Method of printing by sensing variable indicia tag format length
AssigneeMonarch Marking Systems, Inc.
InventorsFrederick M. Pou, Richard L. Straub
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A printing system for printing characters in various fonts and formats onto webs of sheet stock of various sizes includes apparatus for cutting the web into various lengths to accommodate various formats as well as for providing different lengths of tags which are interposed between batches of tags to permit easy separation of the batches. A stacker is also provided which selectively stacks the tags in a shingle fashion or into piles. Circuitry is provided to detect jams in the system and to assure that the proper size web corresponding to the selected format is used. Also, the system is provided with circuitry for adjusting the line print position to compensate for positioning errors caused by mechanical tolerances in the printers.
Claims36
A method for controlling the operation of a tag printer which is adaptable to printing data according to a plurality of formats of the type that makes imprints onto a web of sheet stock having indices disposed thereon at predetermined intervals including the steps of storing data representative of the data to be printed and the corresponding length of the tag on which the information is to be printed according to a predetermined format, sensing the indices as the web is fed through the printer and terminating the operation if the tag length defined by the indices does not substantially correspond to the tag length defined by the stored data.
A method for controlling the operation of a tag printer of the type that makes imprints onto a web of sheet stock having indices disposed thereon at predetermined intervals including the steps of storing data representative of the data to be printed and the length of the tag on which the information is to be printed, sensing the indices as the web is fed through the printer and terminating the operation if the tag length defined by the indices does not substantially correspond to the tag length defined by the stored data;
- wherein the step of controlling the operation of the printer includes the step of cutting the web at least one of two different predetermined increments after one of the indices has been sensed to produce at least two different lengths of tags.
A printer adaptable to making imprints according to a plurality of predetermined formats onto a web of sheet stock having indices disposed thereon at predetermined intervals defining predetermined tag length, comprising:
- first means for storing data representative of the information to be printed on the tag and the corresponding length of the tag on which said information is to be printed according to a predetermined format;
- second means responsive to said first means for making imprints according to a predetermined format on the web;
- means for feeding the web past said imprint making means;
- means for sensing the indices as the web is fed past the imprint making means;
- and
- means for responsive to said index sensing means for controlling the operation of the feeding means and the imprint making means, said control means including means for comparing the tag length defined by the sensed indices and the tag lengths defined by the tag length data for the predetermined formats stored in the data storing means and terminating the operation of said printer if the tag length defined by the indices does not substantially correspond to the tag length defined by the tag length data stored in the data storing means.
A printer for making imprints onto a web of sheet having indices disposed thereon at predetermined intervals defining predetermined tag lengths, comprising:
- means for storing data representative of the information to be printed on the tag and length of the tag on which the information is to be printed;
- means responsive to the information representative data for making imprints on the web;
- means for feeding the web past said imprint making means;
- means for sensing the indices as the web is fed past the imprint making means;
- means for cutting the web into tags;
- and
- means responsive to said index sensing means for controlling the operation of the feeding means and the imprint making means, said control means including means for comparing the tag length defined by the sensed indices and the tag length defined by the tag length data stored in the data storing means and terminating the operation of said printer if the tag length defined by the indices does not substantially correspond to the tag length defined by by the tag length data stored in the data storing means said control means being further responsive to the sensing means for rendering the cutting means inoperative to cut said web after one of said indices has been sensed and wherein said control means cooperates with said feeding means for feeding the web past said cutting means, said control means being operative to cause the feeding means selectively to feed the web one of at least two different increments past the cutting means after the sensing of one of said indices prior to the cutting of the web by said cutting means, thereby to produce at least two different lengths of tags.
A printer for producing tags of at least two different lengths by making imprints in a predetermined format on a web of sheet stock having indices representative of the length of the tag disposed along the length thereof, comprising:
- means for storing data defining the predetermined format, said data also defining the width of the web and distance between indices necessary to accommodate imprints made in the predetermined format;
- and
- means for comparing the data defining the width of the web and distance between indices necessary to accommodate imprints made in the predetermined format with corresponding immediately preceding data, said comparing means including means for issuing a message to an operator if the current and previous width data and distance between indices are not the same.
A method for assuring that the correct web of sheet stock is loaded in a tag printer which is adaptable to printing data with a plurality of formats comprising the steps of, storing data representative of the data to be printed and the corresponding length of the tag on which the information is to be printed according to a predetermined format, sensing indices disposed along the length of the web as the web is fed through the printer, determining the distance between successive indices, comparing a tag length defined by the sensed indices and the tag length defined by the stored data, and terminating the operation of the printer if the tag length defined by the indices does not substantially correspond to the tag length defined by the stored data.
A tag printer for producing tags by making imprints onto a web of sheet stock, comprising:
- means for entering data defining the information to be printed on a batch of tags and at least one predetermined characteristic of the particular web stock required to accomodate the information;
- means for storing the entered data;
- means responsive to the data storage means for printing the information on the web;
- means for comparing the stored data defining the predetermined characteristic of the web stock necessary to accommodate the information to be printed on the current batch of tags with corresponding data defining the predetermined characteristic of the web stock required by the data printed on the batch of tags produced immediately prior to the current batch of tags;
- means for sensing operator access to the web;
- and
- means responsive to said comparing means and to said operator access means for permitting the printing of said tags only if the compared data defining the predetermined characteristics is the same or if the web had been accessed by the operator after the previous batch had been printed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.