Printer and printer control method

• US 20070231042A1
• Filed: 03/27/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Murahashi, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,922,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 400/613
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0075 Low-paper indication, i.e. indicating the state when copy material has been used up nearly or completely
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/42 Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/04 Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/042 for loading rolled-up continuous copy material into printers, e.g. for replacing a used-up paper roll; Point-of-sale printers with openable casings allowing access to the rolled-up continuous copy material

Abstract

A printer which prints to a roll paper medium under the control of the printer and to a printer control method for maintaining consistently in high quality printing even at the end of a roll paper print medium. The printer conveys roll paper 11 through a paper transportation path and prints to the roll paper 11 using a print head 21 carried on a carriage 23 that moves transverse to the transportation path. When the trailing end 11a of the roll paper is detected, the printer advances and then stops the print medium so that the trailing end 11a of the roll paper is positioned on the transportation path outside of the carriage path 53.

Claims

1. A printer comprising:

a transportation mechanism for conveying a rolled print medium through a transportation path with the rolled print medium having a trailing end;

a print head for printing images on the print medium;

a carriage for carrying the print head while being adapted to move along a carriage path in a direction transverse to the transportation path;

a paper detector for detecting the trailing end of the print medium; and

a drive control unit responsive to a computer and to said paper detector for driving the carriage while directing the transportation mechanism to move the print medium in synchronism with movement of the carriage along the carriage path such that when the paper detector detects the trailing end of the print medium, the print medium is advanced and stopped so that the trailing end of the print medium is positioned on the transportation path outside of the carriage path.

2. The printer described in claim 1, wherein:

the transportation mechanism comprises first transportation rollers disposed on an upstream side of the carriage path such that when the paper detector detects the trailing end of the print medium, the drive control unit advances and then stops the print medium at a position with the print medium held on the upstream side of the carriage path by the first transportation rollers.

3. The printer described in claim 1, wherein:

the transportation mechanism comprises second transportation rollers disposed on a downstream side of the carriage path such that when the paper detector detects the trailing end of the print medium, the drive control unit advances and then stops the print medium at a position with the print medium held on the downstream side of the carriage path by the second transportation rollers.

4. The printer described in claim 3, wherein:

when the paper detects the trailing end of the print medium, the drive control unit moves the carriage to a standby position outside the paper transportation path with the trailing end of the print medium held by the first transportation rollers while the print medium is also held by the second transportation rollers.

5. A control method for use in a printer that prints images on a rolled print medium having a trailing end for controlling the transportation of the print medium through a transportation path and for driving a print head carried on a carriage along a carriage path transverse to the transportation path, the control method comprising steps of:

detecting the trailing end of the print medium; and

advancing and then stopping the print medium after the trailing end of the print medium is detected so that the trailing end of the print medium is positioned on the transportation path outside the carriage path.

6. The printer control method described in claim 5, wherein when the trailing end of the print medium is detected, the print medium is advanced and then stopped with the print medium held by first transportation rollers disposed on the upstream side of the path of carriage movement.

7. The printer control method described in claim 5, wherein when the trailing end of the print medium is detected, the print medium is advanced and then stopped with the print medium on the downstream side of the carriage path and held by second transportation rollers disposed on the downstream side of the carriage path.

8. The printer control method described in claim 5, wherein when the trailing end of the print medium is detected, the print medium is advanced and stopped at a position where the print medium is held by the first transportation rollers, the carriage is then moved to a standby position outside the paper transportation path, and the print medium is then advanced and stopped at a position where the trailing end of the print medium is held by the second transportation rollers.