JP2007210345A - Tape printer and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tape printer which permits the acquisition of labels not limited by the shape of a label area even when the label tape is used, and an effective use of the label tape, and a program. <P>SOLUTION: When a character string as print data is to be input, a half-cutting position is specified in an arbitrary position of the character string and half-cutting and block feed codes are input. The half cutting position based on the input half-cutting and block feed codes are stored. During the execution of printing, half-cutting is provided in the rear end of the character string printed on the basis of the stored half-cutting position in the label area 12 of the label tape 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a program capable of printing print target data on a long tape-shaped print medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art There is known a printing apparatus that prints a desired character string on a printing sheet surface of a printing tape in which an adhesive printing sheet with an adhesive applied in advance on a back surface and a release paper are detachably superimposed. With this type of printing device, titles and title names can be printed on the tape surface neatly on the spot, and then can be adhered to the back cover of a document file or the back of a video tape. Widely used for any purpose.

  Printing tapes used in this type of printing apparatus include printing tapes with different tape widths, and in addition to normal printing tapes, there are adhesive printing sheets and release papers with adhesive applied to the back side. There are label tapes and the like that have a cut line that is preliminarily formed on a sheet to be printed and is divided into a label area where printing is performed and a peripheral area other than the label area.

In a normal printing tape, the printing tape is cut and used according to the required length after printing. However, when the printing tape is cut, the printing sheet and the release paper are in close contact with each other. Therefore, the work of peeling the printing sheet from the release paper is complicated. Therefore, a printing apparatus or the like having a half-cut mechanism that cuts only a sheet to be printed without cutting the release sheet has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). By half-cutting the print tape, the print sheet is peeled off from the edge of the release paper simply by curving the half-cut position of the print tape, so the print sheet can be easily peeled off from the release paper. can do.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-277824

  However, since the above-mentioned label tape is pre-formed with a cutting line for separating the printing sheet in the label area from the release paper, it is necessary to perform a half cut on the label tape for easily peeling the printing sheet. There is no. Therefore, it is conceivable that the label tape is not half-cut at all. However, if the half-cut is not performed at all, the shape of the label created using the label tape is limited to the shape of the label area, and users who want to create various labels using a part of the shape of the label area Can no longer meet the needs. In the label tape, one label is consumed by one printing. For this reason, even if there are few characters to be printed and there is a sufficient margin in the label area, one label is consumed, so the label tape may not be used effectively.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a tape printer and a program that can create a label that is not limited to the shape of the label area even when a label tape is used, and that can effectively use the label tape. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, a tape printer according to claim 1 is separated from a printing sheet, which is a long print medium having a printing surface on one side and an adhesive layer on the other side. A tape printing apparatus capable of using a printing tape in which a release sheet having a moldable surface is peelably laminated, and is formed at an arbitrary position on the printed surface and has an independent input area for character string data Setting means for setting a half-cut position to be applied to the printed sheet from the one surface side at the end of the block partitioned as the input editing unit, and the half-cut position set by the setting means And a half-cut position storage means for storing.

  The tape printer according to claim 2 is the tape printer according to claim 1, wherein a position defined based on a position to end printing is stored in the half-cut position storage means as a half-cut position. It is characterized by.

  The program according to claim 3 peels a print sheet, which is a long print medium having a print surface on one side and an adhesive layer on the other side, and a release sheet having a releasable surface. A tape printing apparatus capable of using print tapes that can be stacked is formed at an arbitrary position on the printing surface, and at the end of a block partitioned with a character string data input area as an independent input editing unit And a setting means for setting a half-cut position to be applied to the printing sheet from the one surface side, and a half-cut position storage means for storing the half-cut position set by the setting means It is characterized by making it.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to the third aspect, a position defined on the basis of a position where printing is finished is stored in the half cut position storage means as a half cut position. .

  According to claim 1 and claim 3, in a tape printing apparatus in which a label tape is used, a half cut can be applied to the end of the block with respect to the label tape. Therefore, the label tape can be used effectively.

