Label data creating apparatus, label data creating method, and computer program product

• US 8,739,054 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2008
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ikedo, Tatsuhiro, Suzuki, Mikitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): KEATON, SHERROD L
• Application Number:
  US12/286,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,062 Days
• Field of Search: 715/804, 715/769, 715/531, 715/243, 715/273, 715/731
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

In a case wherein a drop area of a capture window is clicked with a mouse and text is entered through a keyboard, a CPU of a computer device changes the drop area of a capture window to an edit area which displays text characters that were entered from the keyboard. The CPU changes the capture button to a print button used to enter a command for text printing. If the print button is clicked with the mouse, the CPU outputs the text which is displayed on the edit area to a tape printer as print data.

Claims

1. A label data creating apparatus comprising:

a display having a display screen; and

a print-data creating and editing unit that creates and edits print data to be printed out on a long print medium, the print data being created and edited by displaying in the display screen a layout edit screen that virtually indicates a print area of the long print medium, wherein

the print-data creating and editing unit comprises;

an application storage device that stores an application to edit data including text or image information by inserting the data in the print area of the long print medium;

a display control unit that performs control so that the display screen enabling a drag-and-drop operation of the data is displayed on the display by deleting the layout edit screen therefrom, in a case where the application has been activated;

a window display unit that constantly displays a window showing the application has been activated, in forefront at an inner periphery of the display screen from which the layout edit screen has been deleted, the window performing two functions of a drop area for dragging and dropping the data and an edit area for showing text, the window having a substantially rectangular shape long in a latitudinal direction;

an input device that is used in inputting text;

a function-change unit that changes a function of the window to the edit area displaying text which was entered through the input device in a case where the window is clicked with a mouse, and changes the function of the window to the drop area in a case where the data is dragged and dropped in the window; and

an output control unit that performs control so that text which was entered through the input device is displayed on the window functional as the edit area as the print data in a case where the function of the window is changed to the edit area, and so that the function of the window is changed to the drop area and thereby the data is virtually displayed in the print area by displaying again the layout edit screen that virtually indicates the print area of the print medium, in a case where the data is dragged and dropped on the window.

2. The label data creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print-data creating and editing unit further comprises an extension display unit that displays the window by extending the window in a latitudinal direction, in a case where the window functions as the edit area and text is displayed in the edit area.

3. The label data creating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if a line break command is entered from the input device or the entered text cannot be fitted inside the window functioning as the edit area, the extension display unit displays the window so as to be extended in a longitudinal direction based on the line break command or the entered text.

4. The label data creating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the print-data creating and editing unit further comprises a print button display unit that displays a print button on the window, in case text has been displayed on the window functioning as the edit area, and

wherein if the print button is clicked, the output control unit performs control so that the text displayed on the window functioning as the edit area is outputted to the printer as print data.

5. The label data creating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the print-data creating and editing unit further comprises a type acquisition unit that acquires from the printer, the type of the print medium which is loaded in the printer;

and

wherein the output control unit sets the print mode for the text displayed on the window functioning as the edit area based on the type of the print medium acquired by the type acquisition unit.

6. The label data creating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the print-data creating and editing unit further comprises a display state change unit that displays a display state of the window at least at the initial display of the window by subjecting an image of the window and a background image to alpha blending and causing the window to blink by a predetermined number of times;

and

wherein if the data is dropped at a position at which the window is displayed, the dropped data is inserted in the print area which is currently being edited.

7. A label data creating method comprising:

a display control step of performing control, in a case where an application of editing data including text or image data by inserting the data in a print area of a long print medium is activated, so that a display screen enabling a drag-and-drop operation of the data is displayed on a display by deleting from the display screen a layout edit screen that virtually indicates the print area of the long print medium;

a window display step of constantly displaying a window that shows the application has been activated, in forefront at an inner periphery of the display screen from which the layout edit screen displayed in the display control step has been deleted, the window performing two functions of a drop area for dragging and dropping the data and an edit area for showing text, the window having a substantially rectangular shape long in a latitudinal direction;

a function changing step of changing a function of the window to the edit area displaying text which was entered through an input device in a case where the window displayed in the window display step is clicked with a mouse, and changing the function of the window to the drop area in a case where the data is dragged an dropped in the window; and

an output control step of performing control, so that text which was entered through the input device is displayed on the window functioning as the edit area as print data in a case where the function of the window is changed to the edit area in the function changing step, and so that the function of the window is changed to the drop area in the function changing step, and so that the function of the window is changed to the drop area and thereby the data is virtually displayed in the print area of the layout edit screen by displaying again the layout edit screen that virtually indicates the print area of the print medium in a case where the data is dragged and dropped on the window.

