Patent Application
20080124161
The present invention relates to printer devices.
Printers are commonly used to produce hard copy output in a variety of situations. One type of printer is the thermal printer. Generally thermal printers comprise an enclosure containing media on which images and/or text is printed, and various components used to accomplish the printing, such as a print head, print head assembly, control electronics and a power supply. In addition, electronic communication is established between the printer and a computer, such that the computer is able to issue print tasks to be executed by the printer. A thermal printer may operate as a direct thermal printer, in which images are formed on a specially treated paper or other media by applying heat directly to the surface of the media. Another type of thermal printer is the thermal transfer printer, in which an image is formed by applying heat to a ribbon, which causes the transfer of wax and/or resin from the ribbon to the media.
Different types of thermal printers are available such as a relatively larger desktop printer and a relatively smaller portable printer. Desktop printers typically use wired connections to communicate with the associated computer. However, wireless connections between a desktop printer and a computer are possible. In contrast, portable printers typically use a wireless connection to communicate with the associated host. Typically, desktop printers contain larger amounts of print media than do portable printers, due to a person's limited ability to carry the weight of a large media roll and the desire to keep the size of the portable printers as small as possible.
Examples of applications in which thermal printers have become prevalent include the ski industry, which commonly uses thermal printers to produce tickets at the point of sale on a durable label media. Another example is automotive service labeling, in which reminder labels for oil changes or other periodic maintenance procedures may be printed out on demand and placed in a customer's windshield. Examples of general business applications that use thermal printers include archive data labeling, asset inventory tracking, retail pricing, and media record tracking. Another example is the health care industry, which uses thermal printer technology in connection with laboratory sample identification, patient identification, pharmacy labeling, x-ray tracking, etc. In addition to including textual information or graphics, labels often include machine-readable barcodes.
Those who use thermal printers for these applications may find it advantageous to employ a desktop printer at times, and a portable printer at other times. An example of such a situation can be found in the ski industry. At certain times during the day, the ticket stand where lift tickets are sold may experience a high volume of customers. At such times, a technique known as “line busting” can provide faster service. In this technique, ticket sellers, having portable ticket printing systems, move through the crowd and sell tickets. At times of reduced customer volume, the “line busting” technique is no longer needed as customers may access the ticket stand in a relatively short time. Accordingly, only a desktop printer located at the ticket stand is needed. However, as can be appreciated, the cost of purchasing a separate printer may not be justifiable, especially if that printer is only usable in certain situations.
The present invention is directed to solving these and other problems and disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, embodiments of the present invention provide hybrid desktop-portable thermal printers having at least two media supplies contained in separable enclosures or chassis. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention provide a first media supply associated with a desktop unit and a second media supply associated with a portable unit. The portable unit, in addition to being associated with a media supply, may contain the various components that are used in connection with either the first media supply or the second media supply such as a print head assembly and control electronics. In addition, the portable unit may be provided with a rechargeable power supply or battery. The desktop unit, in addition to providing another media supply may also provide a recharging facility for the portable unit and a wireline or some other supplemental communication interface.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the hybrid printer has two modes of operation. In a first mode of operation, the portable unit is attached to the desktop unit and may be provided with media from either its own media supply or the media supply associated with the desktop unit. The portable unit is also capable of receiving electronic communications from the desktop unit. In addition, a charging device may be provided within the desktop unit that operates to recharge the battery contained within the portable unit and/or to power the portable unit directly. In a second mode of operation, the portable unit is detached from the desktop unit and is provided with media only from its own media supply. In this mode of operation the portable unit receives electronic communications over a wireless link, and/or may produce output using stored information.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the same printer is thus able to function both as a desktop printer and as a mobile printer. Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following discussion, particularly when taken together with the accompanying drawings.
