Label producing apparatus

• US 7,866,561 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2007
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Mitsugi
• Primary Examiner(s): Paik; Steven S
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON JR, WILLIAM MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/673,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20070131769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 235/439, 235/487, 235/492, 340/572.1, 340/572.7, 340/572.8, 400/76, 400/191, 400/247
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 11/0289 using electrical or electro-mechanical means B65C11/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2009/0003 Use of RFID labels
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2009/0093 Devices switching between a peelable and a non peelable position
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2009/408 reading information before printing and applying a label

Abstract

A label producing apparatus includes a pressure bonding roller configured to produce a printed tag label tape by bonding a print-receiving tape paid out from a print-receiving tape roll to a base tape having a plurality of RFID circuit elements and paid out from a cover tape roll, a signal processing circuit configured to create RFID control information to be written to IC circuit parts and a transmitting portion of a radio frequency circuit, an antenna configured to write the thus created RFID control information disposed upstream of the pressure bonding roller in the transport direction of the base tape, and a print head configured to carry out print to the RFID circuit elements disposed upstream of the pressure bonding roller in the transport direction of the print-receiving tape 103. Accordingly, the RFID circuit elements are disposed on the tape at close intervals, and read/write processing can be carried out effectively and continuously.

Claims

1. A label producing apparatus comprising:

a bonding device configured to produce a tag label tape by bonding a print-receiving tape paid out from a print-receiving tape roll and a base tape paid out from a base tape roll;

a communication information creating device configured to create RFID control information for carrying out communication to a plurality of RFID circuit elements disposed on one of said print-receiving tape and said base tape, the plurality of RFID circuit elements comprising a plurality of IC circuit parts for storing information and a plurality of tag antennas for transmitting and receiving information, each of said plurality of tag antennas is connected to a corresponding one of said plurality of IC circuit parts;

a device antenna configured to communicate with said IC circuit parts by transmitting said RFID control information created by said communication information creating device to said tag antenna by wireless communication, disposed upstream of said bonding device in the transport direction of any one of said print-receiving tape and said base tape; and

a printing device configured to carry out print corresponding to said RFID circuit element to said print-receiving tape, disposed upstream of said bonding device in the transport direction of said print-receiving tape,

wherein said device antenna and said printing device are disposed, such that distances thereof to said bonding device are about the same.

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

said device antenna is disposed upstream of said bonding device in the transport direction of said base tape having said plurality of RFID circuit elements.

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

said base tape comprises;

an adhesive layer for bonding labels, which include said RFID circuit elements and to which print is carried out, to a target to be bonded; and

a separation material which covers the bonding side of said adhesive layer and is separated when the labels are bonded.

4. The label producing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a detecting device configured to detect an identifier disposed to a position of said separation material corresponding to a position at which said RFID circuit element is disposed;

a cutter configured to cut said tag label tape at a predetermined position; and

a controller configured to feed said tag label tape to a position determining reference position having a predetermined positional relation to said RFID circuit element to be provided with the another label, when one label is produced by being cut with said cutter and then another label is to be produced.

5. The label producing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

said device antenna is disposed upstream of said bonding device in the transport direction of said print-receiving tape having said plurality of RFID circuit elements.

6. The label producing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

said device antenna is disposed in the vicinity of a surface intersecting a tape surface of the transport path of any one of said print-receiving tape and said base tape from said print-receiving tape roll or said base tape roll around which any one of the tapes is wound to said bonding device.

7. The label producing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

said device antenna is disposed in the vicinity of a surface parallel to a tape surface of the transport path of any one of said print-receiving tape and said base tape from said print-receiving tape roll or said base tape roll around which any one of the tapes is wound to said bonding device.

8. The label producing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cartridge holder in which a cartridge is detachably disposed which includes said print-receiving tape roll, said base tape roll, and a guide device configured to guide the transport path of any one of said print-receiving tape and said base tape paid out from said print-receiving tape roll or said base tape roll so that the distance between the transport path and said device antenna is regulated to a predetermined range.

9. The label producing apparatus according to claim 8 wherein:

the cartridge comprises shield member configured to reduce leakage of a radio signal from said device antenna to the side of said print-receiving tape roll or said base tape roll around which any one of the tapes is wounded in the transport path of the tape.

10. The label producing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

said device antenna is a patch antenna having directivity on one side.

11. The label producing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

said communication information creating device creates RFID control information to be written to said IC circuit part of said RFID circuit element disposed to any one of said print-receiving tape and said base tape; and

said device antenna transmits said RFID control information created by said communication information creating device to said tag antenna by wireless communication and writes the information to said IC circuit part.