WO2000048838A2

WO2000048838A2 - Arrangement for automatic setting of printers and materials therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2000048838A2
Application number: PCT/US2000/003826
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mats Gunnarsson
Original assignee: Intermec IP Corp
Current assignee: Intermec IP Corp
Priority date: 1999-02-16
Filing date: 2000-02-15
Publication date: 2000-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 2001-08-16
Also published as: WO2000048838A3; AU2994800A

Abstract

The invention concerns an arrangement for the automatic setting of printers, and more particularly the setting of printer parameters by means of code reading, and materials therefor. The parameters concern the printer work parameters, data communication, or printing layout. The code to be read may be applied directly onto the material to be used in the printer, or on separate sheets or labels. With the invention, an optimum setting of the printer is automatically achieved, entailing high quality and making the printer easily usable also by unqualified personnel. The arrangement comprises a printing mechanism (2) and a control unit (3) for achieving a print-out on a printing material by means of a dye. According to the invention, a code reader (4, 5) is connected to the control unit for reading a code for controlling at least one parameter of the printer means. The code may alternatively be associated with the receiver material, the dye, a peripheral device of the printer means, or a printing layout. The invention also relates to reading and writing from and to RF tags to control the printer operation.

Description

ARRANGEMENT FOR AUTOMATIC SETTING OF PRINTERS AND MATERIALS THEREFOR

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application is a CIP of copending U.S. Patent Application No. 09/202.476, which is based upon PCT/SE97/01322 filed on August 4, 1997.

Field of the invention

This invention relates to an arrangement for the automatic setting of printers, and more particularly to the setting of printer parameters, data communication or printing layout. The code to be read may be affixed directly onto material to be used in the printer, or onto separate sheets or labels. This invention also relates to materials and dyes, to be used together with a printer. With the aid of the present invention, and optimum setting of the printer is automatically obtained, entailing a high quality and making the printer easily usable also for unqualified staff members.

State of the art

In the prior art, the setting of the printer was performed by entering parameters using a keyboard in connection to the printer, or by data transfer. There are, however, many parameters to be entered, and the parameter theory is rather complicated, implying that frequently the user may not be able to perform a correct printer setting himself. Furthermore, some parameters are factory set and can only be changed by a qualified service technician. This of course means that the quality of the printed product will be less than optimal.

Within other technical areas, coding has been for the setting of various devices. As an example, programming of video recorders with the aid of bar codes, setting of cameras by reading codes on film cartridges, setting of audio tape recorders by sensing cavities on the tapes, etc. It is not known, however, to control a printer by codes in the way that the present invention teaches.

The present invention resolves the problem of setting the printer by affixing a code onto, or in connection with materials to be used together with the printer. The code may be read automatically or through a simple manipulation performed by the printer user.

Owing to the invention, an optimum setting of the printer is achieved fully automatically or semi-automatically. This means that a high print-out quality can be warranted. The invention allows for a quick and easy exchange of dye and receiver material with an automatic or semi-automatic optimal setting of the printer work parameters with regard to the dye as well as to the receiver material. Furthermore, other printer functions, such as data communication with peripheral equipment, and printing layout, can be controlled in a simple manner.

Summary of the invention

The present invention thus provides an arrangement for the automatic setting of a printer means. The arrangement includes a printing mechanism and a control unit for providing a print-out on a printing material with the aid of a dye. In accordance with the invention, a code reader is connected to the control unit for reading a code for controlling at least one parameter of the printer means. Alternatively, the code may be associated with the printing material, the dye, a printer means peripheral device, or printing layout.

The present invention also provides materials intended for use together with such an arrangement.

Various detailed embodiment forms of the invention will be described in the accompany claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be described in detail below, with reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement according to the invention:

Fig. 2 shows an example of a code:

Fig. 3 illustrates a material onto which a code has been applied in accordance with an embodiment of the invention: Fig. 4 illustrates a material onto which a code has been applied in accordance with another embodiment of the invention: and Fig. 5 illustrates a core of a roll of material onto which a code has been applied in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention: Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the RF tag information signal paths:

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating various locations for the RF code sender/ receiver: Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

The invention will initially be described in detail with reference to a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the drawings. The principle may be applied various ways, as started below.

