Patent · US Expired

Tape printing device and cartridge used therein

US6106171A · kind A · utility

86Cited by
41References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignees

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 26, 1999
Grant dateAug 22, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 26, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB41J35/36
  • WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

The present invention provides a tape printing device for printing a desirable series of characters on a tape and cutting the tape to a label of a desirable length, and also a tape cartridge used in the tape printing device. The tape cartridge has a characteristic element readably storing specific information on the tape such as a width of the tape. The tape printing device reads the characteristic element to control printing conditions according to the type of the tape cartridge. More specifically, the tape printing device determines a variety of parameters including a number of lines and character sizes of the character series printed on the tape as well as lengths of left and right margins. When a tape of a relatively large width is set in the tape cartridge, the device increases a rotation torque of a platen for feeding the tape. When a tape of a relatively small width is set in the tape cartridge, on the contrary, the device drives only specific dot elements in a range of the tape width out of all dot elements arranged on a printing head. The characteristic element of the tape cartridge stores the specific information expressed as depths of a plurality of holes or electric dat…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.