MXPA00008587A - With a memory device equipped label-spool for a handheld labeller - Google Patents

Abstract

A handheld label printer (10) receives spools (20) containing print media (22) of different sizes and types. Each spool (20) contains a memory chip (30) which stores information about its print media, and this information is conveyed to the printer through concentric electrical contacts (32, 34) on the end of the spool. The concentric electrical contacts engage stationary contacts on the printer (36, 38), and this electrical connection is insensitive to incidental rotation of the spool when it is inserted into the printer and used.

Description

CARTRIDGE OF LABELS WITH MEMORY DEVICE FOR A PORTABLE ETIOUETADORA TECHNICAL FIELD The field of the invention relates to printers, and more particularly to spools for portable label printers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNIQUE There are numerous patents in the United States that describe electrical appliances for printing signs on labels, some of these are restricted to portable units and others describe desk units. Portable labeling machines are described, for example, in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,264,396, Stewart; 4,407,692, Torbeck; 4,473,426, Goodwin et al .; 4,477,305, Hamisch; 4,490,206, Makely 4,497,683, Hamisch; 4,498,947, Hamisch et al .; 4,511,422, Hamisch et al .; 4,544,434, Mistyurik; 4,556,442, Torbeck; 4,561,048, Hamisch et al .; and 4,680,078, Vanderpool et al. Desktop units for this general purpose, some of which are portable, are described in the United States patents numbers REF ,: 122749 4,440,248, Teraoka; 4,501,224, Shibayama; 4,630,538, Cushing; and 4,655,129, irth et al. Electronic machines for printing labels of the kind described above include all the same general combination of elements, a print head, a means for feeding labeling means to be printed through the print head, a microprocessor, a single memory programmed reading with appropriate instructions for operating the microprocessor, a random access memory, a keyboard with letter buttons, numbers and functions for entering alphanumeric information and instructions regarding the signs to be printed, and a visual display such as As an LED, LCD unit to help the operator to use the machine. On portable printers, these components can all be included in a single housing. A particular type of print head used in thermal transfer printing technology. The thermal transfer printing uses a print head that generates heat to transfer a pigment, such as wax, carbon black or the like, from a thermal transfer ribbon onto a labeled medium. Through the use of digital technology, characters are formed by energizing a sequence of pixels on the printhead which in turn melt the wax or other pigment on the ribbon transferring the image to the labeling medium. The labeling means comprises a series of labels that are attached to a carrier strip. The carrier strip is fed through the printer and the images are printed on the labels. The labels are then removed from the carrier and attached to the objects that need identification. Since there are many types of label applications, there are also many combinations of labels and carrier strips that provide labels of varying sizes, colors and formats. Many label printers of the type described above are capable of printing on labels of varying sizes and sizes. with different formats. Caution must be exercised by the user, therefore, to ensure that the labeling medium loaded in the printer is compatible with the desired print format. A mismatch between the format and the labeling medium can result in the printer printing unusable labels when the user does not have a means to determine if there is a problem between the printing machine itself, or with the labeling medium, or if there is incompatibility between the two. In addition, many label printers are designed to print on labeling media that meet certain physical criteria. A user has no way to reliably know if the labeling medium that has been purchased is compatible with the particular printer and if it meets the standards of the printer manufacturer. A mismatch between the labeling medium and the printing machine can cause damage to the printing machine, again with no way to determine the cause of the damage. Generally, the type of label is entered manually by the user through the keyboard of the printer. This provides the printer with the necessary information to properly print labels in the correct format. This method is subject to user error and does not solve the problem of using a print medium that is physically incompatible with the printer. Methods that solve the problem of using incompatible labeling means are known in the art. One solution is to provide an adjustable platen for a label printer which adapts the medium of very different widths as well as the thicknesses, and as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,372,443 to Borucki et al. Although this solution reduces the compatibility problem by allowing the printer to work with a very wide range of media types, there is still a compatibility problem. In addition, such mechanical measures do not help to differentiate print media designed for use in thermal printers.

Another solution to the compatibility problem that is used in large printers is to provide an electronic means for the printer to identify the particular printing medium that is used. In U.S. Patent No. 5,318,370, Nehowig, for example, the printing medium is contained in a cassette and a memory chip mounted in the cassette stores information about the printing medium. When the cassette is inserted into the printer, this information is read by the printer and used to control its operation. This solution has not been applied to portable printers where the printing medium is supplied in a roll that is supported on a removable spool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a reel for holding a roll of printing medium used in a portable printer. More particularly, the spool includes a cylindrical core which extends through an opening in the roll of the printing medium and allows the printing medium to unwind about a roll axis as used by the portable printer; the cubes formed at the two ends of the cylindrical core are shaped to be placed in receptacles in the portable printer, which hold the spool in place; a memory chip mounted on the reel and located adjacent to a cube; two electrical contacts formed at the end of a hub and placed to engage two stationary contacts in one of the receptacles of the printer when the reel is mounted therein; and electrical connections between the two electrical contacts and the memory chip; wherein the memory chip stores information that specifies the printing medium. A general objective of the invention is to identify the printing medium used in a portable printer. When a reel is inserted into the receptacles of the printer, its two electrical contacts are coupled and electrically connected to the two stationary contacts that in turn are coupled to the printer's microprocessor controller. The microprocessor controller can thus electrically interrogate and read the information stored in the memory chip to identify very precisely the printing medium that is being used. Another object of the invention is to provide a reliable electrical connection between the reel and the microprocessor. The two electrical contacts on the end of the spool are concentric around the axis of the roll. As a result, regardless of the orientation of the spool as it is inserted into the receptacles of the printer, contact is made with the stationary electrical contacts. If during use the spool rotates as the printing medium develops, the electrical connection is maintained. Yet another object of the invention is to provide an economical means for specifying the printing medium carried by the spool. The reel is formed in two parts, with the core and a cube molded as a part, and the other cube containing the memory chip molded as a lid that is attached to the reel. A circuit board is mounted on the end of the cover and the memory chip is mounted on the inside of this circuit board and two electrical contacts are formed on the outer side of the circuit board. The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which are a part thereof, and in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration. Such embodiment does not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention, however, reference is made thereto to the claims of this document to interpret the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of the portable label printer which uses the present invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the portable label printer in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an electrical block diagram of the printer of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of a reel which is part of the printer shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a lid which forms part of the reel in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the lid assembled in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a partial perspective view of the structure for receiving the reel of Figure 4; and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the structure for receiving the reel of Figure 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a printing machine 10 is presented which uses the preferred embodiment of the present invention which includes a molded plastic housing 2 holding a keyboard 4 and its front surface and a screen 6 placed above it. of the keyboard 4. The housing 2 has a cavity 12 formed in the housing 2 above the screen 6 to receive a reel 20 containing a labeling means 22. The labeling means 22 is formed as a roll which is transported by the spool 20. The spool 20 is inserted into a receptacle cavity 12 and the labeling means is wound around the printing machine 10. A cover 11 enclosing the reel 20 and a labeling means 22 in the receptacle cavity 12 are pivotally mounted to the housing 2 and hide a means 22 of unused labeling of the view. The labeling means 22 consists of a network 3 carrier which holds a series of adhesive labels 1. The size, color and type of label material carried by the spool 20 varies depending on the particular printing application. As the labeling means 22 is consumed by the printer, it is unrolled from the spool 20 until the spool is emptied. An ink ribbon cartridge 5 having a thermal transfer ribbon 13 is placed inside the cartridge 5 and inserted into the cavity 15 on the side of the printing machine 10. The ink ribbon cartridge as used in the invention is fully described in the co-pending patent application THERMAL TRANSFER RIBBON CARTRIDGE, is fully described in co-pending patent application 09 / 033,341, filed on March 2, 1998, filed simultaneously with the present patent application compared as reference therein. The driving uses of a graduated motor gear mechanism rotationally drive the pickup and supply reels of the cartridge 5 while a drive roller advances the labeling means and the ink ribbon through the printing machine 10. The gradual motor gear mechanism is fully described in the co-pending patent application METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAINTAINING RIBBON TENSION, United States patent application number 09 / 033,342, filed on March 2, 1998, filed simultaneously with the present application patent and incorporated as reference herein. A thermal print head (not shown) on the printing machine 10 is arranged to cooperate with the thermal transfer ribbon 13 of the ink ribbon cartridge 5, and the labeling means 22 so that the print head can print characters or symbols on the labeling medium. This is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,523, which is incorporated herein by reference.