8. The label data creating method according to claim 7, further comprising an extension display step of displaying the window by extending the window in a latitudinal direction, in a case where the window functions as the edit area and text is displayed in the edit area in the function changing step.

9. The label data creating method according to claim 8, wherein, in the extension display step, if a line break command is entered from the input device or the entered text cannot be fitted in the window functioning as the edit area, the window is displayed so as to be extended in a longitudinal direction based on the line break command or the entered text.

10. The label data creating method according to claim 7, further comprising:

a print button display step of displaying a print button on the window if text has been displayed on the window functioning as the edit area in the function changing step,

wherein, in the output control step, if the print button displayed in the print button display step has been clicked, control is performed so that the text displayed on the window functioning a the edit area is outputted to the printer as print data.

11. The label data creating method according to claim 7, further comprising:

a type acquisition step of acquiring, from the printer, the type of the print medium which is loaded in the printer,

wherein in the output control step, a print mode for the text displayed on the window functioning as the edit area is based on the type of the print medium acquired in the type acquisition step.

12. The label data creating method according to claim 7, further comprising:

a display state changing step of displaying a display state of the window at least when the window displayed in the window display step is initially displayed by subjecting an image of the window and a background image to alpha blending and causing the window to blink by a predetermined number of times; and

wherein if the data is dropped at a position at which the window is displayed in the window display step, the dropped data is inserted in the print area which is currently being edited.

13. A computer program product used and executed by a label data creating apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable recording medium; and

a computer program stored in the non-transitory computer readable recording medium, wherein the computer program includes;

a display control step of performing control, in a case where an application of editing data including text or image data by inserting the data in a print area of a long print medium is activated, so that a display screen enabling a drag-and-drop operation of the data is displayed on a display by deleting from the display screen a layout edit screen that virtually indicates the print area of the long print medium;

a window display step of constantly displaying a window that shows the application has been activated, in forefront at an inner periphery of the display screen from which the layout edit screen displayed in the display control step has been deleted, the window performing two functions of a drop area for dragging and dropping the data and an edit area for showing text, and the window having a substantially rectangular shape long in a latitudinal direction;

a function changing step of changing a function of the window to the edit area displaying text which was entered through an input device in a case where the window displayed at the window display step is clicked with a mouse, and changing the function of the window to the drop area in a case where the data is dragged and dropped in the window; and

an output control step of performing control so that text which was entered through the input device is displayed on the window functioning as the edit area as print data in a case where the function of the window is changed to the edit area in the function changing step, and so that the function of the window is changed to the drop area and thereby the data is virtually displayed in the print area of the layout edit screen by displaying again the layout edit screen that virtually indicates the print area of the print medium in a case where the data is dragged and dropped on the window.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13,

wherein the computer program further includes:

an extension display step of displaying the window by extending the window in a latitudinal direction, in a case where the window functions as the edit area and text is displayed in the edit area in the function changing step.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14,

wherein, in the extension display step, if a line break command is entered from the input device or the entered text cannot be fitted in the window functioning as the edit area, the window is displayed so as to be extended in a longitudinal direction based on the line break command or the entered text.

16. The computer program product according to claim 13,

wherein the computer program further includes:

a print button display step of displaying a print button on the window if text has been displayed on the window functioning as the edit area in the function changing step,

wherein, in the output control step, if the print button displayed in the print button display step has been clicked, control is performed so that the text displayed on the window functioning as the edit area is outputted to the printer as print data.

17. The computer program product according to claim 13,

wherein the computer program further includes:

a type acquisition step of acquiring, from the printer, the type of the print medium which is loaded in the printer,

wherein in the output control step, a print mode for the text displayed on the window functioning as the edit area is set based on the type of the print medium acquired in the type acquisition step.

18. The compute program product according to claim 13,

wherein the computer program further includes:

a display state changing step of displaying a display state of the window at least when the window displayed in the window display step is initially displayed by subjecting an image of the window and a background image to alpha blending and causing the window to blink by a predetermined number of times; and

wherein if the data is dropped at a position at which the window is displayed in the window display step, the dropped data is inserted in the print area which is currently being edited.