Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Fuyuki Inui

Hidemi Sasaki

Takeshi Fujishiro

Yoshio Ishizuka

Hitoshi Saito

Ryo Imai

Katsuya Inana

Tomoyoshi Nishimura

Naoshi Sugiyama

A printing apparatus for printing out contents carried on broadcast signals onto paper, which comprises a receiving unit for receiving the broadcast signals; a detecting unit for detecting designated contents, which are designated for printing, from contents carried on the broadcast signals received by the receiving unit; and a printing unit for printing out the designated contents detected by the detecting unit onto paper.

Method and apparatus for printing contents carried on broadcast signals

A recording sheet roll includes a winding core, about which a continuous recording sheet is wound. An information code is disposed on a surface of the winding core in an arc shape, and includes plural data indicia DM arranged serially. A start indicia SM is disposed between a beginning and end of a train of the plural data indicia DM, and has a size greater than each of the data indicia DM. A code reading device for the recording sheet roll includes a supply roller for rotating the recording sheet roll at a constant peripheral speed in a winding direction of the recording sheet. A reading photo sensor reads the plural data indicia DM and the start indicia SM. A timer at a CPU measures passage time during which plural indicia in the information code pass the reading photo sensor while the recording sheet roll makes one rotation, and thereafter rotates for a predetermined time T A system controller checks the passage time of each of the plural indicia to determine one of the plural indicia as the start indicia SM, so as to determine remaining ones of the plural indicia as the data indicia DM to read the information code.

Code reading method and device for recording material roll

A recording sheet package includes a stack of plural recording sheets. A packaging body contains the recording sheets. The packaging body or the recording sheets include humidity and temperature indicators which allows the degradation of the recording sheets to be compensated for in the course of thermal printing. A detection cutout is formed in the packaging body, for receiving insertion of a sheet remainder counter. The sheet remainder counter is allowed to push the recording sheets in a thickness direction thereof. The sheet remainder counter is adapted to detect a number of remaining ones of the recording sheets in the packaging body.

Recording sheet package, correction information sheet for the same, and thermal printer for use therewith

A recording paper roll includes a tubular spool shaft having first and second end faces. Thermosensitive recording paper is wound about the tubular spool shaft in a roll form. A code is formed in the first end face. For use with the recording paper roll, a supply magazine includes two roll holders secured to the spool shaft. First and second support plates are arranged in an axial direction of the roll holder, and support the roll holder in a rotatable manner. Guide cutouts are formed in the first and second support plates, receive first and second ends of the roll holder, and move the roll holder in a predetermined direction according to a decrease in a diameter of the recording material roll in use of the recording material. A code sensor reads the code from the first end face. A sensor shifter constituted by a depression portion moves the code sensor in the predetermined direction with the two roll holders.

Supply magazine for recording material roll and having code reader

A head driver for thermal printing drives plural heating elements in a heating element array according to heating data for respectively the plural heating elements, to record dots of one line thermally by heating color thermosensitive recording material. A first data train is output, including gradation level data of gradation levels 0, 2, 4, . . . , 510. One-line image data for plural pixels in the one line is serially compared with the gradation level data in the first data train, so as to create even number gradation heating data in a serial signal form. Simultaneously with the first data train, a second data train is output, including gradation level data of gradation levels 1, 3, 5, . . . , 511. The one-line image data is serially compared with the gradation level data in the second data train, so as to create odd number gradation heating data in a serial signal form. After transfer to the head driver, the even number gradation heating data is converted into a parallel signal form. Also, the odd number gradation heating data is converted into a parallel signal form. The heating elements are supplied with respectively a drive signal by alternately reading the even and odd number gradation heating data.

Thermal printing method and thermal printer capable of efficient transfer of data

In a single-pass, multi-head thermal printer, wherein a recording material is transported along a transport path, a mark sensor is disposed in proximity to each of a plurality of thermal heads. The sensors detect positioning marks which are provided on the recording material at constant intervals in the transporting direction. Each time a positioning mark is detected, a timer circuit begins measuring the time that has passed since the last detection of a positioning mark. If the measured time reaches a predetermined jam detection time, an alarm or a warning display is given, and the recording material stops being transported.

Thermal printer with jam detection device

In a one-pass multi-head type thermal printer, a slack portion is provided in a recording sheet on each transport path from one thermal head to another. The slack portion is provided by a difference in transporting speed between adjacent two transport members, or by guiding the leading end of the recording sheet along a concavely curved guide member between the adjacent two thermal heads. A change in transporting speed caused by a change in load to the recording sheet during transportation is absorbed in the slack portion, and does not have bad influence on recording.

Color thermal printer and color thermal printing method

Half-tone image data and character image data are discriminated from each other with reference to discrimination data, and are stored separately from each other. In accordance with the image to be printed, one of a character print table and a half-tone print table is selected. In accordance with the result of comparison of the character image data with comparison data read from the character print table, characters are recorded using two kinds of character dot print patterns for recording a dot in the whole area of an associated pixel and for recording no dot. Half-tone images are recorded in the area gradation method using half-tone dot print patterns in accordance with the result of comparison of the half-tone image data with comparison data read from the half-tone print table. One pixel is divided into a plurality of sub-lines. The recording of the characters is performed at intervals of N sub-lines, N is an integer. The recording of the half-tone images is performed at intervals of one sub-line.

Thermal printing method and thermal printer

A thermal recording method and device for recording a half-tone image on a recording sheet, wherein each pixel includes a plurality of sub-lines, and a half-tone is produced by changing the number of the sub-lines where ink is recorded. According to a desirable tonal step, a number of drive pulses are applied to a thermal element for each pixel while the thermal element moves in a sub scan direction relative to the recording sheet, with one drive pulse corresponding to one sub-line. The width of the drive pulse corresponding to the first sub-line of each pixel is set longer than the other drive pulses for the following sub-lines, and is changed according to the pixel position in the sub scan direction. The width of the drive pulse for the first sub-line is the longest at the beginning of recording, and becomes shorter as the recording proceeds. The widths of the other drive pulses may be changed according to the sub-line position within each pixel.

Method and device for correcting shading in thermal printer

A printer has a recording head with a first plurality of recording elements being disposed in a main scan direction. The recording head records the first plurality of pixels on a recording sheet at a time. Each pixel has a second plurality of sub-lines disposed in a sub scan direction, and the number of dot-recorded sub-lines changes with tonal steps. A shift register has the first plurality.times.8-bit latches for latching sequentially inputted first plurality of image data as parallel data. The M image data are sent via a latch array to a comparator array, and set to respective the first plurality.times.8-bit magnitude comparators constituting the comparator array. A counter is incremented each time a platen drum holding a recording sheet is rotated by a one sub-line amount, and the position of each sub-line within one pixel is detected. Each 8-bit magnitude comparator maintains each recording element in a conduction enabled state until a count of the counter exceeds the contents of the image data. As a strobe signal is supplied to the gate array during this conduction enabled state, each recording element is powered. In a preferred embodiment, there are provided the first plurality.times.8-bit counters having a function of presetting a complement of input data and a count function, and an array of the first plurality of decoders. Each decoder maintains each recording element in a conduction enabled state until each 8-bit counter counts up to a maximum count 'of the second plurality'.

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Saitama, Japan

Fuyuki Inui