Bar-code printing device
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsAkihiro Sawada, Hideo Ueno, Shoji Sakuragi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a printing device for printing bar-codes, a string of characters and symbols representing the contents of the bar-codes are printed under the bar-codes by replacing the lower part of the dot pattern with the dot pattern for the string. The present invention is characterized in that the printing device has a decision means for deciding whether or not to print characters and for printing bar-codes with a sufficient height for reading operation by bar-code readers. The printing device automatically omits the string of characters when a character size set by an operator is not large enough to print a string and a bar-code in juxtaposition.
Claims20
A bar-code printing device for printing a bar-code having at least a minimum height and for selectively printing characters associated with the bar-code, the device comprising:
- inputting means for inputting character data for characters associated with the bar-code including a size of the characters and bar-code data including a minimum height for the bar-code;
- memory means for storing the input character data and the bar-code data;
- bar-code height adjustment means for adjusting a net height of the bar-code so that the bar-code is printed with at least the minimum height, including total height calculating means for calculating a total height of the bar-code and associated characters, and determining means for determining whether the net height of the bar-code exceeds the minimum height based on the total height and the size of the characters;
- and
- print means for printing the bar-code and for selectively printing the associated characters.
A bar-code printing device for printing a bar-code having at least a minimum height and for selectively printing characters associated therewith, comprising:
- a memory for storing the character data for characters associated with the bar-code, including character size, and bar-code data for the bar-code including a minimum height;
- a bar-code height adjuster coupled to the memory for adjusting a height of the bar-code based on a total height of the bar-code and associated characters so that the bar-code is printed with at least the minimum height;
- and
- a printer for printing the bar-code based on the data stored in the memory and adjusted by the bar-code adjuster and selectively printing associated characters based on the adjusted height of the bar-code.
A method of printing a bar-code and selectively printing characters associated with the bar-code, comprising the steps of:
- inputting bar-code data including a minimum height for the bar-code and character data including character size;
- storing the input bar-code data and character data;
- adjusting a height of the bar-code based on the stored bar-code data and character data;
- and
- printing the bar-code with at least a minimum height and selectively printing the associated characters based on the adjusted height of the bar-code.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.