MEDIA PROCESSING SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED SPINDLE

• US 20080298870A1
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Brown, Anthony, Torchalski, Karl, Zwier, Tom, Tsirline, Boris Y., Schwan, Martin Andreas Karl, Gawelczyk, Robert, Shuff, William, Kovanko, Steven, Aiello, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 8,870,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/613
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/44 Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms having dual functions or combined with, or coupled to, apparatus performing other functions
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/12 otherwise than by punching
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/20 Simultaneous marking of record carrier and printing-out of data, e.g. printing-punch

Abstract

Media rolls, support structures for the media rolls, and media processing systems are provided. A media roll may include an identification transponder having retrievable information regarding the media units and associated media unit transponders wound around a core of the media roll. A support structure may include a spindle for supporting a media roll and include an identification coupler for communicating with the identification transponder. In addition to the spindle having the identification coupler, the media processing systems may include a second coupler for encoding the media unit transponders and a printhead for printing indicia onto the media units. The information retrieved from the identification transponder may be used to adjust one or more encoding and/or printing settings of the systems.

Claims

1. A spindle for supporting a media roll having a plurality of media units and an identification transponder within a media processing system, the spindle comprising:

a support member extending from a first end and a second end and defining at least a portion of a contact area between the spindle and the media roll;

a coupler adapted to couple a transceiver of the media processing system with the identification transponder and defining an opening for accepting at a portion of the support member; and

a coupler housing member configured to substantially surround the coupler.

2. The spindle according to claim 1, wherein a top surface area of the support member defines a contact area between the spindle and the media roll and wherein a top area of the coupler housing member is configured to mimic the contact area defined by the support member such that the top area of the coupler housing member becomes an extension of the contact area.

3. The spindle according to claim 2, wherein the coupler housing member includes a cone-shaped loading edge to facilitate the loading of the media roll onto the spindle.

4. The spindle according to claim 1, wherein the coupler is based on a resonant magnetic planar antenna configured to establish an edge magnetic coupling with the identification transponder.

5. The spindle according to claim 4, wherein the coupler includes one or more printed circuit boards having one or more coil traces responsive to a RF signal supplied by the transceiver of the media processing system.

6. The spindle according to claim 5, wherein the coupler includes one or more impedance matching components.

7. The spindle according to claim 6, wherein the coupler includes one or more Faraday shielding rings for electrical field insulation.

8. A system for processing a plurality of media units comprising:

a transceiver; and

a spindle for supporting a roll of a plurality of media units and an identification transponder with retrievable information pertaining to the plurality of media units, wherein the spindle include a support member extending from a first end and a second end and defining at least a portion of a contact area between the spindle and the roll of media units, a coupler adapted to couple the transceiver with the identification transponder and defining an opening for accepting at a portion of the support member, and a coupler housing member configured to substantially surround the coupler.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein a top surface area of the support member defines the contact area between the spindle and the roll of media units and wherein a top area of the coupler housing member is configured to mimic the contact area defined by the support member such that the top area of the coupler housing member becomes an extension of the contact area.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the coupler is adapted to establish an edge magnetic coupling with the identification transponder and includes one or more printed circuit boards having one or more coil traces responsive to a RF signal supplied by the transceiver.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the coupler includes one or more impedance matching components and one or more Faraday shielding rings for electrical field insulation.

12. The system according to claim 8 further comprising a printhead for printing indicia onto the plurality of media units and a controller element adapted to adjust one or more printing settings of the system at least partially based on the identification transponder.

13. The system according to claim 12 further comprising a second coupler and a second transceiver configured to encode one or more media unit transponders associated with the plurality of media units.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the controller element is further adapted to adjust one or more encoding settings of the system at least partially based on the identification transponder.

15. A system for processing a plurality of media units and associated media unit transponders, the system comprising:

a spindle for supporting a roll of media units, wherein the roll includes an identification transponder;

a first coupler adapted to couple with the identification transponder;

a second coupler adapted to couple with the associated media units, wherein the second coupler being orthogonally oriented with the first coupler; and

a first transceiver in communication with at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein each of the first coupler and the second coupler is configured to operate within a first frequency band.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the first frequency band is UHF.

18. The system according to claim 15 further comprising a second transceiver in communication with the second coupler and wherein the first transceiver being in communication with the first coupler.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein the first coupler is based on a microstrip band pass filter adapted to couple the first transceiver with a targeted media unit transponder in a transponder encoding region from among a group of multiple adjacent media unit transponders.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the second coupler includes a cylindrical shaped conductive strip configured to fit within a core of the media roll.

21. The system according to claim 20, further comprising a cylindrical support member for supporting the second coupler relative to the spindle.

22. The system according to claim 15 further comprising a printhead for printing indicia onto the plurality of media units.