JPH0752497A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to use a print as electronic POP advertisement/ guide board) easily and at a low cost. CONSTITUTION:While a cut window 1b is formed in the body 1a, electronic POP equipment has a printing part for printing data built therein, a print prepared in the printing part is held at a position corresponding to the cut window 1b, a plurality of prints are prepared on thermal paper sheets and also any one of the prints in a plurality is set by changeover at the position corresponding to the cut window 1b.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing device to which a high speed printing technique is applied, and more particularly to a printing device usable as an advertisement / guide plate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art POP (point of purchase advertisin
g: At the time of purchase) An advertisement is an advertisement / information board placed near a product to inform and persuade the customer of the product, and is an advertisement that speaks to the customer at the store and answers the customer's questions. It covers all of the outdoor, in-store, and in-store advertisements of retail stores, and now that the stores are full of products, it is necessary to devise ways to attract customers without taking up space.

[0003]

By the way, the above-mentioned advertisement /
The guide plate was printed and the printed contents could not be changed.

Therefore, there is one in which an LED / fluorescent display tube or the like is used to form an advertisement / guidance plate and an LED or the like is used to display a message. However, the advertisement / guidance board using LEDs or the like has a problem in that the degree of freedom in display can be increased but the cost is high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus which can use printed matter as an electronic POP (advertisement / guidance board) simply and at low cost.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 is
To achieve the above object, a case having a cutout window, a printing unit built in the case, a holding unit for holding a printed matter printed by the printing unit at a position corresponding to the cutout window, a plurality of The printing control means for printing the printed matter on the printing means, and the switching means for switching any one of the plurality of printed matters to the position corresponding to the cutout window.

Further, as described in claim 2,
The apparatus further comprises a means for adding a marking for identifying the printed matter, and a switching control means for identifying the marking added to the printed matter and operating the switching means to switch a predetermined printed matter to a position corresponding to the cutout window. It may be one.

Further, as described in claim 3,
The present invention comprises a storage means for storing a predetermined time, and a switching control means for operating the switching means based on the time stored in the storage means to switch a predetermined printed matter to a position corresponding to the cutout window. May be.

Further, as described in claim 4,
It may be provided with a switching control means for operating the switching means based on an input designation to switch a predetermined printed matter to a position corresponding to the cutout window.

Further, as described in claim 5,
It may be provided with a switching control means for operating the switching means based on the detection output of the detection means for detecting the surrounding state to switch a predetermined printed matter to a position corresponding to the cutout window.

For example, the switching means may switch a plurality of prints to the cutout window continuously and sequentially.

[0012]

According to the invention described in claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, the case having the cutout window has a built-in printing section for printing data and holds the printed matter printed by the printing section. It is held in a position corresponding to the cutout window by means. Further, the print control unit prints the plurality of prints on the printing unit, and the switching unit switches any of the plurality of prints to a position corresponding to the cutout window.

Therefore, the printed matter having the same content can be reposted, the printing paper and the like can be saved, and the time required for printing and displaying can be greatly shortened. Further, since the printed matter already printed can be switched and displayed according to the switching command, various displays can be realized.

[0014]

EXAMPLES Examples will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 to FIG. 18 are views showing an embodiment of a printer, and this embodiment is an electronic PO having a plurality of printers.
This is an example applied to a P device.

First, the structure will be described. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a data printing system, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an electronic POP device, FIGS. 3 to 6 are external views of the electronic POP device, and FIGS. 7 to 9 are cross-sections of the electronic POP device. It is a figure.

In FIG. 1, the printing device is a plurality of electronic POP devices 1, 1, ..., A document creation device 2 which is a notebook personal computer or word processor for creating print data,
A wireless modem 3 for transmitting data created by the document creation device 2 to the electronic POP devices 1, 1 ...

The electronic POP device 1 (only two units are shown in FIG. 1) can be installed in plural units, and has a printing unit 15 for reading out and printing print data line by line, as will be described later in detail. , A printing device used as an advertisement / guide plate by holding a printed matter in a predetermined cutout window. In the figure, 1a is an electronic POP device main body, and 1b is a cutout window in which a printed matter is held.

The document creation device 2 is an electronic POP device 1, 1
A personal computer or a word processor that creates print data to be advertised / guided with ... and that can create data of various document formats by format setting is used. For example, the format setting is "vertical writing" and "writing brush", and the document data is input by using a keyboard such as "○○○ calculator, one line".

