WO2006010999A1

WO2006010999A1 - Label chip printer/encoder for smart label chip

Info

Publication number: WO2006010999A1
Application number: PCT/IB2004/003638
Authority: WO
Inventors: Moosa Eisa Al Amri
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-07-14
Filing date: 2004-11-02
Publication date: 2006-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 2007-01-14

Abstract

An apparatus for producing smart documents of the type comprising a smart label on a support document, wherein the produced smart document has its smart label encoded with data and its support document printed. The apparatus comprises a mechanical printer unit having a carriage on which are mounted a print head (1) and a smart label reader/writer device (2) in the proximity of the print head (1), and PC software for controlling printing of a given smart document by the document by the print head (1) and encoding of the smart label by the reader/writer device (2). For producing smart documents having smart labels of the contactless type, the reader/writer device (2) is associated with an antenna for reading/writing smart labels held by the apparatus.

Description

LABEL CHIP PRINTER/ENCODER FOR SMART LABEL CHIP

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the printing of smart documents and the writing of smart chip labels included in smart documents. The invention is particularly but not exclusively concerned with smart documents including contactless smart chips in the form of adhering labels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Smartcards are cards with an electronic microcircuit based on memories and a microcontroller. Smart labels have become available that can be stuck on a paper or card support to form a smart document. Smart cards and labels communicate with their environment and comply with ISO standard 7816-4.

Non-contact data carrier printers enable data to be encoded in smart label chips stuck onto any kind of document, from a remote location. Data are also printed using a separate printer. For example to encode a boarding pass or a bank cheque or educational certificate, a computer passes a command to a printer to encode the data into label chip in the margin section of label chip. Specific data is also printed on the document by normal printing.

Various smart documents have recently been proposed in which a storage chip is included in a document. WO 01/41082 discloses a bank cheque system in which bank cheques can have a storage chip merged or otherwise included in a thick area. The bank cheque has imprinted visible data and encoded invisible data providing a security system. WO 2003/009080 discloses boarding passes having printed detachable parts provided with storage chips with encoded data. Here the printed and encoded passenger data and travel data can be used for boarding operations and numerous other security functions like electronic clearance in case of change of airline, security checks, activities during transit, point-of-sales transactions etc. WO 03/030094 discloses a multi-purpose smart document for various administrative financial or other applications, in which a thick portion carrying one or more storage chips is connected to a pliable thin portion carrying imprinted data.

These smart documents have many advantages but their production by known methods using separate printers and reading/writing devices is inconvenient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention concerns a multiple parallel process to command a printer for printing and encoding data on smart label chip, stick with any document simultaneously. The printer may use any conventional method for applying printing to the document by ink jet, dotmatrix or any other normal printing method.

This invention relates to a printer system with a label chip writer/reader equipment applicable to encode through electromagnetic waves in a smart label chip, from a distance, on any document, as each printable document will carry a smart label.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printer with smart label chip writer/reader that makes it easier and more cost effective to print and encode a document and moreover to give authentication while printing and encoding the document and avoid fraud.

Nowadays label dispensers provide encoded chips to be stuck on any printing paper or documents. The chips are encoded in one operation and the documents are printed in another operation. The invention proposes to print smart labels with reader/writers with a normal printer head to save time, reduce the cost and secure the document while printing and encoding the label chip document simultaneously.

According to the present invention the printer is characterized that the printer carriage on which the printer head is mounted also carries a label reader/writer for encoding the chip, mounted with the print head in any suitable place according to suitability of label chip encoding.

The smart label chip reader/writer mounted along with normal print head, will first write/encode the specific command or instruction by electromagnetic waves received as a command from a PC into a smart label chip stuck on top or any other suitable place of the document and then print the document, or print the document first then encode the data in the chip. Simultaneous or partly simultaneous encoding and printing is also possible.

Data or information is transmitted to the smart label chip by a non-contact reader by electromagnetic waves. The label chip reader/writer equipment has a configuration to command return of the information to confirm that the electromagnetic wave encoded by the writer/reader has been received.

The invention thus covers a printer of conventional type, modified in that its frame structure carries a smart label chip writer/reader along with its normal printing head.

In one main aspect, the invention comprises an apparatus for producing smart documents of the type comprising a smart label on a support document, wherein the produced smart document has its smart label encoded with data and its support document printed, the apparatus comprising a mechanical printer unit on which are mounted a print head and a smart label reader/writer device in the proximity of the print head, and means for controlling printing of a given smart document by the print head and encoding of the given smart label by the reader/writer device.

