Apparatus for producing RFID labels and RFID label

• US 7,782,213 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Ohashi, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US12/051,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20080238689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.7, 340/572.8, 235/375, 235/385, 235/451, 297/37, 156/384, 156/386, 156/387
• US Class Current: 340/572.8
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/325 by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet
• 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: Y10T 29/53165 Magnetic memory device

Abstract

An apparatus for producing RFID labels includes a feeding-roller driving shaft configured to feed a base tape on which a RFID circuit element provided with a tag antenna having directivity with sensitivity to one side higher than that to the other side is arranged, a sensor configured to acquire information relating to directivity of the tag antenna, a lower apparatus antenna for radio communication with the RFID circuit element, and a print head configured to make a print on a cover film to be bonded to the base tape and controls the print head according to the directivity information acquired using the sensor.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing RFID labels comprising:

a feeding device configured to feed a tag medium in which a RFID circuit element provided with an IC circuit part storing information and a tag antenna having directivity with sensitivity to one side higher than that to the other side;

a directivity information acquisition portion configured to acquire information relating to said directivity of said tag antenna in said RFID circuit element provided at said tag medium;

an apparatus antenna for transmission and reception of information with said RFID circuit element via radio communication;

a printing device configured to make a print on a predetermined print region of said tag medium fed by said feeding device or a print-receiving medium to be bonded to said tag medium; and

a print control portion configured to control said printing device according to said directivity information acquired by said directivity information acquisition portion.

2. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 1, wherein:

said print control portion includes;

a print direction determining portion configured to determine, in a lateral print or vertical print along a transport direction of said feeding device, to which direction a character direction is oriented with respect to the transport direction according to said directivity information; and

a driving-signal generating device configured to generate a driving signal corresponding to the character direction determined by said print direction determining portion and output it to said printing device.

3. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 2, wherein:

said print direction determining portion determines, in the lateral print along the transport direction of said feeding device, whether a downstream side in the transport direction is to be on a stared tip side of a character string or an upstream side in the transport direction is to be on the stared tip side of the character string according to said directivity information.

4. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 3, further comprising a first coordination control portion configured to control said feeding device, said apparatus antenna, and said print control portion in coordination with each other so that a first lateral label with the downstream side in the transport direction as the stared tip side of the character string in said lateral print and a second lateral label with the upstream side in the transport direction as the stared tip side of the character string in said lateral print are created in a lump sum.

5. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 2, wherein:

said print direction determining portion determines, in the vertical print along the transport direction of said feeding device, whether a downstream side in the transport direction is to be on a lower end side of a character string or an upstream side in the transport direction is to be on the lower end side of the character string according to said directivity information.

6. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 5, further comprising a second coordination control portion configured to control said feeding device, said apparatus antenna, and said print control portion in coordination with each other so that a first vertical label with the downstream side in the transport direction as the lower end side of the character string in said vertical print and a second vertical label with the upstream side in the transport direction as the lower end side of the character string in said vertical print are created in a lump sum.

7. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 1, wherein:

said print control portion configured to control said printing device so that a directivity index indicating said one side where said sensitivity is higher is printed according to said directivity information.

8. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 1, wherein:

said directivity information is acquired on a basis of an operation signal of an operating device for manually input of said directivity information.

9. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 1, further comprising a cartridge holder to which a cartridge for including at least a RFID tag capable of continuous supply of said tag medium on which said RFID circuit element is arranged can be detachably attached.

10. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 9, wherein:

said apparatus antenna is arranged near said cartridge holder so that said apparatus antenna is located on said one side where said sensitivity of said tag antenna provided at said RFID circuit element of said tag medium is higher when said cartridge for including at least the RFID tag is attached to said cartridge holder.

11. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 9, wherein:

said directivity information acquisition portion acquires said directivity information on the basis of information recorded in a directivity information recording portion of said cartridge for including at least the RFID tag attached to said cartridge holder.

12. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 1, wherein:

said feeding device feeds said tag medium on which said RFID circuit element provided with a dipole antenna in which an antenna element is extended to the side of the transport direction of said tag medium from IC circuit part as said tag antenna.

13. The apparatus for producing RFID labels according to claim 12, wherein:

said print control portion controls said printing device so that a folding index or cutting index is printed in a region between a wave director or a reflector and said tag antenna.

14. A RFID label comprising:

a tape base layer including a RFID circuit element provided with an IC circuit part storing information and a tag antenna having directivity with sensitivity to one side higher than that to the other side;

an affixing adhesive layer for affixing said tape base layer to an affixed face; and

a directivity indicator on which a directivity index indicating said one side where said sensitivity is higher is printed, said directivity indicator being provided in said tape base layer or a print-receiving tape layer bonded to said tape base.