Thermal printer operable to selectively print sub-blocks of print data and method
First Claim
1. A thermal printing method comprising:
- moving a first portion of a substrate to be printed in a first direction past a thermal print head;
printing the first portion of the substrate passing the thermal print head in the first direction with a first sub-block of data of a block of data during a first printing act;
interrupting the printing of the substrate by the thermal print head following printing of the first sub-block of data and reversing the direction of movement of the substrate such that a back distance section of the first portion of the substrate passes the thermal print head in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
moving a second portion of the substrate that includes the back distance section in the first direction past the thermal print head such that the back distance section of the substrate again passes the thermal print head in the first direction; and
printing the second portion of the substrate passing the thermal print head in the first direction with a second sub-block of data during a second printing act, the portion of the second sub-block of data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during the second printing act corresponding to the data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during the first printing act.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An entire block of print data for a message is subdivided into sub-blocks of print data. During printing of sub-blocks, an earlier received sub-block of data is used to print one portion of a substrate moving in the downstream direction. The substrate is moved upstream for a back distance and then moved downstream with the next sub-block of data being printed on the substrate as it is moved downstream. As a back distance section of the substrate again travels in the downstream direction, data from the subsequent sub-block of data that corresponds to data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during printing of the immediately preceding sub-block of data, is printed on the back distance section of the substrate. The sub-blocks of data are in effect stitched together by the dual printed back distance to minimize transition artifacts.
89 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A thermal printing method comprising:
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moving a first portion of a substrate to be printed in a first direction past a thermal print head; printing the first portion of the substrate passing the thermal print head in the first direction with a first sub-block of data of a block of data during a first printing act; interrupting the printing of the substrate by the thermal print head following printing of the first sub-block of data and reversing the direction of movement of the substrate such that a back distance section of the first portion of the substrate passes the thermal print head in a second direction opposite to the first direction; moving a second portion of the substrate that includes the back distance section in the first direction past the thermal print head such that the back distance section of the substrate again passes the thermal print head in the first direction; and printing the second portion of the substrate passing the thermal print head in the first direction with a second sub-block of data during a second printing act, the portion of the second sub-block of data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during the second printing act corresponding to the data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during the first printing act. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A thermal printing method for printing a substrate from a thermal print ribbon in response to print data comprising:
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subdividing a block of data to be printed by a thermal print head of a thermal printer onto a length of substrate into N data sub-blocks, N being greater than one with the sub-blocks to be printed in order from the first sub-block to the Nth sub-block, each sub-block to be printed on an associated portion of the substrate with the first sub-block printed on a first portion of the substrate, the second sub-block printed on a second portion of the substrate through and including the Nth sub-block printed on the Nth portion of the substrate; a. moving a first portion of the substrate in a first direction past the thermal print head; b. printing the first portion of the substrate passing the thermal print head in the first direction with the first sub-block of data during a first printing act; c. interrupting the printing of the substrate by the thermal print head following printing of the first sub-block of data and reversing the direction of movement of the substrate such that a back distance section of the first portion of the substrate passes the thermal print head in a second direction opposite to the first direction; d. moving a second portion of the substrate that includes the back distance section in the first direction past the thermal print head such that the back distance section of the substrate again passes the thermal print head in the first direction; e. printing the second portion of the substrate passing the thermal print head in the first direction with the second of the sub-blocks of data during a second printing act, the portion of the second sub-block of data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during the second printing act corresponding to the data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during the first printing act; f. repeating the steps a through c for each succeeding portion of the substrate from the third substrate through the N−
1th substrate with the third sub-block of data being printed on the third portion of the substrate through and including the N−
1th sub-block of data being printed on the N−
1th portion of the substrate;g. moving the Nth portion of the substrate that includes the back distance section in the N−
1th portion of the substrate in the first direction past the thermal print head such that the back distance section of the N−
1th portion of the substrate again passes the thermal print head in the first direction; andprinting the Nth sub-block of data on the Nth portion of the substrate passing the thermal print head in the first direction during an Nth printing act, the portion of the Nth sub-block of data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during the Nth printing step corresponding to the data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during the N−
1th printing act; andsevering the substrate from the substrate coil following the printing of the Nth sub-block of data.
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13. A thermal printer for printing a substrate from a thermal print ribbon in response to print data comprising:
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a substrate holder for supporting a coil of substrate; a thermal print ribbon holder for supporting a coil of thermal print ribbon; a thermal print head in a print flow path; a platen rotatable in respective opposite first and second directions and positioned adjacent the thermal print head, the platen engaging the substrate from the roll of substrate and advancing the substrate in the print flow path in a first downstream direction past the thermal print head upon rotation of the platen in the first direction and reversing the direction of movement of the substrate to move the substrate in a second upstream direction opposite to the first direction upon rotation of the platen in the second direction; a substrate drive motor coupled to the platen and operable to rotate the platen in the respective first and second directions; a ribbon take-up positioned to take up ribbon at a ribbon take-up location of the ribbon downstream in the first direction from the thermal print head, a ribbon drive motor coupled to the ribbon take-up and operable to rotate in a direction to move the ribbon downstream in the first direction with the movement of the substrate in the first downstream direction, the ribbon holder comprising a clutch operable to apply tension to the thermal ribbon to move the thermal ribbon in the second upstream direction with the movement of the substrate in the second upstream direction upon rotation of the platen in the second direction; a cutter operable to sever a length of the substrate from the coil of substrate following printing of the substrate with an entire block of data, the cutter being located to sever the substrate at a location downstream in the print flow path from the thermal print head; a printer controller comprising a first memory for storing a block of print data corresponding to an entire message to be printed on the length of the substrate to be severed from the coil of substrate following printing of the block of print data; a print head controller comprising a print driver memory, coupled to the first memory and to the thermal print head, the print head memory receiving print data from the first memory and the print head controller controlling the printing by the thermal print head to print the substrate traveling in the first upstream direction with a message corresponding to the received print data; the printer controller being operable to deliver the entire block of print data to the print head memory in the event the entire block of print data is smaller than the storage capacity of the print head memory; the printer controller being operable to subdivide the block of print data into a plurality of data sub-blocks of print data at least if the block of print data exceeds the storage capacity of the print head memory; and
, in the event the print data is subdivided into a plurality of print data sub-blocks, the printer controller being operable to control the substrate drive motor and the ribbon drive motor to cause movement of a first portion of the substrate in a first direction past the thermal print head, the print head controller being operable to control the thermal print head to print the first portion of the substrate passing the thermal print head in the first direction with a first sub-block of print data during a first printing act, and to interrupt the printing of the substrate by the thermal print head following printing of the first sub-block of print data, the printer controller being operable to control the substrate drive motor to reverse the direction of movement of the substrate such that a back distance section of the first portion of the substrate passes the thermal print head in the second downstream direction, and to thereafter move a second portion of the substrate that includes the back distance section in the first upstream direction past the thermal print head such that the back distance section of the substrate again passes the thermal print head in the first direction, the print head controller being operable to control the thermal print head to print the second portion of the substrate passing the thermal print head in the first downstream direction with a second sub-block of print data during a second printing act, the portion of the second sub-block of print data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during the second printing act corresponding to the print data printed on the back distance section of the substrate during the first printing act, the first printer controller and print head controller controlling the repeat of these acts until the entire block of print data is printed onto the substrate; andthe printer controller also being coupled to the cutter to control the cutter to sever the substrate following printing of the entire block of print data onto the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification