HK1139364A - Tape printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Tape printing apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a tape printing apparatus (tape printing apparatus).

Background

Tape printing devices are known, for example, from EP-A-322918(Brother Kogyo KabushikiKaishｃA) and EP-A-267890 (Varitronics). Known tape printing devices include a cassette receiving bay for receiving a cassette or tape holding enclosure. In EP- ｃA-267890 ｃA tape holding case houses an ink ribbon and ｃA backing tape comprising an upper image receiving layer secured to ｃA backing layer with an adhesive. In EP- ｃA-322918, ｃA tape holding case houses an ink ribbon, ｃA transparent image receiving tape, and ｃA double-sided adhesive tape, wherein one adhesive-coated side of the double-sided adhesive tape is fixed to the image tape after printing, and the double-sided adhesive tape has ｃA liner peelable from the other adhesive-coated side thereof. With this tape printing apparatus, the image transfer medium (ink ribbon) and the image receiving tape (substrate) are within the same cassette.

The applicant of the present invention has also proposed, for example in EP- ｃA-578372, to accommodate the ink ribbon and the backing tape in different cassettes.

In all cases, the image receiving tape passes over a print zone consisting of a print head and platen in superimposition with an ink ribbon, with the print head and platen operating in unison to transfer an image from the ink ribbon to the image receiving tape. This can be accomplished by a number of methods including dry writing (dry printing) or dry film stamping, but thermal printing is currently the most common in which the print head is heated and the heat causes ink to be transferred from the ribbon to the image receiving tape.

It is also known to ignore the ink ribbon and print an image directly on the image receiving tape by heating the print head. This process is called direct thermal printing.

It is known that a tape printing apparatus can be connected to a personal computer or PC. With this known arrangement, a user interacts with a PC to design a label. The user interacts with the PC to control the label printer to print labels.

Designing labels on a PC is generally easier than designing labels on a label printer. This is because the display connected to the PC is much larger than that of the label printer. In addition, the keyboard and mouse arrangement associated with a PC is generally easier to use than the small keyboard of a label printer. It is therefore known to design labels on a PC and download the labels to a memory card which can then be inserted into a suitable slot in a label printer.

However, downloading the tag onto the memory card requires the PC to have a suitable memory card slot. In addition, memory cards are easily lost or damaged.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an aim of certain embodiments of the present invention to address or at least mitigate one or more of the above-mentioned problems.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus including a port for connecting an external apparatus; a first memory for storing tag data defining at least one tag; and a second memory including program information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system comprising a tape printing apparatus having a memory, the memory having data stored therein; a computer; a connection between the PC and the tape printing apparatus, wherein the PC is arranged to receive the data from the tape printing apparatus, to modify the data, and to send the modified data to the tape printing apparatus, the modified data being stored in the memory.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising receiving data stored in a memory of a tape printing apparatus from the tape printing apparatus; modifying the data; sending the modified data to the tape printing device for storage within the memory.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising providing a first mode of operation in which a label is designed on a PC using attributes available on the PC; and providing a second mode of operation in which labels are designed on the PC using only the attributes available on the tape printing apparatus.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus comprising a processor arranged to determine whether a label meets a predetermined criterion and, if so, to modify the label to provide a template.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus including a port for connecting an external apparatus; a memory; the tape printing apparatus is arranged to have a first mode in which data received at the port is printed, and a second mode in which data received at the port is stored to the memory.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus comprising: a port for connecting an external device; a first memory for storing tag data defining at least one tag; and a second memory including program information, the port being configured to receive a modification to data stored in the first memory, and the first memory being configured to store the modification therein.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus comprising: a port for connecting an external device; a first memory for storing tag data defining at least one tag; and a second memory including program information, the tape printing apparatus being arranged to output the contents of the first memory to the port.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus comprising: a port for connecting an external device; and a memory for storing tag data defining at least one tag; the port is configured to receive a modification to data stored in the memory, and the memory is configured to store the modification therein.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus comprising: a port for connecting an external device; a first memory for storing tag data defining at least one tag; and a second memory including program information, the port being configured to receive a modification to data stored in the first memory, and the first memory being configured to store the modification therein.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for use in a tape printing apparatus comprising a port for connecting an external device; a memory for storing tag data defining at least one tag, the method comprising receiving at the port a modification to data stored in the first memory and storing the modification in the memory.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the present invention and how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a tape printing apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a control circuit for controlling a tape printing apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 3 diagrammatically shows a cassette in a cassette receiving bay of the tape printing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the tape printing apparatus of FIG. 1 connected to a PC;

FIG. 5 shows an image displayed by the PC display when the printer mode is selected;

FIG. 6 shows an image displayed by the PC display when the device mode is selected;

FIG. 7 shows a preferred menu displayed by the PC display;

FIG. 8 shows available tag format options displayed by the PC display;

FIG. 9 shows an image displayed on a PC display when there is an error;

FIG. 10 shows an image displayed by the PC display when an image is inserted in the label;

FIG. 11 shows an image displayed by a PC display illustrating where the image may be inserted;

FIG. 12 shows an image displayed on a PC display when a label is transferred from the PC to a label printer;

FIG. 13 shows an image displayed on a PC display when symbols are transferred from the PC to a tape printing apparatus; and

FIG. 14 illustrates a method for creating a template.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows the front of a tape printing apparatus 2. The printing apparatus has a display 4. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the display 4 is a liquid crystal display. The tape printing apparatus has a keyboard 6. The keyboard 6 has a plurality (in this case 4) of cursor control keys 8. A plurality of keys 10 for selecting characters and a plurality of keys 12 for selecting numbers are also provided. The keypad 6 may also have two sets of function keys 14. It should be understood that the number of keys provided and the functions provided by the keys may vary depending on the application of the printer. For example, in one embodiment, individual keys for numbers may be omitted and instead, numeric keys may be used via character keys. Another modification avoids the requirement of using one key per character. Alternatively, multiple functions may be used using, for example, a shift key.

The keypad 6 thus allows the user to input images comprising characters, numbers and/or symbols. The function keys allow selection of attributes of the tag. The function keys 14 thus allow different functions to be implemented and may control the operating mode of the tape printing apparatus.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the keyboard may be replaced by a touchpad, a touch screen, or any other input device.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 shows a cassette receiving bay indicated by the dotted line 30. Cassette bay 30 includes a thermal print head 32 and a rotatable platen 34, print head 32 and rotatable platen 34 operating in unison to define a print zone 36. The cassette receiving bay is accessible via the rear of the printing device.

The thermal print head 32 includes a column of printing elements. The printhead 32 has a height that is generally large enough to print over the widest width of the tape. The printhead 32 has one printing element per row of columns. Each print element is individually addressed and activated according to the desired image to be printed. The image may be printed with a character width extending along the tape, or with a character height extending along the length of the tape in a so-called vertical printing mode.

The printhead arm 33, which holds the printhead holder and the printhead 32 itself, can pivot about a pivot point 38 to enable a cassette to be removed from the cassette holder and replaced. A cassette inserted into the cassette holder 30 is indicated generally by the reference numeral 40. The cassette 40 holds a roll 42 of image receiving tape 44. The image receiving tape 44 is guided in the cassette 40 by a guide mechanism (not shown) out of the cassette 40 through an exit opening 46 past the print zone 36 to a cutting position 48.

The same cassette 40 has an ink ribbon spool 50 and an ink ribbon up spool 52. The ink ribbon 54 is guided from the ribbon spool 50 through the print zone 36 and is wound onto the ribbon take-up spool 52. The image receiving tape 44 passes over the print zone 36 overlapping the ink ribbon 54 with its image receiving layer in contact with the ink ribbon 54.

The cassette 44 has a recess 80 for receiving the printhead 32. A guide portion (not shown) may also be provided for guiding the thermal transfer belt 54 through the printing area 36. The print head 32 is movable between an operative position in which the print head 32 contacts the platen 34 and retains the overlapping thermal transfer ribbon 54 and image receiving tape 44 between the print head 32 and platen 34, and an inoperative position in which the print head 32 is moved away from the platen 34 to release the ribbon 54 and image receiving tape 44. In the operative position, the platen 34 is rotated to drive the image receiving tape 44 past the print head 32, and the print head is controlled to print an image on the image receiving tape 44 by thermal transfer of ink from the ink ribbon 54.

As shown diagrammatically in fig. 2, the drum is driven by a motor 58. The motor rotates to drive the image receiving tape continuously through the print zone 36 during printing. The belt may be driven in a step-wise manner by a stepper motor.

An image is printed onto the tape, the tape being fed from the print zone 36 to the cutting location 48, the cutting location 48 being provided at a location adjacent a side wall portion of the tape cassette 40 of the print zone 36. The portion of the sidewall on the cassette 40 that defines the cutting location 48 is indicated by reference numeral 60. A slot 62 is defined in a side wall portion 60 of the cassette and the image receiving tape 44 is fed through the print zone 36 to the cutting position 48 where the image receiving tape 44 is supported by end portions on either side of the slot 62.

A cutting mechanism 64 including a cutting edge 66 is provided. The cutting edge 66 cuts the image receiving tape 44 and then enters the slot 62.

Fig. 2 shows a basic circuit for controlling the tape printing apparatus. There is a microprocessor chip 70 having non-volatile memory 72, a microprocessor 74 and random access memory RAM capacity indicated diagrammatically by RAM 76. The microprocessor chip 70 is connected to receive tag data input from a data input device such as the keyboard 6. One embodiment of a memory structure for a label printing apparatus will be described below with reference to fig. 4.

The microprocessor chip 70 outputs data to drive the display 4 via the display driver chip 78 to display a label (or portion thereof) to be printed and/or other information, such as a message to the user. The display driver may alternatively form part of a microprocessor chip. In addition, the microprocessor chip 70 also outputs data to drive the print head 32 to thereby print label data on the image receiving tape to form a label. Finally, the microprocessor chip also controls the motor 58 to drive the roller 34. The microprocessor chip also controls the cutting mechanism 64 to cut a length of tape. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, at least part of the cutting mechanism may be manually operated.

Referring now to fig. 4, fig. 4 shows a PC (personal computer) 200 connected to the tape printing apparatus 2. The PC includes a display 202 and an input device 204. Generally, the input device 204 may include a keyboard and/or a mouse. However, it should be understood that the input device may take any suitable form. For example, the display may be a touch sensitive display and input may be made through the touch sensitive display. The PC 200 has a microprocessor 206 and memory indicated diagrammatically at 208. The memory may comprise any suitable type of memory and may be, for example, a random access memory or the like. Alternatively or additionally, the microprocessor 206 may include memory capacity.

The PC 200 has a USB (universal serial bus) port 210. Similarly, the tape printing apparatus 2 also has a USB port 212. The PC 200 and the tape printing apparatus are connected via a USB port using a cable 214.

It will be appreciated that any suitable mechanism may be used to connect the tape printing apparatus to the PC. For example, the connection may be via a wireless connection, such as a bluetooth connection. Alternatively, the connection between the PC and the tape printing apparatus may be made via a wired connection operating according to a protocol other than the USB protocol.

The tape printing apparatus 2 includes a controller 70, a first flash memory 76a, and a second flash memory 76 b. The first flash memory 76a is arranged to store tags, templates, text strings, etc. The second flash memory 76b is arranged to store programming and fonts. As described in more detail below, the contents of the first flash memory 76a are downloaded to the PC 200. The first flash memory and the second flash memory are separate memories. In this embodiment, the microcontroller has no or only a limited memory capacity. Alternatively, the microcontroller may have memory that is not used or is used for data that is not stored in the flash memory.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention uses flash memory. However, alternative embodiments of the present invention may use other types of memory instead of flash memory as the first and/or second memory.

The PC 200 is arranged to receive data from the tape printing apparatus 2 via the USB port 210. The microprocessor 206 interprets the data received via the USB connection. Similarly, the processor is arranged to format data sent to the tape printing apparatus via the USB port 210 into a format according to the USB protocol. The microprocessor 70 performs similar functions as the PC microprocessor 204.

The PC is arranged to have software stored thereon that allows operation in two modes when the PC is connected to a tape printing apparatus. These two modes are referred to as a printer mode and a device mode.

The printer mode will now be described with reference to fig. 5. In printer mode, using a PC, labels can be designed and printed directly to the tape printing apparatus via a USB connection. To some extent, the tape printing apparatus functions as an dumb printer, and prints an image downloaded from a PC.

Fig. 5 shows an image displayed when the tape printing apparatus is in the printer mode. The image displayed by the PC display has three different regions. The first area 220 is a Label preview area (Label in Printer Mode). This shows how the currently selected label looks when printed. The second area is a data editor area 222 that provides a data grid. The user enters data in the area and/or edits an image of one or more tags.

The third area 224 shows the Properties (Label Properties) that can be set for the selected Label type, and the actual values that have been selected. For example, for the label that has been selected, the options that the user needs to set are tape width (tape width), Auto-fit Text (Auto-fit Text), Font (Printer Font), Borders (Borders), and Barcode Text (Barcode Text). As can be seen, these options fall into two categories. There are options that require setting specific values. For example, the bandwidth has a plurality of different values. In this example, the tape width is set to 24 mm. Similarly, fonts have several different options for both font style and font size. The selected font and font size are displayed.

Other options may or may not be provided. For example, automatically adapted text may or may not be selected. If this option is selected, this is indicated by a type of flag, and if the option is not selected, this is indicated by a different type of flag. In this particular embodiment, the selected options are marked with checkmarks and the unselected options are shown with empty boxes. It should be understood that these flag settings are merely examples, and the manner of indicating whether an option is selected may be changed.

It should be understood that these three regions are used in both device mode and printer mode, as discussed in more detail below.

In the printer mode, the available font and font size are those of the PC. Thus, any font available on the PC can be used in the printer mode.

Referring now to fig. 6 to 13, fig. 6 to 13 illustrate various images displayed by the PC when the device mode is selected. In general, the device mode is used to design labels that can be transferred to a tape printing apparatus. In the device mode, the available formatting functions are limited to those available on the tape printing apparatus. When in the device mode, data stored in the PC and data stored on the tape printing apparatus can be synchronized, and vice versa. For example, a label, symbol, or text string may be uploaded from the tape printing device. One or more of the uploaded data items may be changed and the changes may be downloaded to memory. Labels, symbols, and/or text strings may be downloaded from the PC to the tape printing apparatus.

Referring first to fig. 6, fig. 6 shows an image displayed by a PC when a device mode is selected. As in the printer Mode, there are 3 areas, namely a Label preview area 220 (Label in Device Mode), a data editor area 222, and a Label property area 224. In addition, in the image shown in fig. 6, a print Font (Printer Font) menu 228 is displayed. The available fonts correspond to those available on the tape printing apparatus. Similarly, the available size of these fonts is the font size available on the tape printing apparatus. As can be seen from a comparison of fig. 5 and 6, in printer mode, the character size is defined using point sizes. In contrast, in the device mode, the character sizes are defined as XXS XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, and BIG, which are font sizes used in the tape printing apparatus. The usable effect is also an effect usable on the tape printing apparatus.

Also in the display is an area 230 that provides certain information to the user. In the example shown in fig. 6, the user is instructed to make font setting (select the printer's font).

FIG. 7 illustrates a display that allows a user to make selections of certain features in software based on the user's personal preferences. For example, the user can select whether to display a start dialog (Show startup dialog) by checking in box 232. When this option is selected, a wizard for creating a new tab will be displayed each time the software is selected. If this option is not selected, an alternative is selected that starts with the last used tag (Start with last label used). When this alternative option is selected by checking out box 234, the software will turn on the last tab that worked the last time the software was selected. Displaying a start dialog and starting with the last used tab is an alternative scheme, and tabs cannot be selected together.

The user is also able to select a Default tag Type (Default Label Type) by selecting a preferred Default option in block 236. This effectively selects the default tag type to be used by default each time the software is started.

The user can select his default unit of measure. Thus, the user can select English (i.e., inches, etc.) or Metric (Metric) options via the mark up area 238 or 240, respectively.

The user can select a Default Font (Default Font) in the displayed area 242. In one embodiment, there is a single default font. In other alternative embodiments of the present invention, the default font may be set differently depending on whether the printer mode or the device mode is selected.

In addition, the user can control (Default Editor) the actions caused by activating only the enter key and activating the common activation control key and the enter key. In the example shown in fig. 7, Pressing only the Enter (Pressing Enter) causes a new line (Start newline) to be selected, as referenced 244. Pressing control and Enter together (Pressing Ctrl + Enter) will end the edit mode (Ends edge), as referenced 246. It should be appreciated that selecting one of these options will automatically set the other option. In the alternative, pressing enter may end the edit mode, while pressing control and enter begins a new line.

It should be understood that the various settings shown in the preference menu are merely examples. Other preferences are also available in alternative embodiments of the present invention. These may be in addition to or as an alternative to those shown in fig. 7. It should be appreciated that the method of selecting a particular option may be implemented in any suitable manner.

Reference is made to fig. 8 which illustrates various selectable tag types. When the change tag type option is selected from the file menu, the image displayed by the PC and illustrated in fig. 8 is shown. It should be understood that as shown in both fig. 5 and 6, there is an area 248 behind the label ". This displays the currently selected tag type. However, there is a drop down menu that can be activated by clicking on arrow 250, thereby displaying the various tag types shown in FIG. 8 in a slightly different format.

