The present disclosure relates to a medium that is mounted in and printed with a printer.
In a technology known in the art, a medium that comprises labels fixed to a release material (release paper) is mounted in a printer. The labels are printed with the printer and peeled off of the printed medium to be used. According to this conventional medium technology, the labels are fixed to the front surface of the release material via adhesive. While the medium is mounted in the printer, the labels are printed as the medium is conveyed. Marks are provided on the back surface of the release material. During printing, a sensor provided in the printer optically detects these marks, enabling the printer to control the position of the medium as the medium is conveyed.
Depending on the application needs for the medium described above, the user may wish to affix the label around an object so that the label can turn about the object. For such cases, a slit may be formed in an area on the back surface of the release material opposite the label provided on the front surface side of the release material. When the label is peeled from the release material, the release material in the area inside the slit separates from the rest of the release material and remains adjoined to the label. When attaching a label having this configuration, the adhesive in the area of the label positioned around the object is covered by the separated release material, preventing the adhesive from bonding to the object and allowing the label to rotate.
However, a new problem arises in this case, as described next. When conveyed through the printer, the medium as a whole is curved along the conveying path. As described above, the medium is provided with slits and marks on the back surface of the release material, and labels having a degree of thickness affixed to the opposite side surface, i.e., the front surface, of the release material. Owing to this construction, the release material near the slits in particular may be in a curved state while the medium is conveyed. Such cases may lead to detection errors when optically detecting the marks on the medium, reducing accuracy in positioning control.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a medium that can suppress detection errors of marks on release material layer or the like to suppress a decline in positioning precision, even when the medium is conveyed through the printer in a curved state.
In order to attain the above and other objects, the present disclosure provides a medium to be mounted in a printer, to be conveyed in a conveying direction and to be printed with the printer. The medium includes: a release material; a first slit; a first print label; a second slit; a second print label; and a mark. The release material has a strip-like shape including a long side parallel to the first direction and a short side parallel to a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The first slit is provided in the release material and has a square shape including a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side. The first side and the second side are parallel to the first direction and juxtaposed in the second direction. The third side and the fourth side are parallel to the second direction and juxtaposed in the first direction. The third side is positioned upstream from the fourth side in the first direction. The first print label is fixed to the release material so as to span across both the first side and the second side. The second slit is provided in the release material and positioned downstream from the first slit in the first direction. The second slit has a square shape including a fifth side, a sixth side, a seventh side, and an eighth side. The fifth side and the sixth side are parallel to the first direction and juxtaposed in the second direction. The seventh side and the eighth side are parallel to the second direction and juxtaposed in the first direction. The seventh side is positioned upstream from the eighth side in the first direction. The second print label is fixed to the release material so as to span across both the fifth side and the sixth side. THe mark is provided on the release material. The mark has an upstream edge in the first direction positioned downstream from the fourth side and a downstream edge in the first direction positioned upstream from the seventh side.
According to another aspect, the present disclosure also provides a medium to be mounted in a printer, to be conveyed in a first direction and to be printed with the printer. The medium includes: a release material; a first slit; a first print label; a second slit; a second print label; and a mark. The release material has a strip-like shape including a long side parallel to the first direction and a short side parallel to a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The first slit is provided in the release material and has a square shape including a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side. The first side and the second side are parallel to the first direction and juxtaposed in the second direction. The third side and the fourth side are parallel to the second direction and juxtaposed in the first direction. The third side is positioned upstream from the fourth side in the first direction. The first print label is fixed to the release material so as to span across both the first side and the second side. The second slit is provided in the release material and positioned downstream from the first slit in the first direction. The second slit has a square shape including a fifth side, a sixth side, a seventh side, and an eighth side. The fifth side and the sixth side are parallel to the first direction and juxtaposed in the second direction. The seventh side and the eighth side are parallel to the second direction and juxtaposed in the first direction. The seventh side is positioned upstream from the eighth side in the first direction. The second print label is fixed to the release material so as to span across both the fifth side and the sixth side. The mark is provided on the release material. The mark has an upstream edge in the first direction positioned upstream from the fourth side and a downstream edge in the first direction positioned downstream from the seventh side.