The wireless modem 3 is connected to the document creating device 2 and each electronic P that is created by the document creating device 2.
Data required for OP (advertisement / guidance) are stored in multiple electronic P
It is transmitted to the OP devices 1, 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the electronic POP device.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 11 is a CPU for controlling the electronic POP device 1, and the CPU 11 is an RA according to a control microprogram stored in the ROM 12.
A value necessary for various operations is calculated while exchanging data with the M13, and a control signal for controlling a print control unit 16, a wireless transmission control unit 19 and the like to be described later based on the processed data. Output.

The CPU 11 has a ROM 12 for storing a control microprogram for controlling various operations of the electronic POP device including a POP printing process, and a RA for storing various data, which is composed of a writable and readable volatile memory.
M13, a CG (character generator) 14 for generating a character, and an electronic POP stored in the RAM 13
A print control unit 16 that controls the print unit 15 to read and print data (advertisement / guidance text) line by line, and a wireless transmission control unit that controls a wireless device 18 that wirelessly transmits and receives data via an antenna 17. 19 and a power supply device 20 that supplies a predetermined power to each unit are connected.

The CPU 11 controls processing information relating to print information input from the wireless transmission control unit 19 and each unit based on various control programs stored in the ROM 12, and stores the received print data in the RAM 13. The character pattern corresponding to the received print data is read from the CG (character generator) 14 and stored in the print data buffer 21 (described later), and the printing unit 1
Print with 5.

The RAM 13 is used as a so-called working memory for temporarily storing data relating to electronic POP control, data used for calculation, calculation results, etc.
Specifically, the RAM 13 is provided with a print data buffer 21 that stores the received print data for one screen, and a work memory that temporarily stores the data that is being processed. Here, the print data buffer 21 temporarily stores the character pattern input from the CPU 11 and outputs the character pattern to the print controller 16 to output the character pattern.
At 5, the line is read and printed line by line.

The CG 14 generates a character pattern for printing by the printing unit 15 in response to a request from the CPU 11, and outputs it to the CPU 11.

The printing unit 15 uses a printer using a thermal line head as a high-speed, high-resolution printing mechanism. Printer using a thermal line head (therma
l printer) is a thermal head, thermal paper 40
A thermal element for printing various data (described later),
A shift register is provided, and print data for one line printed on thermal paper is stored in the shift register.
The print data stored in the shift register is supplied to the thermal element via an AND gate provided for each character. An enable signal is input to the AND gate from the print control unit 16, and when the print data for one line is ready to be printed, the enable signal becomes active and the data stored in the print data buffer 21 is line by line. Read and print.

The antenna 17 is used by the wireless modem 3
It receives a call signal wirelessly transmitted from and outputs it to the wireless device 18. The wireless device 18 is controlled by the intermittent signal input from the transmission control unit 19, intermittently receives the call signal input from the antenna 17, amplifies and demodulates the received signal, and outputs the amplified signal to the transmission control unit 19.

The transmission control unit 19 determines whether or not the calling number of the calling signal input from the wireless device 18 matches its own identification number.
The signal reception of the wireless device 18 is continued and a call detection signal is output to the CPU 11 if the two match. In addition, the transmission control unit 19 outputs processing information such as print data received together with the calling signal to the CPU 11 based on the request input from the CPU 11.

The power supply device 20 includes a stabilized power supply and DC / DC.
It is composed of a converter and the like, and converts the power from the AC100V external power cord 20a or the battery 20b such as a car battery into a predetermined voltage and supplies it to each part of the electronic POP device 1. A control signal from the CPU 11 is input to the power supply device 20, and the power supply device 20 starts and stops the supply of power by the control signal, and particularly starts and stops the supply of power to the wireless device 18.

The wireless modem 3 has an antenna 3
0, a wireless device 31 that wirelessly transmits and receives print data via the antenna 30, a wireless transmission control unit 32 that controls the wireless device 31, and a power supply device 33 that supplies a predetermined power to each unit.

The antenna 30 wirelessly transmits the data (advertisement / guidance text) from the wireless device 31 to the plurality of electronic POP devices 1, 1 ... And outputs the data from the wireless device 31.

The radio device 31 is controlled by the intermittent signal input from the transmission control unit 32, intermittently receives the ringing signal input from the antenna 30, amplifies and demodulates the received signal, and outputs it to the transmission control unit 32. . The wireless device 31 is a transmission station that transmits data by radio waves of a specific frequency, and a specific low power wireless station (operating frequency band: 40
0 MHz, 1.2 GHz band, antenna power: 10 mW or less, communicable distance: 100 to 200 m or less) can be used.

The transmission control unit 19 controls the transfer of data from the document creation device 2 such as a personal computer, and also controls the wireless device 31 to wirelessly send the transferred data to the plurality of electronic POP devices 1 side. .