In this embodiment, the following tag types are available: vertical Wrap (Vertical Wrap), Horizontal Wrap (Horizontal Wrap), Flag (Flag), Self-overlapping (Self-winding). All of these are modes for marking electric wires (Wire Marker). In the vertical winding mode, an image is repeatedly printed in the tape width direction. The tape may then be wound on the wire. The horizontal winding pattern is similar except that the image is repeatedly printed along the length of the tape. In the label mode, the cable is accommodated in the label, for example with the ends of the label glued together to form a so-called label. In the self-stacking mode, an image is printed on a portion of the tape. Another portion of the tape wraps around and overlies the surface on which the image is printed, thereby providing protection to the printed image.

There are also General (General) and Fixed (Fixed) General modes. In the general mode, the label length is defined by the image input by the user. In the fixed length mode, the tag length is defined by the length entered by the user.

Other modes (Other) include Patch Panel mode (Patch Panel), Module mode (Module), and Terminal Block mode (Terminal Block). In these modes, various different regions on the same label are defined. The size of these areas may be defined by the user. Finally, there is also a Vertical mode (Vertical) in which the image is printed with characters extending along the length of the tape at 90 ° to the width of the tape.

Referring to FIG. 9, it is shown how an error is displayed in one embodiment of the invention. In the example shown in fig. 9, the software is in device mode. However, it should be understood that this may also be used in printer mode in some embodiments of the invention. Located below the data editor area 222 is a further area 270. As can be seen from region 248, the tag type is a fixed length tag. An indicator is provided in the data editor in the cell corresponding to the second label. This is labeled 272. This alert may take any suitable format. An explanation of this error is given in area 270. It is specifically pointed out that the Data is too large to fit in the cell (Data is to big to fit in the cell). In other words, the input image is longer than the length defined for the fixed length label. Region 270 provides information about the nature of the error and where the error is located. In this example, the error location is indicated as a unit, i.e., the second tag (2nd Label in Device Mode) in the Device Mode where the alert occurs.

Reference is now made to fig. 10 and 11, which show an object inserted (Insert) in a tag.

As can be seen from fig. 10, the user is able to insert an image, symbol, barcode or text string. These are options displayed on the menu 276. It should be understood that the Text Library (Text Library) option contains a predetermined character string. These may be predetermined and/or may be user-defined. When the user selects one of these options, the user may be given the option of where to insert the image. In some embodiments of the invention, there are two options. The item to be inserted may be inserted at the current position of the cursor in the edited image. The second option is to allow the user to select the location of the image within the cell from a list of options, e.g., the front (Leader) (at the beginning of the label), the tail (Trailer) (at the end of the label), or in the cell. It should be understood that in some embodiments of the invention, only one or the other of these options may be available. In some embodiments of the invention, both of these options are available for any item to be inserted. However, in the present embodiment, a symbol, a barcode, and a text string are inserted at the current position of the cursor.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 10, when an image option is highlighted in menu 276, another menu 278 is displayed. This defines three options-front, tail and cell image (CellImage). The front portion places the image within the leading edge of the label. The tail places the image within the trailing edge of the label. Selection of the cell image causes a menu as shown in fig. 11 to be displayed. This gives the option of allowing the user to place the image on the Left side of the label (Left), the Right side of the label (Right), the Top side of the label (Top), or the Bottom side of the label (Bottom).

Synchronization of the memory within the tape-marking printing apparatus and the memory of the PC will now be described with reference to fig. 12 and 13.

The Tool (Tool) option, which can be seen in the figures including fig. 5 and 6, has a file transfer option. When selected, the display is as shown in fig. 12 and 13. An area 282 of the display would show the tags stored in the PC memory. A second area 284 would show the tags currently stored in the PC memory. The user may browse a list of tabs stored in the PC and highlight one or more of the tabs. This will cause the label to be downloaded to memory on the printer when the transfer option is selected.

In one embodiment of the invention, highlighting the Transfer area 286 on the display using a mouse or similar device will actually cause the highlighted label to be downloaded to the memory of the label printing apparatus. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, highlighting the transfer area will cause the tags to be transferred to be listed in area 284. The user may thus select some or all of the labels in the PC to be downloaded to the memory on the label printing apparatus.

In the second embodiment, clicking the transfer area causes an indication corresponding to the tape printing apparatus to be displayed in the area 284. Merely clicking on the Save Changes (Save Changes) area or the like causes the label to be transferred from the PC to the tape printing apparatus.

