Label printer read after print correlation apparatus

• US 6,997,627 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2004
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TSC Auto ID Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Printronix
• Inventors: Chiu, Lihu
• Primary Examiner(s): Colilla, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hamdan, Wasseem H.
• Application Number:
  US10/850,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20040213618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 400/103, 400/704, 400/711, 400/74, 400/611, 400/582, 400/120.1, 347/211, 347/195, 347/68, 156/256, 358/1.18
• US Class Current: 400/103
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/008 Controlling printhead for accurately positioning print image on printing material, e.g. with the intention to control the width of margins
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/46 by marks or formations on the paper being fed
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers

Abstract

A printer and a process for correlating printed subject matter with subject matter that is meant to be printed by a printer with a printing mechanism or print engine such as a thermal printer including a print head, a platen, a media upon which labels are printed and a printer controller for imparting print data to the print head. An imager sends printed data as imaged to a read after print (RAP) controller for comparing the data received from the imager to data imparted to the print head or other printing mechanism. A tap, taps the data imparted from the print head and correlates it with the imaged data to determine the media speed, the image alignment, label analysis, weighing of blemishes, the gaps printed on a label, and other criteria.

Claims

1. A printer for printing on a label comprising:

a printer controller;

a mechanism for printing on a label;

an image sensing module to sense printed subject matter after said label has been printed;

a tap from said printer controller;

a read after print (RAP) controller for controlling the determination of the quality of the printed subject matter on the label by comparing the printed subject matter with a non-local pre-established standard, wherein the non-local pro-established standard comprises an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) qualification or other bar code standard; and

a processor in said RAP controller for determining the velocity of a label being printed to generate a scan line that corresponds to the line sampling resolution of the image sensing module.

2. The printer as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said printer is a thermal printer; and

,

said mechanism for printing on a label comprises a thermal print head, a platen, and a motor for rotating said platen.

3. The printer as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:

a motor tap connected to said RAP controller to control the speed of said platen.

4. The printer as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a processor in said RAP controller for rotating and translating the label image to a bit map.

5. The printer as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a processor for weighing the criticality of any blemishes detected by the image sensing module.

6. The printer as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a processor in said RAP controller for rotating the sensing module image into the print head'"'"'s coordinate system.

7. The printer as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a processor in said RAP controller for detecting the edges of the label being printed and detecting the position of the groupings of printed images on said label relative to the edges.

8. The printer as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a processor of said RAP controller to determine if the label component features match features from the bit map of said label.

9. The printer as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a processor in said RAP controller for accumulating errors over an entire label or series of labels.

10. A printer for printing on a label comprising:

a printer controller;

a mechanism for printing on a label;

an image sensing module to sense printed subject matter after said label has been printed;

a tap from said printer controller;

a read after print (RAP) controller for controlling the determination of the quality of the printed subject matter on the label by comparing the printed subject matter with a non-local pre-established standard, wherein accumulated defects in the printed subject matter are compared with corresponding thresholds of the non-local pre-established standard, wherein the non-local pre-established standard comprises an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) qualification or other bar code standard; and

a processor in said RAP controller for determining the velocity of a label being printed to generate a scan line that corresponds to the line sampling resolution of the image sensing module.