According to still another aspect, the present disclosure also provides a medium to be mounted in a printer, to be conveyed in a first direction and to be printed with the printer. The medium includes: a release material; a first slit; a first print label; a second slit; a second print label; and a mark. The release material has a strip-like shape including a long side parallel to the first direction and a short side parallel to a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The first slit is provided in the release material and has a square shape including a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side. The first side and the second side are parallel to the first direction and juxtaposed in the second direction. The third side and the fourth side are parallel to the second direction and juxtaposed in the first direction. The third side is positioned upstream from the fourth side in the first direction. The first print label is fixed to the release material so as to span across both the third side and the fourth side. The second slit is provided in the release material and positioned upstream from the first slit in the first direction. The second slit has a square shape including a fifth side, a sixth side, a seventh side, and an eighth side. The fifth side and the sixth side are parallel to the first direction and juxtaposed in the second direction. The seventh side and the eighth side are parallel to the second direction and juxtaposed in the first direction. The seventh side is positioned upstream from the eighth side in the first direction. The second print label is fixed to the release material so as to span across both the seventh side and the eighth side. The mark is provided on the release material. The mark has an upstream edge in the first direction positioned downstream from the fourth side and a downstream edge in the first direction positioned upstream from a downstream edge of the first print label in the first direction.
According to still another aspect, the present disclosure also provides a medium to be mounted in a printer, to be conveyed in a first direction and to be printed with the printer. The medium includes: a release material; a slit; a print label; and a mark. The release material has a strip-like shape including a long side parallel to the first direction and a short side parallel to a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The slit is provided in the release material and has a square shape including a first side, a second side, an upstream side, and a downstream side. The first side and the second side are parallel to the first direction and juxtaposed in the second direction. The upstream side and the downstream side are parallel to the second direction and juxtaposed in the first direction, the upstream side being positioned upstream from the downstream side in the first direction. The print label is fixed to the release material so as to span across both the first side and the second side. The mark is provided on the release material. The mark is in the slit. The print label has a printing area. The release material has an opacity of no greater than 97%. The mark is arranged to overlap an entire area of the printing area in the print label in a plan view.
The particular features and advantages of the disclosure as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Below, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described while referring to the accompanying drawings.
A first embodiment of the present disclosure and its variations will be described with reference to
<Label-Creating Device>
First, the functional configuration of a label-creating device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to
In
A cartridge holder 12 is also provided in the label-creating device 1. A tape cartridge 10 (corresponding to a cassette) is detachably mounted in the cartridge holder 12. The tape cartridge 10 has a casing 11, and a tape roll 10A (depicted in the drawing as concentric circles for simplification but actually wound into a roll) accommodated in the casing 11. A printing tape To is wound in a roll shape to form the tape roll 10A. Here, the tape cartridge 10 may be a die-cut label type or a continuous length type. In the die-cut label type, a printing tape To having half-cuts HC (described later with reference to
The control circuit 2 is provided with a CPU and a ROM not shown in the drawings. The control circuit 2 executes various programs pre-stored in the ROM while utilizing the temporary storage function of the RAM 5 in order to perform overall control of the label-creating device 1.
The conveying roller 6 is disposed in opposition to the print head 7. The printing tape To paid out from the tape roll 10A is interposed between the conveying roller 6 and print head 7. By rotating, the conveying roller 6 conveys the printing tape To while pulling the printing tape To from the tape roll 10A.
The print head 7 prints desired print objects (see the printed images R described later) on main label parts Lo (described later in greater detail) of the printing tape To conveyed by the conveying roller 6. The print objects are user-specified characters, icons, and the like.
When actuated through a user operation on the cutting lever 8, the cutter 9 cuts off a printed section of a printing tape T (described later in greater detail) having a plurality of print labels L formed along the conveying direction. Note that the printing tapes To and T correspond to the medium in the claims.
<Printing Tape>
As shown in
In the printing tapes To and T having the layered structure described above, a plurality of main label parts Lo1, Lo2, and Lo3 (or a plurality of print labels L1, L2, and L3 having a printed image R formed on each of the main label parts Lo1, Lo2, and Lo3) are arranged successively in the tape length direction (the up-down direction in the drawings) while separated by an excess label portion LB (see
At this time, a print background layer 25 is also partially provided on the front-side (the top in
Owing to the layered structure described above, each main label part Lo has a length Wb2 in the tape width direction and a width Wb1 in the tape length direction and includes three areas: an adhesive area D1 constituting the left end portion in the drawings; a non-adhesive area D23 provided adjacent to the adhesive area D1 and corresponding to the print background layer 25; and an adhesive area D4 provided adjacent to the non-adhesive area D23. Here, a length Ws2 of the printing tapes To and T in the tape width direction is greater than the length Wb2 of the main label parts Lo in the tape width direction.
