Tape Cassette and Tape Printer

• US 20080310904A1
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Koshiro, Ito, Akira, Miwa, Takahiro, Kunieda, Yoshio
• Granted Patent: US 8,011,843 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/615.2
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/044 Cassettes or cartridges containing continuous copy material, tape, for setting into printing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers

Abstract

On the back side surface of a release paper of a double-sided adhesive tape 53, sensor marks 65 each in a rectangular shape elongated in the tape width direction when viewed from its front are printed beforehand at a predetermined pitch L along the tape transferring direction to be vertical and symmetric with each other with respect to the center line in the tape width direction. Further, on the double-sided adhesive tape 53, wireless tag circuit element 32 is provided between adjacent sensor marks 65 on the center line in the tape width direction and at a position equal to the distance l1 from each sensor mark 65 in the tape discharging direction (a direction shown by an arrow A1). An antenna 33 and a reflective sensor 35 are distanced from a cutter unit 30 by a distance l1 in the tape transfer direction. The cutter unit 30 and a thermal head 9 are distanced from each other by a distance l2 in the tape transfer direction.

Claims

1. A tape cassette used for a tape printer including a tape transfer device that transfers a long lengths of tape and a printing device that prints on the tape, the tape cassette which accommodates the tape and is mounted to the tape printer in a removable manner, comprising:

a first tape spool winding a printing tape to be printed by the printing device, the first tape spool being arranged in a rotatable manner;

a second tape spool winding a double-sided adhesive tape, of which one side is covered with a release paper to be adhered to one side of the printing tape, in such a manner that the release paper faces outward, the second tape spool being arranged in a rotatable manner;

wireless information circuit elements positioned at a predetermined pitch in a longitudinal direction of the double-sided adhesive tape, each of which comprises an IC circuit part for storing information and an IC circuit side antenna connected to the IC circuit part to transmit and receive information;

a tape feed roller, which in cooperation with a tape sub-roller of the tape printer draws out to transfer the printing tape and the double-sided adhesive tape respectively wound around the first tape spool and the second tape spool, and at the same time presses to adhere the printed printing tape to the double-sided adhesive tape; and

sensor marks formed at a same pitch as the predetermined pitch in a longitudinal direction on an outer surface of the release paper, and

wherein the sensor mark and the wireless information circuit element are continuously located so as to be distanced from each other by a predetermined distance in a longitudinal direction of the double-sided adhesive tape.

2. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein the sensor mark is located downstream of the wireless information circuit element in a tape transfer direction.

3. The tape cassette according to claim 2, wherein the tape printer includes

a detector sensor for detecting the sensor mark on a printed tape sent out via the tape feed roller;

a thermal head being distanced from the detector sensor by a first predetermined distance upstream in the tape transfer direction; and

a cutting device, which is distanced from the detector sensor upstream in the tape transfer direction by a second predetermined distance that is shorter than the first predetermined distance, the cutting device that cuts the printed tape sent out via the tape feed roller, and

the wireless information circuit element is distanced by the second predetermined distance downstream from the adjacent sensor mark, which is positioned upstream in the tape transfer direction.

4. The tape cassette according to claim 2, wherein the tape printer includes

a detector sensor for detecting the sensor mark on the printed tape sent out via the tape feed roller;

a thermal head being distanced from the detector sensor by a first predetermined distance upstream in the tape transfer direction; and

a cutting device, which is positioned between the detector sensor and the thermal head, the cutting device that cuts the printed tape sent out via the tape feed roller, and

the wireless information circuit element is distanced by a third predetermined distance upstream from the adjacent sensor mark, which is positioned downstream in the tape transfer direction, and

the third predetermined distance is longer than the first predetermined distance.

5. A tape printer including a tape transfer device that transfers a long lengths of tape and a printing device that prints on the tape, the tape printer, to which a tape cassette accommodating the tape is mounted in a removable manner, wherein

the tape cassette is the tape cassette according to claim 1, and the tape printer comprising:

a detector sensor for detecting the sensor mark on a printed tape sent out via the tape feed roller;

a thermal head being distanced from the detector sensor by a first predetermined distance upstream in the tape transfer direction;

a cutting means, which is distanced from the detector sensor upstream in the tape transfer direction by a second predetermined distance that is shorter than the first predetermined distance, the cutting means that cuts the printed tape sent out via the tape feed roller;

a device side antenna; and

a read/write means that reads the predetermined information from the wireless information circuit element or writes predetermined information into the wireless information circuit element via the device side antenna by wireless communication.