In
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the portable unit 105, in one mode of operation may be mated or operatively connected to the desktop unit 106. While mated with the desktop unit 106, the portable unit 105 is capable of receiving communications from the computer 108 through either the wired communication link 112 or through the wireless communications link 114. In an alternative mode of operation the portable unit 105 may be detached from the desktop unit 106 and operated independently from the desktop unit 106. In that respect, the portable unit 105 is capable of receiving communications from the wireless communications link 114. Alternatively, a wired communication link that is separate from the desktop unit 106 may connect the portable unit 105 to a computer 108.
The communication links 112 and 114 are not limited to any particular technology or protocol. Examples of wired communication links 112 include Universal Serial Bus (USB), IEEE 1394, RS-232, Ethernet, or other serial or parallel direct or shared connection. Examples of wireless communication links 114 include connections established in accordance with one of the various IEEE 802.11 standards, IrDA, Bluetooth or other wireless technologies or protocols. As can be appreciated by one of skill in the art, a printer, including a hybrid desktop-portable printer 104, does not need to be interconnected to a computer 108. Instead, a hybrid desktop-portable printer 104 may operate as a stand-alone printer in accordance with programming or instructions running on a printer operating system.
The hybrid desktop-portable printer 104 generally includes a desktop unit communications interface 116 and a portable unit communications interface 118. The desktop unit communications interface 116 may interconnect to the wired communication link 112. In a mode of operation in which the desktop unit 106 and the portable unit 105 are interconnected, the desktop unit interface 116 is capable of passing communications to and from the portable unit communication interface 118. The portable unit communications interface 118 may therefore be capable of receiving and transmitting communications to and from the computer 108 either through the desktop unit communication interface 116 or directly from the wireless communications link 114. In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, the portable unit communication interface 118 may also receive and transmit communications sent via a wireless connection established through the desktop unit 106, or through a direct wire line connection established with the computer 108. Generally (but not always), only the wireless communications link 114 is available to the portable unit 105 when the portable unit 105 is detached from the desktop unit 106.
The portable communication interface 118 is in turn interconnected to control electronics 120. The control electronics 120 may comprise a processor capable of executing instructions stored in memory provided as part of the control electronics 120. Alternatively, or in combination the control electronics 120 may execute instructions received through the portable communication interface 118. The control electronics 120 are interconnected to a print assembly or means for printing 124. As illustrated in
The print assembly 124 is located in the portable unit 105 and is associated with a first media supply 128a or means for providing media, contained in or held by the desktop unit 106, and a second media supply 128b contained in or held by the portable unit 105. In general, as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art, a media supply can include a carrier for receiving print stock rolls and can also include components for establishing a media path. In a mode of operation in which the portable unit 105 is interconnected to the desktop unit 106, media can be provided to the print assembly 124 by either the desktop unit media supply 128a or the portable unit media supply 128b. In a mode of operation in which the portable unit 105 is detached from the desktop unit 106, media is supplied only from the portable unit media supply 128b. Media supplied by either the desktop unit 106 media supply 128a or the portable unit 105 media supply 128b can include for example paper or durable label media.
The printer 104 may additionally include a desktop unit power supply 136 and a portable unit power supply 138. The desktop unit power supply 136 may comprise a connection to AC line power and/or a battery. In addition, the desktop unit power supply 136 may include voltage transformers, rectifying circuits, voltage converters, or other circuitry needed to support the various power requirements of the included components. The portable unit power supply typically comprises a battery 138, but alternatively may comprise other devices, such as fuel cells, that are capable of being incorporated into a portable unit. In a mode of operation in which the portable unit 105 is interconnected to the desktop unit 106, the portable unit battery 138 may be capable of being recharged by means of a battery charger 137 disposed within the desktop unit 106. In this mode of operation, the battery 138 may continue to supply power to the portable unit 105 while being charged, or alternatively, power may be supplied to the portable unit 105 by the desktop unit power supply 136.
