Tag Label Producing Apparatus

• US 20090319072A1
• Filed: 06/07/2007
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Fukui, Tomoyasu, Ohashi, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,992,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/110
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/46 by marks or formations on the paper being fed
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/666 Cutting partly, e.g. cutting only the uppermost layer of a multiple-layer printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/02 Framework
• 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 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0025 the arrangement consisting of a wireless interrogation device in combination with a device for optically marking the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

This disclosure discloses a tag label producing apparatus comprising: a printing device; a transmitting/receiving device that performs information transmission/reception; a feeding device that feeds said tag medium; a coordination control portion; a communication determining portion that determines whether or not information transmission/reception has succeeded; and a decision portion that decides a feeding-stop condition for stopping feeding based on a feeding condition for the transmission/reception, and a feeding-condition for printing to a print area; wherein: said coordination control portion controls in coordination operations of said feeding device, said transmitting/receiving device, and said printing device so as to stop feeding based on said feeding-stop condition decided by said decision portion and to perform retry of said information transmission/reception when said communication determining portion determines that said information transmission/reception has failed.

Claims

1. A tag label producing apparatus comprising:

a printing device for printing to a predetermined print area of a tag medium or a print-receiving medium bonded thereto, wherein an RFID circuit element provided with an IC circuit part for storing information and an antenna for transmitting/receiving information is disposed in said tag medium;

a transmitting/receiving device for performing information transmission/reception in a non-contact manner with said RFID circuit element;

a feeding device for feeding said tag medium for said printing device to perform printing to said print area;

a coordination control portion for controlling in coordination operations of said feeding device, said transmitting/receiving device, and said printing device so that feeding of said feeding device and said information transmission/reception by said transmitting/receiving device are performed;

a communication determining portion for determining whether or not information transmission/reception with said RFID circuit element by said transmitting/receiving device has succeeded; and

a decision portion for deciding a feeding-stop condition for stopping feeding of said feeding device based on a feeding condition for transmission/reception by said feeding device for information transmission/reception by said transmitting/receiving device, and a feeding-condition for printing by said feeding device for printing to said print area by said printing device;

wherein;

said coordination control portion controls in coordination operations of said feeding device, said transmitting/receiving device, and said printing device so as to stop feeding of said feeding device based on said feeding-stop condition decided by said decision portion and to perform retry of said information transmission/reception by said transmitting/receiving device when said communication determining portion determines that said information transmission/reception has failed.

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

said decision portion comprises a print determining portion means (110;

110′

;

110″

) for determining whether or not a print defect has occurred in said print area of said printing device as said feeding-condition for printing, when said RFID circuit element has arrived at a predetermined position at which information transmission/reception with said transmitting/receiving device is possible, and feeding is stopped.

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

said print determining portion determines seriousness of a print defect.

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

said print determining portion determines whether a feeding-direction position when said printing device has stopped printing during feeding-stop period is within a non-print margin part located between printed characters or inside a printed visual object, within a print fill area of a predetermined size, in the middle of drawing a straight line extending in a feeding direction, or in the middle of drawing a diagonal straight line intersecting the feeding direction at a predetermined angle, in said print area.

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

said decision portion comprises a communication determining portion for determining as said feeding-condition for transmission/reception whether or not a distance from said transmitting/receiving device to said RFID circuit element is less than or equal to a predetermined value or whether or not an electric field intensity of said transmitting/receiving is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

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

said decision portion determines said feeding-stop condition based on a score assigned connected with according to the print a content of a determination of said print determining portion and a content of a determination of said communication determining portion.

7. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a correlation storing device for storing a correlation of said content of the determination of said print determining portion, said content of the determination of said communication determining portion, and said score corresponding thereto, wherein:

said decision portion decides said feeding-stop condition using said correlation stored in said correlation storing device.

8. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a first calculating portion for calculating and computing said score for each feeding timing after feeding is started by said feeding device, before executing printing by said printing device to said print area and information transmission/reception with said RFID circuit element by said transmitting/receiving device.

9. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a second calculating portion for calculating and computing said score for each feeding timing after feeding is started by said feeding device, after initiating execution of printing by said printing device to said print area or information transmission/reception with said RFID circuit element by said transmitting/receiving device.

10. The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

said first calculating portions stops computing once said feeding timing is found in which a score satisfies a predetermined condition after initiating calculating said score at each feed timing, and said decision portion sets said feed timing as said feeding-stop condition, the feed timing being when the computation is stopped.

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

said second calculating portion stops computing once said feeding timing is found in which a score satisfies a predetermined condition after initiating calculating said score at each feed timing, and said decision portion-sets said feed timing as said feeding-stop condition, the feed timing being when the computation is stopped.