In the printing tapes To and T, rectangular (square) slits S1, S2, and S3 (hereinafter simply referred to as “slits S” for convenience when not distinguishing among them) are formed in the first side surface of the release material layer 24 relative to the thickness direction at positions corresponding to the main label parts Lo1, Lo2, and Lo3 (i.e., the print labels L1, L2, and L3). Each of the slits S is arranged such that the adhesive area D1 and adhesive area D4 are positioned in a slit outer area SO outside the slit S in a plan view, while the non-adhesive area D23 is positioned in a slit inner area SI inside the slit S (a rectangular region having the same width dimension as the print background layer 25 described above, and specifically slit inner areas SI1, SI2, and SI3 described later) in a plan view.
The print background layer 25 is arranged with at least a portion overlapping at least a portion of the slit inner area SI enclosed by the slit S. In this example, each of the print background layers 25 has a square shape formed by a side 25a and a side 25b that are aligned in the tape length direction and juxtaposed in the tape width direction, and a side 25u and a side 25d that are aligned in the tape width direction and juxtaposed in the tape length direction such that the side 25u is positioned on the upstream side of the side 25d in the conveying direction. In addition, in this example, the print background layers 25 have the same dimensions in the tape width direction and tape length direction as the slits S and the entirety of the print background layers 25 overlap the slit inner areas SI1, SI2, and SI3 (hereinafter simply called “areas SI” or “slit inner areas SI” for convenience when not distinguishing among them, as described above) within the corresponding slits S. In other words, the slits S overlap the print background layers 25 in a plan view.
Further, marks PM (and specifically marks PM1, PM2, and PM3 described later) are provided on the release material layer 24 in intermediate parts between neighboring slits S. The marks PM are used for positioning control when the conveying roller 6 conveys the printing tape To. The marks PM are formed in a color, such as black, that has a light-absorbing property. To detect these marks PM, the label-creating device 1 is provided with a well-known reflective optical sensor (not illustrated) having a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit. During the positioning control, the optical sensor emits light from the light-emitting unit while the light-receiving unit receives light reflected off the release material layer 24. At this time, the marks PM on the release material layer 24 are detected based on the difference in the amount of light received between portions of the release material layer 24 on which the marks PM are provided and all other portions, and the printing tape To is positioned based on these detections (described later in greater detail with reference to
According to the structure of the release material layer 24 described above, the rectangular slits S are juxtaposed on the printing tapes To and T along the up-down direction, and a print background layer 25 is positioned in each slit inner area SI surrounded by a slit S. A printed image R is formed in the lower-left region of the print background layer 25 in each of the print labels L1, L2, and L3. The printed images R are print objects respectively configured of the text “A01,” “A02,” and “A03” in this example. The term “slit” in this specification denotes a cut penetrating the target layer in the thickness direction (the same applies hereafter). A configuration in which the target layer is partially cut in the thickness direction (the cut enters a fixed amount in the thickness direction) may be used in place of these slits (the same applies hereafter).
<Description of the Slits and Marks>
As shown in
The slit S2 is provided on one side of the slit S1 (the upper side in
The slit S3 is provided on one side of the slit S2 (the upper side in
On the first side surface of the release material layer 24 in the thickness direction, the mark PM1 is provided on one side of the slit S1 in the tape length direction (the lower side in the drawing), the mark PM2 is provided between the slit S1 and slit S2, and the mark PM3 is provided between the slit S2 and slit S3, as shown in
The mark PM2 has an upstream edge Pu2 in the conveying direction (the tape length direction) positioned downstream from the side Sd1 of the slit S1, and a downstream edge Pd2 in the conveying direction positioned upstream from the side Sc2 of the slit S2. A distance 1p between the upstream edge Pu2 of the mark PM2 in the conveying direction and the side Sd1 of the slit S1, and a distance 1q between the downstream edge Pd2 of the mark PM2 in the conveying direction and the side Sc2 of the slit S2 are both greater than half a distance D between the upstream edge Pu2 and the downstream edge Pd2 of the mark PM2 in the conveying direction.