With particular reference to Figure 3, the elements of the printing machine 10 are controlled by a microprocessor 14 which operates under the direction of a stored program. The microprocessor 14 is coupled to the keyboard 4 to receive manual input data from the operator of the printing machine 10 and is coupled to the display 6 to indicate the operator the messages. The input data can also be received through a serial port 9 coupled to the microprocessor 14. The microprocessor 14 controls the drive motor 7 to feed the tape 13 and the labeling means 22 to position the position where the head 8 of thermal printing is controlled to print the desired signs on the labels 1. The precise control of these elements depends on the particular label material that is used, and it is imperative for the same, that the microprocessor 14 receives information which specifies precisely to the labels 1 on the reel 20. The label specifications are received by the microprocessor 14 from the sensor board 15 which is coupled to the memory chip 26 on the label reel 20 as further described in the following. The sensor board 15 also receives inputs from the sensors 17, 19, 21 and 23 to provide information to the microprocessor 14 regarding other aspects of the printing operation such as the position of the print head, the state of the label supply and the tape supply status. With particular reference to Figure 4, the spool 20 is formed of two molded plastic parts 40 and 42. The first part is a circular cylindrical core 40 which extends through an opening 43 in the roll of labeling means 22. . A flange 44 is formed at the end of the core 40 and engages with one side of the labeling means 22 to "hold it in place." The other element of the spool 20 is a cap 42 which has a circular cylindrical rod 28 which is placed firmly at the open end of the core 40. A flange 46 extends radially outwardly around the lid 42 and engages with the other end of the roll of the labeling means 22. The cubes 48 and 50 extend laterally outward from each end of the reel 20 and these cubes are received in a pair of separate receptacles 52, which are shown in Figures 7 and 8, which are part of an assembly 51 which is mounted in the receptacle cavity 12. One of the portions of Assembly receptacle 51 is slidably movable to accommodate different lengths of reel 20. With particular reference to Figures 5 and 6, cap 42 serves as a housing for a memory chip 26 that stores information specifying the size and type of labels carried by the reel 20. This stored information is needed by the microprocessor 14 in the printer 10, and an important aspect of the present invention is the manner in which this information is coupled from the chip 26 of memory to the microprocessor 14. The memory chip 26 is mounted on a square printed circuit board 30, which is pressed into place in an opening 41 formed at the end of the layer 42. A set of four is integrally formed. arms 45 retainers inside the cover 42 so that they snap in place to hold the circuit board 30 in place. The memory chip 26 is soldered in place and placed on the inner surface of the circuit board 30. Two conductor wires on the memory chip 26 are connected through the openings in the circuit board 30 to a pair of concentric and circular electrical contacts 32 and 34 that are formed on the outer surface of the circuit board 30. As best seen in Figure 4, the two electrical contacts 32 and 34 are concentric around the axis 24 of the spool 20. Although a pair of electrical contacts and the corresponding conductor wires are shown, more than two contacts and a number can be used. similar conductive cables as required in the application. With particular reference to Figures 7 and 8, when the spool 20 is held in place by pressure in the printer 10, the cubes 48 and 50 are received in a cavity defined by a curved wall 25. A retainer spring 54 deforms as the spool 20 is inserted into the cavity, and spring-loaded back into place when the hub is in position to hold the hub in the cavity during printer operation. The spool 20 is removed from the cavity 25 by pulling its hubs 48 and 50 out of the receptacles against the spring force of the retainer springs 54. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, an end wall 56 is formed in the left receptacle 52 so that the end of the lid 42 contacts when the reel 20 is inserted. A pair of openings 37 and 39 are formed in the end wall 56, in which a pair of stationary spring contacts 36 and 38 extend through and engage the end of the cover 42. The stationary spring contacts 36 and 38 are electrically coupled to the sensor board by conductors 15. (not shown). The sensor board 15 is then coupled to the microprocessor 14. The spring contact 36 is aligned with the spool shaft 24 for coupling the central contact 32 on the circuit board 30, and the spring contact 38 is separated from it to engage the contact 34 in an annular manner. Regardless of the orientation of the spool 20 about its axis 24, both spring contacts 36 and 38 will establish a continuous electrical connection with the concentric contacts 32 and 34 at the end of the spool 20. As a result, the electrical connection continues between the chip 26 of memory on the reel 20 and the microprocessor 14 in the printer 10 is maintained. Although what has hitherto been regarded as the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is the conventional one for the manufacture of the objects or products to which it refers.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property:

1. A reel for holding a roll of printing medium in a portable printer, the combination is characterized in that it comprises: a cylindrical core which extends through an opening in the roll of printing medium and allows the printing medium to be unrolled around the axis of the roll as the printing medium is consumed by the portable printer; cubes formed at the two ends of the cylindrical core and shaped to be placed in receptacles in the portable printer; a memory medium mounted on the reel and located near a cube; a plurality of electrical contacts formed at the end of a hub and positioned to mate with an equal number of stationary contacts in one of the printer receptacles when the reel is mounted therein; and electrical connections between the electrical contacts and the memory medium; and wherein the memory medium stores information specifying the printing medium supported by the spool.

2. The reel according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of electrical contacts are a pair of electrical contacts.

3. The reel according to claim 1, characterized in that the two electrical contacts are concentric about the axis of the roll so that the reel can be inserted into the receptacles of the printer in any orientation about the axis of the roll.

4. The reel according to claim 1, characterized in that the printed circuit board is mounted in an opening formed at the end of a cube, the electrical contacts are formed on one side of the printed circuit board, the memory medium is mounted on one side of the printed circuit board, and the electrical connections are formed by conductive paths on the printed circuit board.

5. The spool according to claim 1, characterized in that the ridges are formed at both ends of the cylindrical core to hold the roll of printing medium in place on the spool.

6. The spool according to claim 5, characterized in that a cube and the adjacent flange are formed as an integral cap which is attached to the cylindrical core.

7. The reel according to claim 6, characterized in that the printed circuit board is mounted in an opening formed at the end of a cube, the electrical contacts are formed on one side of the printed circuit board, the memory medium is mounted on the other side of the printed circuit board, and the electrical connections are formed by conductive paths on the printed circuit board.