Tag Label Producing Apparatus

• US 20090041527A1
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Moriyama, Satoru, Yamaguchi, Koshiro, Maeda, Yoshinori, Ohashi, Tsuyoshi, Nagai, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,020,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/613
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers
• 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 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil

Abstract

[Object] To provide a tag label producing apparatus capable of facilitating label production and improving label production reliability.

[Solving Means] A tag label producing apparatus 1 comprises a housing 3a comprising a label discharging exit 11, a driving roller 51 and a pressure roller 52 for controlling the feeding position near the label discharging exit 11 of a tag label tape 109 with print wherein an RFID circuit element To comprising an IC circuit part 151 configured to store information and a tag antenna 152 is provided, and an apparatus antenna LC provided in the housing 3a and configured to transmit/receive information by magnetic induction near the driving roller 51 and the pressure roller 52 with the IC circuit part 151 of the RFID circuit element To.

Claims

1. A tag label producing apparatus comprising:

a feeding device that feeds a tag medium including an RFID circuit element having an IC circuit part configured to store information and a tag antenna configured to transmit and receive information;

a communication device that transmits and receives information via a wireless communication to and from said RFID circuit element provided in said tag medium; and

a communication facilitation processing portion that executes predetermined facilitation processing related to a communication during said wireless communication based on said communication device.

2. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 51 wherein:

said apparatus antenna transmits and receives information to and from said IC circuit part of said RFID circuit element, near said position regulating device.

3. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said tag antenna is a loop antenna comprising a coil with at least one winding, and

said apparatus antenna transmits and receives information to and from said loop antenna (152).

4. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said tag antenna is an antenna comprising a dipole-shaped section, and

said apparatus antenna transmits and receives information to and from said tag antenna comprising said dipole-shaped section.

5. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said apparatus antenna is a loop antenna comprising a coil of at least one winding and a shielding member.

6. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said apparatus antenna is a shielded loop antenna comprising a coil with at least one winding.

7. The tag label producing apparatus (1) according to claim 5, wherein:

said position regulating regulates said feeding position of said first tag medium at a position that is substantially on the coil center axis of said apparatus antenna.

8. The tag label producing apparatus (1) according to claim 5, wherein:

said position regulating device regulates said feeding position so as to ensure that the distance from said apparatus antenna is 1/10 of the wavelength of a carrier wave used for the communication or less.

9. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said position regulating device comprises a discharging roller that regulates the feeding position of said first tag medium while feeding said first tag medium toward said discharging exit.

10. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

said discharging roller is disposed on the radial inner side of said coil of said apparatus antenna.

11. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

a magnetic body is provided on the side opposite said apparatus antenna, across the feeding path of said first tag medium.

12. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

said magnetic body is at least a part of either said discharging roller positioned on the side opposite said apparatus antenna or a roller shaft of said discharging roller, that is made of a magnetic material.

13. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising an arm member configured to rotationally support said discharging roller positioned on the same side as said apparatus antenna, across from the feeding path of said first tag medium, and to move toward the feeding path of said first tag medium;

wherein said arm member is constructed using a magnetic material.

14. The tag label producing apparatus (1) according to claim 11, wherein:

a length Lg of said magnetic body along a transport direction of said first tag medium is configured shorter than a length L of said tag antenna along a transport direction of said first tag medium.

15. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a shielding member disposed on the side opposite the feeding path of said first tag medium from said apparatus antenna, that shields a magnetic flux produced from said coil of said apparatus antenna.

16. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising shielding member disposed on the side opposite said apparatus antenna, across from the feeding path of said first tag medium, that shields a magnetic flux produced from said coil of said apparatus antenna.

17. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a cutting device that cuts said first tag medium to be fed with a predetermined length, disposed further upstream in the transport direction of said first tag medium than said position regulating device; and

a container holder disposed further upstream in the transport direction of said first tag medium than said cutting device, that enables installation and removal of an RFID circuit element container wherein a plurality of said first tag media is contained in a continually suppliable manner.

18. The tag label producing apparatus (1) according to claim 17, wherein:

said shielding member is disposed so that an end part thereof extends to the side of said container holder from said cutting device.

19. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said apparatus antenna is fixed near said discharging exit using fixing member produced using a magnetic material.

20. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein:

said fixing member is disposed on the radial inner side of said apparatus antenna.

23. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said communication device performs a transmission/reception of information via a wireless communication with said RFID circuit element when said RFID circuit element reaches a predetermined position as a result of the feeding of said first tag medium by said feeding device, and the feeding changes to a decelerated or stopped state; and

said communication facilitation processing portion is a first notifying device that notifies an operator that said communication device is performing the transmission/reception of information in said decelerated or stopped state, using a first mode.

24. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising feeding control device that controls said feeding device so as to decelerate a feeding speed or stop the feeding when said RFID circuit element reaches a predetermined position as a result of said feeding.

25. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein:

said feeding control device controls said feeding device so as to decelerate said feeding speed or stop the feeding when a part of said first tag medium (109) comprising said RFID circuit element has been fed out from a discharging exit; and

said first notifying device notifies the operator using said first mode that the transmission/reception of information is being performed with the part of said first tag medium fed out from said discharging exit.

26. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein:

said feeding control device stops said feeding device with an arrival at said predetermined position.

27. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a second notifying device that notifies the operator that said RFID circuit element is in the feeding state by said feeding device prior to arrival at said predetermined position, using a second mode.

28. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 27, wherein:

said second notifying device practices the notification to the operator using said second mode which differs from said first mode.

29. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 28, wherein:

said first and second notifying device practices the notification to the operator by audio or a visual display.

30. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising single notifying device, wherein:

said shared notifying device functions as said first notifying device and said second notifying device.

31. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising a shared display device that practices the notification to the operator by a visual display, wherein:

said shared notifying device functions as said first notifying device and said second notifying device.

32. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 31, wherein:

said second mode is a display mode that at least one of the color, brightness, and flickering state of the mode differs from that of said first mode, and

said display device practices the notification to the operator using said second mode wherein at least one of the color, brightness, and flickering state differs from that of said first mode.

33. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising a single shared sound producing device that practices the notification to the operator by audio, wherein:

said shared sound producing device functions as said first notifying device and said second notifying device.

34. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 33, wherein:

said second mode is a sound production mode that at least one of the frequency, volume, intermittent state, and music differs from that of said first mode, and

said sound producing device practices the notification to the operator using said second mode.

35. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 29, wherein:

one of said first or second notifying device is a device that practices the notification to the operator by audio, while the other is a device that practices the notification to the operator by a visual display.

36. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein:

said first notifying device practices the notification to the operator using different modes in accordance with the type of a command signal transmitted and received by said communication device during the transmission/reception.

37. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein:

said first notifying device practices the notification to the operator using different modes in accordance with the transmission/reception result of said communication device even after the transmission/reception of information state has ended.

38. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said feeding device feeds a second tag medium wherein said RFID circuit element is disposed or a print-receiving medium to be bonded to the second tag medium;

said tag label producing apparatus further comprises a printing device that performs a printing in a predetermined print area of said second tag medium or of said print-receiving medium during the feeding by said feeding device, and wherein,

said communication facilitation processing portion is a predicting portion that predicts whether or not a transmission/reception of information will be permitted based on the corresponding operation status of said printing device, before said communication device performs said transmission/reception of information; and

said communication device performs said transmission/reception of information with said RFID circuit element in a non-contact manner during the feeding by said feeding device, in accordance with the prediction result of said predicting portion.

39. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 38, wherein:

said predicting portion includes a printing power calculating portion that calculates the power consumption required for printing said predetermined print area using said printing device, and communication condition setting portion that sets conditions for said transmission/reception of information in accordance with a calculation result of said printing power calculating portion.

40. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 39, wherein:

said predicting portion further includes a communication permitted time detecting portion that detects a transmission/reception permitted timing and a transmission/reception permitted time period for said communication device, based on the power consumption calculated by said printing power calculating portion; and

said communication condition setting portion sets conditions for said transmission/reception of information in accordance with said transmission/reception permitted timing and said transmission/reception permitted time period detected by said communication permitted time detecting portion.

41. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 40, wherein:

said communication permitted time detecting portion detects said transmission/reception permitted timing and said transmission/reception permitted time period based on which of the power consumption calculated by said printing power calculating portion and a predetermined threshold value is large or not.

42. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 40, wherein:

said conditions for the transmission/reception of information includes a transmission/reception timing and a transmission/reception time period, and

said communication condition setting portion sets at least said transmission/reception timing and said transmission/reception time period.

43. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 42, wherein:

said conditions for the transmission/reception of information further includes a feeding speed of said feeding device, the presence of deceleration or stopping of the feeding speed and the decelerated or stopped time period, a transmission/reception retry count, or the presence of a transmission/reception data division and the amount of transmission/reception data after the division, and

said communication condition setting portion further sets at least said feeding speed, the presence of said deceleration or said stopping and the decelerated or stopped time period, said transmission/reception retry count, or the presence of said transmission/reception data division and the amount of transmission/reception data after the division.

44. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 43, wherein:

said communication condition setting portion sets the presence of a deceleration or a stopping by said feeding device during the transmission/reception of information in accordance with said transmission/reception time period set and, in a case where said feeding device is set to decelerate or stop, sets a deceleration time period or a stopped time period.

45. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 42, wherein:

said communication condition setting portion sets said transmission/reception retry count during the transmission/reception of information in accordance with said transmission/reception permitted timing and said transmission/reception permitted time period detected by said communication permitted time detecting portion.

46. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 39, wherein:

said printing power calculating portion calculates a distribution of said power consumption in at least a communication permitted range with respect to said printing area (S) prior to a start of the printing by said printing device; and

said communication condition setting portion sets the conditions for the transmission/reception of information of said communication device in accordance with the power consumption distribution calculated by said printing power calculating portion.

47. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 39, wherein:

said printing power calculating portion calculates the distribution of said power consumption per small area of said print area divided into a predetermined quantity before or after the start of printing by said printing device; and

said communication condition setting portion sets the conditions for the transmission/reception of information of said communication device in accordance with the power consumption distribution calculated by said printing power calculating portion.

49. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 39, further comprising a determining device that determines whether or not a condition for a transmission/reception of information that enable normal production of a tag label can be set.

50. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 38, wherein:

said printing device is a thermal head having a heating element configured to generate a heat when a current is applied.

51. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a housing including a discharging exit, wherein:

said communication facilitation processing portion is a position regulating device that controls a feeding position of a tape-shaped or sheet-shaped first tag medium near said discharging exit that has said RFID circuit element, and

said communication device is an apparatus antenna provided in said housing and configured to transmit and receive information to and from said IC circuit part of said RFID circuit element in a state that the feeding position of said first tag medium is regulated by said position regulating device.

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

48. (canceled)