Printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10471746-B2
Application number	US-201715713789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2017
Priority date	Mar 17, 2017
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes: a conveyor which conveys a print medium along a conveyance path; a print head which execute printing at a first position on the conveyance path; a cutter which cuts the print medium at least partially at a second position on the downstream side from the first position in the conveyance path; and a processor. The processor acquires a specified length along the conveyance path, acquires a first margin length along a conveyance direction in a first margin part, acquires a separation distance along the conveyance path between the first position and a third position which includes the second position and which is located on the conveyance path and between the first position to the second position, and determines whether the separation distance is equal to or longer than a first total length which is the total of the specified length and the first margin length.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a conveyor configured to convey an elongate print medium along a conveyance path;
a print head configured to execute printing on the print medium at a first position along the conveyance path;
a cutter configured to cut the print medium at least partially at a second position on a downstream side of the first position in the conveyance path; and
a processor configured to control the conveyor, the print head, and the cutter,
wherein the processor is configured to:
acquire a specified length along the conveyance path;
acquire a first margin length along a conveyance direction in a first margin part provided in the print medium on the downstream side in the conveyance direction from a print part where printing is carried out;
acquire a separation distance along the conveyance path between the first position and a third position which includes the second position, the third position being located on the conveyance path between the first position and the second position; and
determine whether the separation distance is equal to or longer than a first total length which is the total of the specified length and the first margin length,
if the processor determines that the separation distance is equal to or longer than the first total length, the processor is configured to execute:
a first process of letting the conveyor start conveying the print medium and letting the print head start printing on the print medium, printing on the print medium while conveying the print medium by a first differential length which is the difference between the separation distance and the first margin length, and then letting the conveyor stop conveying the print medium and letting the print head stop printing on the print medium;
a second process of letting the cutter partially cut the print medium after the first process; and
a third process of letting the conveyor restart conveying and letting the print head restart printing after the second process, to print on the print medium while conveying the print medium,

if the processor determines that the separation distance is shorter than the first total length, the processor is configured to determine whether the first margin length is equal to or longer than the separation distance;
if the processor determines that the first margin length is equal to or longer than the separation distance, the processor is configured to execute:
a fourth process of letting the conveyor start conveying the print medium, conveying the print medium by the specified length, and then letting the conveyor stop conveying the print medium;
a fifth process of letting the cutter partially cut the print medium after the fourth process;
a sixth process of letting the conveyor restart conveying the print medium after the fifth process; and
a seventh process of letting the print head start to print on the print medium when the print medium is conveyed by the first differential length after the sixth process, to print on the print medium while conveying the print medium; and

if the processor determines that the first margin length is shorter than the separation distance, the processor is configured to execute:
an eighth process of letting the conveyor start conveying the print medium;
a ninth process of letting the print head start printing on the print medium when the print medium is conveyed by the differential length between the separation distance and the first total length after the eighth process, letting the print head print on the print medium while conveying the print medium by the first differential length, and then letting the conveyor stop conveying the print medium and letting the print head stop printing on the print medium;
a tenth process of letting the cutter partially cut the print medium after the ninth process; and
an eleventh process of letting the conveyor restart conveying the print medium and letting the print head restart printing on the print medium after the tenth process, to print on the print medium while conveying the print medium.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an input unit configured to accept an input of the specified length,
wherein the processor acquires the specified length accepted by the input unit.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
acquire print data for printing a print image including a character line having at least one character; and
if the print image includes a first blank area which is positioned on the downstream side from the character line in the conveyance direction and in which the print head does not print the character line, acquire a first blank length of the first blank area along the conveyance direction,

the processor determines whether the separation distance is equal to or longer than a second total length which is the total of the first total length and the first blank length,
if the processor determines that the separation distance is equal to or longer than the second total length, as the first process, the processor is configured to:
let the conveyor start conveying the print medium and let the print head start printing on the print medium;
let the print head print on the print medium while conveying the print medium by a second differential length which is the difference between the separation distance and a third total length, the third total length being the total of the first margin length and the first blank length; and
let the conveyor stop conveying the print medium and let the print head stop printing on the print medium,

if the processor determines that the separation distance is shorter than the second total length, the processor is configured to determine whether the third total length is equal to or longer than the separation distance,
if the processor determines that the third total length is equal to or longer than the separation distance, as the seventh process, the processor is configured to let the print head start printing on the print medium when the print medium is conveyed by the second differential length after the sixth process, to print on the print medium while conveying the print medium, and
if the processor determines that the third total length is shorter than the separation distance, as the eleventh process, the processor is configured to:
let the print head start printing on the print medium when the print medium is conveyed by the differential length between the separation distance and the second total length after the eighth process;
let the print head print on the print medium while conveying the print medium by second differential length; and
let the conveyor stop conveying the print medium and let the print head stop printing on the print medium.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
acquire a second margin length along the conveyance direction in a second margin part, which is provided in the print medium on an upstream side of the print part in the conveyance direction;
if the print image includes a second blank area which is positioned on the upstream side from the character line in the conveyance direction and in which the print head does not print the character line, acquire a second blank length of the second blank area along the conveyance direction; and
determine whether the third total length is equal to or longer than a fourth total length which is the total of the second margin length and the second blank length,
if the processor determines that the third total length is shorter than the fourth total length, the processor is configured to:
convert the print data into new print data for printing the print image rotated by 180 degrees;
interchange the third total le

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Kawamata Noriyuki

Classifications

• B41J11/703

  Cutting of tape · CPC title

• B41J11/663

  Controlling cutting, cutting resulting in special shapes of the cutting line, e.g. controlling cutting positions, e.g. for cutting in the immediate vicinity of a printed image · CPC title

• B26D3/085

  On sheet material · CPC title

• B26D5/08 Primary

  Means for actuating the cutting member to effect the cut · CPC title

• B41J13/0009 Primary

  control of the transport of the copy material · CPC title