The printer 104 may also be associated with a first enclosure or chassis 141 to structurally interconnect or house the components of the desktop unit 106, and a second enclosure or chassis 142 to structurally interconnect or house the components of the portable unit 105. The first 141 and second 142 enclosures contain, respectively, a media output port 404, shown in
A user input or means for receiving a signal 144 may also be provided as part of the printer 104 in order to receive control inputs from a user. Control inputs entered through a user input 144 may include, for example, a command to turn the printer on or off or a command to initiate a print job. Another example of a control input that can be entered through a user input is data for inclusion in a label or other output to be printed. A user input 144 may include, for example, a keyboard, a keypad, or an abbreviated keyboard directly connected to or included in the printer 104. As can be appreciated by one of skill in the art, user input or other data can also be provided via a computer 108 and communication links, either wired 112 or wireless 114, during operation or use of the printer or during manufacture of the printer 104.
In
As can be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the print head 204 may include a thermal print head having a number of elements that can be energized such that heat is produced at a selected point along the length of the print head 204. By controlling the amount of time that the element remains energized, a dot or a line of a selected length can be created on the media 212a-b passing over the print head 204. The media 212 is passed or drawn over the print head 204 by the platen 208, which is driven by a motor (not shown) under the control of the control electronics 120. In a mode of operation in which the portable unit 105 is attached to the desktop unit 106, the print head 204 may be either supplied with media 212a by the desktop unit media supply 128a, or supplied with media 212b by the portable unit media supply 128b. In a mode of operation in which the portable unit 105 is detached from the desktop unit 106, the print head 204 may only be supplied with media 212b by the portable unit media supply 128b. The thermal print assembly depicted in
At step 508, the control electronics 120 reads the header information contained within the file to acquire information needed to determine the manner in which the file image is to be printed. At step 512, a determination is made as to whether the output file specifies or identifies a particular media supply 128a-b that is to be used to produce the output specified by the image data. The specification of a particular media supply 128a-b may comprise an explicit identification of the media supply 128a-b to be used to produce the desired output. The media supply 128a-b can also be specified inferentially. For example, the output file may specify that a particular media type is to be used. For example, the output file may specify that the member 212a, associated with the media supply 128a is to be used. Accordingly, the media supply 128a associated with the requested media type 212a is selected.
If it is determined that a particular media supply has been identified by information in the output file, a determination is then made as to which media supply is requested (step 516). If the media supply 128a associated with the desktop unit 106 is requested, a determination is then made as to whether the portable unit 105 is mated or operatively connected to the desktop unit 106 (Step 524). If the portable 105 and desktop 106 units are operatively connected, the image information from the output file is sent to the print head 204 and the print head 204 is supplied by the media supply 128a associated with the desktop unit 106 (step 532). However, if no such connection exists an error message is output by the printer 104 (step 528). If it is determined at step 516 that the media supply 128b associated with the portable unit 105 is requested, the image information is sent to the print head 204 and the print head 204 is supplied by the media supply 128b associated with the portable unit 105.
If it is determined at step 512 that no media supply 128 is specifically identified, a determination is made as to whether the portable unit 105 is attached to the desktop unit 106 (step 520). If such an attachment exists, the image information from the output file is sent to the print head 204 and the print head is supplied by the media 212 from a default media supply (step 540). As used herein, a default media supply may include a media supply that has been pre-selected for use where image information does not specify a particular media supply. A default media supply may also include a media supply that is available and appropriately loaded. If it is determined, at step 520, that the portable unit 105 is not connected to the desktop unit 106, the image information from the output file is sent to the print head 204 and the print head is supplied by the media 212b associated with the portable media supply 128b (step 536). After the image information is sent to the print head 204 and the printer output is provided to the user (step 544), the process may end (step 548).
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, where a requested media supply 128 is out of media, media may instead be supplied to the print head 204 by the other media supply, provided that the alternate media supply is available to the print head 204. Alternatively, an error message may be sent to the computer and/or output to the user to indicate that the requested media is not available.
The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Further, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications concert with the above teachings, within the school of knowledge of the relevant art, or within the scope of the present invention. The embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain the best mode presently known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such to other embodiments and for various modifications required by their particular application or use of the invention. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/806,403, filed Jun. 30, 2006.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60806403 | Jun 2006 | US |