In relation to this mark PM2, the slit S1 corresponds to the first slit in the claims, and the sides Sa1, Sb1, Sc1, and Sd1 of the slit S1 correspond to the first side, second side, third side, and fourth side, respectively. Similarly, the slit S2 corresponds to the second slit in the claims, and the sides Sa2, Sb2, Sc2, and Sd2 of the slit S2 correspond to the fifth side, sixth side, seventh side, and eighth side, respectively. The print label L1 corresponds to the first print label, and the print label L2 corresponds to the second print label.
The mark PM3 has an upstream edge Pu3 in the conveying direction (tape length direction) disposed downstream from the side Sd2 of the slit S2, and a downstream edge Pd3 in the conveying direction disposed upstream from the side Sc3 of the slit S3. The distance 1p between the upstream edge Pu3 of the mark PM3 in the conveying direction and the side Sd2 of the slit S2 and the distance 1q between the downstream edge Pd3 of the mark PM3 in the conveying direction and the side Sc3 of the slit S3 are both greater than half the distance D between the upstream edge Pu3 and downstream edge Pd3 of the mark PM3 in the conveying direction.
In relation to this mark PM3, the slit S2 corresponds to the first slit in the claims, and the sides Sa2, Sb2, Sc2, and Sd2 of the slit S2 correspond to the first side, second side, third side, and fourth side, respectively. Similarly, the slit S3 corresponds to the second slit in the claims, and the sides Sa3, Sb3, Sc3, and Sd3 of the slit S3 correspond to the fifth side, sixth side, seventh side, and eighth side, respectively. The print label L2 corresponds to the first print label, and the print label L3 corresponds to the second print label.
<Separating Print Labels by Peeling>
With the printing tapes To and T described above, first the excess label portion LB is separated from the main label parts Lo and the release material layer 24 (see
Note that the print background layer 25 may be smaller than the slit inner area SI enclosed by the slit S. More specifically, the sides Sc1, Sc2, and Sc3 of the slits S1, S2, and S3 may be offset toward the side Ld of the main label part Lo rather than the side Lc of the main label part Lo, and sides Sd1, Sd2, and Sd3 of the slits S1, S2, and S3 may be offset toward the side Lc of the main label part Lo rather than the side Ld of the main label part Lo.
<Print Label>
Next, the structure of the print label L generated as described above will be described with reference to
As with the printing tape T described earlier, the print label L (the print label L2 shown in
In the adhesive area D1, the base layer 21 and adhesive layer 22 are layered in order from the second side toward the first side of the thickness direction (from the left side to the right side in
In the non-adhesive area D23, the print background layer 25 provided with the printed image R, the base layer 21, the adhesive layer 22, and the release material layer 24 are layered in order from the second side toward the first side of the thickness direction (from the left side to the right side in
In the adhesive area D4, the base layer 21 and adhesive layer 22 are layered in order from the second side toward the first side of the thickness direction (from the left side to the right side in
<Procedure for Attaching a Print Label to an Object>
As shown in
Next, the cable 302 is placed on the inside of the concave-shaped print label L, and the print label L is wrapped once around the cable 302 to form a cylindrical body encircling the cable 302, as shown in
Thereafter, the remaining portion of the adhesive area D4 that was not used in the structure encircling the cable 302 is wrapped in the direction of the arrow G indicated in
<Sample Application for the Print Label>
In the example of the drawing, plates PL indicating the ID names “A01” through “A08” are provided in sequence from the left to correspond to the eight slots 301 in the top row, and plates PL indicating the ID names “A09” through “A16” are provided in sequence from the left to correspond to the eight slots 301 in the bottom row.
The cable 302 must be appropriately connected to the corresponding slot 301. To facilitate connections, the print label L described above is mounted on the end of each cable 302 that is to be inserted into one of the slots 301, and the printed image R formed on each print label L has the same content as the ID name for the slot 301 to which the cable 302 is to be connected. In other words, a print label L printed with the same text as the ID name on the plate PL of the slot 301 to which the cable 302 is to be connected is affixed to the cable 302. This clarifies the correlations between slots 301 and cables 302 that are to be connected to the slots 301, thereby preventing incorrect wiring.
