LABEL PRODUCTION APPARATUS AND LABEL PRODUCTION METHOD

• US 20140293297A1
• Filed: 03/24/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: NAGAHARA, Atsushi
• Application Number:
  US14/223,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20140293297A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.6
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/663 Controlling cutting, cutting resulting in special shapes of the cutting line, e.g. controlling cutting positions, e.g. for cutting in the immediate vicinity of a printed image
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/20 Auxiliary type mechanisms for printing distinguishing marks, e.g. for accenting, using dead or half-dead key arrangements, for printing marks in telegraph printers to indicate that machine is receiving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/024 for printing on segmented surfaces, e.g. sticker sheets, label rolls

Abstract

A label production apparatus includes: a printing unit configured to print, using image data for generation of a label image, a plurality of label images on a print target medium; a test unit configured to test each of the label images printed on the print target medium; and a controller for controlling the printing unit and the test unit. In the stated label production apparatus, the controller adds a mark including identification information of each label image to the image data so as to make the printing unit print the label image as well as the mark corresponding to the label image, and generates linkage data in which related are a test result of the label image by the test unit and the identification information of the label image to each other.

Claims

1. A label production apparatus comprising:

a printing unit configured to print, using image data for generation of a label image, a plurality of the label images on a print target medium;

a test unit configured to test each of the label images printed on the print target medium; and

a controller for controlling the printing unit and the test unit,

wherein the controller adds a mark including identification information of each label image to the image data so as to make the printing unit print the label image as well as the mark corresponding to the label image, and generates linkage data in which related are a test result of the label image by the test unit and the identification information of the label image to each other.

2. The label production apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the print target medium includes a first base material having a print surface, a second base material, and an adhesive layer interposed between the first base material and the second base material;

and

the label production apparatus further includes a post-process unit that is configured to cut the first base material, and in accordance with the linkage data, cuts a portion of the first base material where the label image is printed without any print defect that has been detected whereas does not cut a portion of the first base material where the label image is printed with a print defect that has been detected.

3. The label production apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the print target medium includes the first base material having the print surface, the second base material, and the adhesive layer interposed between the first base material and the second base material,

the controller stores the linkage date in a data storage region of a server which is communicably connected via networks, and

the linkage data is used when a portion of the first base material of the print target medium where the label image is formed is cut.

4. A label production apparatus comprising:

a post-process unit configured to cut, of a print target material including a first base material having a print surface, a second base material, and an adhesive layer interposed between the first and second base materials, a portion of the first base material where a label image is printed,

wherein a plurality of the label images are printed on the print target medium while a mark including identification information of each label image is added to each of the label images and printed together with the label image; and

the post-process unit, based on linkage data in which a test result of each of the label images and the identification information of each of the label images are related to each other, cuts a portion of the first base material where the label image is printed without any print defect that has been detected whereas does not cut a portion of the first base material where the label image is printed with a print defect that has been detected.

5. The label production apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the post-process unit obtains the linkage data from a data storage region in a server communicably connected via networks.

6. A label production method comprising:

printing a plurality of label images on a print target medium, using image data for generation of the label image, and adding a mark including identification information of each of the label images to each of the label images while relating each mark to each of the label images so as to print the label image with the mark being added;

testing each of the label images printed on the print target medium; and

generating linkage data in which related are a test result of each of the label images by the testing and the identification information of each of the label images.