The printer 1 comprises a printing mechanism 2 performing the actual printing. In the embodiment example shown, the printing mechanism is of the thermo-transfer type. i.e. the printing mechanism includes a printing head having heated points of dots (not shown ). The dots act on a heat-sensitive dye or transfer ribbon which transfers dye to a receiver material, normally paper, buy synthetic materials are also commonly used. The paper may be a single layer or comprised of a carrier or back paper carrying labels or tickets to be printed. The paper may be iineriess paper. The term linerless paper is known in the art to include any medial which has an adhesive, especially a pressure sensitive adhesive, but does not require a discardable locking or support layer. The receiver material may come in the form of a roll, loose sheets, or a continuous web. The transfer ribbon is delivered a s a roil which is fitted into the machine and wound past the printer head. Printing mechanisms of this type are well known, in the trade and do not, as such , constitute any part of the invention.

In order to achieve an optimum print-out result, it is of utmost importance that he transfer ribbon dye, the receiver material, the temperature of the dots and the printing speed, are correctly adapted to each other. The wrong materials and erroneous printer settings are regrettably, often one of the most common causes of a bad or unsuccessful printing result. A correct printer setting and a correctly chosen printing material will also prevent overheating, which might otherwise easily cause damage to the printer head, leading to a premature exchange thereof. A universal ribbon having an optimal print-out quality, and fitting all printers, is impossible to develop.

For the thermo-transfer technology it is especially important that the transfer ribbon and the receiver material are adapted to each other.

Thus, the various parameters of the printing mechanism must be correctly set, the printing mechanism is controlled by a control unit 3 (CPU ), which may be microprocessor based. In order to feed the correct parameters to the control unit in accordance with the present invention, a code reader is used. The code reader may be external 4, and be complemented by and internal code reader 5, or vice versa, as will be explained below. The code reader reads a code, in the discussed example illustrated by a bar code 6 ( Fig. 2), which is provided in connection with the transfer ribbon and the receiver material

In the possible most user-friendly version of the invention, the code is preprinted or affixed directly onto the start end of the dye ribbon roll and the roll of receiver material. When such roils, respectively, are fitted into the printer, the internal code reader is utilized, reading the code at the beginning of the roll, before any print-out has been performed. Thereby, the printer is immediately set for optimum printing quality.

An alternative to this, is the code being pre-prmted or pre-manufactured on a label, which is glued onto the roil for reading. This may be useful when having dye ribbons or paper of a known quality, but without a pre-pπnted code. There might be a large stock of older paper that one might want to use, or it might for some reason become necessary to change dye ribbon or paper in the middle of a roll.

In the above case, only the internal code reader 5 was used. The printer according to the invention however preferably includes also an external code reader 4, that may completely replace the internal code reader, e.g. if wanting to modernize and exiting printer without a code reader. The external code reader 4 may be used for reading from e.g. separate sheets comprising codes for various possible paper and dye ribbon qualities. A printer manufacturer could for example enclose such a separate sheet with many different codes listing dye ribbon and printing data from different manufactures, in order to make his printer flexible and not to be confined to certain manufacturers. The materials manufacturer obtains the same advantage of increased flexibility, as his material will not be confined to a certain printer.

Another suitable location for affixing the code may be on a material packing. This is especially preferable when the printing material comes in sheets rather than on a roll, and when the dye consists of ink or dye powder that is not suitable in itself to carry the code. The code may in this case be read either internally, if the package or a part thereof is fed into the reader, or be read by the external code reader.

In Fig. 2, a bar code is shown. The advantage of the bar code is that a reliable reading is quickly and simply available. There are already a number of standards for the writing and reading of bar codes. Other optical codes are of course also possible, e.g. two-dimensional codes, color codes, dot codes, matrix codes etc.

Also magnetic codes and magnetic code readers are suitable for the present invention. The magnetic code may be applied directly onto the material in question, or onto a label in the same manner as the above described bar code. The magnetic code may a lso be provided on a plastic card and be read by an internal or external slot reader.

The code may also be provided in the form of a conductive metal layer for electronic reading. The metal layers might preferably be arranged on the packaging for internal reading: compare film cartridges in mini-cameras. --

Codes may also be read electronically by means of RF (Radio Frequency) tags or RF labels. Those consist of metal layer constituting electronic components. When subjected to a radio frequency field, caused by the code reader, they answer with a frequency comprising a code.

