US 5,806,993 A · Portable interactive miniature printer

Abstract

An intelligent, portable printer having a microprocessor controller, a printing mechanism, and a web feed mechanism integrated into an assembly which, together with a battery pack, may weigh about 1.5 pounds and be about 60 cubic inches in volume. The web may have removable labels adhesively attached to a liner, or it may be linerless label stock with exposed adhesive, or it may be non-adhesive plain paper stock. The web may be printed with bar codes, graphics, text, or lines. Because the printer is so small and light in weight, it may be used at any site where labels are required. By labels is meant any tickets, stickers, or other patches (so-called "label-stock"). The controller includes a microprocessor which communicates interactively with a terminal, which may be remote from the printer and may include or be a host computer, via cable, radio, or optical interfaces. The terminal supplies application programs and data representing the information to be printed. The controller in the printer converts such data into printing formats for operating the printer mechanism. The state of the printer is communicated to the terminal and both operate interactively to produce labels. The printer can operate in a network of portable printers and terminals.

Claims39

Dependent claims

A printer responsive to data representing information to be printed on linered or linerless adhesive-backed label web stock and to programming and information data from a computer terminal, said printer comprising:

a) a printer mechanism having printing elements including a platen roller having a surface which is non-adhereable by label adhesives and a floating print head;
b) a receptacle for receiving a roll of web stock on which printing is carried out on successive lines by said printing elements of said printer mechanism, said printer mechanism having means for feeding the stock along a web path past said printing elements;
c) an electronic controller responsive to said data for operating said printer mechanism;
and
d) a housing containing said printer mechanism, said receptacle, and said controller which together comprise an integrated assembly having a weight not exceeding about 1.5 pounds and a volume not exceeding about 60 cubic inches, said housing including a case and a top cover openably and electrically attached to said case to expose said platen roller, said top cover containing a flexural mounting for flexibly supporting said floating print head against said platen roller, said case having opposite side walls, a front wall and a rear wall, a first opening between said front wall and said openable cover, and means in said housing defining said path of travel for said web stock through said printer mechanism and said first opening between said cover and said case.

2 more elements

A printer having a housing containing a printing mechanism having printing elements and an electronic controller including a microprocessor for receiving programming and information data from a terminal for operating said printing mechanism, and means for holding a web of stocks for receiving printing, wherein said controller has a data input line for receiving data from said terminal, a data output line for transmitting data to said terminal, said operating programs and said data for operating said printing mechanism being received by said controller on said data input line and said data representing the operating state of said machine being transmitted by said controller on said data output line, said controller having means responsive to control commands selected from the group consisting of a print contrast command, a command to control printing effects, a command to control a paper-presence sensor, and a battery level reporting command, said controller determining the status of a plurality of operating parameters, said controller and merging said programming and information data from said terminal with said control commands and said operating parameter status to cause said printer to operate at the maximum permissible printing speed, and said controller having means for generating multi-bit data signals different bits of which represent status data consisting of data representing the printing mechanism being busy in process of printing, the web being out of said printing mechanism, the printing elements being in position to print, and the print contrast.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Portable interactive miniature printer

Life of this patent

Portable interactive miniature printer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims39