein the cut line is formed in a shape that is convex in the length direction of the tape body.   The processing tape according to claim 5, wherein the cut line is formed in a shape that is convex toward the winding start end. The cut line is a half cut line formed only on the release tape,
The processing tape according to claim 4, wherein the half-cut line constitutes an endless outline for partially cutting out the peeling tape. The processing tape according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A cartridge case for accommodating the processing tape;
A tape cartridge comprising: The tape processing apparatus includes: a feeding unit that feeds out the tape body; and a cutting unit that is positioned downstream of the feeding unit in the feeding direction of the tape body and cuts the tape body that is fed out. ,
The tape end recognizing portion has a distance that is the same as the separation distance between the feeding means and the cutting means, and a position closest to the feeding end side from a reference position that is located on the feeding end side of the tape body from the winding start end. 9. The tape cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the tape cartridge is formed. A cartridge mounting portion to which the tape cartridge according to claim 9 is detachably mounted;
The feeding means;
The cutting means;
A tape processing apparatus comprising:   11. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: a printing unit that prints ink characters on the sent processing tape and / or a stamping unit that performs braille printing on the tape piece. Tape processing equipment.

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