Printing device and control method of a printing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9701139-B2
Application number	US-201615235697-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2016
Priority date	Aug 13, 2015
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A printer that partially cuts roll paper to leave an uncut portion prevents paper jams from reversing the roll paper. A printer 1 has a print unit 41 for printing images on roll paper R; a cutter unit 46 disposed downstream in the conveyance direction from the print unit for cutting the roll paper and leaving an uncut portion; a conveyance unit 42 for conveying the roll paper in the conveyance direction or a reverse direction that is the opposite of the conveyance direction; and a controller 40 that executes a reversing process conveying the roll paper in reverse by the conveyance unit 42 when the roll paper is separated from the paper roll at the uncut portion after the cutter unit 46 cuts the roll paper, and not executing the reversing process in specific circumstances in which the roll paper remains connected through the uncut portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing device able to store roll paper, comprising:
a print mechanism that prints images on the roll paper;
a cutter disposed downstream in the conveyance direction from the print mechanism and configured to cut the roll paper while leaving an uncut portion;
a conveyance mechanism that conveys the roll paper in the conveyance direction or a reverse direction that is the opposite of the conveyance direction; and
a controller that executes a reversing process conveying the roll paper in the reverse direction by the conveyance mechanism if the roll paper is separated from the roll paper at the uncut portion after the roll paper is cut by the cutter, and does not execute the reversing process in a specific situation in which the roll paper may remain partially connected through the uncut portion.

2. The printing device described in claim 1 , further comprising:
a communicator that receives control commands instructing printing by the print mechanism and cutting by the cutter;
the specific situation being a situation other than when the controller causes the print mechanism to print images and the cutter to cut the roll paper based on the control commands received by the communicator.

3. The printing device described in claim 1 , further comprising:
a cover that opens and closes the opening to a storage compartment holding the roll paper, and
a cover detection sensor that detects the cover;
the controller executing an automatic cutting process to cut the roll paper by the cutter after conveying the roll paper in the conveyance direction by the conveyance mechanism when the cover detection sensor detects that the cover closed; and
the specific situation being the cover detection sensor detecting that the cover closed and the automatic cutting process was executed by the controller after a specific event occurred.

4. The printing device described in claim 3 , further comprising:
a paper detector that detects the roll paper;
the specific event being the paper detector detecting there is no roll paper during conveyance by the conveyance mechanism.

5. The printing device described in claim 3 ,
the conveyance mechanism configured to convey the roll paper by holding the roll paper between a thermal head and a platen roller; and
the specific event being the cover detection sensor detecting the cover is open during conveyance by the conveyance mechanism.

6. The printing device described in claim 1 , further comprising:
a communicator configured to receive control commands instructing printing by the print mechanism and cutting by the cutter;
the specific situation being other unprocessed control commands being stored in volatile memory when the controller prints images by the print mechanism and then cuts the roll paper by the cutter based on one control command.

7. A control method of a printing device that is able to store roll paper and has a print mechanism that prints images on the roll paper, a cutter disposed downstream in the conveyance direction from the print mechanism and configured to cut the roll paper while leaving an uncut portion, and a conveyance mechanism that conveys the roll paper in the conveyance direction or a reverse direction that is the opposite of the conveyance direction;
the control method comprising executing a reversing process of conveying the roll paper in the reverse direction by the conveyance mechanism if the roll paper is separated from the roll paper at the uncut portion after the roll paper is cut by the cutter, and
not executing the reversing process in a specific situation in which the roll paper may remain partially connected through the uncut portion.

8. The control method of a printing device described in claim 7 ,
the specific situation being a situation other than when the print mechanism prints an image and the cutter cuts the roll paper based on a received control command.

9. The control method of a printing device described in claim 7 ,
the specific situation being detecting that a cover configured to open and close the opening to a storage compartment holding the roll paper closed, the conveyance mechanism conveying the roll paper in the conveyance direction, and an automatic cutting process in which the cutter cuts the roll paper executing after a specific event occurred.

10. The control method of a printing device described in claim 9 ,
the specific event being detecting there is no roll paper during conveyance by the conveyance mechanism.

11. The control method of a printing device described in claim 9 ,
the specific event being sensor detecting the cover is open during conveyance by the conveyance mechanism.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Motoyama Hiroyuki
• Tsuchiya Norio

Classifications

• B26D2001/0066

  having shearing means, e.g. shearing blades, abutting blades · CPC title

• B41J29/13

  Cases or covers · CPC title

• B41J11/663 Primary

  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

• B41J11/666

  Cutting partly, e.g. cutting only the uppermost layer of a multiple-layer printing material · CPC title

• B26D1/085

  for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like · CPC title