Seiko Epson Corporation

Torao Yajima

Hiroshi Ono

Yoshikazu Ito

Takuya Hyonaga

Kazuhisa Aruga

Kazunari Yawata

Noboru Yanagisawa

Mitsuaki Teradaira

A Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal of a POS system may be equipped with an ink-jet printer. An ink cartridge serving as an ink supply source is loaded onto a cartridge loading section The ink cartridge may be equipped with an IC memory chip having ad information retained therein. When the ink cartridge is loaded onto the cartridge loading section ad information may be read by the POS terminal The ad information may be printed on a receipt to be issued or displayed to a display device . So long as an ink cartridge provider receives charges for advertisement from a commercial sponsor, the provider is able to sell large numbers of ink cartridges inexpensively. Further, the user of the POS system can purchase ink cartridges, which are consumable items, at low cost.

System, apparatus, and method for issuing receipts and providing advertising

A computer system is connected to a printer via a parallel interface, for point-of-sale (POS) applications employing one or more different paper sources, such as, continuous tape, document insertion, and sheet validation. A detector is associated with each paper source to sense a paper empty or out condition. The printer has an addressable latch that enables a choice of one or more of these detectors for connection through to a single status line within the parallel printer interface. The computer CPU can access the addressable latch prior to any printing so that the presence of an appropriate type of paper in its appropriate print position in the printer can be checked or tested utilizing an industry standard parallel printer interface, such as, the widely employed Centronics interface.

Status and command function extension for industry standard printer

A printer control device is employed with host computer controlled printers, typically of the point-of-sale (POS) type, which are capable of printing on several different types of recording paper. Several detectors are used on the printer to sense out-of-paper conditions with at least one detector being associated with each paper source used, and a detector selection device is used to determine which detector outputs are to be connected to the host computer through a communications interface. Detector output values can be stored and logically combined to allow transfer over a single communications line. Specific detector outputs can be enabled or selected for transfer to the host or for use in termination of printing operations. A paper type selector is used for setting line spacing or advancement amounts which are stored by the printer controller for later retrieval. Typically each advancement value relative to one type of paper is stored separately in a memory location or element. The type of recording paper and line advancement value for that paper are each selected by a printer control command, which is interpreted and acted upon by the printer controller. The printer controller responds to data printing commands and activates paper transfer mechanisms within the printer to achieve the established line advancement values during printing operations.

Printer control device to enable printing on selected multiple types of

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Suwa, Japan

Torao Yajima