JP5919735B2 - Label printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a label printing apparatus for printing a label to be attached to a can or a bottle.

  Conventionally, when selling products in cylindrical containers such as cans and bottles, labels printed with product names, image images, raw materials, manufacturers, etc. have been applied to the outer peripheral surface of the containers. . For such mass-produced products, it is only necessary to print a certain size and design according to the dimensions of the container, and the design can be determined in advance. There was no need to adjust.

  Here, when producers such as agricultural products bring products or processed products to direct sales offices and consign sales to direct sales offices, the producers themselves carry out work to divide the products into bags. Bottling is also done for processed products that are sold in containers such as bottles. For such products, the producers are also responsible for attaching labels, but it is a burden for small-scale producers to prepare label printers and label paper themselves, so they are installed on the direct sales office side. It is possible to print using a label printer. Patent Document 1 discloses a sales management system for a direct sales office equipped with a label printer in the direct sales office.

  In the sales management system of Patent Document 1, in order to alleviate the crowded and crowded label printing before the opening of the direct sales office, the server of the direct sales office is accessed by telephone from the producer's home to make a label printing reservation. The server can access the personal computer connected to the label printer from the server and execute the reserved printing on the morning of the opening day.

JP 2007-272274 A

  The label printer of the direct sales office in Patent Document 1 can only select the simple type or the standard type for the label specifications, and cannot specify the label size. Conventionally, label printers installed in direct sales offices and the like are not configured to be able to finely adjust the size of labels such as bottles according to the size of the bottles. Therefore, when an unexpectedly sized bottle is brought in, a label having an optimum size cannot be created.

  Since it does not look good if the label size does not match the container size, it is desirable to print a label having a size suitable for the container. When creating a label by cutting long label paper instead of standard label paper, it is possible to adjust the size of the label template during printing and cut the label paper to the adjusted size. However, in the case of a label attached to a three-dimensional container, there is a problem that it takes time to calculate an appropriate label length from the container size, and it takes time to create the label.

  Also, when adjusting the label length, if you only increase or decrease the dimension in the label length direction relative to the label template, part of the printed content will be cut, or an unbalanced margin will be generated and the balance will be lost. There was a risk that the design would not be displayed or necessary information could not be displayed. Further, the same inconvenience may occur when the label template is simply enlarged or reduced. In order to eliminate such inconvenience, conventionally, the printing elements in the label template had to be manually laid out in a well-balanced manner. Thus, it takes time to change the label template, and it takes time to create the label.

  In view of this point, an object of the present invention is to propose a label printing apparatus that can easily create a label of an optimum size according to the size of an object to be pasted in a short time without preparing a large number of label templates. It is in.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a printing apparatus according to the present invention is a label printing apparatus that prints a label that is attached to a cylindrical portion of an object to be attached, and a label template that defines the content to be printed on the label wherein size information but the storage unit to be stored, before the template selection means Kira bell template Ru is selected, the size input means for size information of the object to be adhered label that is adhered is input, which is input Based on the label length calculating means for calculating the label length of the label to be attached to the pasting object, the template adjusting means for adjusting the selected label template based on the calculated label length, and the calculated the label of the label length is, chromatic and label printing means for printing print contents defined by adjusted the label template The label template has a first part adjusted by the template adjusting means and a second part, and the template adjusting means adds the second part to the calculated label length label. A portion is arranged, a center position in the label length direction of a region where the second portion is not arranged among the labels of the calculated label length is calculated, and the first portion is determined based on the center position. It is characterized by being centered .

  With this configuration, the present invention can automatically calculate a label length suitable for this from the size information of the pasting object. Further, a label template prepared in advance can be automatically adjusted and printed to a size suitable for the calculated label length. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare a large number of label templates in advance, and it is not necessary to manually adjust the label templates each time, although the configuration can cope with objects of various sizes. Therefore, a label having an optimum size can be easily printed in a short time on the object to be pasted.

In the present invention, the template adjusting means enlarges or reduces the first portion in the label length direction, and the label length direction of the region where the second portion of the calculated label length label is not arranged And the adjusted length of the first portion can be configured to coincide with each other. In this way, the template is enlarged or reduced with reference to the center position, and the size adjustment with good appearance can be performed.

In the present invention, the first portion may be configured by a printing element, and the template adjusting unit may be configured to change a distance between the center position and the printing element. In this way, template adjustment for rearranging printing elements based on the center position is performed, and size adjustment with good appearance can be performed.

