Sheet cartridge, label creation apparatus, and control method for label creation apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9821575-B2
Application number	US-201615375766-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2016
Priority date	Aug 1, 2012
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

A sheet cartridge includes a label sheet and a cartridge case. The label sheet has plural label portions temporarily attached at a predetermined label pitch to a temporary label attachment area that is one end in a direction of width of a long backing sheet, and plural label position detection target portions provided at a detection target end portion that is an other end in a direction of width of the backing sheet and configured to indicate a print start position and a cutting position for the each label portion. The cartridge case accommodates the label sheet that is wound, in such a way that the label sheet can be reeled off, and in which cartridge case a detection opening for protruding each label position detection target portion for detection is formed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet cartridge comprising:
a label sheet having plural label portions temporarily attached at a predetermined label pitch to a temporary label attachment area that is one end in a direction of width of a long backing sheet, and plural label pyosition detection target portions provided at a detection target end portion that is an other end in the direction of width of the backing sheet and configured to indicate a print start position and a cutting position for each label portion; and
a cartridge case which accommodates the label sheet that is wound, in such a way that the label sheet can be reeled off, and in which a detection opening is formed, through which each label position detection target portion protrudes to an outside of the cartridge case for detection,
wherein
the plural label position detection target portions comprise plural protruding portions formed by projecting the backing sheet in a direction of width of the backing sheet at the detection target end portion, each of the plural protruding portions including a protrusion forward end portion, which indicates the print start position, and a protrusion rear end portion, which indicates the cutting position, and
the detection opening is formed in the cartridge case at a position that allows the detection target end portion, that is the other end in the direction of width of the backing sheet, to protrude to an outside of the sheet cartridge through the detection opening while the temporary label attachment area, that is the one end in the direction of width of the backing sheet; remains concealed inside the sheet cartridge.

2. The sheet cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet cartridge is loaded in a cartridge loading section of a label creation apparatus which prints on the label portion, and the detection opening of the cartridge case is provided on the side of an open-close cover that opens and closes the cartridge loading section.

3. The sheet cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein a positioning portion for positioning a detection section, which is mounted on the open-close cover in such a way that the detection section can move slightly and which detects the label position detection target portion, is formed in the cartridge case.

4. The sheet cartridge according to claim 3 , further comprising a platen roller which is accommodated in the cartridge case and which faces a print head of a printing section of the label creation apparatus via the label sheet provided in-between,
wherein the positioning portion is formed in the cartridge case at a predetermined position with respect to the platen roller.

5. The sheet cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein each protruding portion is provided at a position coincident with the each label portion in a longitudinal direction of the backing sheet.

6. The sheet cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion forward end portion and the protrusion rear end portion are provided away from each other in a longitudinal direction of the backing sheet.

7. The sheet cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein
the protrusion forward end portions of each of the plural protruding portions are disposed substantially perpendicular to the edge of the backing sheet such that each protrusion forward end portion is in alignment with a label leading edge, relative to a direction in which the plural label portions are reeled off of the sheet cartridge, of one of the plural label portions, and
the protrusion rear end portions of each of the plural protruding portions are disposed substantially perpendicular to the edge of the backing sheet such that each protrusion rear end portion is in alignment with a label trailing edge, relative to a direction in which the plural label portions are reeled off of the sheet cartridge, of one of the plural label portions.

8. The sheet cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein
the protrusion forward end portion is a protrusion leading edge of a protruding portion of the plural protruding portions and the protrusion rear end portion is a protrusion trailing edge of the protruding portion of the plural protruding portions, relative to a direction in which the label sheet is fed out of the cartridge case.

9. The sheet cartridge according to claim 8 , wherein
the protrusion leading edge of each of the plural protruding portions are disposed substantially perpendicular to the edge of the backing sheet such that each protrusion leading edge is in alignment with a desired print start position of one of the plural label portions, and
the protrusion trailing edge of each of the plural protruding portions are disposed substantially perpendicular to the edge of the backing sheet such that each protrusion trailing edge is in alignment with a desired cutting position of one of the plural label portions.

10. The sheet cartridge according to claim 8 ,
wherein the label trailing edge of the label portion is separated from the label leading edge of an adjacent label portion by a space such that the label trailing edge of the label portion does not abut the label leading edge of the adjacent label portion.

11. The sheet cartridge according to claim 8 , wherein
the protrusion leading edge of each protruding portion of the plural protruding portions is in alignment with a label leading edge of a label portion of the plural label portions, and
the protrusion trailing edge of each protruding portion of the plural protruding portions is in alignment with a label trailing edge of a label portion of the plural label portions.

12. The sheet cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein
the detection opening is formed in the cartridge case at a position such that the plural protruding portions protrude to an outside of the sheet cartridge through the detection opening as the label sheet is reeled off.

13. The sheet cartridge according to claim 12 , wherein
the detection opening is formed in the cartridge case at a position such that the protrusion forward end portion, the protrusion rear end portion, and at least a portion of a first surface of the backing sheet disposed between the protrusion forward end portion and the protrusion rear end portion protrudes through the detection opening as the label sheet is reeled off.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nakajima Kenichi
• Sasaki Taishi

Classifications

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J11/46

  by marks or formations on the paper being fed · 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

• B41J15/044

  Cassettes or cartridges containing continuous copy material, tape, for setting into printing devices · CPC title

• B41J11/703 Primary

  Cutting of tape · CPC title