As described above in the present embodiment, the mark PM disposed on the release material layer 24 between neighboring slits S and S is provided in a position separated by gaps from the slits S and S (separated by respective distances 1p and 1q in the example described above). This improvement in detection precision, which is a principal part of the present embodiment, will be described in
As a comparative example, the mark PM may be provided to fill the entire region between two neighboring slits S1 and S2, for example. In this case, as illustrated in
As shown in
As conveyance advances from the state shown in
Thereafter, as conveyance further advances from the state shown in FIG. 8B to the state shown in
In this way, a mark PM is detected based on the ON state->OFF state->ON state transition of the sensor signal during conveyance (i.e., based on the difference in quantity of light received in portions of the release material layer 24 where a mark PM is provided and other portions), and the printing tape To is positioned based on this detection. That is, the optical sensor accurately captures light reflected off the mark PM, enabling accurate positioning control of the printing tape To, provided that the entire printing tape To is flat (unlike in
As described above, the printing tape To is constructed of slits S and marks PM provided on the first side surface of the release material layer 24 relative to the thickness direction, and print labels L having a degree of thickness provided on the second side surface relative to the thickness direction, i.e., the surface on the opposite side. Thus, during actual conveyance, as illustrated in
In the state shown in
As conveyance subsequently advances to the state shown in
As conveyance further advances from the state in
Owing to the effects of the curved shape described above, marks PM on the release material layer 24 can be difficult to discern because the optical characteristics (the ON/OFF state of the sensor signal corresponding to light reflectance in this example) in areas of the release material layer 24 near the marks PM (for example, near the sides Sd1 and Sc2 and near the sides Sd2 and Sc3) approach the optical characteristics of the mark PM in the flat areas. This situation may give rise to erroneous detections of marks PM or the like, which may reduce the precision of positioning control.
Therefore, by arranging the marks PM as described above in the present embodiment, a drop in positioning accuracy caused by erroneous detections and the like can be suppressed, even when the printing tape To is conveyed in a curved state, as described above.
That is, as described above in the present embodiment, the mark PM2 is arranged so that the position of the upstream edge Pu2 in the conveying direction is downstream from the side Sd1 of the slit S1, and the downstream edge Pd2 of the mark PM2 in the conveying direction is upstream from the side Sc2 of the slit S2. In other words, the mark PM2 is disposed in a position separated from the slits S1 and S2 (see
Similarly, the position of the upstream edge Pu3 of the mark PM3 in the conveying direction is downstream from the side Sd2 of the slit S2, and the position of the downstream edge Pd3 of the mark PM3 in the conveying direction is upstream from the side Sc3 of the slit S3. In other words, the mark PM3 is disposed in a position separated from the slits S2 and S3 (see
The following is a description of sample behavior in optical detections in the present embodiment according to the structure described above.
For example, in the state of
Subsequently, as conveyance advances to the state shown in
Thereafter, as conveyance advances to the state shown in
Thereafter, as conveyance advances to the state shown in
Hence, a mark PM is detected based on the ON state->OFF state->ON state->OFF state-> . . . transition of the sensor signal during conveyance (in other words, based on the difference in the quantity of light received between the part of the flat portion of the release material layer 24 in which the mark PM is present and the remaining non-mark parts F), and the printing tape To is positioned based on these detections. As a result, even if the portions of the curve-shaped release material layer 24 near the mark PM2 (portions near the side Sd1 of the slit S1 and near the side Sc2 of the slit S2) approach the optical characteristics of the mark PM2 (the OFF state of the sensor signal) as described above, the mark PM2 can be easily discerned according to the optical characteristics (an ON state of the sensor signal that differs in magnitude from the mark PM2) of the non-mark parts F present between these two portions and the mark PM2 (see
Similarly, even if the portions of the curve-shaped release material layer 24 near the mark PM3 (portions near the side Sd2 of the slit S2 and near the side Sc3 of the slit S3) approach the optical characteristics of the mark PM3 (the OFF state of the sensor signal), the mark PM3 can easily be discerned based on the optical characteristics (an ON state of the sensor signal that differs in magnitude from the mark PM3) of the non-mark parts F, F present between these two portions and the mark PM3.