6. The tape printer according to claim 5, wherein

the device side antenna is positioned so as to be opposed to the detector sensor interposing the printed tape.

7. The tape printer according to claim 5, wherein

the detector sensor is a reflective optical sensor.

15. The tape printer according to claim 5, wherein the sensor mark is located downstream of the wireless information circuit element in a tape transfer direction.

16. The tape printer according to claim 15, wherein the wireless information circuit element is distanced by the second predetermined distance downstream from the adjacent sensor mark, which is positioned upstream in the tape transfer direction.

17. The tape printer according to claim 15, wherein the wireless information circuit element is distanced by a third predetermined distance upstream from the adjacent sensor mark, which is positioned downstream in the tape transfer direction, and the third predetermined distance is longer than the first predetermined distance.

8. A tape cassette used for a tape printer including a tape transfer device that transfers a long lengths of tape and a printing device that prints on the tape, the tape cassette which accommodates the tape and is mounted to the tape printer in a removable manner, comprising:

a third tape spool winding a printing tape to be printed by the printing device, the third tape spool being arranged in a rotatable manner;

wireless information circuit elements positioned at a predetermined pitch in a longitudinal direction of the printing tape, each of which comprises an IC circuit part for storing predetermined information and an IC circuit side antenna connected to the IC circuit part to transmit and receive information; and

sensor marks formed at a same pitch as the predetermined pitch in a longitudinal direction on an outer surface of one side of the printing paper, and

wherein the sensor mark and the wireless information circuit element are continuously located so as to be distanced from each other by a predetermined distance in a longitudinal direction of the printing tape.

9. The tape cassette according to claim 8, wherein the sensor mark is located downstream of the wireless information circuit element in the tape transfer direction.

10. The tape cassette according to claim 9, wherein the tape printer includes:

a detector sensor for detecting the sensor mark on the printed tape sent out from the tape cassette;

a thermal head being distanced from the detector sensor by a first predetermined distance upstream in the tape transfer direction; and

a cutting device, which is distanced from the detector sensor upstream in the tape transfer direction by a second predetermined distance that is shorter than the first predetermined distance, the cutting device that cuts the printed tape sent out from the tape cassette, and

the wireless information circuit element is distanced by the second predetermined distance downstream from the adjacent sensor mark, which is positioned upstream in the tape transfer direction.

11. The tape cassette according to claim 9, wherein the tape printer includes:

a detector sensor for detecting the sensor mark on the printed tape sent out from the tape cassette;

a thermal head being distanced from the detector sensor by a first predetermined distance upstream in the tape transfer direction; and

a cutting device, being positioned between the detector sensor and the thermal head, the cutting device that cuts the printed tape sent out from the tape cassette, and

the wireless information circuit element is distanced by a third predetermined distance upstream from the adjacent sensor mark, which is positioned downstream in the tape transfer direction, and

the third predetermined distance is longer than the first predetermined distance.

12. A tape printer including a tape transfer device that transfers a long lengths of tape and a printing device that prints on the tape, the tape printer, to which a tape cassette accommodating the tape is mounted in a removable manner, wherein

the tape cassette is the tape cassette according to claim 8, and the tape printer comprising:

a detector sensor for detecting the sensor mark on a printed tape sent out from the tape cassette;

a thermal head being distanced from the detector sensor by a first predetermined distance upstream in the tape transfer direction;

a cutting device, which is distanced from the detector sensor upstream in the tape transfer direction by a second predetermined distance that is shorter than the first predetermined distance, the cutting device that cuts the printed tape sent out from the tape cassette;

a device side antenna and;

a read/write device that reads the predetermined information from the wireless information circuit element or writes the predetermined information into the wireless information circuit element via the device side antenna by wireless communication.

13. The tape printer according to claim 12, wherein the device side antenna is positioned so as to be opposed to the detector sensor interposing the printed tape.

14. The tape printer according to claim 12, wherein the detector sensor is a reflective optical sensor.

18. The tape printer according to claim 12, wherein the sensor mark is located downstream of the wireless information circuit element in a tape transfer direction.

19. The tape printer according to claim 18, wherein the wireless information circuit element is distanced by the second predetermined distance downstream from the adjacent sensor mark, which is positioned upstream in the tape transfer direction.

20. The tape printer according to claim 18, wherein the third predetermined distance is longer than the first predetermined distance.