  According to claim 2 and claim 4, in a tape printing apparatus in which a label tape is used, half-cutting can be performed immediately after printing. Therefore, a plurality of labels are provided for each character string using one printing surface. Since it can be created, the label tape can be used effectively.

  The program described in claim 3 and claim 4 can be recorded and distributed on a removable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or MO, or a fixed recording medium such as a hard disk, or wired or wireless. It can be distributed via a communication network such as the Internet by means of electrical communication.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of a tape printer 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a display 2 and a keyboard 3 are arranged on the front surface of the tape printer 1. A cover that can be opened and closed is provided at the rear of the tape printer 1, and a cassette mounting portion 7 (see FIG. 4) having a print head 4 (see FIG. 3) is arranged inside the cover.

  A printing tape 10 that is a printing medium of the tape printer 1 has a printing surface on which characters and symbols are printed on the front surface side, and is a long tape-shaped printing medium that has an adhesive layer on the back surface side. A print sheet and a release sheet having a releasable surface treated with a silicone resin or the like are laminated so as to be peelable. The printing tape 10 is housed in a tape cassette 8 in a state of being wound in a roll shape, and this tape cassette 8 is detachably mounted on the tape printer 1 by a cassette mounting portion 7. The printing tape 10 is pulled out from the tape cassette 8 inside the tape printer 1 and printed, and then cut at an appropriate length. The cut printing tape 10 can be used as a label that can be attached to a desired article by peeling the release sheet from the printing sheet. Such a normal printing tape 10 is referred to as a normal tape.

  Next, the label tape 11 which is one of the printing tapes 10 used in the printing tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an external view of the label tape 11 as viewed from the printing surface side. The label tape 11 has a printing surface on the surface of the printing tape 10, and a printing sheet having a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer on the back surface and a release sheet having a releasable surface are detachably overlapped, and the printing sheet is , Having a label area 12 having a predetermined planar shape such as a rectangular shape with four corners chamfered and a peripheral area 13, and the label area 12 and the peripheral area 13 can be separated from each other by a cutting line 14. Has been disconnected. The label area | region 12 can be used as a label by peeling from a peeling sheet and sticking to a target object. The label region 12 has not only a rectangular shape but also various shapes such as a circular shape.

  Next, the configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the tape printer 1. The tape printer 1 has a display 2, a keyboard 3, a print head 4, a control unit 6, and a cassette mounting unit 7 (not shown). The display 2 is composed of a known liquid crystal display.

  The keyboard 3 is arranged on the surface of the tape printer 1, and includes a text key and an enter key for inputting characters to be printed, a cursor key for moving a cursor, and a half cut & break block for specifying a half cut position to be described later Keys and function assignment keys (cut setting keys, print keys, etc.) for calling various functions of the tape printer 1 are configured.

  The print head 4 is provided in the cassette mounting portion 7 and is disposed at a position corresponding to the tape exposure portion provided on the side surface of the tape cassette 8. A large number of heating elements that are electrically controlled by the control unit 6 are arranged in the print head 4 along the width direction of the print tape 10 (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the print tape).

The control unit 6 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 61 and a ROM (Read Only Memory).
) 62, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 63, a data bus 65, and an interface unit 66. The CPU 61 is a central processing unit that performs arithmetic processing according to various commands. The ROM 62 is a non-volatile read-only memory in which an arithmetic program for causing the CPU 61 to execute the functional units in FIG. 3 and operate the flowcharts in FIGS. 7 to 10 is stored. The RAM 63 is a volatile memory for temporarily storing data used when the CPU 61 executes a program.

  The interface unit 66 is a connection unit that directly and indirectly electrically connects the device separated as a module and the control unit 6. The data bus 65 is a data transfer line group that electrically connects the CPU 61, the ROM 62, the RAM 63, and the interface unit 66. All the transfer data in the control unit 6 is transferred via the data bus 65.

