Tape Printer and Recording Medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016189013-A1
Application number	US-201514870096-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 26, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The disclosure discloses a tape printer comprising a controller. In a print data generation process, print data to form a first image portion, a second image portion, and a third image portion on a decorative to-be-printed tape is generated. The first image portion has a first length in accordance with a result of acceptance. The second image portion has a second length in accordance with the result of acceptance. The third image portion is composed of a third pattern image corresponding to one pattern type accepted. In a cooperative control process, a decorative tape is produced. A single of the first image portion is formed on a first side, and a single of the second image portion is formed on a second side, and at least one of the third image portion is formed between the first and the second image portions, on a decorative tape.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A tape printer comprising:
a feeder configured to feed a decorative to-be-printed tape; a printing head configured to form print on said decorative to-be-printed tape fed by said feeder and to produce a decorative tape; and a controller, said controller being configured to execute: a selection acceptance process for accepting an input of selection of one pattern type among a plurality of pattern types prepared in advance to form print on said decorative to-be-printed tape; a full-length acceptance process for accepting a specification of a full length of said decorative tape; a print data generation process for generating print data to form a first image portion, a second image portion, and a third image portion on said decorative to-be-printed tape, wherein said first image portion has a first length in accordance with a result of acceptance in said full-length acceptance process, and a first pattern image that has a fixed length and is formed by use of said one pattern type accepted in said selection acceptance process is repeated a plurality of times toward a first side along a tape longitudinal direction in said first image portion, and wherein said second image portion has a second length in accordance with the result of acceptance in said full-length acceptance process, and a second pattern image that has a fixed length and is a mirror image of said first pattern image is repeated a plurality of times toward a second side opposite to said first side along said tape longitudinal direction in said second image portion, and wherein said third image portion is composed of a third pattern image corresponding to said one pattern type accepted in said selection acceptance process, and is set to have a length variable in accordance with the result of acceptance in said full-length acceptance process, and is formed on said second side of said first image portion and on said first side of said second image portion; and a cooperative control process for controlling said feeder and said printing head cooperatively by using said print data generated in said print data generation process, to produce said decorative tape having the full length accepted in said full-length acceptance process, wherein a single of said first image portion is formed in a region on said first side containing an end on said first side, and a single of said second image portion is formed in a region on said second side containing an end on said second side, and at least one of said third image portion is formed between said first image portion and said second image portion, on said decorative tape.

2 . The tape printer according to claim 1 , wherein
said fixed length of said first pattern image and said fixed length of said second pattern image are equal to each other.

3 . The tape printer according to claim 1 , wherein
said first pattern image is an image that is the same image as said second pattern image, and is line-symmetric with respect to a reference line extending along a tape width direction.

4 . The tape printer according to claim 1 , wherein
said controller is configured to further execute a first setting process for setting number of times of formation of said first pattern image and said second pattern image in a single of said decorative tape to a maximum number permitted by the full length accepted in said full-length acceptance process.

5 . The tape printer according to claim 1 , wherein
said controller is configured to further execute a second setting process for setting number of times of formation of said first pattern image and said second pattern image in a single of said decorative tape to a value not less than 1 and not more than a maximum number permitted by the full length accepted in said full-length acceptance process.

6 . The tape printer according to claim 1 , wherein
in said print data generation process, print data to form on said decorative to-be-printed tape said first image portion, said second image portion, said third image portion, and a fourth image portion is generated, said fourth image portion having a fourth length in accordance with the result of acceptance in said full-length acceptance process, and containing said first pattern image toward said first side and said second pattern image toward said second side, and being line-symmetric with respect to a reference line extending along a tape width direction, in said cooperative control process, said feeder and said printing head are cooperatively controlled by using said print data generated in said print data generation process, to produce said decorative tape having the full length accepted in said full-length acceptance process, wherein the single of said first image portion is formed in the region on said first side containing the end on said first side, and the single of said second image portion is formed in the region on said second side containing the end on said second side, and at least one of said third image portion and a single of said fourth image portion are formed between said first image portion and said second image portion on said decorative tape.

7 . The tape printer according to claim 1 , wherein
in said cooperative control process, said feeder and said printing head are cooperatively controlled to produce said decorative tape that, from an end on said first side toward an end on said second side, includes a single of said first image portion, a single of said third image portion, and a single of said second image portion in the mentioned order.

8 . The tape printer according to claim 7 , wherein
said third pattern image is composed of a single variable-length image whose length is variable in the tape longitudinal direction.

9 . The tape printer according to claim 8 , wherein
said third pattern image is a straight line positioned at a center in a tape width direction and extending along said tape longitudinal direction.

10 . The tape printer according to claim 8 , wherein
said third pattern image is a plain white image.

11 . The tape printer according to claim 8 , wherein
said third pattern image is an image that is line-symmetric with respect to a reference line extending along a tape width direction.

12 . The tape printer according to claim 1 , wherein
in said cooperative control process, said feeder and said printing head are cooperatively controlled to produce said decorative tape that, from an end on said first side toward an end on said second side, includes a single of said first image portion, said third image portion composed of a plurality of said third pattern images, and a single of said second image portion in the mentioned order.

13 . The tape printer according to claim 6 , wherein
in said cooperative control process, said feeder and said printing head are cooperatively controlled to produce said decorative tape that, from an end on said first side toward an end on said second side, includes a single of said first image portion, a single of said third image portion, a single of said fourth image portion, a single of said third image portion, and a single of said second image portion in the mentioned order.

14 . The tape printer according to claim 1 , wherein
said decorative to-be-printed tape is a tape for ribbon made of a fabric material.

15 . A tape printer comprising:
a feeder configured to feed a decorative to-be-printed tape; a printing head configured to form print on said decorative to-be-printed tape fed by said feeder and to produce a decorative tape; a controller; and a memory; said memory storing: a plurality of types of

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Sano Nako

Classifications

• G06K15/022 Primary

  for printing on continuous media, e.g. tapes · CPC title

• G06K15/1852

  involving combining data of different types · CPC title

• G06K2215/0097

  Printing on special media, e.g. labels, envelopes · CPC title

• B41J3/4075 Primary

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title