It will be appreciated that this operation may be performed to store labels from the label printing apparatus memory into the memory of the PC. This means that clicking on the transfer area 289 in the screen corresponds to transferring the label from the tape printing apparatus to the PC.

Either of two mechanisms may be used to cause data to be downloaded from one memory to another.

It should be understood that when the tape printing apparatus is connected to the PC and the transmission file mode is selected, the file within the tape printing apparatus is effectively uploaded to the memory of the PC. Thus, once the label has been uploaded and modified or is to be downloaded to memory, saving the changes can effectively be simply downloading the changed portion to the memory of the tape printing apparatus. In other words, only the changed tag and/or the new tag is downloaded. In the case of a tag change, only the change, and not all tags, may be downloaded in some embodiments of the invention.

The arrangement shown in fig. 12 shows download/upload/synchronization of the labels stored on the PC and the label tape printing apparatus. Fig. 13 is similar to fig. 12, except that the same process is performed for symbols rather than labels.

My library (My library) contains a list of text strings. The same operations as described for the labels and symbols can also be performed.

A protocol for transmitting data between the PC and the label printer will now be described. This protocol makes it possible to accomplish data transfer between the PC and the label printer and between the label printer and the PC relatively quickly. One way to achieve this is to send a command every n packets, where n is for example 3. The protocol will send the command in n packets and wait for an acknowledgement indicating that the packet has been properly programmed or stored in the entity receiving the packet. However, the inventors have noted that the efficiency of data transmission can be improved.

Reading data from a flash memory by the following steps：

1. Issuing Read command to printer

2. Sending an acknowledgement back to the PC after correct receipt of the command

3. Transmitting data from printer to PC in requested data amount

4. Sending a Checksum command to the printer

5. Sending an acknowledgement back to the PC after correct receipt of the command

6. Calculates the checksum and sends it back to the PC

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a single command is used to start all data transfer from the PC to the label printer and from the label printer to the PC. The command includes a unique command, a destination address, a number of bytes or packets, and a checksum. Followed by all data to be transmitted. In this way, command overhead is greatly reduced.

In one embodiment of the invention, the size of the first flash memory storing the tag may be as follows:

page size 264 bytes

Page number 4096

Total number of bytes-1081344

Turnover speed 2ms (for USB1.1)

Thus, if a single command is used for the entire contents of the flash memory, the time it takes to read the entire flash memory in an embodiment of the present invention will be around 33 s. This is in contrast to the time of around 82 seconds that the commands and related protocols are associated with each memory page.

In the case of a data transfer from the label printer to the PC, this will include all files stored in the associated flash memory in the label printer. In the case of data transfer from a PC to a label printer, this only includes changes made to files stored on the label printer.

One advantage of embodiments of the present invention is that labels are typically downloaded to a label printer and placed in a local location where they are printed out. Some changes, sometimes slight, are often required to reflect the local state or layout of the wires, buildings, furniture, etc. With previous products, it is not easy to track these changes. With embodiments of the present invention, labels are modified and stored in the memory of a label printer. The next time the tag is uploaded into the PC, the actual tag will be available to the PC user. This is useful in the case where the main recording is maintained on the PC.

The PC is arranged to authenticate the label before it is downloaded to the label printer. In other words, the PC ensures that the label printer is able to print labels downloaded to the label printer by the PC in terms of compatibility of the label printer. By performing the authentication with the PC, the amount of processing power required by the label printer can be reduced. The PC may view one or more characteristics including font information, layout information, image information, size information, and complexity of the tag.

The PC is arranged to have a flag or indicator indicating whether the label printer is operating in the device mode or the printer mode. In one embodiment, this is a flag with one value for device mode and a different value for printer mode. This is used to distinguish between data to be stored in the label printer and data to be printed by the label printer. When the flag or indicator indicates that the label printer is in printer mode, data may be sent to the printer according to an ownership protocol, such as the windows spooler protocol. When the flag or indicator indicates that the label printer is in the device mode, the PC is arranged to use one or more commands in a library of commands specific to the label printer.

The USB connection between the PC and the label printer is arranged to have two virtual ports. One virtual port is used for communication in printer mode and the other port is used for communication in device mode. In this way, the label printer is able to determine from the virtual port whether to print data (i.e. the label printer is operating in printer mode) or to store data (i.e. the label printer is operating in device mode).

The printer may also be a composite device, where the printer is registered on a PC as a printer and a mass storage device. The printer mode is then associated with the printer, and the device mode is associated with the mass storage device. In this way, the printer can be installed in the printer folder of the OS operating system and act as a new disk.