  Next, the printing mechanism of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the cassette mounting portion 7 inside the tape printer 1. The tape cassette 8 is detachably mounted on the cassette mounting portion 7 in the tape printer 1. The tape cassette 8 is configured by assembling upper members (not shown) above a box-shaped lower member 80 whose upper side is opened. A two spool 83, a third spool 84, a platen roller 85, a pressure roller 86, and a conveying roller 87 are provided. The transport roller 87 is arranged such that when the tape cassette 8 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 7, a rotational driving force transmission path is formed with a drive motor (not shown) disposed on the cassette mounting portion 7. The Formed inside the lower member 80 is a head housing portion 89 that is a hollow portion for housing the print head 4 when the tape cassette 8 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 7. When the tape cassette 8 is mounted, the print head 4 is inserted into the head accommodating portion 89 and disposed at a position in contact with the platen roller 85. The printing tape 10 is assembled to the first spool 82 in a state wound in a roll shape. There are a plurality of types of printing tape 10 having different widths and shapes of label areas.

  Two holes 88 are formed in the outer bottom surface of the lower member 80 of the tape cassette 8. In the present embodiment, there are four tape type discrimination locations, of which two holes 88 are provided at the center, and no holes are provided at two locations on both sides. Therefore, when the tape cassette 8 is mounted on the tape mounting portion 7, among the four pins provided in the tape type detection device (not shown) provided on the inner bottom surface of the tape mounting portion 7, the center two are on the bottom surface of the tape cassette 8. The two holes 88 are inserted into the two holes 88, and the two on both sides are pressed by the bottom surface of the tape cassette 8 against the elastic force of the spring. In addition, the arrangement pattern of the holes 88 provided in the tape cassette 8, that is, the combination of whether or not the holes 88 are provided in the four places is different for each type of tape. A tape type determination unit 103, which will be described later, determines the type of the tape cassette 8 that is mounted by detecting whether or not each pin has been pressed, thereby determining the type of the print tape 10 that is mounted. .

  When the drive motor (not shown) rotates when the tape cassette 8 is mounted on the tape mounting portion 7, the transport roller 87 connected to the drive motor rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow in FIG. The printing tape 10 wound around the first spool 82 of the tape cassette 8 is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4 while being unwound by the driving force generated by the rotation of the conveying roller 87. The printing tape 10 unwound from the first spool 82 is pressed against the print head 4 by the platen roller 85 while being guided by the second spool 83 and the third spool 84, and the pressure roller 86 is pressed against the transport roller 87.

  In this way, the print tape 10 is transported while being sandwiched between the platen roller 85 and the print head 4, while the heating elements provided in the print head 4 are energized selectively and intermittently to be desired. Images are formed. After the desired image is formed, the printing tape 10 passes between the conveying roller 87 and the pressure roller 86 that are pressed against each other as described above, and is discharged to the outside. The printing tape 10 discharged to the outside is cut at a desired position by the tape cutter 71.

  Next, the configuration of each functional unit of the tape printer 1 will be described. The tape printer 1 includes a character string storage unit (print data storage unit) 91 configured by a RAM 63, a cut position storage unit (full cut position storage unit, half cut position storage unit) 92, and a cut configured by a CPU 61. An execution unit (full cut command generation unit, half cut command generation unit) 101, a cut position addition unit 102, and a tape type determination unit (determination unit) 103 are included.

  The character string storage unit 91 is configured on the RAM 63 and stores character string data to be printed input from the keyboard 3 by the user. The character string data is composed of character data, and each character data is composed of a text code corresponding to the font data stored in the ROM 62, and data indicating the character modification content, character size, and the like.

  The cut position storage unit 92 is configured on the RAM 63 and stores a position where the print tape 10 is cut. There are a full cut and a half cut in the cuts applied to the printing tape. The full cut is an operation for cutting the release sheet and the printing sheet. Half-cutting is an operation for cutting only the printing sheet. The cut position adding unit 102 stores the full cut position as a full cut position and the half cut position as a half cut position.

  The cut execution unit 101 causes the cutter 71 to perform a full cut or a half cut on the printing tape 10. Full cut or half cut is performed based on the full cut position or half cut position stored in the cut position storage unit 92.