The power supply device 20 is composed of a stabilized power supply and the like, converts the power supply into a predetermined voltage, and supplies it to each part of the wireless modem 3.

3 to 6 are external views of the electronic POP device. FIG. 3 is an external view of the front side when the large window is displayed, FIG. 4 is an external view of the back side thereof, and FIG. 5 is a small window display. FIG. 6 is an external view of the front side and FIG. 6 is an external view of the back side.

3 to 6, the main body 1a of the electronic POP apparatus 1 has a built-in printing section 15 for reading out print data line by line and printing on the thermal paper, and prints printed on the thermal paper on the front side. The printing device is used as an advertisement / guide plate by being held in the cutout window 1b and the cutout window 1c on the back side. In addition, in FIGS. 3 to 6, 1
d is a sign attached to the main body 1a, and FIGS.
Reference numeral 61 denotes a shutter which is raised in the small window display state to switch the thermal paper display area displayed in the cutout windows 1b and 1c to a small display area.

7 to 9 are sectional views showing the structure of the electronic POP device, FIG. 7 is a view showing the structure of the electronic POP device, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are sectional views for explaining the operation of the shutter mechanism. It is a figure.

In FIG. 7, the main body 1 of the electronic POP device 1
In a, a paper feed roller 41 on which the thermal paper 40 to be printed is wound, a driven roller 42 attached to the upper portion of the main body 1a that holds the printed thermal paper 40 in a displayable manner, and a guided roller 42 are guided. A winding roller 43 for winding the thermal paper 40, and a motor 4 for rotating the rollers 41, 43 via belts 44, 45.
6, a thermal line head 47 for printing one line of print data on the thermal paper 40 sent from the paper feed roller 41, a page switching marking 40a indicating page switching
Marking detector 70 for detecting the following, the film roller 49 on which the transparent film 48 to be printed is wound, the driven roller 50 mounted on the upper portion of the main body 1a for holding the transmitted transparent film 48 in a displayable manner, the driven roller 5
A take-up roller 51 for winding the transparent film 48 guided by 0, a motor 54 for rotating the rollers 49, 51 via belts 52, 53, a thermal transfer ink to the transparent film 48 sent from the film roller 49. A thermal line head 56 for thermally transferring and printing one line of print data by the ribbon 55, fluorescent lights 57, 57, and a shutter mechanism releasing member 58 for holding or releasing the shutter mechanism are provided.

The motor 46, which rotates and drives the paper feed roller 41 and the take-up roller 43, is configured such that not only forward rotation in the forward direction for printing / paper feeding but also reverse rotation can be performed. You can give us feedback.

The marking detector 70 is composed of a reflection type photo interrupter or the like and is installed at the paper destination of the thermal line head 47. The page switching detection signal detected by the marking detector 70 is output to the CPU 11, and the CPU 11 executes the print / display processing shown in FIGS. 14 to 16 in accordance with this detection signal. Also, RAM1
The content of the print text corresponding to the detected page switching marking is stored in 3.

The thermal paper 40 is a thermal paper that develops color by the heat from the thermal line head 47. The thermal paper is a base paper on which a sensitizer, a developer and a color former are applied in a predetermined thickness. It is a thing. This thermal paper 40 has
Every time the page is updated after printing, the thermal line head 47
A marking 40a (see FIG. 10) indicating page switching is attached to the end portion by. This page switching marking 40
As for a, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the end portion between the front surface and the back surface is marked, and the number and shape of the marks are changed so that a plurality of advertisement texts can be distinguished. By detecting the page switching marking 40a with the marking detector 70 installed at the paper feed destination of the thermal line head 47, it is possible to display the desired advertisement text by rotating the paper feed mechanism forward / backward to the required page.

Further, the transparent film 48 arranged so as to cover the outside of the thermal paper 40 is a colorless transparent, colored transparent or opaque film, and like the thermal paper 40, the heat from the thermal line head 56 is thermally transferred. By transferring to the ink ribbon 55, the ink in the thermal transfer ink ribbon 55 is transferred onto the transparent film 48 as arbitrary characters or the like. In this transparent film 48, a marker indicating the identification of each area is attached to the end of each area of colorless transparent, colored transparent or opaque. By reading this marker with a reading unit (not shown), a desired position can be obtained. It is possible to display by stopping the film area of the color or print content.

The thermal paper 40 and the paper feed roller 4
1, driven rollers 42, 43, belts 44, 45, motor 46, thermal line head 47, marking detector 70, transparent film 48, film roller 49, driven rollers 50, 51, belts 52, 53, motor 54,
Thermal transfer ink ribbon 55 and thermal line head 56
Form the printing unit 15 as a whole.