Data is transmitted between the PC and the label printer in one or more binary data files.

Reference is now made to fig. 14. Fig. 14 shows a method performed by a PC. The processor 206 determines at step S1 whether the label is to be stored as a label or a label and template. In one embodiment of the invention, the processor determines those tags to be stored as templates based on the content of the tags. In one embodiment of the invention, the processor determines whether the label contains a graphic or bitmap image. If the tag does contain a bitmap image, the tag will additionally be stored as a template. It should be appreciated that alternative embodiments may look for objects in addition to or as an alternative to the bitmap when determining whether to store the tag as a template.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the processor will determine whether to additionally store the tag as a template according to the process used to create the tag. For example, if the user uses the "insert image" menu option, the label is additionally stored as a template.

In another alternative embodiment of the present invention, the tag may be additionally stored as a template if the image or predetermined object is located at one or more specific locations of the tag.

In yet another alternative embodiment of the invention, the display of the PC may display questions and the like. Depending on the answer, the tag will be saved additionally as a template or not. Alternatively, the user may select an option that results in the tag being additionally stored as a template.

In step S2, the tag to be stored as a template removes its text content. The template contains label attribute information, i.e. information about the layout of the label and/or the detected bitmap or object.

In step S3, the label is stored as the label as it is when the label is input, and the label with the removal information is stored as the template. The tag may be provided with an indicator or flag indicating whether the tag is a tag or a template. Alternatively or additionally, the tags and templates are stored in different memory locations. The different memory locations may provide an indication as to whether the tag is a tag or a template.

The tag and the template are stored with the same name. However, as described above, a mechanism may be used to determine which tags are tags and which are templates.

Embodiments of the invention have been described in the context of using an arrangement of a cassette containing an ink ribbon and an image receiving tape. It should be understood that alternative embodiments of the present invention may be used with direct thermal materials. This means that the need for an ink ribbon can be omitted. In another embodiment of the invention, a dual cassette system may be used in which the ink ribbon is provided in one cassette and the image receiving tape is provided in a different cassette.

In another alternative embodiment of the invention, the image receiving tape may simply be provided on a reel without any cassette being present.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in the context of a continuous image receiving tape. It should be understood that alternative embodiments of the present invention may be used for die cut labels, which are discrete labels adhered to a continuous liner.

An alternate embodiment of the present invention may use another laminate tape for protecting the printed image. A number of different techniques are known for implementing the stack.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described in the context of direct heating and heat conduction by ink ribbon printing techniques. It should be understood that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to such printing techniques and may be used with any suitable technique such as laser printing, inkjet printing, or any other printing technique.

It should be understood that certain embodiments of the present invention may be implemented, at least in part, in software and may be provided as a computer program. The computer program may be provided on a suitable program carrier medium or may be downloaded.

Claims (45)

1. A tape printing apparatus comprising:

a port for connecting an external device;

a first memory for storing tag data defining at least one tag; and

a second memory including program information for the second device,

the port is configured to receive a modification to data stored within the first memory, and the first memory is configured to store the modification therein.

2. A tape printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second memories comprises a flash memory.

3. A tape printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said port comprises a USB port.

4. A tape printing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said tape printing apparatus has a first mode in which data received at said port is printed, and a second mode in which data received at said port is saved to said first memory.

5. A tape printing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said ports comprise a first virtual port and a second virtual port, data received at said first virtual port being printed and data received at said second virtual port being stored in said first memory.

6. A tape printing apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said tape printing apparatus is arranged to output the contents of said first memory to said port.

7. A tape printing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said tape printing apparatus is arranged to output said content only with command information at the start of said data transfer.

8. A tape printing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein said tape printing apparatus is arranged to output said content with verification information.

9. A tape printing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said verification information is provided at one end of said data.

10. A system, comprising:

a tape printing apparatus having a memory in which data is stored;

a computer;

a connection between the PC and the tape printing apparatus;

wherein the PC is arranged to receive the data from the tape printing apparatus, to modify the data, and to send the modified data to the tape printing apparatus, the modified data being stored in the memory.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein only the modified data is sent to the tape printing apparatus.

12. A system as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein at least one of the tape printing apparatus and the PC is arranged to output the data only with command information at the start of the data.

13. A system as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein at least one of the tape printing apparatus and the PC is arranged to output verification information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the verification information is provided after the data.