The invention also relates to reader from and writing to RF tags in a printer.

The RF tags may be located at the exterior and inner ends of rolls of printing and dye material rolls. The tags may also be located a the exterior or interior of cores of such rolls. It is especially advantageous if each label to be printed contains an RF tag.

An RF code reader and writer is located in the printer or may be associated with the printer somewhere between the material roll and a printer head. It may also be located after the print head, in which case the label and printing material may be fed back for printing after reading from or writing to the RF tag.

A code is read from the RF tag. The code is used in various ways: for setting of various parameters of the printer: for controlling the layout of the labels to be printed: for controlling the text to be printed on the labels: and for controlling the data communication with other equipment. Also, data may be read for sending to external computers. The setting of the printer or other parameters, the layout, and text may vary from one label to the next.

Data may also be written to the RF tags. The data may be generated by an external computer or other source or by the processor of the printer as a response to information read from the tag. The data may contain various kinds of information, e.g. product information, control data for reading other equipment, such as luggage handling equipment in airports, expiry of food stuff, etc.

The invention relates to reading from and writing to RF ( Radio Frequency) tags in a printer.

The RF tags may be located at the exterior and inner ends of rolls of printing and dye material rolls. The tags may also be located at the exterior or interior of cores of such rolls. It is especially advantageous if each label to be printed contains an RF tag.

An RF tag code reader and writer is located in the printer or may be associated with the printer somewhere between the material roll and a printer head. It may also be located after the print head, in which case the label and printing material may be fed back for printing after reading from or writing tot he RF tag.

A code is read from the RF tag. The code is used in various ways: for setting of various parameters of the printer: for controlling the layout of the labels to be printed : for controlling the text to be printed on the labels: and for controlling the data communication with other equipment. Also, data may be read for sending to external computers. The setting of the printer or other parameters, the layout, and the text may vary from one label to the next.

Data may also be written to the RF tags. The data may be generated by an external computer or other source or by the processor of the printer as a response to information read from the tag. The data may contain various kinds of information, e.g. product information, control data for reading by other equipment, such as luggage handling equipment in airports, expiry date of foodstuffs etc.

In one embodiment, the RF tags are associated with luggage identification labels provided to airline or other transportation passengers. By the present invention, a means for printing RF tags for each passenger and each piece of luggage is provided, which allows for successively printed labels to contain information unique to each passenger and each piece of luggage. Information such as passenger name, address, and contact information, destination of the luggage. Information such as passenger name, address, and contact information, destination of the luggage, present and past locations of the luggage, luggage weight, and any other relevant information may be uniquely recorded for each tag, and may be updated, read, and/or corrected to provide a complete up to the moment history of the movement of the luggage. In this way, many of the typical problems with lost and delayed luggage can be minimized or eliminated.

Information about each piece of luggage may be easily retrieved and or updated at any time without the need to contact the luggage tag with a light beam. Mass monitoring of large groups of luggage is possible, for example, by retrieving information on all luggage on a particular flight to ensure that each item correctly has the next destination of the aircraft as a proper intermediate or terminal destination. Information contained in the RF tag of an individual piece of luggage ma be read and used by a printer according to the present invention forming a part of a luggage handling system, such that the luggage handling system is controlled to route the piece of luggage through the system. Thus, the printer may function as an input/output device of various kinds of control and management systems.

This embodiment includes a code reader which emits a signal to the RF tag to stimulate a transmission back from the tag which includes the relevant data. The code reader may be a reader writer which may read the code as set out, and may also write to the tag, adding or changing the information on the tag.

In this embodiment, the steps of reading the tag a nd wiring initial information to the RF tag and also printing the information on the tag, and subsequently reading the tag, altering as necessary the information on the RF portion of the tag, and also printing updated information of the tag may be accomplished by the reader writer means described above. The reader writer is capable of performing these steps, in connection with the other printer components, for successive tags on a print roll or other input material, each of the tags containing unique information as compared to neighboring tags.

The primer set up could also be automatically adjusted by the signals processed by the reader/writer, in order to accommodate successive tags having different physical characteristics.