Further, in the present invention, the size information is a diameter of a cylindrical portion in the pasting object, and the label length calculating unit calculates a peripheral length of the cylindrical portion based on the diameter, and the peripheral length it can be configured to so that to determine the label length based on. If it does in this way, the label length of the label stuck on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical part can be determined easily.

In this case, the label template has label type information indicating a pasting range of a label on which the specified printing content is printed, and the label length calculation means includes the label type information of the selected label template. Based on this, the label length can be calculated . If it does in this way, the label length of the label stuck on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical part part can be determined easily. Here, the size input means includes measurement means for measuring the diameter, and the label length calculation means is configured to calculate the circumference based on a measurement result by the measurement means. You can also. For example, a configuration equipped with means for photographing a sticking object placed on a measurement table with a camera or the like and calculating a diameter (outer diameter), or means for automatically inputting the measurement result using another outer diameter measuring instrument can do. In this way, a label with the optimum label length can be created more easily.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to print a label having an optimum size for a pasting object of various sizes, but it is not necessary to prepare a large number of label templates in advance, and each time a label is manually printed. There is no need to adjust the template. Therefore, it is possible to print a label having an optimum size for the pasting object easily and in a short time.

It is the perspective view which looked at the label printing apparatus to which this invention is applied from the front side. It is explanatory drawing of the label template for printing a perimeter type label. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a printer body. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of a label printing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the label production process by a label printing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the input screen displayed on a display in a label production process. It is explanatory drawing of the size adjustment method of a label template.

  Embodiments of a label printing apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Outline of label printer)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a label printing apparatus to which the present invention is applied as viewed from the front side. The label printing apparatus 1 of the present invention creates a label by cutting a long label paper so as to have a label length corresponding to the size of the object to be pasted. When information or the like is input, a label having a suitable label length can be automatically created based on a previously created label template. The pasting target is assumed to be cylindrical, such as cans and bottles, and the label type is either the all-around type that is attached to the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical part or the half-around type that is attached to the half circumference. Select.

  For each label type, a label template that defines the content to be printed on the label is created in advance, and the data is stored in the label printing apparatus 1. By preparing a plurality of label templates with different designs and display contents, a desired one can be selected and printed. As will be described below, the label printing apparatus 1 calculates the label length of the label to be created based on the size information of the pasting object, and matches the print size of the selected label template with the calculated label length. The label template is adjusted to create a printed label according to the adjustment result.

(Label template)
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a label template for printing a perimeter type label. Each of the label templates A1 to A4 is composed of two areas, an information display area B (second part) and a POP area C (first part). The information display area B is an area on which a bar code, a table describing product information such as raw materials, a recycling display, and the like are printed. On the other hand, the POP area C is an area in which logos, designs, texts (sentences and phrases), etc. are laid out and printed in a balanced manner. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in the label templates A1 and A2, the information display area B is divided and arranged at the left end and the right end of the label, and a barcode and a recycle display are arranged at the left end portion. A table with product information is arranged at the right end part. And the POP area | region C is arrange | positioned in the center part of the label. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2C and 2D, in the label templates A3 and A4, the information display area B is arranged at the left end of the label, and the POP area C is arranged in the remaining area.

  Each label template is created on the assumption that the label template is pasted on a cylinder having a preset reference diameter, and is created on the assumption that the label paper having the same width is cut. For this reason, the dimension D (refer FIG. 2A) of the label width direction of each label template is a fixed dimension. On the other hand, the dimension L in the label length direction of each label template (see FIG. 2A) is the same as the circumference of the cylinder with the reference diameter in the case of the full circumference type described above, and in the case of the half circumference type. The length is ½ of the circumference. The half-round type label template may be provided with two areas of the information display area B and the POP area C as in the full-round type shown in FIG. 2, or may be a print of only the POP area C. .

  When the label printing device 1 of this example is installed at a direct sales office or the like that sells agricultural products and processed products, the use of the labels to be created is “for strawberry jam” “for apple juice” “for apple jam”.・ Various applications such as ・ are assumed. FIG. 2 shows an example of a label template “for strawberry jam”. By creating a plurality of all-round and half-round label templates for each application, the producer can select a template that meets his / her needs. Note that the number of types and types of label templates to be prepared can be reduced for labels for uses that are less frequently used.

