Typewriting machines – Typing by other than type-face or type-die – Thermal
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-22
2001-07-24
Yan, Ren (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Typing by other than type-face or type-die
Thermal
C400S120180
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264383
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image printing data control method for thermal transfer printers, and more particularly to an image printing data control method for thermal transfer printers for controlling printing based on various image printing data including undercoat printing data for carrying out undercoat printing on recording paper, image data for carrying out desired image printing, and overcoat printing data for carrying out overcoat printing with transparent ink over said image printing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, in order to carry out satisfactory image printing on recording paper, such as ordinary paper and rough paper with relatively uneven surface, printing methods for thermal transfer printers are proposed by which satisfactory printing results are achieved by performing desired image printing with color ink after conducting undercoat printing by the use of an ink ribbon coated with either white ink or transparent ink to smoothen the surface of the recording paper, and further overcoating the printed surface with transparent ink to improve the weatherability or scratch-resistance of the printed surface.
In such a thermal transfer printer, first a ribbon cassette housing an ink ribbon coated with transparent ink or white ink is mounted on the carriage of the printer, and undercoat printing is accomplished on the basis of printing data transmitted from a host side control section such as an external computer or the like.
Image printing based on image data is performed over the surface of the undercoat-printed area using ordinary magenta, cyan blue and yellow color inks, overcoat printing with transparent ink is further applied over this printed image.
In such a printing process, as illustrated in
FIG. 3
(Prior Art), undercoat printing data
4
for undercoat printing, image data
5
for image printing and overcoat printing data
6
for overcoat printing are transmitted in a time series from the aforementioned host side control section.
In the above-described printing process of a thermal transfer printer, the quantity of image data to be stored in an external control section or the like can be reduced by having printing data for undercoat printing and overcoat printing as rectangular area information, but printing data for causing a thermal transfer printer to execute printing and printing instructions therefor need to be transmitted in a time series. Accordingly, although the external control section is transmitting the rectangular area information as image printing data, it has to effect printing control over the thermal transfer printer even after the transmission of the image printing data, causing such problems as a low data processing speed, and that the thermal transfer printer has to go through operating cycles to shift to different steps of printing, i.e. from undercoat printing to image printing and then to overcoat printing, as instructed by external host control means, and accordingly takes a long printing time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an image printing data control method for thermal transfer printers which can achieve efficient transmission of image printing data from an external control section to a printer control section, and thereby makes it possible to reduce the printing time.
In order to achieve this object, according to the present invention, there is provided an image printing data control method for thermal transfer printers whereby printing is controlled on the basis of image printing data transmitted from a host side control section to the control section of a thermal transfer printer at the time of printing, the image printing data consisting of undercoat printing data for carrying out undercoat printing on recording paper, image data for carrying out desired image printing, and overcoat printing data for carrying out overcoat printing over the image printing; the undercoat printing data and the overcoat printing data being common data; each of the undercoat printing step and the overcoat printing step being selected as desired; and printing control data indicating the presence or absence of a step of the undercoat printing and a step of the overcoat printing are transmitted, before the transmission of the image printing data, from the host side control section to the control section of the thermal transfer printer.
According to the present invention, the undercoat printing data and overcoat printing data are used as common data and, by transmitting information on the presence or absence of undercoat printing and overcoat printing using this common data as printing control data, it is made possible to select as desired a method by which a desired printing result is obtained by two steps of undercoat printing and image printing, another method by which a desired printing result is obtained by three steps of undercoat printing, image printing, and overcoat printing, still another method by which a desired printing result is obtained by two steps of image printing and overcoat printing, with the undercoat printing dispensed with, and it is further made possible to reduce the time required for recording by improving the processing speed of image printing data while reducing the quantity of image data to be stored in an external control section or the like.
Another feature of the image printing data control method for thermal transfer printers according to the present invention is that, in addition to the above described features of the invention, the undercoat printing data and the overcoat printing data constitute rectangular area data indicating the rectangular area covering the image printing area to be printed at the image printing step.
Further according to the present invention, it is made possible to further lessen the quantity of image data to be stored in the external control section or the like, shorten the time required for transmitting image recording data to the control section of the thermal transfer printer, and accordingly reduce the time required for image printing.
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patent: 5132701 (1992-07-01), Stephenson et al.
patent: 5494361 (1996-02-01), Sonada
patent: 5512930 (1996-04-01), Brandt et al.
patent: 5552819 (1996-09-01), Brandt et al.
patent: 5589869 (1996-12-01), Brandt et al.
patent: 0 593 303 A2 (1993-10-01), None
patent: 2 286 559 (1995-08-01), None
patent: 09 277 677 (1997-10-01), None
Alps Electric Co.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Cone Darius
Yan Ren
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