Further, the paper feed roller 41, roller 43, belts 44 and 45, motor 46, thermal line head 47, marking detector 70, film roller 49, roller 51, belts 52 and 53, motor 54,
Thermal transfer ink ribbon 55, thermal line head 56,
The fluorescent lamps 57, 57 and the shutter mechanism releasing member 58 are mounted in a printing unit 59 of a wagon-shaped casing, and the printing unit 59 includes a shutter 61.
While engaging with (described later), it rises in the small window display state and descends in the large window display state, and its front and back portions have a function as a shutter for switching the display window region 60.

The shutter mechanism releasing member 58 comprises a solenoid 58a and a lock mechanism 58b which locks the shutter mechanism in response to the displacement of the solenoid 58a. The shutter mechanism releasing member 58 locks when the printing unit 59 functions as a shutter. To do.

As shown by the broken line portion in FIG. 7, the main body 1a
The front surface of the main body 1a is configured so that it can be rotated and opened with the hinge 1e provided on the upper surface of the main body 1a as a fulcrum, and is opened when the thermal paper 40, the transparent film 48, and the thermal transfer ink ribbon 55 are replaced. The thermal paper 40 and the like can be easily replaced.

8 and 9 are cross-sectional views cut away so as to face the side surface of the printing unit 59.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, a shutter 61 for switching the display window area 60 is provided on the front surface and the rear surface of the printing unit 59, and when the shutter 61 is unlocked by the shutter mechanism releasing member 58. When the shutter mechanism releasing member 58 is locked, it is engaged with the printing unit 59 and moves up and down in an interlocking manner.

On the side surface of the printing unit 59,
A support pin 63 that fixes one end of the drive belt 62, a winding roller 64 that winds the other end of the drive belt 62, and a drive motor 65 that is provided coaxially with the winding roller 64 and that rotationally drives the winding roller 64 are provided. At the upper part of the main body 1a of the electronic POP device 1, the driven roller 6 suspends the printing unit 59 by the drive belt 62 so as to be vertically movable.
6 is attached.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of printing on the thermal paper 40.

As shown in FIG. 10, as the thermal paper 40, for example, A4FAX thermal paper is used, and data on the front surface and the back surface can be printed. One of the features of the present embodiment is that the printed matter on which the advertisement / guidance text of the same content is printed is repeatedly used and re-posted. In FIG. 10, this advertisement text (daily menu) is printed. Is shown. As for printing, first, the reverse side display advertisement text (not shown) is printed upside down, left right and right side, and then the front side display advertisement text "Monday lunch menu mix fly \ 630 ... ... "is printed. Next, the advertisement on the back of the page, "Tuesday Lunch Menu Hamburg ¥ 63
"0 ..." is printed upside down, left and right, and then the advertisement text "Tuesday lunch menu Hamburg ¥ 630 ..." Is printed on the front surface at a predetermined interval corresponding to the non-displayed part at the upper end.
Also, every time the page is updated, a page switching marking 40a indicating page switching is attached to the end of the thermal paper 40. The page switching marking 40a is configured to change the number and shape of marks so that a plurality of advertisement texts can be distinguished.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a screen data input process executed in the document creation device 2 such as a personal computer. The screen data input by this flow is transferred to the electronic POP device 1.

First, in step S11, it is determined whether or not there is a screen designation to be a print screen for printing on thermal paper,
If the screen is designated, the screen pointer is moved in step S12 and the process proceeds to step S14. If the screen is not designated, the screen pointer is moved to an empty screen position in step S13 and the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S14, it is determined whether or not there is input data. If there is input data, the memory at the screen pointer position is stored in step S15, and the process returns to step S14. If there is no input data, it is determined in step S16 whether or not the input is finished. For example, when the end key is operated, it is determined that the input is finished and the process of this flow is finished, and if the input is not finished, the step is finished. It returns to S14 and repeats the above-mentioned processing.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing a data transfer process executed in the document creation device 2 such as a personal computer. By this flow, a plurality of electronic POP devices 1, 1 ... Is polled via the wireless modem 3. Print data is transferred.

First, the IDs assigned to the plurality of electronic POP devices 1, 1, ... Currently stored in step S21.
No (identification number) is initialized once, and step S2
2. Call the ID No of the electronic POP device to be specified in 2. This call is wirelessly transmitted to the electronic POP devices 1, 1 ... By the connected wireless modem 3, and the electronic POP device with the designated ID No returns a response to the wireless modem 3 side within a predetermined time.

When an ACK (affirmative) response is received from the electronic POP device having the designated ID No (step S2)
3) The screen parameters are initialized in step S24, and one screen is transferred to the designated screen memory in step S25. Here, there may be many screens to be transferred, so a screen parameter designating a predetermined screen is initialized and the screen is transferred according to this screen parameter. Next, in step S26, the screen parameter is incremented and updated, and in step S27, it is determined whether or not the transfer is completed for all screens. If the entire screen has not ended, the process returns to step S25 and the above processing is repeated until the transfer for the entire screen ends. When the entire screen ends, the end command is transferred in step S28 and the process proceeds to step S29.

In step S29, the ID No is incremented and updated (ID No + 1), and in step S30, it is determined whether or not all the ID Nos have been completed.
If the No check is not completed, the process returns to step S22 to call the next designated ID No, and all ID N
Screen transfer is performed for the electronic POP device of o. When all ID Nos. Are completed, all IDs are set in step S31.
It is determined whether or not the transfer to the No electronic POP device is completed. If the transfer of all ID Nos is not completed, the process returns to step S21 and the above process is repeated. When the transfer of all ID Nos is completed, The flow process ends. It is determined that the transfer of all the ID Nos. Has been completed is that when an NCK (negative) response is received from the electronic POP device, the electronic POP device is recalled and the processing is completed. This is for checking.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the data printing process executed in the electronic POP device 1, and the print data transferred from the document creating device 2 side is printed by this flow.

First, in step S41, data for n screens is received and stored in the print data buffer 21, and it is determined in step S42 whether or not there is a print start trigger. If there is no print start trigger, it is checked in step S43 whether there is an end command. If there is an end command, this flow is ended, and if there is no end command, step S4
Return to 2 and wait for the print start trigger. Here, the trigger to start printing is determined by the designation included in the received command. For example, (1) Start printing immediately after receiving, (2) Start printing at a predetermined set time, (3) Start printing depending on the surrounding brightness (for example, when dark, print menu data at night. Yes, there is.

When there is a print start trigger, screen parameters for one screen are designated in step S44. Here, the reception screen memory is selected according to the above-mentioned trigger for starting printing. Next, the line designation parameter is initialized in step S45, and the print data is read from the print data buffer 21 in step S46. Next, the CG 14 generates a character pattern based on the print data read in step S47 to convert the character data into character data, and the character data generated in step S48 is enlarged / reduced and decoratively printed according to the setting. In the character conversion by the CG 14, for example, outline font conversion is performed.

Next, in step S49, the line designation parameter is updated, and in step S50, it is determined whether or not all lines have been completed. If all lines have not been completed, the process returns to step S46 and all lines on the specified screen are completed. The above printing is repeated until all the lines are completed, and when all the lines are completed, the process returns to step S42 to wait for the next print start trigger.

By executing the above print processing flow, the printing section 15 of the electronic POP device 1 specifically performs the following operation.

Printing / Holding Operation in Electronic POP Device 1 When one line of print data converted into character data is output to a shift register (not shown) in the printing unit 15, it is stored in the shift register. The print data is supplied to a thermal element forming the thermal line head 47 via an AND gate (not shown) provided for each character. An enable signal is input from the print control unit 16 to the AND gate, and when the print data for one line is ready to be printed, the enable signal becomes active and the print data is read line by line and the paper feed roller 41 is used. The printed thermal paper 40 is sent out.

Thermal paper 40 on which print data is printed
Is taken up by the take-up roller 43 which receives the rotational driving force from the motor 46, and at this time, the electronic POP device 1
After being driven upward by the driven roller 42 attached to the upper part of the main body 1a of the
It is wound while being pulled in at 3. In this case, since the rotational force on the take-up roller 43 side is set to be slightly stronger than the rotational force on the paper feed roller 41 side, the thermal paper 40 that has been temporarily lifted up by the driven roller 42 and guided downward does not loosen. It is wound by the winding roller 43.

Thermal paper 40 printed by this
However, since it is held in a state of being caught by the driven roller 42, desired advertisements / guidances can be displayed in the display window regions 60, 60 formed on the front and back surfaces of the main body 1a.

As in the case of the thermal paper 40, the transparent film 48 having the colorless and transparent, colored and transparent or opaque areas to which the print data is transferred is moved by the winding roller 51 which receives the rotational driving force from the motor 54. After being wound up, the driven roller 50 attached to the uppermost part of the main body 1a of the electronic POP device 1 catches it upward, and then the lower winding roller 51 pulls it up. Also in this case, the winding roller 51
Since the rotational force on the side is set to be slightly stronger than the rotational force on the side of the film roller 49, the transparent film 48 which has been temporarily lifted up by the driven roller 50 and guided downward is wound by the winding roller 51 without slack. .