15. A system as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the PC is arranged to send a read command to the tape printing apparatus;

the tape printing apparatus being arranged to send an acknowledgement to the PC following correct receipt of the read command;

the tape printing apparatus being arranged to send data to the PC in the requested amount of data;

the PC is arranged to send a checksum command to the printer;

the tape printing apparatus being arranged to send an acknowledgement to the PC following correct receipt of the checksum command;

the PC is arranged to calculate a checksum and to send the checksum to the PC.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving data stored in a memory of a tape printing apparatus from the tape printing apparatus;

modifying the data; and

sending the modified data to the tape printing device for storage in the memory.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the data comprises at least one of tag data, symbol data, and text string data.

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein modifying the data comprises at least one of providing additional data, removing at least one of the data, and modifying at least one of the data.

19. A method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 18, comprising transmitting information relating only to changes in the data in the modification of the data.

20. A method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 19, comprising displaying information defining the received data.

21. The method of claim 20, comprising displaying the information defining the received data in a first area and displaying information defining data stored in a PC arranged to receive the data in a second area.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, comprising moving information between the first and second regions and modifying the data in dependence on the moved information.

23. A method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 22, comprising outputting the data only with command information at the start of the data.

24. A method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 23, comprising outputting verification information.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the verification information is provided after the data.

26. The method of any one of claims 16 to 25, comprising

Sending a reading command;

sending an acknowledgement after correct receipt of the read command;

transmitting data in the requested amount of data;

sending a checksum command;

sending an acknowledgement after correct receipt of the checksum command;

calculating a checksum and sending the checksum to the PC.

27. A method, comprising:

providing a first mode of operation in which a label is designed on a PC using attributes available on the PC; and

a second mode of operation is provided in which labels are designed on the PC using only the attributes available on the tape printing apparatus.

28. The method of claim 27, comprising:

designing a label using the first mode of operation; and

the designed label is sent to a tape printing device for printing.

29. The method of claim 27 or 28, comprising:

designing a label using the second mode of operation; and

the designed label is downloaded to a memory of the tape printing apparatus.

30. A method as claimed in any one of claims 27, 28 or 29, comprising providing an indicator having a first value if the first mode of operation is used and a second value if the second mode of operation is used.

31. The method of any of claims 27 to 30, wherein the attributes comprise at least one of character attributes and label attributes.

32. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor arranged to determine whether a label meets a predetermined criterion and, if so, to modify the label to provide a template.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the predetermined criteria comprises at least one of:

the presence of a predetermined object; the occurrence of a bitmap; the appearance of an image; the presence of an object or image at one or more predetermined locations; a process for creating the label; selecting an option; and creation of a predetermined type of label.

34. Apparatus according to claim 32 or 33, wherein the processor is arranged to remove certain information defining the label in order to provide the template.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the certain information comprises at least one of image information and tag type information.

36. The apparatus of any of claims 32 to 35, wherein the tag is additionally stored as a tag.

37. A method of creating a template, comprising:

it is determined whether the label meets a predetermined criterion and, if so, the label is modified to provide the template.

38. A tape printing apparatus comprising:

a port for connecting an external device;

a memory;

the tape printing apparatus is arranged to have a first mode in which data received at the port is printed, and a second mode in which data received at the port is saved to the memory.

39. A tape printing apparatus as claimed in claim 38, wherein said ports comprise a first virtual port and a second virtual port, data received at said first virtual port being printed and data received at said second virtual port being stored in said first memory.

40. A tape printing apparatus comprising:

a port for connecting an external device;

a first memory for storing tag data defining at least one tag; and

a second memory including program information.

41. A tape printing apparatus comprising:

a port for connecting an external device;

a first memory for storing tag data defining at least one tag; and

a second memory including program information, the tape printing apparatus being arranged to output the contents of the first memory to the port.

42. A tape printing apparatus comprising:

a port for connecting an external device; and

a memory for storing tag data defining at least one tag;

the port is configured to receive a modification to data stored in the memory, and the memory is configured to store the modification therein.

43. A method for use in a tape printing apparatus comprising a port for connection to an external device and a memory for storing label data defining at least one label, the method comprising receiving at the port a modification to data stored in the first memory and storing the modification in the memory.

44. A computer program comprising program code means arranged to perform any of the steps of any of claims 16 to 30, 37 or 43 when said program code means is run on a computer.

45. A computer program product comprising program code arranged to perform any of the steps of any of claims 16 to 30, 37 or 43 when said program code is run on a computer.