  More specifically, after a desired character string image is formed on the print tape 10 by the print head 4 during printing, the full cut position or half cut on the print tape 10 stored in the cut position storage unit 92 is stored. After the printing tape 10 is conveyed so that the position reaches the position of the tape cutter 71, the tape cutter 71 performs full cut or half cut. In the tape label 11, the full cut is performed outside the range of the label region 12 in the longitudinal direction of the label tape 11, and the half cut is performed within the range of the label region 12 in the longitudinal direction of the label tape 11.

  The cut position adding unit 102 stores the full cut position or the half cut position in the cut position storage unit 92 based on a user operation. As a method of storing the full cut position or the half cut position by the cut position adding unit 102, a method of storing the full cut position or the half cut position by setting the cut position and a half cut & break block code are input to the character string data. Thus, there is a method for storing the half-cut position.

  First, a method of storing a full cut position or a half cut position by setting a cut position will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is an external view of the cut position setting screen 110 displayed when the cut position is set. By pressing a cut setting key which is one of the function assignment keys of the keyboard 3, a cut position setting screen 110 shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D is displayed on the display 2. Each time the cursor key is pressed, the setting contents on the position setting screen 110 are changed in the order of FIGS.

  The cut position setting screen 110 shows the setting contents of the full cut position or the half cut position. FIG. 5A shows the setting contents for performing the full cut between the character strings to be printed. FIG. 5 (c) shows the setting contents for half-cutting one end of a printed character string and full-cutting the other end. (D) shows the setting contents in which half cut and full cut are not performed. In addition, the broken line part has shown the half cut. The user can display the position setting screen 110 of the desired setting content on the display 2 by pressing the cursor key, and can confirm the setting content by pressing the enter key. When the setting content is confirmed, the half cut position and the full cut position corresponding to the character string stored in the character string storage unit 91 are stored in the cut position storage unit 92, respectively.

  In the position setting screen 110, when the print tape 10 mounted by the tape type determination unit 103 described later is determined as a normal tape, the setting contents shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D are displayed. However, when the printing tape 10 loaded by the tape type determination unit 103 is determined to be the label tape 11, only the setting contents shown in FIGS. 5A and 5D are displayed. That is, when the label tape 11 is used, the half cut position cannot be stored. The full cut position is stored in the cut position storage unit 92 so as to be outside the range of the label area 12 in the longitudinal direction of the label tape 11.

  Next, a method for storing a half-cut position by inputting a half-cut & modified block code into character string data will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a printing example when a half cut & break block code is input to the character string data on the label tape 11. In addition, the broken line part represents the half cut.

  As shown in FIG. 6, half-cutting can be performed at an arbitrary position on the character string by inputting the half-cut & modified block code to the character string data to be printed. To enter a half-cut & break block code, move the cursor to an arbitrary position on the character string to be half-cut and press the half-cut & break block key on the keyboard 3 when entering the character string to be printed. Just press it. The input code in the case of FIG. 6 is' A "B" C "HB" D "E" CR "F" G "HB" H "I" J "K “L” HB '. 'HB' indicates a half cut & break block code, and 'CR' indicates a line feed code. In this example, half-cut & modified block codes are input between “ABC” and “DEFG”, between “DEFG” and “HIJKL”, and at the rear end of “HIJKL”.

  When the half cut & break block code is input, the character string data is blocked based on the half cut & break block code. Blocking means that the input area of character string data is partitioned into independent input editing units. In the example of FIG. 6, “ABC”, “DEFG”, and “HIJKL” are partitioned as independent blocks. When printing is performed, the half-cut & break block code is read from the character string storage unit 91, and the half-cut position corresponding to each block stored in the character string storage unit 91 is stored in the cut position storage unit 92. The

  Unlike the method based on the cut position setting, it is possible to input a half-cut & break block code even when the print tape 10 mounted by the tape type determination unit 103 is determined to be the label tape 11. . When half-cutting is performed on the label tape 11, a half-cut position at which the half-cut is performed only within the range of the label region 12 in the longitudinal direction of the label tape 11 is stored as shown in FIG. .

