Method and apparatus for energizing thermal head of a thermal printer

Claim 1

A method for energizing a thermal head of a thermal printer comprising the steps of: scanning printing data including a printing area and a non-printing area by a window frame of a predetermined shape, determining a coincidence of the data contained in said window frame with a predetermined window frame pattern representing an area of the data to be heated additionally; and energizing a heating unit of said thermal printer to supply thereto a predetermined amount of heating energy depending on whether the area represented by said predetermined window frame is the printing area or the non-­printing area.

Claim 2

A method for energizing a thermal head of a thermal printer comprising the steps of: scanning printing data including a printing area and a non-printing area by a window frame of a predetermined shape, determining a coincidence of the data contained in said window frame with a predetermined window frame pattern representing an area of the data to be heated additionally; and energizing a heating unit of said thermal printer to supply thereto a predetermined amount of heating energy depending on whether the area represented by said predetermined window frame is the printing area or the non-­printing area.

Claim 7

A method for energizing a thermal head of a thermal printer comprising the steps of: storing a plurality of lines of dots of printing data supplied from an external equipment in a plural line buffer; extracting a predetermined number of dots on said plurality of lines in accordance with a window frame of a predetermined shape by scanning the printing data sequentially; generating an address representing the predetermined number of dots extracted by said window frame; determining whether the address corresponds to a predetermined window frame pattern or not; converting both the address corresponding to said predetermined window frame and the address not corresponding thereto into intermediate codes by an intermediate code table, said intermediate codes respectively representing different amounts of heating energy to be supplied to a corresponding heating element of said heating unit depending on whether the address represents a printing area or non-­printing area in the case the coincidence with said predetermined window pattern is determined, and whether the address represents a printing area or a non-printing area in the case the coincidence with the predetermined window pattern is not determined; and energizing the heating element of the heating unit in response to the intermediate code for the number of times to reach the amount of heating energy designated by the intermediate code.

Claim 8

A method for energizing a thermal head of a thermal printer comprising the steps of: storing a plurality of lines of dots of printing data supplied from an external equipment in a plural line buffer; extracting a predetermined number of dots on said plurality of lines in accordance with a window frame of a predetermined shape by scanning the printing data sequentially; generating an address representing the predetermined number of dots extracted by said window frame; determining whether the address corresponds to a predetermined window frame pattern or not; converting both the address corresponding to said predetermined window frame and the address not corresponding thereto into intermediate codes by an intermediate code table, said intermediate codes respectively representing different amounts of heating energy to be supplied to a corresponding heating element of said heating unit depending on whether the address represents a printing area or non-­printing area in the case the coincidence with said predetermined window pattern is determined, and whether the address represents a printing area or a non-printing area in the case the coincidence with the predetermined window pattern is not determined; and energizing the heating element of the heating unit in response to the intermediate code for the number of times to reach the amount of heating energy designated by the intermediate code.

Claim 9

An apparatus for energizing a thermal head of a thermal printer to print line by line the printing data representing a printing area and a non-printing area according to a printing pattern, said apparatus comprising: a plural line buffer (13) for storing the printing data supplied from an external equipment for a plurality of lines of dots of the printing data including the present line and preceding lines by sequentially transferring line by line; a surrounding dot buffer (15) receiving the printing data from said plural line buffer for forming a window frame (M) of a predetermined shape, said window frame containing therein a predetermined number of dots for the plurality of lines including an object dot and its surrounding dots, said surrounding dot buffer generating an address for the predetermined number of dots contained in said window frame; means including an intermediate table (16) for converting the address of the dots contained in said window frame into an intermediate code representing the amount of heating energy to be supplied to a heating element of said thermal head (S) corresponding to the object dot in said frame window, said means determining as to whether the address representing the dot arrangement in said window fame with a dot arrangement of a predetermined window frame pattern which indicates preheating or correction heating so that said intermediate code distinguishes one from another a dot area to be non-heated when the address represents a non-­printing area of the printing data, a dot area to be heated normally when the address represents a printing area, a dot area to be preheated when the address coincides with said window frame pattern and represents a non-printing area, and a dot area to be correction heated when the group of addresses coincides with said window frame pattern and represents a printing area of the printing data; and means (2) for energizing the corresponding heating element of said thermal head in accodance with the intermediate code for the number of times until the amount of heating energy designated by said intermediate code is supplied to the heating element.

Claim 10

An apparatus for energizing a thermal head of a thermal printer to print line by line the printing data representing a printing area and a non-printing area according to a printing pattern, said apparatus comprising: a plural line buffer (13) for storing the printing data supplied from an external equipment for a plurality of lines of dots of the printing data including the present line and preceding lines by sequentially transferring line by line; a surrounding dot buffer (15) receiving the printing data from said plural line buffer for forming a window frame (M) of a predetermined shape, said window frame containing therein a predetermined number of dots for the plurality of lines including an object dot and its surrounding dots, said surrounding dot buffer generating an address for the predetermined number of dots contained in said window frame; means including an intermediate table (16) for converting the address of the dots contained in said window frame into an intermediate code representing the amount of heating energy to be supplied to a heating element of said thermal head (S) corresponding to the object dot in said frame window, said means determining as to whether the address representing the dot arrangement in said window fame with a dot arrangement of a predetermined window frame pattern which indicates preheating or correction heating so that said intermediate code distinguishes one from another a dot area to be non-heated when the address represents a non-­printing area of the printing data, a dot area to be heated normally when the address represents a printing area, a dot area to be preheated when the address coincides with said window frame pattern and represents a non-printing area, and a dot area to be correction heated when the group of addresses coincides with said window frame pattern and represents a printing area of the printing data; and means (2) for energizing the corresponding heating element of said thermal head in accodance with the intermediate code for the number of times until the amount of heating energy designated by said intermediate code is supplied to the heating element.