The invention also relates to a method for producing smart documents of the type comprising a smart label on a support document, wherein the produced smart document has its smart label encoded with data and its support document support printed, the method comprising supporting a smart document to be printed and encoded in a mechanical printer unit on which a print head is mounted and on which a smart label reader/writer device is mounted in the proximity of the print head, and controlling printing of the smart document by the print head and encoding of the smart label by the reader/writer device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawing shows, by way of non-limiting example a smart label chip writer/reader according to the invention, mounted with a printer carriage. In the drawing :

- Figure l is a perspective view of a printer head incorporating a smart label chip writer/reader according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a printer system for smart label chip applicable to record or encode a label chip and print specific matter on a document in reponse to a command from a PC. Figure 1 shows a printer according to the invention. The illustrated printer comprises a mechanical unit having a platen 10 (shown partly cut-away), a carriage on which print head 1 is mounted; a controller board and a power unit for driving the components of the mechanical unit; an upper cover covering the mechanical units; the controller board and the power unit and a main frame 12.

The printing device conveniently includes a platen 10 for introducing and supporting a document to be printed, and a translatable printing element support carriage carrying the print head 1 mounted on one or more support rods 11 for parallel motion with respect to the platen 10 so that the print head 1 is capable of being translated across a print region. For details of possible constructions of the printer and its mechanical drive, see for example EP-A-O 139 245.

In the illustrated embodiment, the reader/writer device 2 is mounted on the printing element support carriage adjacent to the print head 1, and positioned in relation thereto according to the requirements of the smart documents being printed. In this example, the print head 1 and the reader writer device 2 move together. Alternatively, the print head 1 and the reader writer device 2 can be mounted for independent translation along the rails 11.

In general, the printing head/reader- writer 1/2 are movable as required relative to the platen 10 or other document/card support, i.e. either the printer head/reader-writer 1/2 is on a movable carriage and the document/card support stationary is in translation, or the printer head/reader- writer 1/2 is stationary in translation and the document/card support movable, or both can be movable relative to one another in translation, and possibly also in rotation.

The invention preferably uses reader/writer devices 2 like those described in WO 20034/012352 for contactless smart cards. Such contactless reader, when applied to smart label chip writer/readers in a printer according to the invention, is connected to an antenna (not shown) that is mounted externally to the printer head. The contactless smart label chip reader/writer receives activation commands and instructions via a CPU from a reader-writer control on an interface connected to the CPU. Using the antenna, the module receives and transmits information to and from a contactless smart label chip carried by the printer platen, using standard communication protocols as specified in ISO 14443 A/B and ISO 15693 using for instance 13.56 MHz and 125 kHz frequencies. The print head 1 and the reader/writer 2 cooperate together to make joint printing and writing of a smart document held in the printer, under the control commands from the CPU. The print head 1 will for instance print the document first, then encode the smart label stuck on the document, or encode the label first then print the document, or simultanaeously (or partly simultaneously) encode the label and print the document. Printing and encoding can both be controlled by means of commands from a PC software program.

The reader/writer head 2 can be connected by a USB cable from the PC to the printer unit. The USB cable can be merged with the normal printer power cable into a single cable.

The smart label chip writer/reader 2 is shown beside the printer head 1, but could be mounted or placed at any other suitable place relative to the printer, according to requirements.

Claims

1. A printer comprising:

a mechanical unit having a carriage (15) on which a print head (1) is mounted along with a smart label reader/writer device (2).

2. The printer of claim 1, wherein the reader/writer device (2) is placed or mounted with the printer head (1) in any suitable place according to requirements of the smart label chip.

3. The printer of claim 1 or 2, wherein the reader/writer device (2) is placed or mounted with any kind of printer, for example Ink-jet printer, Dotmatrix or any other printer.

4. An apparatus for producing smart documents of the type comprising a smart label on a support document, wherein the produced smart document has its smart label encoded with data and its support document printed, the apparatus comprising a mechanical printer unit on which are mounted a print head (1) and a smart label reader/writer device (2) in the proximity of the print head (1), and means for controlling printing of a smart document by the print head (1) and encoding of the smart label by the reader/writer device (2).

5. The device of claim 4, for producing smart documents having smart labels of the contactless type, wherein the reader/writer device (2) is associated with an antenna for reading/writing smart labels held by the device.

6. The device of claim 4 or 5, wherein the print head (1) and a smart label reader/writer device (2) are mounted on a carriage (15) that is movable relative to means (10) for supporting a smart label to be printed.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the means for supporting a smart label to be printed is a platen (10) and said carriage (15) is movable in translation relative to the platen.

8. A method for producing smart documents of the type comprising a smart label on a support document, wherein the produced smart document has its smart label encoded with data and its support document printed, the method comprising supporting a smart document to be printed and encoded in a mechanical printer unit on which a print head (1) is mounted and on which a smart label reader/writer device (2) is mounted in the proximity of the print head (1), and controlling printing of the smart document by the print head (1) and encoding of the smart label by the reader/writer device (2).

9. The method of claim 8 for producing smart documents having smart labels of the contactless type, wherein the reader/writer device (2) reads/writes supported smart labels under control of commands transmitted by an antenna.