Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha

Takara Pac Ltd.

Sadayoshi Mochida

Hiroyasu Ishii

Kiyoshi Morino

Hiroyuki Taki

Yasunobu Terao

Mikio Yamamoto

Tsuyoshi Sanada

Chikahiro Saegusa

Shinichi Kashiwagi

Takashi Sekimoto

Generally, in accordance with one embodiment, a thermal printer comprises a thermal head configured to press a transfer ribbon conveyed along with a sheet towards the sheet and endows the transfer ribbon with heat to transfer the ink of the transfer ribbon to the sheet; a head moving mechanism configured to lift the thermal head to an unprintable position separating from the sheet side and lower the thermal head to a printable position where the transfer ribbon is pressed to the sheet; and a controller configured to acquire a set value of printing speed, carry out printing process while conveying the sheet at the printing speed in a printing area, change the sheet conveyance speed to a speed lower than the set value in a non-print area, and lift and lower the thermal head while conveying the sheet at the lower speed.

Thermal printer, ribbon saving method and ribbon saving program

Generally, in accordance with one embodiment, a thermal printer comprises a ribbon conveyance mechanism, a sheet conveyance mechanism, a thermal head, a thickness sensor, a head moving mechanism and a controller. The ribbon conveyance mechanism conveys a transfer ribbon. The sheet conveyance mechanism conveys a sheet. The thermal head applies heat to the transfer ribbon to transfer ink of the transfer ribbon to the sheet. The thickness sensor detects the thickness of the transfer ribbon. The head moving mechanism heads up the thermal head during the conveyance of the sheet based on the sheet conveyance mechanism. The controller acquires a required non-print area length based on the thickness of the transfer ribbon and a set printing speed, and turns, if there is required non-print area length in printing data, the thermal head into a head-up state and stops the conveyance of the transfer ribbon in the non-print area.

Thermal printer and ribbon saving processing method

According to one embodiment, a printer includes an image forming unit, a coloring conversion unit, and a deterring unit. The image forming unit forms an image from a temperature-sensitive ink whose color is changed depending on a temperature on a medium. The coloring conversion unit converts a coloring state of the image of the temperature-sensitive ink by heating or cooling the image of the temperature-sensitive ink. The deterring unit provided between the coloring conversion unit and the image forming unit deters an air heated or cooled by the coloring conversion unit from flowing toward the image forming unit.

Printer and print system

A cutter unit that includes a conveying mechanism, a first blade, and a second blade. The conveying mechanism conveys a print paper having a print surface and an adhesive surface. The first blade is provided on a conveying path of the print paper conveyed by the conveying mechanism to face the print surface of the print paper. The second blade is provided on the conveying path to face the adhesive surface. The second blade includes a cutting surface configured to cut the print paper inserted between the second blade and the first blade, and a contact surface configured to contact the adhesive surface of the print paper on the conveying path. The contact surface of the second blade is coated with an adhesion-retardant agent.

Printer with cutter unit having blade with adhesion-retardant agent

A cutter unit includes a conveying mechanism, a first blade and a second blade. The conveying mechanism conveys a linerless label having an adhesive-applied surface on which an adhesive agent is applied. The first blade is provided to face an opposite side from the adhesive-applied surface of the linerless label. The second blade is provided to face the adhesive-applied surface of the linerless label. The second blade includes a cutting portion configured to cut the linerless label inserted between the second blade and the first blade, and a supporting portion configured to support the adhesive-applied surface of the linerless label downstream of the cutting portion in a conveying direction of the linerless label.

Printer with cutter having blade including linerless label supporting portion

A printer comprises a conveying unit configured to convey a medium. The printer includes an image forming unit provided in a conveyance path of the medium, the image forming unit being configured to form an image with a temperature-sensitive ink, whose color is changed depending on a temperature, on the medium. A cutter for cutting the medium is provided in the conveyance path downstream of a medium conveyance direction of the image forming unit. Further, a coloring conversion unit is provided in the conveyance path downstream of a medium conveyance direction of the cutter. The coloring conversion unit is configured to change a coloring state of the image of the temperature-sensitive ink by heating or cooling the image of the temperature-sensitive ink formed on the cut medium.

Printer

According to one embodiment, a printer includes a conveying mechanism, a first image forming unit, and a second image forming unit. The conveying mechanism conveys a medium. The first image forming unit forms an image with a non-temperature-sensitive ink whose color is not changed depending on a temperature, on the medium. The second image forming unit forms an image with a temperature-sensitive ink whose color is changed depending on a temperature, on the medium having the image with the non-temperature-sensitive ink formed thereon.

Printer and medium

A sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention comprises: a sheet discharge section that feeds a sheet supplied from an image forming apparatus to a post-processing section and leads the sheet that has passed through the post-processing section to a sheet discharge port; a sheet discharge tray that receives a sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port and can move to a first standby position and a second standby position higher than the first standby position and nearer to the sheet discharge port; and a controller that controls the height position of the sheet discharge tray by identifying the type of the sheet. The controller changes the height position of the sheet discharge tray to allow the sheet discharge tray to receive the discharged sheet at the first standby position in the case where the sheet is a first type while to receive the discharged sheet at the second standby position in the case where the sheet is a second type.

Sheet post-processing apparatus

When a label on a conveyor belt is detected, there is performed a label sticking process of making a sticking mechanism take out the label and stick it to an article at a predetermined position, while when a defect of the label on the conveyor belt is detected before detecting the label, the label is sent out to a label recovery position without performing the label sticking process.

Printer-labeler and labeler

An apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes: a first table and a second table on which an article with an RFID tag may be placed; a retaining mechanism for selectively retaining the first table and the second table in a state in which the second table is placed on the first table and in a state in which the first table and the second table are apart from each other vertically by a specified distance; a first article detector and a second article detector disposed on the upper surface of the first table and the upper surface of the second table, respectively, for detecting that the article has been placed; and an antenna communicating with the RFID tag, with the directivity aimed upward when the second article detector has detected the article, and with the directivity aimed downward when the first article detector has detected the article.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Sadayoshi Mochida