When displaying, the printing unit 5
The fluorescent lamps 57, 57 installed in the lamp 9 are energized to emit light, and the light emitted from the fluorescent lamps 57, 57 is emitted from the inside of the printing unit 59 between the thermal paper 40 and the transparent film 48. Is guided to the upper portion of the main body 1a while reflecting, and uniformly illuminates the entire thermal paper 40 and the transparent film 48. That is, the print data such as advertisements and guidance printed on the thermal paper 40 is illuminated by the light emitted from the fluorescent lamps 57, 57 for easy viewing, and the light reflected from the white thermal paper 40 having high brightness is transparent film 48. Through the display window regions 60, 60 through the display window regions 60, 6
The whole 0 is displayed brightly.

The transparent film 48 printed by this
However, in the state where it is caught by the driven roller 50,
Further, the thermal paper 40, which is held so as to cover the thermal paper 40 held at the above-mentioned predetermined position, has the display window regions 60, 60 formed on the front and back surfaces of the main body 1a, on which the advertisement, guidance, etc. are printed. Can be displayed in a state where it is colored (when a colored transparent film region is used).

Printing on the thermal paper 40 is performed by the printing / holding operation as described above, and the switching operation of the printed matter, which is a feature of this embodiment, is executed as follows.

14 to 16 are flowcharts showing the switching operation processing of the printed matter, and FIG. 17 is an external view of the electronic POP device switched and displayed.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the display surface switching marking printing process.

First, in step S51, the data is received,
Back surface display printing is performed in step S52, and step S5
In 3 the surface is switched and the marking is printed, and in step S54 the front surface display is printed. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the advertisement text “Tuesday lunch menu hamburger ¥ 630 ……” on the back side is printed upside down, left side up and down side, and then a predetermined interval corresponding to the non-displayed part at the top is opened and this is changed. The page switching marking 40a is marked at the position, and the advertisement text "Tuesday lunch menu hamburger ¥ 630 ..." Is printed on the surface.

Then, in step S55, the relationship between the marking and the print content is stored in the RAM 13, and in step S56, it is determined whether or not the printing of all pages is completed. If the printing of all pages is not completed, the process returns to step S52 and the above is executed. The printing process is repeated, and when the printing of all pages is completed, the process of this flow ends.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the daily menu, but if an advertisement / guidance text with the same content is printed in the same manner as in the flow of FIG. 14, it is stored in association with the marking indicating the page, for example, page 1 Like the daily menu A and page 2, the page and the print content are stored in association with each other like the daily menu B. As a result, by executing the following flow, it is possible to re-post an advertisement / guidance sentence having the same content, and the printing paper and printing time can be greatly reduced. In the printing process of FIG. 14,
It goes without saying that there may be one in which only the standard content portion of the advertisement / guidance text is preprinted.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the surface switching display processing, and this flow starts the processing when the time switching command is received. The surface switching display process shown in this flow is an example, and another switching display process is executed in response to the switching command.

First, in step S61, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has come. When the predetermined time has not come, the process waits until the predetermined time comes, and when the predetermined time comes, step S62.
Then, it is determined whether the surroundings of the main body 1a of the electronic POP device 1 have become dark. When the surroundings become dark, it is determined that the condition for the switching display is satisfied, and the motor 46 is determined in step S63.
The normal rotation is started and it is determined in step S64 whether or not there is the corresponding marking 40a of the advertisement text to be displayed.
If there is no corresponding marking 40a, it is determined in step S65 whether the search for all markings 40a has been completed. If the search for all markings 40a has not been completed, step S65 is performed.
Returning to 63, the mark search at the time of normal rotation of the motor 46 is repeated, and when the search of all the markings 40a is completed, it is judged that there is no marking 40a at the time of normal rotation of the motor 46, and the process proceeds to step S66.

In step S66, the reverse rotation of the motor 46 is started, and it is determined in step S67 whether or not there is the corresponding marking 40a of the advertisement text to be displayed. If there is no corresponding marking 40a, it is determined in step S68 whether or not the search for all markings 40a has been completed. If the search for all markings 40a has not been completed, the process returns to step S66 to repeat the mark search at the time of reverse rotation of the motor 46, When the search of all markings 40a is completed, the corresponding marking 4
It is determined that there is no 0a, and the processing of this flow ends.

On the other hand, the above step S64 or step S
If there is the corresponding marking 40a at 67, it means that the corresponding advertisement text has been found, and therefore this flow is ended as it is.