In the embodiment described above, the mark PM2 on the release material layer 24 has an upstream edge Pu2 in the conveying direction positioned downstream from the side Sd1 of the corresponding slit S1, and a downstream edge Pd2 in the conveying direction positioned upstream from the side Sc2 of the slit S2. (In other words, the mark PM2 is disposed at a position separated from the slits S1 and S2.) Similarly, the mark PM3 has an upstream edge Pu3 in the conveying direction positioned downstream from the side Sd2 of the corresponding slit S2, and a downstream edge Pd3 in the conveying direction positioned upstream from the side Sc3 of the slit S3. (In other words, the mark PM3 is disposed at a position separated from the slits S2 and S3.) This configuration can suppress a drop in positioning precision caused by incorrect detections of the marks PM2 and PM3 or the like, even when conveying the printing tape To in the curved state described above, as illustrated in
A particular feature in the present embodiment is that the distance 1p between the upstream edge Pu2 of the mark PM2 and the side Sd1 of the slit S1, and the distance 1q between the downstream edge Pd2 of the mark PM2 and the side Sc2 of the slit S2 are both greater than half the distance D between the upstream edge Pu2 and downstream edge Pd2 of the mark PM2 in the conveying direction. Similarly, the distance 1p between the upstream edge Pu3 of the mark PM3 and the side Sd2 of the slit S2, and the distance 1q between the downstream edge Pd3 of the mark PM3 and the side Sc3 of the slit S3 are both greater than half the distance D between the upstream edge Pu3 and downstream edge Pd3 of the mark PM3 in the conveying direction. With this configuration, the mark PM2 can be sufficiently separated from the slit S1 and the slit S2, the mark PM3 can be sufficiently separated from the slit S2 and the slit S3, and the non-mark parts F (also see
<Variations>
The present embodiment described above is not limited to the modes described above but may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and technical concepts of the disclosure. Such variations will be described below. In each of the following variations, parts equivalent to those in the present embodiment will be designated with the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.
(1) Providing Wide Marks that Exceed the Regions Between Slits
As shown in
That is, the upstream edge Pu2 of the mark PM2 in the conveying direction is positioned upstream from the side Sd1 of the slit S1, and the downstream edge Pd2 of the mark PM2 in the conveying direction is positioned downstream from the side Sc2 of the slit S2. In other words, the mark PM2 is arranged so as to extend from the interior of the slit S1 (passing through the flat portion described above) into the interior of the slit S2. As described above, D denotes the distance between the upstream edge Pu2 and downstream edge Pd2 of the mark PM2 in the conveying direction.
With respect to the mark PM2 in this variation, the slit S1 corresponds to the first slit in the claims, and the sides Sa1, Sb1, Sc1, and Sd1 of the slit S1 correspond to the first side, second side, third side, and fourth side, respectively. Similarly, the slit S2 corresponds to the second slit in the claims, and the sides Sa2, Sb2, Sc2, and Sd2 of the slit S2 correspond to the fifth side, sixth side, seventh side, and eighth side, respectively. Further, the print label L1 corresponds to the first print label, and the print label L2 corresponds to the second print label.
Further, the upstream edge Pu3 of the mark PM3 in the conveying direction is positioned upstream from the side Sd2 of the slit S2, and the downstream edge Pd3 of the mark PM3 in the conveying direction is positioned downstream from the side Sc3 of the slit S3. In other words, the mark PM3 is disposed so as to extend from the interior of the slit S2 (through the flat portion described above) into the interior of the slit S3. As described above, D denotes the distance between the upstream edge Pu3 and downstream edge Pd3 of the mark PM3 in the conveying direction.
As described above, with respect to the mark PM3 in this variation, the slit S2 corresponds to the first slit in the claims, and the sides Sa2, Sb2, Sc2, and Sd2 of the slit S2 correspond to the first side, second side, third side, and fourth side, respectively. Similarly, the slit S3 corresponds to the second slit in the claims, and the sides Sa3, Sb3, Sc3, and Sd3 of the slit S3 correspond to the fifth side, sixth side, seventh side, and eighth side, respectively. Further, the print label L2 corresponds to the first print label, and the print label L3 corresponds to the second print label.
Further, an upstream edge Pu4 of the mark PM4 in the conveying direction is positioned upstream from the side Sd3 of the slit S3, and a downstream edge Pd1 of the mark PM1 in the conveying direction is positioned downstream from the side Sc1 of the slit S1.