  The tape type determination unit 103 determines the type of the printing tape 10 stored in the tape cassette 8 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 7. The tape cassette 8 indicates the type of printing tape 10 accommodated by the arrangement pattern of a plurality of holes 88 provided on the outer bottom surface of the lower member 80. The type of the printing tape 10 is determined by recognizing the arrangement pattern of the holes 88 with the four pins provided in the tape type detection device provided on the inner bottom surface of the tape mounting portion 7.

  Next, the processing procedure of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an overall processing procedure of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an overall processing procedure of the tape printer 1.

  When the power is turned on, the control device starts operating. First, the process proceeds to step S10 (hereinafter abbreviated as S10. The same applies to other steps), and the entire tape printer 1 is initialized. Specifically, the CPU 61, the RAM 63, and the interface 66 are checked for operation and initialized, and the display 2 and the print head 4 connected to the interface 66 are checked for operation and the hardware is initialized. The data stored in the RAM 63 and the functions of the respective units are initialized. When these are completed, an operation screen is displayed on the display 2.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to S11, and it is determined whether or not a key input from the keyboard 3 is performed by the user. The user can input characters from the character string stored in the character string storage unit 91 and operate the tape printer 1 by performing key input using the keyboard 3 while viewing the display screen displayed on the display 2. When the initialization is completed, the tape printer 1 stands by in a state where a character string can be input, and the user can input a character string to be printed with a text key arranged on the keyboard 3. Even in the input standby state, each function can be called by inputting a function assignment key for calling each function such as a print key. When a key is input by the user (S11: YES), the key code of the input key is stored in the work area of the RAM 63, and the process proceeds to S12. When the key is not input by the user (S11: NO), the process proceeds to S11 again and waits for the key input by the user.

  In S12, it is determined from the key code of the key input in S11 stored in the work area of the RAM 63 whether or not the input key is a text key. If the key input in S11 is a text key (S12: YES), the process proceeds to S13 to perform input editing processing. Here, the input editing process is an operation of deriving a text code corresponding to the key code from the key code stored in S11 and storing the text code in the character string storage unit 91 as character data. When the input editing process is completed, the process proceeds to S11 again and waits until there is a key input by the user. If the key input in S11 is not a text key (S12: NO), the process proceeds to S14.

  In S14, it is determined whether or not the key input in S11 is a cut setting key. When the key input in S11 is a cut setting key (S14: YES), the process proceeds to S15 and cut position setting described later is performed (see FIG. 8). When the setting of the cut position is completed, the process proceeds to S11 again and is performed by the user. Wait for key input. If the key input in S11 is not a cut setting key (S14: NO), the process proceeds to S16.

  In S16, it is determined whether or not the key input in S11 is a print key. If the key input in S11 is a print key (S16: YES), the process proceeds to S17 and print processing described later is performed (see FIGS. 9 and 10). When the printing process is completed, the process proceeds to S11 again and waits until there is a key input by the user. If the key input in S11 is not a print key (S16: NO), the process proceeds to S18.

  In S18, other processing is executed. Other processes include processes for function call keys other than those described above, cursor key processes, and the like. When the other processing is completed, the process proceeds to S11 again and waits until there is a key input by the user. Termination of the control system is realized by turning off the power switch of the tape printer 1.

  Next, the procedure for setting the cut position in S15 in the flowchart of FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for setting a cut position. First, the process proceeds to S30, where the tape type determination unit 103 detects the type of the printing tape 10 stored in the tape cassette 8 mounted in the cassette mounting unit 7. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S31, and it is determined whether or not the type of the printing tape 10 detected in S30 is the label tape 11. When the detected type of the printing tape 10 is not the label tape 11 (S31: NO), the process proceeds to S32, where the cut position adding unit 102 displays the position setting screen 110 on the display 2, and based on the user's operation. Then, the full cut position and the half cut position are stored in the cut position storage unit 92 (see FIG. 5). When the full cut position and the half cut position are stored in the cut position storage unit 92, the cut position setting is completed. Thereafter, the flowchart of FIG. 8 is terminated, the process proceeds to S11 of the flowchart of FIG. 7, and waits until there is a key input by the user.

