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US 4,728,206 AGranted
Printing control device and method
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsIsao Mori, Hisaki Okada
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing device in which a printing ribbon moves in one direction and a printing head moves back and forth parallel to the ribbon. When the head and ribbon move in the same direction, printing is not started until the ribbon is moving at a faster speed than the head. When the head and ribbon move in opposite directions, printing is not started until the ribbon is moving at a given speed which is a fraction of the speed of the head.
Claims4
A printing device, comprising:
- a printing ribbon;
- a printing head for impacting the ribbon incident to a printing operation;
- printing head driving means for reciprocating the printing head along a line in first and second directions, wherein said head reciprocates at a first speed;
- ribbon driving means for moving the ribbon only in said second direction at a second speed;
- and
- control means for starting the printing operation according to a first parameter, wherein the first parameter includes the printing head moving in the second direction and the second speed being greater than the first speed.
3 more elements
A method for operating a printing device comprising the steps of:
- (a) selecting either a first direction or a second direction for a printing head to move along a line;
- (b) if said first direction is selected, the step of accessing first movement data for moving the ribbon at a second speed;
- (c) after step (b), starting a ribbon driving means for driving the ribbon only in the second direction at said second speed;
- (d) a first predetermined time period after step (c), starting a printing head driving means for driving the printing head in said first direction at a first speed faster than said second speed;
- (e) after step (d), and when the ribbon is moving, starting a printing operation whereby the printing head impacts the ribbon;
- (f) selecting either to repeat step (a) or to stop the printing device;
- (g) if said second direction is selected, the step of accessing second movement data for moving the ribbon at a third speed, wherein the third speed is faster than the first speed;
- (h) after step (g), starting the ribbon driving means for driving the ribbon only in the second direction at said third speed;
- (i) the first predetermined time period after step (h), starting the printing head driving means for driving the printing head in the second direction at the first speed;
- (j) after step (i), starting the printing operation whereby the printing head impacts the ribbon;
- and
- (k) selecting either to repeat step (a) or to stop the printing device.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.