In this variation, the printing area PA is arranged near the center portion of the print background layer 25, as illustrated in
Further, as a result of this arrangement of the marks PM, portions of the marks PM on the release material layer 24 remain on the upstream edge 25u and the downstream edge 25d of the print background layer 25 in each print label L after the release material layer 24 has been peeled off when creating the print label L, and the remaining portions show through the top surface side of the print label L, as illustrated in
In the variation described above, a portion of the interior region of the slit S1 near the mark PM2 (near the side Sd1) and a portion of the interior region of the slit S2 near the mark PM2 (near the side Sc2) are incorporated as portions of the mark PM2. Similarly, a portion of the interior region of the slit S2 near the mark PM3 (near the side Sd2) and a portion of the interior region of the slit S3 near the mark PM3 (near the side Sc3) are incorporated as portions of the mark PM3. Accordingly, by distinguishing between positions of the upstream edges Pu2 and Pu3 in the conveying direction and the positions of the downstream edges Pd2 and Pd3 in the conveying direction for the corresponding marks PM2 and PM3 (and more specifically determining positions of the marks PM2 and PM3 by further calculating midpoint positions of these upstream edges Pu2 and Pu3 and downstream edges Pd2 and Pd3), positioning control can be performed with good precision, without adverse effects caused by similarities in optical characteristics between marks PM and portions near the marks PM, as described above.
(2) Aligning the Longitudinal Direction of the Label with the Tape Length Direction
<Printing Tape>
This variation will be described with reference to
As shown in
In this variation, the main label parts Lo or print labels L are arranged such that their longitudinal directions are aligned with the tape length direction of the printing tapes To and T. That is, a plurality of the slits S (the three slits S1, S2, and S3 in this example) are provided in the release material layer 24 along the tape length direction, and a plurality of main label parts Lo or print labels L (the three main label parts Lo1, Lo2, and Lo3 or the three print labels L1, L2, and L3 in this example) are fixed to the release material layer 24 along the tape length direction. The release material layer 24 is elongated in the tape length direction, which is parallel to the sides Sa1 and Sb1, the sides Sa2 and Sb2, and the sides Sa3 and Sb3 (described later) of the corresponding slits S1, S2, and S3. A plurality of sets (three in this example) that each comprise one slit S and one corresponding main label part Lo (print label L) is juxtaposed along this length direction.
Each main label part Lo has a length Wb in the tape width direction and three areas: the adhesive area D1, non-adhesive area D23, and adhesive area D4. The printing tapes To and T have a length Ws in the tape width direction that is greater than the length Wb of the main label part Lo in the tape width direction. As in the present embodiment described above, rectangular-shaped (square-shaped) slits S are provided in the release material layer 24, and the print background layers 25 are arranged so that at least a portion of each print background layer 25 overlaps at least a portion of the slit inner area SI enclosed by the corresponding slit S. In this example, the slits S overlap the print background layers 25 in a plan view. Further, as in the present embodiment, printed images R configured of the text “A01,” “A02,” and “A03” are formed on the print background layers 25 of the corresponding print labels L.
Also, as in the present embodiment, marks PM are provided on the release material layer 24 for positioning control when the printing tape To is conveyed. Each mark PM is provided in an intermediate part between two neighboring slits S, S (but in a plan view are positioned inside the main label part Lo or print label L, as illustrated in
<Description of the Slits and Marks>
As shown in
The slit S2 is provided on one side of the slit S1 (the upper side in
The slit S3 is provided on one side of the slit S2 in the tape length direction (the upper side in
On the first side surface of the release material layer 24 relative to the thickness direction, the mark PM1 is provided on the other side of the slit S1 in the tape length direction (the lower side in the drawing), the mark PM2 is provided between the slit S1 and slit S2, and the mark PM3 is provided between the slit S2 and slit S3, as shown in
The mark PM1 has an upstream edge Pu1 in the conveying direction (the tape length direction) positioned downstream from the side Sd1 of the slit S1, and a downstream edge Pd1 in the conveying direction positioned upstream from a downstream edge Ld1 of the print label L1 (see
The mark PM2 has an upstream edge Put in the conveying direction (the tape length direction) positioned downstream from the side Sd2 of the slit S2, and a downstream edge Pd2 in the conveying direction positioned upstream from a downstream edge Ld2 of the print label L2 (see
In relation to this mark PM2, the slit S1 corresponds to the first slit in the claims, and the sides Sa1, Sb1, Sc1, and Sd1 of the slit S1 correspond to the first side, second side, third side, and fourth side, respectively. Similarly, the slit S2 corresponds to the second slit in the claims, and the sides Sa2, Sb2, Sc2, and Sd2 of the slit S2 correspond to the fifth side, sixth side, seventh side, and eighth side, respectively. The print label L1 corresponds to the first print label, and the print label L2 corresponds to the second print label.
