Integrated method and apparatus for reading mier code and printing

An integrated processing apparatus, comprising:

• a guide member for guiding a recording medium having a magnetic pattern prerecorded thereon, said guide member including at least one medium path;
• a magnetic detector, disposed on the medium path, for detecting the magnetic pattern on the recording medium;
• a print element for printing on at least one side of the recording medium guided through the medium path by said guide member, said print element including a print head;
• a regulator for regulating a relative position of the recording medium to said magnetic detector and a home position for printing in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is transported on the medium path;
• a presser for applying pressure on the recording medium against a detection surface of said magnetic detector;
• a gap setting mechanism for changing a gap between said presser and said magnetic detector to set the gap greater than the thickness of any recording medium allowed to be used to set the gap in which the recording medium is pressed against said magnetic detector;
• and
• a driver for driving said print head reciprocally widthwise relative to the medium path within a predetermined printing range;
• wherein said gap setting mechanism reduces the gap to press the recording medium against said magnetic detector in conjunction with the movement of said print head which is driven by said driver to a prescribed place outside the printing range in a widthwise direction.

An integrated processing apparatus, comprising:

• a guide member for guiding a recording medium having a magnetic pattern prerecorded thereon said guide member including at least one medium path;
• a magnetic detector, disposed on the medium path, for detecting the magnetic pattern on the recording medium;
• a print element for printing on at least one side of the recording medium guided through the medium path by said guide member, said print element including a print head;
• a regulator for regulating a relative position of the recording medium to said magnetic detector and a home position for printing in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is transported on the medium path;
• a common transport for transporting the recording medium on the medium Path to said print head and said magnetic detector;
• a termination detector for detecting termination of magnetic pattern detection;
• a transport control mechanism for controlling recording medium transportation to detect the magnetic pattern, and a storage element for storing an amount of the recording medium transported by said transport control mechanism;
• and
• wherein said transport control mechanism transports the recording medium to a prescribed position for a succeeding operation to be performed based on the amount of the recording medium transported as stored in said storage element after magnetic pattern detection is terminated.

An integrated processing apparatus, comprising:

• a guide member for guiding a recording medium having a magnetic pattern prerecorded thereon, said guide member including at least one medium path;
• a magnetic detector, disposed on the medium path, for detecting the magnetic pattern on the recording medium;
• a print element for printing on at least one side of the recording medium guided through the medium path by said guide member, said print element including a print head;
• a regulator for regulating a relative position of the recording medium to said magnetic detector and a home position for printing in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is transported on the medium path;
• a common transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium on the medium path to said print head and said magnetic detector;
• a termination detector for detecting termination of magnetic pattern detection;
• an interface for receiving and transmitting data from and to a host device;
• and
• a transmitting element for sending to the host device through said interface a result of the magnetic pattern detection after the magnetic pattern detection is terminated;
• and
• wherein the information sent by said transmitting element includes information about the state of the integrated processing apparatus during magnetic pattern detection.

A control method, comprising:

• (a) providing an integrated processing apparatus that comprises at least one medium path, a magnetic detector disposed on the medium path, and print mechanism having a print head;
• (b) transporting a recording medium having a magnetic pattern prerecorded thereon along said medium path;
• (c) controlling said magnetic detector to read the magnetic pattern on the recording medium in the direction in which the recording medium is transported along the medium path;
• (d) controlling said print head to print on at least one side of the recording medium;
• and
• (e) moving said print head, when printing on the recording medium, reciprocally widthwise relative to the medium path within a predetermined printing range and moving said print head, when said magnetic detector is detecting the magnetic pattern on the recording medium, in a widthwise direction relative to the medium path to a prescribed place outside the printing range.

A control method, comprising:

• (a) providing an integrated processing apparatus that comprises at least one medium path, a magnetic detector disposed on the medium path, and print mechanism having a print head;
• (b) transporting a recording medium having a magnetic pattern prerecorded thereon along said medium path;
• (c) controlling said magnetic detector to read the magnetic pattern on the recording medium;
• (d) controlling said print head to print on at least one side of the recording medium
• (e) regulating a relative position of the recording medium to said magnetic detector and a home position of said print head in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is transported on the medium path,
• (f) transporting the recording medium to detect the magnetic pattern in response to a predetermined control command from a host device;
• (g) sending to the host device information relating to the magnetic pattern obtained by the magnetic pattern reading step;
• (h) receiving the magnetic pattern detection result information from the host device;
• (i) selecting a succeeding process to be performed based on the information received from the host device;
• and
• (i) transporting the recording medium to a prescribed position for the succeeding process to be performed after magnetic pattern reading is terminated.

An integrated processing apparatus, comprising:

• a guide member for guiding a recording medium having a magnetic pattern prerecorded thereon, said guide member including at least one medium path;
• a magnetic detector, disposed on the medium path, for detecting the magnetic pattern on the recording medium in the direction in which the recording medium is transported on the medium path;
• a print element for printing on at least one side of the recording medium guided through the medium path by said guide member, said printing means including a print head;
• and
• wherein said print head, when printing on the recording medium, moves reciprocally widthwise relative to the medium path within a predetermined printing range and wherein said print head, when said magnetic detector is detecting the magnetic pattern on the recording medium, moves in a widthwise direction relative to the medium path to a prescribed place outside the printing range.