  When the detected type of the printing tape 10 is the label tape 11 (S31: YES), the process proceeds to S33, and the position setting screen 110 showing the setting contents of the full cut is displayed on the display 2 by the cut position adding unit 102. Only the full cut position is stored in the cut position storage unit 92 based on the user's operation (see FIG. 5A). If the full cut position is stored in the cut position storage unit 92, the cut position setting is completed. Thereafter, the flowchart of FIG. 8 is terminated, the process proceeds to S11 of the flowchart of FIG. 7, and waits until there is a key input by the user.

  Next, the processing procedure of the printing process of S17 in the flowchart of FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the printing process. First, the process proceeds to S40, and the tape type determination unit 103 determines whether or not the tape cassette 8 is mounted on the cassette mounting unit 7. When it is determined that the tape cassette 8 is not mounted on the cassette mounting unit 7 (S40: NO), the process proceeds to S41, and a message prompting the cassette mounting unit 7 to mount the tape cassette 8 is displayed on the display 2. . Thereafter, the process proceeds to S40 again, and is repeated until the tape cassette 8 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 7. When the tape cassette 8 is mounted on the cassette mounting unit 7 (S40: YES), the process proceeds to S42, and is further stored in the tape cassette 8 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 7 by the tape type determination unit 103. The type of print tape 10 that is present is detected.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to S43, and a print image of the character string stored in the character string storage unit 91 is generated. Here, the generation of a print image refers to character data of characters stored in the character string storage unit 91, a set character size, a font shape, character decorations such as bold characters and italics, and lines such as frame frames. Based on the presence or absence of the modification, the work is developed as dot pattern data in accordance with the actual printing state on the work area of the RAM 63. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S44, and it is determined whether or not the print image generated in S43 fits in the width direction of the print tape 10 stored in the tape cassette 8 mounted in the cassette mounting unit 7 detected in S42. To do. If the print image does not fit in the width direction of the print tape 10 (S44: NO), the process proceeds to S45, and an error content to that effect is displayed on the display 2. Thereafter, the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 are terminated, the process proceeds to S11 of the flowchart of FIG. 7, and waits until there is a key input by the user.

  If the print image fits in the width direction of the print tape 10 in S44 (S44: YES), the process proceeds to S46, and it is determined whether the print image fits in the longitudinal direction of the tape in the print range. If the print image does not fit in the longitudinal direction of the tape in the print range (S46: NO), the process proceeds to S47, and it is determined whether the type of the print tape 10 detected in S42 is the label tape 11. If the detected type of the printing tape 10 is not the label tape 11 (S47: NO), the process proceeds to S45, and an error content to that effect is displayed on the display 2. Thereafter, the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 are terminated, the process proceeds to S11 of the flowchart of FIG. 7, and waits until there is a key input by the user.

  If the detected type of the print tape 10 is the label tape 11 in S47 (S47: YES), the process proceeds to S48, and a print image within the range of one label area of the label tape 11 is generated again. Let Thereafter, the process proceeds to S49, and it is determined whether or not the print image generated in S48 fits in the label area 12 of the label tape 11. When the print image fits in the label area 12 of the label tape 11 (S49: YES), the process proceeds to S51. If the print image does not fit in the label area 12 of the label tape 11 (S49: NO), the process proceeds to S45, and an error content to that effect is displayed on the display 2. Thereafter, the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 are terminated, the process proceeds to S11 of the flowchart of FIG. 7, and waits until there is a key input by the user.

  In S46, when the print image fits in the longitudinal direction of the tape in the print range (S46: YES), the process proceeds to S50, and it is determined whether or not the type of the print tape 10 detected in S42 is the label tape 11. When the detected type of the printing tape 10 is not the label tape 11 (S50: NO), the process proceeds to S52. When the detected type of the printing tape 10 is the label tape 11 (S50: YES), the process proceeds to S51, and the tape label 11 is conveyed to the printing start position. Since the label tape 11 performs printing on the label area 12, it is necessary to transport the tape label 11 to a printing start position that is a head position of the label area 12. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S52.