(Label printing device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the label printing apparatus 1 is an integrated apparatus that includes a printer main body 2 and a display 3 (part of a template selection unit / part of a size input unit) provided on the printer body 2. A touch panel 4 (part of template selection means / part of size input means) is provided on the surface of the display 3. In addition, a discharge port 5 for discharging the printed label P1 is provided on the front surface of the printer main body 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the main part of the printer body 2. Inside the printer main body 2, a roll paper 6 in which a long label paper P is wound in a roll shape is loaded. The label paper P drawn out from the roll paper 6 is conveyed toward the discharge port 5 via the printing mechanism 7 (part of the label printing means), and cut by the auto cutter 8 arranged in front of the discharge port 5. Then, the cut label P1 is discharged from the discharge port 5. A transport mechanism 9 (a part of the label printing unit) for transporting the label paper P along such a path is provided inside the printer main body 2. The printing mechanism 7 includes an inkjet head, a platen, and the like.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the label printing apparatus 1. The control unit 10 (part of the template selection unit, part of the size input unit, part of the label length calculation unit, template adjustment unit, and part of the label printing unit) of the label printing apparatus 1 is configured mainly with a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. Has been. The control unit 10 is provided with a storage unit 10a (storage unit) that stores data of a label template created in advance. As described above, one or more label templates are created for each use and label type. Alternatively, another storage unit accessible from the control unit 10 may be provided outside the control unit 10, and the label template data may be read from the storage unit based on a control program stored in the ROM. Good. The control unit 10 performs overall control of each unit of the label printing apparatus 1 based on a control program stored in the ROM, performs display control of the display 3, and input information from the touch panel 4 provided on the display 3. Various processing based on In addition, the control unit 10 controls the printing mechanism 7, the auto cutter 8, and the conveyance mechanism 9 to perform a printing operation and a cutting operation on the label paper P.

(Label creation process)
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of label creation processing by the label printing apparatus 1, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an input screen displayed on the display 3 in the label creation processing. 5 and 6 show a label for a processed product (for example, strawberry jam) in a container such as a bottle in a label printing apparatus 1 installed at a direct sales office or the like that sells agricultural products or processed products. An example of doing this is shown. The control unit 10 of the label printing apparatus 1 stands by with the login screen displayed on the display 3 prior to the start of the label creation process. On the login screen, a user ID input column and a usage input column for inputting the usage of a newly created label are displayed.

  The label printing apparatus 1 stores in advance the user ID of the user (producer) who has registered for use, and stores the producer information input at the time of use registration in association with the user ID. The user (producer) can log on by appropriately inputting the user ID and logging in without having to input the producer information and other information prepared on the direct sales site side each time. For label usage input, a list of uses (for example, for strawberry jam, for apple jam, etc.) of the created label template stored in the storage unit 10a is displayed on the login screen, and this usage is displayed. It is configured so that any one can be selected from the list.

  In step S <b> 1, the control unit 10 receives a user ID input and a label use input from the login screen, and starts a label creation process. That is, the user ID is checked against the registration information to determine whether or not it is a registered ID. If it is determined that the application has been registered and the use input has been completed, the process proceeds to step S2. An error is displayed when the label usage is not entered or when an unregistered user ID is entered.

  In step S2, the control unit 10 displays the label type input screen 11 shown in FIG. That is, the label template for the application (for example, for strawberry jam) input in step S1 is extracted, and selectable label types are displayed in a list on the display 3 based on the extraction result. For example, in the case of “for strawberry jam”, label templates of both the all-round type and the half-round type are prepared, so two types of “full-round type” and “half-round type” are displayed on the display 3 as options. When the selection input of the label type is performed, the control unit 10 proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, the control unit 10 displays the size information input screen 12 shown in FIG. On the size information input screen, a diameter input field 12a for inputting the diameter of the object to be pasted and an explanatory diagram 12b for the dimensions to be input are displayed. FIG. 12 b illustrates an image of a “bottle” that is an object to be pasted and its diameter. When the user (producer) inputs a dimension in the diameter input field 12a, the control unit 10 proceeds to step S4.

  In step S4, the control unit 10 displays the template selection screen 13 shown in FIG. That is, based on the label type (for example, all-round type) selected in step S2, the corresponding label template is extracted, and the extracted image images of each label template are displayed in a list on the display 3. Since the four types of label templates as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D are prepared for the “around all types” of “for strawberry jam”, the control unit 10 displays these four label templates. 3 to display a list. When the selection input of the label template is performed, the control unit 10 proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, the control unit 10 calculates the label length to be created based on the diameter (size information) input in step S3 and the label type input in step S2. First, the circumference (diameter × π) of the object to be pasted is calculated from the diameter. When the all-round type is selected, the circumference is set to the label length, and when the half-round type is selected, the circumference is set to the circumference × (½) = label length. Then, the process proceeds to step S6. It is also possible to use a label type in which another dimension based on the circumference (for example, a label type of 3/4 of the circumference) is set as the label length. In this case, the set dimension is calculated.