In an embodiment of the invention, a printer means has one or more printer operating parameters associated with it, the printer means also includes means for depositing a dye or other print material on a receiving material, in a conventional manner. The printer will also be associated with a central processing means, and a RF code parameter sending and receiving means. In operation, a signal may be received from an RF code tag by the RF code parameter sending and receiving means. This signal may then be sent to a separate processing means which interprets the signal, and may change the signal into a second signal, which may be sent to the printer. The first signal from the RF code tag may indicate to the printer the printer operating parameter which must be met, or may also include information about the particular print job, or what is to be printed on the receiving material. In this way, unique information from each item to be printed may be analyzed and utilized by the printer in order to produce a unique printing job.

In another embodiment, a third RF code parameter signal may be sent from the printer, the central processing means, or the RF code parameter sending and receiving means, back to the RF tag, to modify information on the tag. In this way, the RF code tag may be constantly updated to include all relevant information which may be used at the present moment, or at some point in the future.

In one embodiment, the RF code parameter sending and receiving means is located functionally between the material roll and the printer head.

In another embodiment, signals from the RF code parameter sending and receiving means may be sent to an external computer or computers, or to other equipment items, and may also receive signals from those items or computers, in order to control the print jobs.

In one embodiment, the Rf code tags may be disposed on the internal first row end, the external first row end, or the first roll core.

Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention, where an RF tag 7 is positioned at the beginning of a roll of material 8, i.e. at the exterior end 9 of the roil. The RF tag is read automatically by an integrated RF code reader. As shown in Fig. 4, and RF tag 10 may alternatively be positioned at the inner end 14 of the roil, i.e. adjacent the core 11, or support, upon which the material has been wound. As the reading is electronic, reading through the material can be performed without problems. One advantage with this location is that the RF tag 10 is completely protected and there is no risk of it accidentally falling off or being torn off.

A further variant is to place an RF tag 12 directly on the outside of the core before winding the material on, or an RF tag 13 on the inside of the core 11. The RF tag can be placed on the inside also when the material has already been wound onto the core.

It is also possible to use a mechanical reading, by arms being placed in different positions by means of protrusions and recesses provided on a dye powder cartridge or similar arrangement.

The invention may also be applied to other types of printers. Direct thermo- prmters function in a similar manner to thermo-transfer printers but utilize no transfer ribbon. Instead, the printing head is allowed to apply heat directly onto a heat-sensitive paper.

Ink jet and laser printers use ink and carbon powder, respectively, as dye, which is supplied in cartridges. The printers may need adjustment for writing on special materials, e.g. metal and plastic resins. Code may be easily applied e.g. on the ink or carbon powder package as mentioned above.

There are commercially available readers of different types that can be used with the present invention. The most common types are contact readers, e.g. bar code pens, or distance readers, e.g. CCD readers and laser scanners, which may be fixed or hand held, and slot readers, being common with plastic cards but also usable for bar cods. The external reader may be mounted on a stand, or be fixed in the form of an eye on the side of the printer, for reading by sliding the code past the eye at a suitable distance. The readers as such do not constitute any part of the present invention.

In the embodiment described above, the printer has been set mainly with regard to the print-out quality. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to his only, but the reading may also be used for controlling the data communication between the printer and its peripheral equipment, such as baud rate and number of bits, and printing layouts. For a printer which is to print labels in various standard formats and with varying texts, the printing can thus be controlled by a simple reading of a code from a "ready-reckoner", best done using the external reader 4. The code constitutes a command to the control unit or to an external computer, controlling the printing layout. Fig. 6 illustrates the signals and their paths between the RF tag 20, the RF code sending and receiving means 21, the central processor 24, the printer 25, the external computer 22, and the other equipment 23.

Fig. 7 illustrates possible locations of the RF code sending and receiving means 21 with respect to the material roll 27 and the print heads 26.

The person skilled in the art will realize that the invention may be embodied with many different types of printing mechanisms, codes, code readers and control units. The invention will only be limited by the following patent claims.

Claims

1. An arrangement for automatically setting operational parameters of a means, comprising a printing mechanism and a control unit, dye material for providing printout on a printing material, a code reader connected to the control unit, and a code for a controlling at least one parameter of the printer, wherein the code reader is arranged and constructed to read the code.

2. An arrangement according to claim l, wherein the code contains information relating to at least one of the parameters selected from the group consisting of the printing material, the dye, a peripheral device of the printer, and a printing layout.

3. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code reader is an optical reader.

4. Arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the code reader is a type selected from the group consisting of a bar code, a dot code, a matrix code, ad a color code.

5. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code reader is a magnetic reader, and the code is a magnetic code.

6. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code reader is an electronic unit, and the code is electronically readable.

7. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code reader is arranged and constructed to sense RF information.

8. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein one code reader is integrated into the printer.

9. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the printer comprises an external code reader.

10. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code is provided on an element selected from the group consisting of a printing material and a dye packing.

11. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code is provided on a dye roll.

12. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code is provided on the printing material.

13. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the printing material is an element selected from the group consisting of a roll and a continuous web.

14. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code is provided on a separate sheet.

15. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code is applied to a label.

16. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code is provided on a plastic card.

17. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code controls a parameter selected from the group consisting of the data communications of the printer means, the baud rate, the number of bits, the work settings of the printer means, and a printer head temperature setting.

18. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code comprises at least one command for controlling the printing layout of the printer.

19. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the code comprises at least one command to an external computer.

20. Material for an arrangement for the automatic setting of a printer, comprising a printing mechanism, a control unit, dye material for providing a print-out on a printing material, and a code for controlling at least one parameter of the printer, the code being applied to the material.

21. Material according to claim 20, wherein the code is printed directly onto the material.

22. Material according to claim 20 wherein the code is printed onto a material packing.

23. Material according to claim 20, wherein the code is attached to the material in the form of metal layers.

24. Material accorαmg to claim 20, wherein a code is contained in an RF tag, the RF tag being attached to the exterior end of a roll of material.

25. Material according to claim 20, wherein the code is contained in and RF tag, the RF tag being applied to the inner end of a roll of material.

26. Material according to claim 20, wherein the code is contained in an RF tag, the RF tag being applied on a core of a roll of material.

27. Material according to claim 20, wherein the code is printed onto a label affixed to the material.

28. Material according to claim 18, wherein the code comprises at least one command for printing varying texts.

29. Material according to claim 20, wherein a code is contained in an RF tag.

30. Material according to claim 28, wherein the RF tags are attached to separate labels.

31. An arrangement for the automatic setting of a printer, comprising:

a printer having printer operating parameters.

at least one of each first and second RF code parameter signals associatable with the printer.

a printer for depositing a dye material on a receiver material.

a least one RF code tag operatively associated with the printer, the RF code tags being associatable with the printer operating parameters, the RF code tags being arranged ad constructed to send the first RF code parameter signals.

a central processor operatively connected with the printer means, and an RF code parameter sending and receiving means arranged and constructed to receive the first RF code parameter signals from the RF tags, and to send the first RF code parameter signals to the central processor.

the central processor being arranged and constructed to receive and interpret the first RF code parameter signals, and to send the second RF code parameter signals to the printer.

wherein the operation of the printer is at least partly controlled by the second RF code parameter signals.

32. The arrangement of claims 31, further comprising third RF code parameter signals.

the RF code sending and receiving means being arranged and constructed to send the third RF code parameter signals to the RF code tags to modify the information contained on the tags.

wherein the third RF code parameter signals are at least partially generated by the central processor.

33. The arrangement of claim 31, further comprising a dye transfer ribbon wrapped on a first roil, receiver material wrapped on a second roll and a heated printer head operatively associated with the printer.

34. The arrangement of claim 31, wherein the printer operating parameters comprise at least a selected printer head temperature range, type set information, layout information for print deposited on the receiver material, receiver material quality condition and status information, and dye quality condition and status information.

35. The arrangement of claim 31, further comprising a material roll, and a printer head associated with the printer, wherein the RF code parameter sending and receiving means is disposed between the material roll and the printer head.

36. The arrangement of claim 31, further comprising an external computer, and at least one other equipment item, wherein the RF code parameter sending and receiving means is arranged and constructed to send RF code to an external computer, and to send information to the other equipment items.

37. The arrangement of claim 33, the first roll further comprising an internal first roll end, an external first role end, and a first roll core, wherein the RF code tag is disposed at a first location selected from the group consisting of the internal first roll end, the external first roll end, and the first roll core.

38. The arrangement of claim 33, the dye transfer ribbon further comprising an internal second roll end, an external second roll end, and a second roll core, wherein the RF code tag is disposed at a second location selected from the group consisting of the internal second roll end, the external second roll end, and the second roll core.

39. Material according to claim 29, wherein the RF tag is operatively associated with a luggage identification tag.