  In S52, the generated print image is printed. Specifically, data is transferred to the print head 4 based on the generated print image, and a desired character string image is formed on the print tape 10 by the heating element of the print head 4. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S53, where it is determined whether printing of the print image is completed. If printing of the print image has not been completed (S53: NO), the process proceeds to S54, and it is determined whether or not the transported position of the print tape 10 is the half-cut position stored in the cut position storage unit 92. To do. If the transported position of the printing tape 10 is not the half-cut position (S54: NO), the process proceeds to S52 and printing is continued. When the transported position of the printing tape 10 is the half-cut position (S54: YES), the process proceeds to S55, and printing is temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S56, where the cut execution unit 101 transports the printing tape 10 based on the half cut position stored in the cut position storage unit 92, and then performs a half cut. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S52 and further printing is continued.

  In S53, when printing of the print image is completed (S53: YES), the process proceeds to S57, and it is determined whether or not an unprocessed half-cut position is stored in the cut position storage unit 92. If an unprocessed half cut position is stored in the cut position storage unit 92 (S57: YES), the process proceeds to S58, and the cut execution unit 101 stores the half cut position stored in the cut position storage unit 92. Based on this, half-cutting is performed after the printing tape 10 is conveyed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S57, where it is determined again whether or not an unprocessed half cut position is stored in the cut position storage unit 92. When the unprocessed half cut position is not stored in the cut position storage unit 92 (S57: NO), the process proceeds to S59, and it is determined whether or not all printing has been completed. If printing has not been completed (S59: NO), the process proceeds to S43 again to generate the next print image. When all the printing is completed (S59: YES), the process proceeds to S60, and after the printing tape 10 is transported based on the full cut position stored in the cut position storage unit 92 by the cut execution unit 101, the full cut is performed. Apply. Thereafter, the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 are terminated, the process proceeds to S11 of the flowchart of FIG. 7, and waits until there is a key input by the user.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the half cut can be performed immediately after printing without being limited to the label area 12, a label that is not limited to the shape of the label area 12 is provided. Obtainable. In addition, since a plurality of labels can be created for each character string in one label region 12, the label tape 11 can be used effectively.

<Invention of Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment except for the configuration of the tape printing apparatus 1A and the overall processing procedure, and the tape printing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is similar to the first embodiment. Since explanations other than the configuration and the entire processing procedure can be applied, details are omitted.

  First, the configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the tape printer 1A. The tape printer 1A includes a display 2, a keyboard 3A, a print head 4, a control unit 6, and a cassette mounting unit 7 (not shown). The display 2 is composed of a known liquid crystal display. Other than the keyboard 3A is substantially the same as that other than the keyboard 3 according to the first embodiment, and the description of the first embodiment can be applied.

  The keyboard 3A is arranged on the surface of the tape printer 1, and includes a text key and an enter key for inputting characters to be printed, a cursor key for moving a cursor, and a function assignment key for calling various functions of the tape printer 1 (Cut setting key, print key, half-cut continuous print key, etc.).

  Next, the configuration of each functional unit of the tape printer 1A will be described. The description other than the cut position adding unit 102A is substantially the same as each functional unit other than the cut position adding unit 102 of the tape printer 1 according to the first embodiment, and is the same as that of the first embodiment. Details are omitted because the explanation is applicable.

  The cut position adding unit 102A stores the full cut position and the half cut position in the cut position storage unit 92 based on a user operation. The method of storing the full cut position or the half cut position by the cut position adding unit 102A includes the method of storing the full cut position or the half cut position by setting the cut position, and the half cut position by executing the half cut continuous printing. There is a method to memorize.

  The method for storing the full cut position or the half cut position by the cut position setting is substantially the same as the method for storing the full cut position or the half cut position by the cut position setting according to the first embodiment. Since the description of the embodiment can be applied, details are omitted.

  A method of storing the half-cut position by executing the half-cut continuous printing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is substantially equivalent to a printing example in which half-cut continuous printing is performed on the label tape 11. In addition, the broken line part represents the half cut.

