Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Brother Industries, Ltd.

Sumida Corporation

Keisuke Nishihara

Akira Minami

Isao Fukuchi

Yoshihiro Ota

Kohei Terada

Toshihiro Takahashi

Yuki Naruse

Tomoaki Hazeyama

Mitsugu Kawarai

Susumu Murata

Yukiko Takami

Shimako Nakai

Hisako Tonishi

Yasuhiro Torii

Takayuki Yamaguchi

Mariko Niizeki

Ryuta Iijima

Mina Takechi

Akiko Kodama

Sachiko Murakami

Tatsuaki Mori

Ryoya Takahashi

A printer includes a thermal head including a plurality of heat generating elements configured to apply energy to a recording medium, and a controller configured to perform control of periodically supplying the power to the plurality of heat generating elements. The recording medium includes a first color developing portion configured to develop a first color and a second color developing portion configured to develop a second color. The controller is configured to periodically supply the power to the plurality of heat generating elements, set an average cycle for supplying the power to a first average cycle, in a case of causing the first color developing portion to develop the first color, and set an average cycle for supplying the power to a second average cycle longer than the first average cycle, in a case of causing the second color developing portion to develop the second color.

Printer and non-transitory computer readable storage medium

A CPU of a printing apparatus energizes heat-generating elements for a predetermined period of time in a first divided printing cycle of two divided printing cycles obtained by dividing one printing cycle, according to a yellow energization pattern, and forms a first yellow print dot without causing a heat-sensitive tape to develop another color. Then, the CPU energizes the heat-generating elements for a predetermined period of time in a second divided printing cycle of the two divided printing cycles, and forms a second yellow print dot on the heat-sensitive tape. By forming two print dots in one printing cycle, the CPU secures a large color reproduction range.

Printing apparatus, printing method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

An image forming apparatus includes: a thermal head including a plurality of heating elements; and a controller configured to execute a first one-line printing process to perform printing for one line. The first one-line printing process includes: dividing selected R heating elements into M blocks consisting of a 1-st block to an M-th block such that the M blocks include at least one high current block consisting of p heating elements and at least one low current block consisting of q heating elements; and energizing the M blocks at different timings. In a case where the 1-st block is the high current block, at least one block of the M blocks excluding the M-th block is the low current block. In a case where the 1-st block is the low current block, at least one block of the M blocks excluding the M-th block is the high current block.

Image forming apparatus configured to divide heating elements to be energized into a plurality of blocks and to energize the plurality of blocks at different timings

A cartridge includes: a cartridge case; a first supply portion including a heat-sensitive medium; and a second supply portion including an adhesive medium. The heat-sensitive medium includes a base material, a plurality of heat-sensitive layers, and at least one heat-insulating layer in a stacked state. The heat-sensitive layers include: a first heat-sensitive layer for producing a first color when heated above a first temperature; and a second heat-sensitive layer for producing a second color when heated above a second temperature higher than the first temperature. The cartridge case includes: an opening for exposing the heat-sensitive medium; and a guide part positioned downstream of the opening in a conveying direction of the heat-sensitive medium for guiding the heat-sensitive medium and the adhesive medium bonded to a surface of the heat-sensitive medium opposite the base material with respect to the plurality of heat-sensitive layers.

Cartridge, thermal printer using the cartridge, medium for use with the thermal printer, and method for creating laminated medium

A medium includes a heat-sensitive medium and an adhesive medium. The heat-sensitive medium includes a first base material and a first color-developing layer. The first base material has a transparency. The first color-developing layer has a transparency. The first color-developing layer is provided on a first surface of the first base material. The first color-developing layer is configured to become less transparent to develop a first color when heated to a first temperature or higher. The adhesive medium is to be superimposed on and bonded to the heat-sensitive medium in their thickness direction. The adhesive medium includes a second base material and an adhesive layer provided on the second base material. The adhesive medium is to be bonded to the heat-sensitive medium on an opposite side of the first color-developing layer from the first base material. The first base material has one or more images pre-printed thereon.

Medium including heat-sensitive medium and adhesive medium whose base material has image pre-printed thereon

A printer performs printing on a thermosensitive medium including a plurality of color developing layers including a first layer developing a first color and a second layer developing a second color. The printer includes a head and a control device performing a printing control including outputting a signal pattern based on post-conversion image data converted from pre-conversion image data to cause a plurality of heat generation elements of the head to selectively generate heat while controlling conveyance of the thermosensitive medium. In the converting, when target dots containing the second color is included in the plurality of dots in the pre-conversion image data, the control device converts a color of conversion dots to a conversion color containing the color developed by any one of the plurality of color developing layers.

Printer, printing method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing printing program

An image forming apparatus records an image on a recording medium including a first layer developing a first color when exceeding a first temperature, a second layer developing a second color when exceeding a second temperature, and a third layer developing a third color when exceeding a third temperature. The image forming apparatus includes a head applying energy to the recording medium from the first layer side and a control device configured to control the energy to be applied to the recording medium by the head so as to form an image of a mixed color of the first color, the second color, and the third color on the recording medium by controlling the head to apply the energy to the recording medium to develop the first color on the recording medium after developing the second color or the third color.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing image forming program

When a CPU of a printing apparatus generates a red energization pattern for causing a print medium to develop a color, the CPU generates a subtraction pattern obtained by subtracting a portion of an amount of energy from a magenta energization pattern. The CPU calculates a logical sum of a yellow energization pattern and the subtraction pattern, to generate the red energization pattern.

A medium includes a heat-sensitive medium and an adhesive medium. The heat-sensitive medium includes a first base material and a first heat-sensitive layer. The first base material has a transparency. The first heat-sensitive layer has a transparency. The first heat-sensitive, layer is provided on one surface of the first base material. The first heat-sensitive layer is configured to develop a first color when heated to a first temperature or higher. The adhesive medium includes a second base material and a first adhesive layer. The first adhesive layer is provided on one surface of the second base material. The heat-sensitive medium and the adhesive medium are to be superimposed such that the first heat-sensitive layer and the first adhesive layer are interposed between the heat-sensitive medium and the adhesive medium. The adhesive medium has an ultraviolet absorbance greater than an ultraviolet absorbance of the first base material.

Medium including heat-sensitive medium and adhesive medium having ultraviolet absorbance greater than ultraviolet absorbance of base material of heat-sensitive medium

A medium includes: a heat-sensitive medium subjected to thermal printing; and an adhesive medium to be superimposed on the heat-sensitive medium in a thickness direction and bonded to the heat-sensitive medium. The heat-sensitive medium includes: a surface contacting the adhesive medium; a heat-sensitive medium base material having a transparency; and a first color producing layer having a transparency. The heat-sensitive medium base material has an uneven shape having roughness greater than that of the surface of the heat-sensitive medium. The first color producing layer is configured to produce a first color when heated to a temperature higher than or equal to a first temperature. The adhesive medium includes: an adhesive medium base material; and an adhesive layer provided on the adhesive medium base material. The adhesive layer makes contact with the surface of the heat-sensitive medium so that the adhesive medium is bonded to the heat-sensitive medium.

Medium including heat-sensitive medium provided with base material having uneven shape, and adhesive medium bonded to heat-sensitive medium

A printing device includes: a thermal head; and a processor. The thermal head includes a heating element. The processor is configured to perform: (a) creating; and (b) driving. The (a) creating creates print data based on image data representing an image to be printed on a printing medium. The (b) driving drives the heating element to apply heat to the printing medium according to the print data. The processor is configured to further perform: (c) determining. The (c) determining determines whether to create a plurality of labels for lamination using at least one printing medium including a first printing medium. The first printing medium is transparent and includes a plurality of heat-sensitive layers laminated together. Each of the plurality of heat-sensitive layers is configured to develop a different color when heat is applied from the heating element. The (c) creating is performed in accordance with a determination result in (a).

Printing device and data creating device creating print data for printing image on printing medium including heat-sensitive layer

A medium includes: a heat-sensitive medium and an adhesive medium laminated over the heat-sensitive medium in a thickness direction thereof. The heat-sensitive medium includes a base material and a first heat-sensitive layer configured to produce a first color when heated above a first temperature. The first heat-sensitive layer is positioned between the base material and the adhesive medium in the thickness direction. The adhesive medium includes an adhesive-medium base material and an adhesive layer provided at the adhesive-medium base material. The adhesive medium defines a width greater than a width of the heat-sensitive medium in a width direction thereof crossing the thickness direction.

Medium having heat-sensitive medium and adhesive medium whose width is greater than width of heat-sensitive medium, cartridge including the medium, and method for creating the medium

A print data generating device is configured to generate print data for creating a printed medium by printing a target image on a heat-sensitive medium with a printing device. The printing device includes a thermal head having a heating element. The heat-sensitive medium includes: a base material; and a heat-sensitive layer. The base material has a transparency. The heat-sensitive layer is provided over one surface of the base material and is configured to develop a first color when heated to a first temperature or higher. The printing device is configured to control the heating element according to the print data to heat the heat-sensitive medium. The print data generating device includes a controller. The controller is configured to perform: (a) determining a condition of a background area on which the heat-sensitive medium is to be superimposed; and (b) generating the print data in accordance with the condition determined in (a).

Print data generating device and printing device generating print data for creating printed medium

A printing device is configured to print a multi-layer thermal printing medium. The printing device includes a thermal head and a controller. The thermal head has a heat generating elements configured to form images on a heat sensitive multi-layer. The controller is configured to perform detecting whether a viewing direction of the heat sensitive multi-layer is a thickness direction to view from a second surface toward a first surface or a direction opposite the thickness direction to view from the first surface toward the second surface. The controller is configured to further perform creating print data to be applied to each of the heat generating elements. The created print data is such that color development states of a first color and a second color according to the detected viewing direction are differentiated from color development states of the first color and the second color according to an undetected viewing direction.

Printing device creating print data differentiated in color development state depending on viewing direction of multi-layer medium

A cartridge unit for a printer including a cartridge and a circuit assembly. The circuit assembly includes a base member and a circuit substrate having a memory module and a plurality of second electrical contacts. In a cartridge attached state, the circuit assembly is configured to be in a circuit assembly attached state where the circuit assembly is arranged between the plurality of first electrical contacts of the printer and the particular cartridge side wall, the plurality of first electrical contacts electrically contacting the plurality of second electrical contacts, respectively. In a circuit assembly unattached state, the circuit assembly is not arranged between the plurality of first electrical contacts and the particular cartridge side wall. A thickness of the circuit assembly is larger than a distance between the plurality of first electrical contacts and the particular cartridge side wall in the cartridge attached and the circuit assembly unattached state.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Keisuke Nishihara