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EP0506461A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Tape printing device for printing a plurality of printing lines directly adjacent to each other across the width of a tape

Assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
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Filing: 1992-03-27
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2012-03-27
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Abstract

Abstract Operation of a double-line printing key, and selection of an upper printing line or a lower printing line causes the indication of subsequent input character data to follow either an upper printing line mark or a lower printing line mark, for example, on an LCD (19). When a printing key is operated, the character data following the upper printing line mark are stored in a first arrangement memory, and the data following the lower printing line mark are stored in a second arrangement memory. When the number of characters to be printed in the upper line is different from the number of characters to be printed in the lower line, space data are inserted into the printing line (upper or lower) which has the lesser number of characters so that the length of the upper printing line and the lower printing line become the same. Then, characters are printed on the upper and lower lines of the printing tape (9) based on the data stored in the first and the second arrangement memories so that characters in the lower printing line are directly below characters in the upper printing line.

Inventors

  • 👤 Kazuhisa C/O Brother Kogyo K.K. Hirono
  • 👤 Yasuyo C/O Brother Kogyo K.K. Ooshio
  • 👤 Takashi C/O Brother Kogyo K.K. Ito

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-26 20:11
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J32/00; B41J3/00; B41J3/407; B41J3/4075

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim 162 words
A tape printing device for printing a plurality of lines of characters on a print medium tape comprising: input means for inputting character data and command data; an input data buffer for storing the data input from said input means; a printing head for printing characters on a print medium tape; printing setting means for setting at least one of a plurality of printing lines, defined by dividing a printing area across a width of a print medium tape into the plurality of printing lines, in accordance with the data stored in said input data buffer; data arrangement means for arranging the character data stored in said input data buffer in order to enable the printing of a plurality of printing lines of characters directly adjacent to each other across the tape width according to a printing line set by said printing setting means; and controlling means for controlling said printing head based on the data arranged by said data arrangement means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 113 words
A tape printing device according to claim 1, further comprising: pattern data storing means for storing dot pattern data for a plurality of characters; wherein said controlling means includes: a printing buffer for receiving and storing the dot pattern data from said pattern data storing means corresponding to the character data arranged by said data arrangement means; and data revising means for receiving the dot pattern data from said pattern data storing means and for revising a dot pattern data group of the character data arranged by said data arrangement means so that the plurality of printing lines of the characters can be printed directly adjacent to each other across said tape width.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 155 words
A tape printing device for printing a plurality of lines of characters on a print medium tape by controlling a printing head to print successive dot lines onto the print medium tape, each dot line extending across a width of the tape, said tape printing device comprising: input means for inputting character data and command data; printing setting means, responsive to printing line setting command data input from said input means, for selectively setting one of a plurality of printing lines, defined by dividing a printing area of the printing medium tape across the width of the tape into the plurality of printing lines; data arrangement means for arranging character data, input from said input means according to the printing line set for the character data by said printing setting means, and storing said arranged character data; and controlling means for controlling the printing head based on the data arranged by said data arrangement means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 100 words
The tape printing device of claim 3, wherein said controlling means includes: data revising means for revising dot pattern data groups, comprised of a plurality of successive dot lines and read into said data revising means from a pattern data storing means containing dot pattern data for a plurality of characters, of the character data arranged by said data arrangement means so that the plurality of printing lines of the characters can be printed directly adjacent to each other across said tape width; and a printing buffer for storing the dot pattern data groups revised by said data revising means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 27 words
The tape printing device according to claim 2 or 4, wherein said data revising means revises said dot pattern group of character data in said printing buffer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 36 words
The tape printing device according to any preceding claim, wherein said data arrangement means includes a plurality of arrangement memories, each of said plurality of arrangement memories corresponding to one of said plurality of printing lines.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 62 words
The tape printing device according to any preceding claim, comprising: line mode selecting means for selecting between a single line printing mode wherein a single printing line can be printed across the tape width, and a plural line mode wherein the plurality of lines set by said printing setting means can be printed directly adjacent to each other across the tape width.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 23 words
A tape printing device according to any preceding claim, further comprising: a display means for displaying the data input from said input means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 41 words
A tape printing device according to claim 8, wherein said display means includes a means for displaying a printing line mark indicating the printing line set by said printing setting means according to the command data input from said input means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 46 words
A tape printing device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein said display means includes a means for displaying the character data of characters input from said input means following the printing line mark in response to input of the character data from said input means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 69 words
The tape printing device according to any preceding claim, wherein said printing setting means is capable of setting one of an upper printing line and a lower printing line, said data arrangement means includes an upper line arrangement memory and a lower line arrangement memory, and said controlling means controls said printing head to print characters in said lower printing line directly below characters in said upper printing line.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 36 words
The tape printing device according to any preceding claim, wherein said printing head has a length substantially the same as the tape width so that said printing head can print the plurality of printing lines simultaneously.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 41 words
The tape printing device according to any preceding claim, wherein said data arrangement means inserts space data into the character data for at least one of the plurality of printing lines so that the plurality of printing lines have equal lengths.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 31 words
The tape printing device according to any preceding claim, further comprising: base line positioning means for setting a base line position for each printing line set by said printing setting means.

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