  Half-cut continuous printing is for half-cutting the rear end of a block arbitrarily selected from a plurality of blocks created by a user during printing. Here, the block is defined as an input editing unit of independent character string data, and is set by the user at the time of character string input editing. To select a block to be half-cut at the trailing edge, press the half-cut continuous printing key on the keyboard 3 during character string input editing, and then select any block you want to half-cut at the trailing edge. Confirm with the OK key. When selection of a block to be half-cut at the rear end is confirmed, a half-cut position determined based on the position of each block is stored in the cut position storage unit 92.

  Unlike the method based on the cut position setting, the half cut position can be stored even when the print tape 10 mounted by the tape type determination unit 103 is determined to be the label tape 11. When half-cutting is performed on the label tape 11, a half-cut position at which the half-cut is performed only within the range of the label region 12 in the longitudinal direction of the label tape 11 is stored as shown in FIG. .

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, since the half cut can be performed immediately after printing without being limited to the label area 12, a label that is not limited to the shape of the label area 12 is provided. Obtainable. In addition, since a plurality of labels can be created for each character string in one label region 12, the label tape 11 can be used effectively.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made as long as they are described in the claims. For example, in the first and second embodiments, the half-cut is performed after the block (character string) to be printed. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and is independent of the character string. A configuration in which a half cut is performed at a position defined based on a predetermined distance may be used.

  In the first and second embodiments, the tape cutter 71 can be used for full cut after printing. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the tape cutter 71 is used for full cut. The structure which cannot give is also possible.

  In the first and second embodiments, the label tape 11 is configured to perform a full cut only outside the range of the label region 12, but is not limited to such a configuration. Similarly, a configuration in which a full cut can be performed at an arbitrary position may be used.

  In the first and second embodiments, the tape type determination unit 103 is provided and the normal tape and the label tape 11 can be used. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. A configuration as a dedicated machine in which only the label tape 11 that does not include the seed determination unit 103 can be used may be used.

  In the first and second embodiments, the tape printer is configured as a stand-alone type. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The configuration may be realized by a program that functions on a personal computer connected to the tape printer, or may be configured such that the control unit or a part thereof is incorporated in a device other than the personal computer.

1 is an external view of a tape printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the external view which looked at the label tape printable with the tape printer shown in FIG. 1 from the printing surface side. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the tape printer shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the cassette mounting part of the tape printer shown in FIG. It is an external view of the cut setting screen of the tape printer shown in FIG. It is a printing example at the time of inputting a half cut & break block code into character string data with the tape printer shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the whole process sequence in the tape printer shown in FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of printing processing in the tape printer shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the cut position setting in the tape printer shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the cut position setting in the tape printer shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the tape printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape printer 2 Display 3 Keyboard 6 Control part 8 Tape cassette 10 Printing tape 11 Label tape 101 Cut execution part 102 Cut position addition part

Claims (4)

A printing tape can be used in which a printing sheet, which is a long print medium having a printing surface on one side and an adhesive layer on the other side, and a release sheet having a releasable surface are peelable. A tape printing device,
At the end of the block that is formed at an arbitrary position on the printing surface and is partitioned with the input area for character string data as an independent input editing unit, it is applied to the printing sheet from the one surface side. Setting means for setting the half-cut position to be
A tape printing apparatus comprising: a half-cut position storage means for storing the half-cut position set by the setting means.   2. The tape printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a position defined based on a position to end printing is stored in the half cut position storage means as a half cut position. A printing tape can be used in which a printing sheet, which is a long print medium having a printing surface on one side and an adhesive layer on the other side, and a release sheet having a releasable surface are peelable. Tape printer
At the end of the block that is formed at an arbitrary position on the printing surface and is partitioned with the input area for character string data as an independent input editing unit, it is applied to the printing sheet from the one surface side. Setting means for setting a half-cut position, and
A program that functions as a half-cut position storage unit for storing the half-cut position set by the setting unit.   4. The program according to claim 3, wherein a position defined based on a position to end printing is stored in the half cut position storage means as a half cut position.

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