As a result, the advertisement text displayed when the time switching is designated is held in a position corresponding to the cutout window 1b. For example, the display state of the advertisement / guidance sentence “lunch menu” as shown in FIG. 5 is automatically switched to the evening advertisement / guidance sentence “snack menu” as shown in FIG. 17 at a predetermined time. The advertisement / guidance texts of the “lunch menu” and “snack menu” are the advertisements / guidance texts already printed, and the printing paper and printing time can be greatly reduced.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the surface switching display processing, and this flow starts the processing when the continuous switching command is received.

First, in step S71, the normal rotation of the motor 46 is started. In step S72, it is determined whether or not the movements of all the markings 40a have been detected. If the movements of all the markings 40a have not been detected, the process returns to step S71. Motor 4
6 Mark search for forward rotation is repeated and all markings 40a
When the movement of is detected, it is determined that the display of the advertisement text at the time of the normal rotation of the motor 46 is finished, and the process proceeds to step S73.

In step S73, the reverse rotation of the motor 46 is started, and it is determined whether or not the movements of all the markings 40a are detected in step S74. If the movements of all the markings 40a are not detected, the process returns to step S73. 46
When the movement of all the markings 40a is detected by repeating the mark search at the time of reverse rotation, it is determined that the display of all the advertisement texts is completed, and the process proceeds to step S71.

As a result, a plurality of advertisement texts are displayed in the cutout window 1.
The information is continuously switched to b and is held, and new content information can be displayed to the customer one after another, and the advertising effect can be enhanced.

Shutter Operation in Electronic POP Device 1 In FIG. 7, when the shutter 61 is manually operated, the shutter mechanism releasing member 58 is unlocked and the shutter 61 is manually pulled up to be locked at an arbitrary position by frictional force. . As a result, the display area of the print data displayed in the display window areas 60, 60 can be made to have an arbitrary size. For example, when the print data is small as shown in FIGS. The area without print data can be hidden as a display state.

On the other hand, when the shutter 61 is automatically operated, the solenoid 58 of the shutter mechanism releasing member 58 is used.
a is turned on, whereby the shutter 61 is engaged with the printing unit 59 by the lock mechanism 58b, and
In the large window display state shown in FIG. 8, by energizing the drive motor 65, the winding roller 64 is rotationally driven to start winding the other end of the drive belt 62.

The take-up roller 64 takes up the other end of the drive belt 62, so that the printing unit 59 engaged with the shutter 61 is lifted up, and the small window display as shown in the display window areas 67, 67 in FIG. When the printing unit 59 is lifted up to the state, the drive motor 65 is deenergized and stopped there. In this way, the printing unit 59
By moving itself upwards, the printing unit 59
The shutter 61 linked to the display window regions 60, 60
The display area of the print data displayed on the screen can be changed to the small window display state as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 17.

As described above, in the shutter operation by the printing unit 59, since the printing unit 59 itself moves to change the display area displayed in the display window areas 60, 60, the area having no print data is simply hidden. Not only the small window display state but also the print data can be printed by sending the thermal paper 40 or the transparent film 48 only where there is print data, and the time required for printing and displaying can be greatly reduced. The thermal paper 40 and the transparent film 48 can be saved.

As described above, the electronic POP apparatus according to the present embodiment has the cutout window 1b formed in the main body 1a, the print section 15 for printing data therein, and the print section 15 for printing data. The object is held at a position corresponding to the cutout window 1b, a plurality of prints are printed on the thermal paper 40, and any one of the plurality of prints is switched to a position corresponding to the cutout window 1b. Printed matter such as advertisements / instructions with the same content can be re-posted, and thermal paper 40 can be saved because new printing is not necessary again, and printing time is unnecessary, so quick display is possible. It will be possible. Further, since the printed matter already printed can be switched and displayed according to the switching command, various displays can be realized.

Further, preprinting is performed in advance on the standard content portion of the printed matter such as the advertisement / guidance text, and printing is added later on the daily portion, so that the printing time for updating the page can be shortened.

In the present embodiment, the printing unit 59 is
Since it can be moved with respect to the cutout window 1b, the time required for printing and displaying can be greatly shortened, printing paper and the like can be saved, and an easy-to-see display according to print data can be realized.

Furthermore, since the print contents can be freely created and displayed, and the advertisement / guidance with natural and beautiful characters and designs can be displayed, the advertisement and advertising effects can be greatly enhanced. In addition, the degree of freedom in display can be further increased, and the cost can be reduced, as compared with the case where a message is displayed using an LED, a fluorescent display tube, or the like.

