Method and apparatus for printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11660895-B2
Application number	US-202117389471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2021
Priority date	Dec 27, 2017
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

The present invention embraces printers such as hand-held printers and mobile/portable printer. One exemplary embodiment includes “print as you glide” (PAYG) devices. Such printers may comprise a modular print engine that is removable from the printer and may allow a user to easily access and load the ribbon in the mobile print engine. The modular print engine may comprise a modular print head and an encoder that may determine the movement of the print head relative to a stationary media. When a printer is pressed against the media, the print head's burn line may be resting on the media. When the printer is stationary relative to the media, the encoder may not trigger the printing. Once PAYG is being slid or glided across the media, the encoder may start to rotate and then send a signal to a processor, causing the printer to start printing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus, comprising:
a modular print engine that comprise a ribbon encoder configured to determine if a ribbon roll installed on a ribbon supply shaft of the modular print engine is depleted of ribbon,
wherein the modular print engine is configured to be removable from a main body of the printing apparatus to allow a new ribbon roll to be loaded onto the ribbon supply shaft in response to a determination that the ribbon roll is depleted of the ribbon,
wherein the modular print engine that comprises the new ribbon roll is re-installable into the main body, and
wherein the modular print engine is configured to print content onto a media during sliding of the main body across the media.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when the main body presses against the media, a burn line of the modular print engine presses the ribbon or the new ribbon of the new ribbon roll against the media.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the modular print engine further comprises:
a media encoder configured to transmit a signal to a processor with an instruction to start a print operation associated with the modular print engine in response to initiation of the sliding of the main body across the media.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the modular print engine further comprises:
a rotating arm associated with the media encoder that comprises a spring mechanism.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the media encoder generates the signal based on a rotation associated with the rotating arm caused by the sliding of the main body across the media.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein, based on a direction of the rotation associated with the rotating arm, the modular print engine performs a stop printing operation or a continue printing operation.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the main body comprises a cover to allow for a removal of the modular print engine from the main body.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the main body comprises a fine needle opening located at an approximate end of the main body, and wherein, when an adapter plug is inserted in the fine needle opening, silicon rubber of the adapter plug conforms to a shape of the adapter plug and creates a seamless water proofing seal between the adapter plug and the main body.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ribbon is an ink, a wax, or another material configured for thermal transfer onto the media.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the modular print engine further comprises:
a modular print head configured to be removable from the modular print engine.

11. A method, comprising:
determining if a ribbon roll installed on a ribbon supply shaft of a modular print engine of a printing apparatus is depleted of ribbon;
in response to a determination that the ribbon roll is depleted of the ribbon, generating an indication to remove the modular print engine from a main body of the printing apparatus to allow a new ribbon roll to be loaded onto the ribbon supply shaft; and
in response to re-installing of the modular print engine that comprises the new ribbon into the main body, printing content onto a media during sliding of the main body across the media, wherein the modular print engine includes a print head.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
printing the new ribbon of the new ribbon roll against the media via a burn line of the modular print engine during the sliding of the main body across the media.

13. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
transmitting a signal to a processor with an instruction to start a print operation associated with the modular print engine in response to initiation of the sliding of the main body across the media.

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
generating the signal based on a rotation associated with a media encoder caused by the sliding of the main body across the media.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:
performing a stop printing operation based on a first direction of the rotation associated with the media encoder; and
performing a continue printing operation based on a second direction of the rotation associated with the media encoder.

16. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein, the computer-executable program code portions comprising code instructions for:
determining if a ribbon roll installed on a ribbon supply shaft of a modular print engine of a printing apparatus is depleted of ribbon;
in response to a determination that the ribbon roll is depleted of the ribbon, generating an indication to remove the modular print engine from a main body of the printing apparatus to allow a new ribbon roll to be loaded onto the ribbon supply shaft; and
in response to re-installing of the modular print engine that comprises the new ribbon into the main body, printing content onto a media during sliding of the main body across the media, wherein the modular print engine includes a print head.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16 , wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise code instructions for:
printing the new ribbon of the new ribbon roll against the media via a burn line of the modular print engine during the sliding of the main body across the media.

18. The computer program product according to claim 16 , wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise code instructions for:
transmitting a signal to a processor with an instruction to start a print operation associated with the modular print engine in response to initiation of the sliding of the main body across the media.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18 , wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise code instructions for:
generating the signal based on a rotation associated with a media encoder caused by the sliding of the main body across the media.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19 , wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise code instructions for:
performing a stop printing operation based on a first direction of the rotation associated with the media encoder; and
performing a continue printing operation based on a second direction of the rotation associated with the media encoder.

Assignees

• Datamax Oneil Corp

Inventors

• Wong Chin Young
• Yap Yaw Horng
• Chua Ching Hong

Classifications

• B41J35/28 Primary

  Detachable carriers or holders for ink-ribbon mechanisms · CPC title

• B41J32/00

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J3/36 Primary

  for portability {, i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers (B41J3/4075 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B41J29/02

  Framework · CPC title

• B41J33/14

  Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms · CPC title