  In step S6, the control unit 10 performs a process of adjusting the label template selected in step S4 so that it can be printed with a print size that matches the label length calculated in step S5. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a label template size adjustment method. FIG. 7A shows a label template before size adjustment, and FIGS. 7B and 7C show label templates after size adjustment. FIG. 7B shows an example where the label length is longer than the label template, and FIG. 7C shows an example where the label length is shorter than the label template.

  The label template after the size adjustment is arranged with the information display area B having the same size and the same content as the information display area B of the original label template at the same position with respect to the label having the label length calculated in step S5. This portion is set in the arrangement area of the POP area C of the original label template (POP area C1 having a different length from the original POP area C). The length of the POP area C1 after the size adjustment (Lc1 in FIG. 7B, Lc2 in FIG. 7C) subtracts the length Lb of the information display area B of the original label template from the calculated label length. It has become a length. Since the length Lc1 / Lc2 of the POP area C1 in the label template after the size adjustment is different from the length Lc of the original POP area C, the control unit 10 calculates the center position E of the POP area C1, The original print image of the POP area C is centered with respect to the center position E.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, when the length of the POP area C1 is longer than the length of the original POP area C, all the same contents as the original POP area C can be printed in a balanced manner. In addition, in order to improve the appearance, not only the centering is performed in accordance with the center position E, but the entire width of the print image of the original POP area C is set to be the same length as the length Lc1 of the POP area C1. It can also be enlarged and printed in the direction. Alternatively, the arrangement of each printing element (logo, design, etc.) constituting the original POP area C is adjusted according to the dimensional increase rate (the increase rate from Lc to Lc1) of the POP area before and after the size adjustment. Also good. For example, each printing element can be rearranged so that the distance between each printing element and the center position E is increased at the same rate as the increase rate of the width of the POP region. If it does in this way, since each printing element is printed with the original shape, it can be printed more attractively.

  As shown in FIG. 7C, when the length Lc2 of the POP region C1 is shorter than the length Lc of the original POP region C, the original POP region C is simply centered to the center position E. There is a possibility that the printing elements constituting the area protrude from the POP area C1. Therefore, in this case, the print image of the original POP area C is reduced and printed in the width direction so as to have the same length as the length Lc2 of the POP area C1. Alternatively, the arrangement of the printing elements constituting the original POP area C may be adjusted according to the dimension reduction rate (the reduction rate from Lc to Lc2) of the POP area before and after the size adjustment. That is, as described above, the printing elements are rearranged so that the distance between the printing elements and the center position E is reduced at the same rate as the reduction rate of the width of the printing area. After adjusting the size of the label template, the control unit 10 proceeds to step S7.

  In step S <b> 7, the control unit 10 displays an image of the label template after the size adjustment on the display 3 and accepts an editing input by the user (producer). When the label template to be displayed includes the information display area B, the control unit 10 reads the barcode to be printed based on the information input so far or the pre-registration information associated with the user ID. Is created, and the contents of the description of the raw materials and the like are determined and a table is created to create an image of the label template. Here, if there is a shortage of information necessary to generate a barcode or information to be written in the description part of raw materials, a screen prompting further input of necessary information is displayed on the display 3 at this stage. Can be entered. For example, information such as sales price, expiration date, and content is input. When the editing input by the user (producer) is performed in step S7 or an input indicating that editing is not necessary is performed, the control unit 10 proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, the control unit 10 determines the content to be printed on the label based on the editing result in step S7, and controls the printing mechanism 7, the auto cutter 8 and the transport mechanism 9 to perform the printing operation on the label paper P and its operation. Perform cutting operation.

  As described above, the label printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can automatically calculate the label length of the label to be created simply by inputting the bottle diameter, and automatically based on the calculated label length of the selected label template. Can be adjusted. At this time, it is not necessary for the user to manually adjust the printing elements when performing size adjustment. Therefore, an optimum size label can be easily created in a short time. In addition, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to create a large number of label templates in advance.

  In the present embodiment, the size of only a specific part (for example, POP area C) in the label template is adjusted, and the remaining part (for example, information display area B) is not adjusted in size. Therefore, there is no inconvenience such as difficulty in reading by changing the size of the bar code or raw material display.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the center position E of the POP area C1 after the size adjustment is calculated and the size adjustment is performed based on this, the label template after the size adjustment can be made to look good. Therefore, it is possible to easily create a label having a good appearance and an optimal size in a short time.

