Printer and control method for the same
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsYukihiro Hanaoka, Takeshi Endo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compact printer efficiently performs a sequence of processes to front and back sides of a print medium, typically a personal check. The printer has a transportation path for transporting a check P from the insertion opening thereof to the ejection opening by drive rollers, moving the check P through the transportation path. An image scanner captures an image of the print medium as it moves through the transportation path. A print head prints to the print medium. A reverse feed mechanism disposed on the upstream side of the ejection opening reverse feeds a print medium transported in the downstream direction back to the upstream side of the transportation path by way of a form return path for guiding the reversed print medium.
Claims28
A printer comprising:
- a transportation path having a print medium insertion opening and the ejection opening;
- a print medium transporter coupled to the transportion path, the print medium transporter adapted to move a print medium in a first orientation through the entire print medium path between the insertion opening and the ejection opening;
- an image reader disposed adjacent the transportation path and oriented to capture an image of the print medium;
- a printing mechanism disposed adjacent the transportation path and oriented to print on the print medium;
- a reverse feed mechanism disposed adjacent the transportation path upstream of the ejection opening and adapted to reverse feed the print medium in a second orientation opposite from the first orientation through the entire print medium path;
- and
- a return path connected to the reverse feed mechanism and to a portion of the transportation path upstream of the image reader.
A printer control method for processing a print medium including at least non-magnetic ink characters, the printer control method comprising:
- reading an image of the print medium, including the non-magnetic ink characters, transported through a print medium transporter;
- printing to a first side of the print medium by a single printing mechanism;
- feeding the print medium to a return path by reversing the print medium transport direction by a reverse feed mechanism;
- and
- printing to a second side of the print medium by the single printing mechanism.
A printer control method for processing a print medium including at least non-magnetic ink characters, the printer control method comprising:
- printing to a first side of a print medium by a single printing mechanism;
- reading an image of a printed first side of the print medium, including the non-magnetic ink characters;
- feeding the print medium to a return path by reversing the print medium transport direction by a reverse feed mechanism;
- printing to a second side of the print medium by the single printing mechanism;
- reading an image of the printed second side of the print medium;
- and
- ejecting the print medium from an ejection opening.
A printer control method comprising:
- printing to a first side of a print medium by a printing mechanism;
- reading an image of a printed first side of the print medium;
- detecting by a length detector a length of the print medium guided to the transportation path;
- and
- ejecting the print medium from an ejection opening when the print medium length detected by the length detector is longer than a length of a circulation path formed by the transportation path and return path.
A printer comprising:
- a transportation path for transporting a print medium from an insertion opening to an ejection opening, the transportation path having a print medium path between the insertion opening and the ejection opening;
- transporting device for moving a print medium in a first orientation through the entire print medium path between the insertion opening and the ejection opening;
- image reading device disposed adjacent the transportation path for capturing an image of a print medium transported in the transportation path;
- printing means disposed adjacent the transportation path for printing to the print medium being transported through the transportation path;
- reverse feeding device disposed adjacent the transportation path upstream of the ejection opening for reverse feeding the print medium in a second orientation opposite from the first orientation through the entire print medium path;
- and
- a return path for guiding a print medium reverse fed by the reverse feeding device to a position on the transportation path upstream of the image reading means.
A printer comprising:
- a transportation path having an insertion opening on one end and an ejection opening on an other end and a medium path between the insertion opening and the ejection opening, the entire medium path being U-shaped;
- a first roller disposed inside the U-shape at an intermediate part of the transportation path;
- a second roller disposed inside the U-shape near the insertion opening to the transportation path;
- and
- a third roller disposed near the ejection opening for pulling a print medium out from the transportation path and then passing the print medium above the first roller for printing to or scanning a reverse side of a first side of the print medium after printing to or scanning the first side of a print medium transported in the transportation path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.