HAND-HELD THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTER FOR LABELING

• US 20080085142A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panduit Corporation
• Inventors: Adams, Michael, McConnell, Richard, Morrison, David, Obenshain, Marc, Rothfritz, Robert, Clayvon, Anthony, Caveney, Jack
• Application Number:
  US11/931,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20080085142A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/472
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 17/36 Alarms, indicators, or feed-disabling devices responsible to material breakage or exhaustion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/325 by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 5/10 Arrangements of keyboards , e.g. key button disposition
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/372 Ink ribbons
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/2413 adjustable by threaded means

Abstract

Various embodiments of a hand-held printer that includes an area for receiving a cassette carrying label material, a drive system for positioning the label material relative to a printhead, and a processing circuit for receiving inputs, producing outputs and controlling the drive system. In addition, a cassette having an ID circuit is described. The hand-held printer obtains information from the ID circuit when the cassette is inserted into the printer. The information may include, for example, a label type, label quantity, date information or information regarding printer settings for a print job previously printed from the cassette. In other embodiments, the hand-held printer may have a modular keyboard, such as a keyboard adapted for a particular application or language. The hand-held printer may include a latching mechanism that is capable of positioning a nip roller in relation to a printhead after a cassette is inserted and/or secure the cassette.

Claims

1. In a hand-held printer that includes an area for receiving a cassette carrying label material, a drive system for positioning the label material relative to a print head, and a processing circuit for receiving inputs, producing outputs and controlling the drive system, an input apparatus comprising:

a modular keypad having keys, key contacts, and a first electrical connector; and

a keypad receiving area for supporting the modular keypad, the keypad receiving area having a second electrical connector, the second electrical connecter being configured to mate with the first electrical connector.

2. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the modular keypad is an input device coupled to the processing circuit by the first and second electrical connectors.

3. The hand-held printer of claim 1, further comprising a latching mechanism for securing the modular keypad in the keypad receiving area.

4. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the modular keypad is selected from a set of keypads, each keypad in the set being adapted to present a different character set.

5. In a hand-held printer that includes an area for receiving a cassette carrying label material, a drive system for positioning the label material relative to a print head, and a processing circuit for receiving inputs, producing outputs and controlling the drive system, an integral printing mechanism, comprising;

a bottom housing; and

a plurality of features formed integrally with the bottom housing, wherein the plurality of features are used to locate elements of the hand-held printer.

6. The hand-held printer of claim 5, wherein the plurality of features comprises gear train posts.