In this embodiment, data is transmitted by wireless communication. Instead of this, a floppy disk drive (FDD) 5 is installed in the electronic POP device 1 as shown in FIG. FD) 6
May be used as a medium for data transfer. By doing so, in addition to the need for a wireless device, the print data displayed by the electronic POP device 1 can be stored in the floppy disk (FD) 6 for a long time, and data exchange and update are easy. There is also the effect of becoming.

This embodiment is an example in which the printing device is applied to an electronic POP device used as an advertisement / guidance plate. However, a device having a printing means for reading and printing data line by line It goes without saying that they are all applicable and are not necessarily limited to advertising / information boards.

In this embodiment, the electronic POP device is
Although the CG 14 for generating characters is provided and the data to be printed is converted and printed using the CG 14, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, input image data may be printed as it is. Of course good things.

Further, in the present embodiment, a thermal printer using a thermal line head is used as the printing unit 15, but any printer may be used as long as it reads out data line by line and prints it. You may comprise with a dot printer.

Further, although the data is transmitted by wireless communication in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be wired, for example. By doing so, the wireless device becomes unnecessary, and the cost is reduced. Can be planned. Also, electronic PO
It goes without saying that the P device may be provided with a data input device such as a keyboard and the data may be directly input without performing the data transmission.

[0100]

According to the inventions described in claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, a case having a cutout window, a printing section built in the case, and a printed matter printed by the printing section are provided. Holding means for holding at a position corresponding to the cutout window, print control means for printing a plurality of prints on the printing means, and switching for switching any of the plurality of prints to a position corresponding to the cutout window Since it is provided with a means, it is possible to reprint printed matter having the same content, it is possible to save printing paper and the like, and it is possible to greatly reduce the time required for printing and displaying. Further, since the printed matter already printed can be switched and displayed according to the switching command, various displays can be realized. As a result, various displays can be easily performed, and the electronic POP (advertisement / guidance board) can be displayed easily and at low cost, and the usability and the range of use can be greatly expanded.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of a printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram showing an example of a printing apparatus of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an external view of the electronic POP device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an external view of the electronic POP device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an external view of the electronic POP device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an external view of the electronic POP device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the electronic POP device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic POP device of the same example.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic POP device of the same example.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a printing example of thermal paper of the electronic POP apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a data input process of the document creating apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a data transfer process of the document creating apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a data printing process of the electronic POP apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a display surface switching marking printing process of the electronic POP apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a surface switching display process of the electronic POP device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a surface switching display process of the electronic POP device of the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an external view showing a switching display state of the electronic POP device of the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is another system configuration diagram of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Electronic POP Device 1a Electronic POP Device Main Body 1b, 1c Cutout Window 2 Document Creating Device 3 Wireless Modem 5 Floppy Disk Drive (FDD) 6 Floppy Disk (FD) 11 CPU 12 ROM 13 RAM 14 CG (Character Generator) 15 Printing Section 16 print control unit 17,30 antenna 18,31 wireless device 19,32 wireless transmission control unit 20,33 power supply device 21 print data buffer 40 thermal paper 40a page switching marking 41 paper feed roller 42,50,66 driven roller 43,51 , 64 Take-up roller 44, 45, 52, 53 Belt 46, 54 Motor 47 Thermal line head 48 Transparent film 49 Film roller 52 Film roller 55 Thermal transfer ink ribbon 56 Thermal line head De 57 Fluorescent lamp 58 Shutter mechanism release member 58a Solenoid 58b Lock mechanism 59 Printing unit 60, 67 Display window area 61 Shutter 62 Drive belt 63 Support pin 65 Drive motor 70 Marking detector

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A case having a cutout window, a printing section built in the case, a holding means for holding a printed matter printed by the printing section at a position corresponding to the cutout window, and a plurality of holding sections. A printing apparatus comprising: a printing control unit that prints a printed matter on a printing unit; and a switching unit that switches one of a plurality of printed matters to a position corresponding to the cutout window. 2. A switch for providing a marking for identifying a printed matter, recognizing the marking added to the printed matter and operating the switching means to switch a predetermined printed matter to a position corresponding to the cutout window. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means. 3. A switching control means comprising storage means for storing a predetermined time, and operating the switching means based on the time stored in the storage means to switch a predetermined printed matter to a position corresponding to the cutout window. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising: a printer. 4. A switching control means for operating the switching means based on an input designation to switch a predetermined printed matter to a position corresponding to the cutout window.
The printing device described. 5. A switching control means for operating the switching means on the basis of a detection output of a detection means for detecting a surrounding state to switch a predetermined printed matter to a position corresponding to the cutout window. The printing device according to claim 1. 6. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit is configured to continuously and sequentially switch a plurality of prints to the cutout window.