Typewriting machines – Sheet or web – For feeding web record-medium
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-18
2001-10-16
Hilten, John S. (Department: 2854)
Typewriting machines
Sheet or web
For feeding web record-medium
C400S611000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302603
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tape printing apparatus and method for carrying out a printing operation in view of heat shrinkage of a heat shrink tape.
2. Prior Art
Recently, a tape printing apparatus has been proposed e.g. by Japanese Utility Model Registration Publication No. 2583622. The tape printing apparatus carries out printing on a heat shrink tape which is thermally contracted or transformed into a predetermined memorized shape when heat is applied thereto. The tape printing apparatus uses a heat shrink tape which has a hollow cylindrical shape i.e. an annular cross-sectional shape and is hard to be peeled off a cylindrical object when the tape is fitted thereon, i.e. affixed thereto. The heat shrink tape is mounted in a tape cartridge in a flattened state and wound into a roll. Desired characters are printed on the heat shrink tape unwound from the tape cartridge. This printing operation is carried out by using a normal font stored in the apparatus, similarly to the case of an ordinary tape being printed.
However, after the heat shrink tape is printed based on the normal font, when the tape is affixed to an object article for application of heat, normally, the tape is radially shrunk or contracted, and hence letters and images (characters) printed on the tape are transformed into shapes having a vertically or horizontally reduced proportion according to a shrinkage rate of the tape, which makes it hard to read the characters. Particularly when the tape is used to indicate electrical wiring, small-sized characters printed thereon become harder to be read.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a tape printing apparatus and method which is capable of printing characters on a heat shrink tape such that the characters are readily legible when the heat shrink tape undergoes heat shrinkage.
To attain the above method, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a tape printing apparatus for carrying out printing on a heat shrink tape which shrinks in at least one of a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction into a predetermined memorized shape when heat is applied thereto.
The tape printing apparatus is characterized by comprising:
an input device for inputting characters;
a deformed font storage device for storing a deformed font deformed from a normal font, in view of heat shrinkage of the heat shrink tape such that characters printed on the heat shrink tape by using the deformed font come to have respective shapes of the normal font when the heat shrink tape undergoes heat shrinkage; and
a printing device for printing the characters input by the input device on the heat shrink tape by using the deformed font.
According to the tape printing apparatus, there is stored a deformed font deformed from a normal font, in view of heat shrinkage of the heat shrink tape such that characters printed on the heat shrink tape by using the deformed font come to have respective shapes of the normal font when the heat shrink tape undergoes heat shrinkage, and the characters can be printed on the heat shrink tape by using the deformed font. When the heat shrink tape attached to an object undergoes heat shrinkage, and the shapes of the printed characters are changed into horizontally reduced shapes, vertically reduced shapes, or totally reduced shapes. In this state, the deformed characters come to have shapes substantially identical to those of the normal font. That is, characters printed in deformed font are changed by heat shrinkage into those substantially in normal font.
It should be noted that the term “character or characters” is/are used throughout the specification to mean letters, symbols, figures, etc. which are normally input to the apparatus. The characters may be input to form any of vertical writing normally used in Japanese and Chinese writing, and horizontal writing normally employed in English and other Western languages. Further, the term “normal font” is intended to mean a set of character types each having a size substantially equal between a vertical side and a horizontal side, as a basic form thereof, and include variations of double height size, and half width size, which are normally employed in printers, word processors, and the like.
Preferably, there are provided a plurality of kinds of the heat shrink tape having respective different heat shrinkage rates, and the deformed font storage device stores a plurality of different deformed fonts corresponding respectively to the different heat shrinkage rates of the plurality of kinds of the heat shrink tape, the tape printing apparatus further including a fontselecting block for selecting an arbitrary one of the plurality of different deformed fonts.
According to this preferred embodiment, since there are stored plurality of different deformed fonts corresponding respectively to the different heat shrinkage rates of the plurality of kinds of the heat shrink tape, it is possible to carry out printing on such tapes having different heat shrinkage rates, such that characters printed thereon come to have shapes of the normal font.
More preferably, the plurality of kinds of heat shrink tape are stored in respective cartridge cases in a dispensable manner, the cartridge cases having respective identifiers for permitting identification of a kind of each of the plurality of kinds of heat shrink tape, the tape printing device including a sensor for sensing the identifiers for identification of the kind of the each of the plurality of kinds of heat shrink tape, the font-selecting block selecting one of the plurality of deformed fonts based on results of sensing by the sensor.
According to this preferred embodiment, a cartridge case containing a heat shrink tape is removably mounted in the apparatus, which makes it easy to handle the tape, and replace it. Further, the cartridge case has an identifier for identification of the kind of the each of the plurality of kinds of heat shrink tape, which may be one readably bearing information of heat shrinkage rates (vertical and horizontal) of the tape. Therefore, by sensing the identifier, one of the deformed fonts suitable for the identified tape can be automatically selected and then the characters can be printed by using the selected deformed font. Therefore, it is not required to manually set the heat shrinkage rates suitable for the tape in use, and saves the trouble of changing fonts when the tapes are replaced.
To attain the above object, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of carrying out printing on a heat shrink tape which shrinks in at least one of a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction into a predetermined memorized shape when heat is applied thereto.
The method according to the second aspect of the invention is characterized by the steps of:
making available a deformed font deformed from a normal font in view of heat shrinkage of the heat shrink tape such that characters printed on the heat shrink tape by using the deformed font come to have respective shapes of the normal font when the heat shrink tape undergoes heat shrinkage: and
printing the characters on the heat shrink tape by using the deformed font by using the deformed font.
According to this method, there is stored a deformed font deformed from a normal font, in view of heat shrinkage of the heat shrink tape such that characters printed on the heat shrink tape by using the deformed font come to have respective shapes of the normal font when the heat shrink tape undergoes heat shrinkage, and the characters can be printed on the heat shrink tape by using the deformed font. When the heat shrink tape attached to an object undergoes heat shrinkage, and the shapes of the printed characters are changed into horizontally reduced shapes, vertically reduced shapes, or totally reduced shapes. In this state, the deformed characters come to have shapes substantially identical to those of the normal font. That is, characters printed in deformed font are changed by heat sh
Akaiwa Masao
Maseki Ayumi
Hilten John S.
Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.
Seiko Epson Corporation
Williams Kevin D.
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