Thermal printer with a quick release cover

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9971917-B2
Application number	US-201514881964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2015
Priority date	Oct 13, 2014
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A high speed tabletop and industrial printer is disclosed with integrated high speed RFID encoding and verification at the same time. The industrial printer simultaneously prints on and electronically encodes/verifies RFID labels, tags, and/or stickers attached to a continuous web. The industrial printer comprises a lighted sensor array for indexing the printing to the RFID tags; and a cutter powered from the industrial printer for cutting the web that the RFID tags are disposed on. The industrial printer comprises two RFID reader/writers that are individually controlled. Specifically, one of the RFID reader/writers comprises the ability to electronically encode the RFID tags while the web is moving; and the second RFID reader/writer uses an additional RFID module and antenna on the printer for verifying the data encoded to the RFID tags. Further, the printer also comprises a quick release cover with thumbscrews that allow for easy removal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal tabletop and industrial printer device for printing on and electronically encoding and verifying radio frequency identification (RFID) labels, tags, or stickers attached to a continuous web, comprising:
a printer housing with a printer cover, having a plurality of thumb screws creating an easily removable cover;
a print head capable of printing on the continuous web, wherein the print head is positioned within the printer housing and the print head is a thermal print head that automatically detects dot density;
a first RFID reader/writer module that electronically encodes the RFID tags with data while the continuous web is moving; and
a second RFID reader/writer module that verifies the data encoded to the RFID tags; and wherein the printer device can read and encode and print on an RFID tag without damaging the RFID tag.

2. The printer device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews are manufactured from at least one of Aluminum, Brass, Nylon, Steel, or Stainless Steel.

3. The printer device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews comprise a wing head.

4. The printed device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews comprise a rounded head.

5. The printer device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews comprise a spade head.

6. The printer device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews comprise a knurled head.

7. The printer device of claim 1 , wherein the print head can accept input information from Document Format (PDF), Personalized Print Markup Language (PPML).

8. The printer device of claim 1 , wherein the continuous web is arranged in a sheet or roll form so that the RFID tags can be printed or encoded as part of a continuous process.

9. A thermal tabletop and industrial printer device for printing on and electronically encoding and verifying radio frequency identification (RFID) labels, tags, or stickers attached to a continuous web, comprising:
a printer housing with a printer cover, wherein the printer cover comprises a plurality of thumbscrews to allow a user to easily remove the printer cover;
a print head capable of printing on the continuous web, wherein the print head is positioned within the printer housing; and
a first RFID reader/writer module that electronically encodes the RFID tags with data while the continuous web is moving;
a second RFID reader/writer module that verifies the data encoded to the RFID tags; and a lighted sensor array that automatically detects aperture sense marks on the continuous web to correctly index printing to the RFID tags; and
wherein the second RFID reader/writer module is individually controlled from the first RFID reader/writer module, such that the printer device can encode and verify simultaneously.

10. The printer device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews are manufactured from at least one of Aluminum, Brass, Nylon, Steel, or Stainless Steel.

11. The printer device of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews comprise a wing head.

12. The printed device of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews comprise a rounded head.

13. The printer device of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews comprise a spade head.

14. The printer device of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews comprise a knurled head.

15. The printer device of claim 10 , where slight manufacturing variances are compensated for lighted sensor array and a respective logic control from main process.

16. A thermal tabletop and industrial printer device for printing on and electronically encoding and verifying radio frequency identification (RFID) labels, tags, or stickers attached to a continuous web, comprising:
a printer housing with a printer cover, wherein the printer cover comprises a plurality of thumbscrews to allow a user to easily remove the printer cover;
a thermal print head capable of printing on the continuous web, wherein the print head is positioned within the printer housing; and
a first RFID reader/writer module that electronically encodes the RFID tags with data while the continuous web is moving;
a second RFID reader/writer module that verifies the data encoded to the RFID tags; and a lighted sensor array that automatically detects aperture sense marks on the continuous web to correctly index printing to the RFID tags; and
wherein the second RFID reader/writer module is individually controlled from the first RFID reader/writer module, such that the printer device can encode and verify simultaneously; and
wherein the plurality of thumbscrews comprise at least one of a wing head, a spade head, a rounded head, or a knurled head.

17. The printer device of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of thumbscrews are manufactured from at least one of Aluminum, Brass, Nylon, Steel, or Stainless Steel.

18. The printer device of claim 16 , wherein a backlight of an operator panel is set to red when operator intervention is required green when system is active and white when the system is idle or offline.

19. A thermal tabletop and industrial printer device for printing on and electronically encoding and verifying radio frequency identification (RFID) labels, tags, or stickers attached to a continuous web, comprising:
a printer housing with a printer cover, having a plurality of thumb screws creating an easily removable cover;
a print head capable of printing on the continuous web, wherein the print head is positioned within the printer housing and the print head can accept input information from Document Format (PDF), Personalized Print Markup Language (PPML);
a first RFID reader/writer module that electronically encodes the RFID tags with data while the continuous web is moving; and
a second RFID reader/writer module that verifies the data encoded to the RFID tags; and wherein the printer device can read and encode and print on an RFID tag without damaging the RFID tag.

Assignees

• Avery Dennison Retail Information Services Llc

Inventors

• Duckett Jeanne F
• Evans Andrew R
• Wirrig Richard D
• Neuhard Lance D
• Wimmers David J
• Williams Larri B
• Makley James A
• Watson Jan M

Classifications

• G06K19/0725

  the arrangement being a circuit for emulating a plurality of record carriers, e.g. a single RFID tag capable of representing itself to a reader as a cloud of RFID tags · CPC title

• A63F2003/066

  using ink jet · CPC title

• G06K7/00

  Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, {e.g. for reading patterns} (methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00) · CPC title

• B41J15/00

  Devices or arrangements {of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers,} specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in continuous form, e.g. webs · CPC title

• B41M5/0094

  by thermal printing · CPC title