The mark PM3 has an upstream edge Pu3 in the conveying direction (the tape length direction) positioned downstream from the side Sd3 of the slit S3, and a downstream edge Pd3 in the conveying direction positioned upstream from a downstream edge Ld3 of the print label L3 (see
In relation to this mark PM3, the slit S2 corresponds to the first slit in the claims, and the sides Sa2, Sb2, Sc2, and Sd2 of the slit S2 correspond to the first side, second side, third side, and fourth side, respectively. Similarly, the slit S3 corresponds to the second slit in the claims, and the sides Sa3, Sb3, Sc3, and Sd3 of the slit S3 correspond to the fifth side, sixth side, seventh side, and eighth side, respectively. The print label L2 corresponds to the first print label, and the print label L3 corresponds to the second print label.
As in the present embodiment described above, with the printing tapes To and T of this variation, first the excess label portion LB is separated from the main label parts Lo and the release material layer 24 (see
In the variation described above, the upstream edge Pu2 of the mark PM2 is separated from the slit inner area SI2 in the slit S2, and the downstream edge Pd2 of the mark PM2 is also separated from the slit inner area SI1 in the slit S1 (because the downstream edge Pd2 is in the range of the print label L2). Similarly, the upstream edge Pu3 of the mark PM3 is separated from the slit inner area SI3 in the slit S3, and the downstream edge Pd3 of the mark PM3 is also separated from the slit inner area SI2 in the slit S2 (because the downstream edge Pd3 is in the range of the print label L3). With this configuration, even when the optical characteristics of the portion of the slit inner area SI1 in the slit S1 on the side of the mark PM2 (near the side Sc1) and the optical characteristics of the portion of the slit inner area SI2 in the slit S2 on the side of the mark PM2 (near the side Sd2) approach the optical characteristics of the mark PM2 as described above, the two non-mark parts F (see
Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
In this embodiment, the marks PM provided on the release material layer 24 fall within the corresponding slits S, as illustrated in
As in a variation described above, the release material layer 24 has an opacity of no greater than 97%, where opacity is measured according to the technique described in JIS P 8149.
That is, the mark PM1 is provided in the corresponding slit S1 and is arranged to overlap the entire printing area PA on the corresponding print label L1 in a plan view.
With regard to this mark PM1, the slit S1 corresponds to the slit in the claims, and the sides Sa1, Sb1, Sc1, and Sd1 of the slit S1 correspond to the first side, second side, upstream side, and downstream side, respectively. Further, the print label L1 corresponds to the print label.
Similarly, the mark PM2 is provided in the corresponding slit S2 and is arranged to overlap the entire printing area PA on the corresponding print label L2 in a plan view.
With regard to this mark PM2, the slit S2 corresponds to the slit in the claims, and the sides Sat, Sb2, Sc2, and Sd2 of the slit S2 correspond to the first side, second side, upstream side, and downstream side, respectively. Further, the print label L2 corresponds to the print label.
Similarly, the mark PM3 is provided in the corresponding slit S3 and is arranged to overlap the entire printing area PA on the corresponding print label L3 in a plan view.
With regard to this mark PM3, the slit S3 corresponds to the slit in the claims, and the sides Sa3, Sb3, Sc3, and Sd3 of the slit S3 corresponds to the first side, second side, upstream side, and downstream side, respectively. Further, the print label L3 corresponds to the print label.
Note that the procedures for separating the print labels L by peeling off the same and the like in
In the present embodiment described above, color can be utilized in the marks PM provided on the back surface of the release material layer 24 so that the background color of the printing area PA on the print label L appears uniform when viewed from the front side, even when the release material layer 24 is configured of a see-through material.
When dimensions and sizes are described as being “identical,” “equivalent,” “different,” and the like in appearance in the above description, these terms are not intended to be taken in their strictest sense. In other words, the terms “identical,” “equivalent,” and “different” may signify “substantially identical,” “substantially equivalent,” and “substantially different” to allow for design and manufacturing tolerances and error.
The arrows shown in
In addition to what has already been described, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and the variations thereof may be used in suitable combinations.
In addition, although not illustrated individually, the present disclosure may be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of the disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2018-184810 | Sep 2018 | JP | national |
This application is a by-pass continuation-in-part application of International Application No. PCT/JP2019/033466 filed Aug. 27, 2019 claiming priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-184810 filed Sep. 28, 2018. The entire contents of the international application and the priority application are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP2019/033466 | Aug 2019 | US |
Child | 17214458 | US |