(Other embodiments)
(1) In the above embodiment, only the diameter is input as the size information. However, in addition to the diameter, the height of the label application surface (the height of the cylindrical portion) can also be input. If the label printing apparatus 1 is configured to be able to set label papers having a plurality of widths, the widths of the label papers to be printed are switched according to the input label application surface height to create labels having different widths. Can do. In this case, it is desirable to create a suitable label template according to variations in the width of the label paper. Alternatively, the size of the label template may be adjusted not only in the label length direction but also in the width direction.

(2) In the above embodiment, the size information (diameter) is input from the size information input screen 12 shown in FIG. 6, but the label printing apparatus 1 is provided with a measuring means for measuring the size of the bottle or can, Size information can also be entered by measuring the size directly from the bottle brought by the user (producer). For example, the label printing apparatus 1 can be provided with a measuring table and a camera, and the diameter of the bottle or can can be determined from an image taken by the camera.

(3) In the above embodiment, the user ID is input, and the control unit 10 generates a barcode based on the pre-registered information and the input information from the touch panel 4. A barcode reader is provided, and the user (producer) brings a barcode-printed sheet or previously created label, reads it with the barcode reader, and generates a barcode based on the read information. Can be configured. In this way, the labor of inputting information can be saved, and a label can be created more easily.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Label printing apparatus, 2 ... Printer main body, 3 ... Display (a part of template selection means / a part of size input means), 4 ... Touch panel (a part of template selection means / a part of size input means), 5 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Discharge port, 6 ... Roll paper, 7 ... Printing mechanism (a part of label printing means), 8 ... Auto cutter, 9 ... Conveyance mechanism (a part of label printing means), 10 ... Control part (one of template selection means) Part, part of size input means, part of label length calculation means, template adjustment means, part of label printing means), 10a ... storage part (storage means), 11 ... label type input screen, 12 ... size information input screen, 12a ... diameter input field, 12b ... explanatory drawing, 13 ... template selection screen, A1 to A4 ... label template, B ... information display area (second part), C ... POP area (first part) , C1 ... POP area, E ... center position, P ... Labels, P1 ... Labels

Claims (8)

A label printing apparatus for printing a label to be attached to a cylindrical portion of an object to be pasted,
A storage unit for storing a label template that defines the content to be printed on the label;
Template selection means for selecting the label template;
Size input means for inputting size information of the pasting object to which a label is pasted;
Label length calculating means for calculating a label length of a label attached to the pasting object based on the input size information;
Template adjusting means for adjusting the selected label template based on the calculated label length;
Label printing means for printing the print content defined by the adjusted label template on the calculated label length label;
The label template has a first portion adjusted by the template adjusting means, and a second portion,
The template adjusting means includes
Placing the second part on the calculated label length label;
Of the labels having the calculated label length, the center position in the label length direction of the area where the second part is not arranged is calculated, and the first part is centered and arranged based on the center position. A label printer characterized by that. In claim 1,
The template adjusting means enlarges or reduces the first portion in the label length direction,
The label printing characterized in that the length in the label length direction of the area where the second part of the label having the calculated label length is not arranged coincides with the adjusted length of the first part. apparatus. In claim 1,
The first part comprises a printing element;
The label printing apparatus, wherein the template adjusting unit changes a distance between the center position and the printing element. In any one of claims 1 to 3,
The size information is a diameter of a cylindrical portion in the pasting object,
The label length calculation means includes
A label printing apparatus, wherein a circumference of the cylindrical portion is calculated based on the diameter, and the label length is determined based on the circumference. In claim 4,
The label template has label type information indicating a pasting range of a label on which a specified print content is printed,
The label printing apparatus, wherein the label length calculation means calculates the label length based on the label type information of the selected label template. In any one of claims 4 or 5,
The size input means includes a measuring means for measuring the diameter,
The label printing apparatus, wherein the label length calculating unit calculates the circumference based on a measurement result by the measuring unit. A label printing method for a label printing apparatus that stores a label template that defines the content to be printed on a label and performs printing of a label to be attached to an object to be pasted,
Based on the input size information of the pasting target, calculate the label length of the label pasted on the pasting target,
Adjusting the selected label template from the stored label template based on the calculated label length;
Print the print content defined by the adjusted label template on the calculated label length label,
The label template has a first part that is adjusted in the adjustment of the label template, and a second part,
In the adjustment of the label template, the second portion is arranged on the label having the calculated label length, and the label in the region where the second portion is not arranged among the calculated label length labels. A label printing method, comprising: calculating a center position in a longitudinal direction and centering and arranging the first portion with reference to the center position. In claim 7,
The size information is a diameter of a cylindrical portion in the pasting object,
A label printing method, wherein a circumference of the cylindrical portion is calculated based on the diameter, and the label length is determined based on the circumference.