JP2011201562A - Labeler and label affixing method - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a labeler that can be easily pasted even when linerless paper not provided with a mount is used as label paper.
A discharge port 110 for discharging a printed linerless paper 108, and a movable member 112 for detecting that a part of the linerless paper 108 discharged from the discharge port 110 is stuck on an object to be pasted, When it is detected that the sensor unit 113a and a part of the linerless paper 108 are attached to the object A, the cutter 111 cuts a portion where the linerless paper is not attached. Can be pasted.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a labeler and a labeling method.

  Conventionally, labelers for attaching labels to articles are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a scanner that reads information such as an article code representing an article from a barcode or a two-dimensional code printed on a tag or tag attached to the article, and information read by the scanner. A labeler in which a printing unit for printing on a label is integrated is disclosed.

  This labeler uses a roll-shaped label sheet composed of a mount and a label affixed on the mount at a predetermined interval. Specifically, the label is printed based on the information read by the scanner, and the printed label is peeled off from the mount at the peeling portion. The peeled label is held by a holding unit located at the discharge port. The user can apply the label by holding the handle of the labeler and positioning the label held by the holding unit on the object to be attached.

  What is described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is a configuration based on the premise that a label sheet composed of a mount and a label affixed on the mount is used. Nothing is disclosed. Since linerless paper does not have a mount, labels are continuously connected to form a roll.

  Linerless paper is desirable from an environmental point of view because there is no mount to become garbage. However, the labeler described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that linerless paper cannot be used.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a labeler capable of using linerless paper, and a label that can be easily attached even with a label using linerless paper. It is also intended to provide a method of applying.

  The labeler of the present invention includes a discharge port for discharging label paper having an adhesive layer on the back surface, a detection unit for detecting that a part of the label paper discharged from the discharge port is attached to an object to be applied, and this detection And a cutter that cuts a portion of the label paper that is not attached when it is detected that the label paper has been attached to the object to be attached.

  In addition, when the label sticking method of the present invention detects directly or indirectly that a part of the label paper discharged from the discharge port is stuck on the sticking object, the cutter is driven based on the detection result. Then, the label paper is pasted by cutting a portion of the label paper that is not pasted.

  According to the labeler of the present invention, it is possible to use linerless paper as label paper. Moreover, according to the label sticking method concerning this invention, even if it uses linerless paper as label paper, it can stick easily.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a labeler according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the labeler according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration around the outlet of the labeler according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the labeler according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining label cutting of the labeler according to the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a labeler according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the labeler according to the present invention is applied to a printer with a scanner that applies light to a barcode or the like printed on a tag or a tag attached to an article and reads an image from the reflected light. An example will be described.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of a printer with a scanner according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of the main part of the scanner-equipped printer according to the present embodiment. In order to facilitate understanding of the overall configuration, the detection unit and cutter of this patent are not shown in FIG. These configurations will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The printer with a scanner 1 according to the present embodiment includes a main body case 100, a barcode scanner 101 for inputting print information, a display 102 for displaying various information, a key input unit 103 for inputting print information and the like, and a scanner. Trigger switches 104 and 104a for emitting laser light, a grip 105 for a user, a thermal head 106 for printing on a label, a platen roller 107 facing the thermal head 106, and the like are provided.

  A roll-like linerless paper 108 is accommodated in the scanner-equipped printer 1. The linerless paper 108 has a printing surface on the surface facing the thermal head 106 and an adhesive surface having an adhesive layer on the back surface facing the platen 107.

  The scanner 101 applies light to a barcode printed on a tag or the like attached to an article and reads article information from the reflected light. Based on the article information, the thermal head 106 performs printing. Do. For example, the scanner 101 reads product information from a tag attached to a product, inquires of the product information from a host computer to be described later, receives discount information, and then prints a discount label based on the discount information. can do.

  The display 102 is a liquid crystal display or the like for displaying article information, operation information (for example, manually input discount amount), and the like. The key input unit 103 is used when the user edits print information.

  The grip portion 105 is a portion to be gripped when the user holds the printer with a scanner 1, and a portion indicated by reference numeral 105a is formed of a conductive polymer material. In addition, the part shown with the code | symbol 105a functions as what detects whether the user is grasping the grip part 105. FIG.

  The trigger switch 104 is a switch that is provided in the grip portion 105 and requests reading of article information by the scanner 1.

  The platen roller 107 sandwiches the linerless paper 108 together with the thermal head 106, and conveys the linerless paper 108 by being driven to rotate.

  Reference numeral 110 denotes a discharge port through which the printed linerless paper 108 is discharged. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an internal configuration around the discharge port 110, which is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A cutter 111 for cutting the linerless paper 108 is provided on the downstream side of the thermal head 106 and the platen 107 in the conveying direction of the linerless paper 108, that is, on the discharge port 110 side of the thermal head 106 and the platen 107. .

  A movable member 112 is provided on the downstream side of the cutter 111. The movable member 112 includes a proximal end portion 113 and a distal end portion 114, and is provided on the main body case 100 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 113 a of the proximal end portion 113. The base end portion 113 is provided with a sensor portion 113b composed of a pressure sensor. The sensor unit 113b constitutes a part of a detection unit that detects that a part of the linerless paper 118 is affixed to an object to be affixed. The tip portion 114 protrudes outside the main body case 100.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the scanner-equipped printer according to this embodiment. The printer with a scanner 1 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201 that executes various arithmetic processes and centrally controls each unit. The CPU 201 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203 and a FROM (Flash Read Only Memory) 202 which is a nonvolatile storage unit capable of retaining stored contents even when the power is turned off via a system bus (not shown). Connected.

  The FROM 202 stores an operation program and various setting information of the printer 1 with a scanner. The CPU 201 controls each unit by copying the operation program stored in the FROM 202 (including a program for executing processing related to articles such as printing of discount amount and price tag, manual input of discount amount) to the RAM 203 and executing it.

  The RAM 203 temporarily stores various types of variable information, and prints that associate a user who has performed printing with the scanner-equipped printer 1 with print information indicating the number of prints and print contents actually printed by the user. The information table stores a time information table in which a user who has performed printing by the scanner-equipped printer 1 and time information indicating the time when the user has printed by the scanner-equipped printer 1 are associated with each other.

  The RAM 203 is used as a print buffer in which print data (image data) to be printed on the linerless paper 108 is developed. The print data may be data to be printed received from the host computer 2, data stored in the FROM 202, or a discount amount input from the key input unit 103. Also good.

  The CPU 201 includes a display control circuit 204, a communication I / F 205, a motor control circuit 206, a head control circuit 208, a power supply circuit 209, a scanner control circuit 211, a key input unit 103, a trigger switch 104, a cutter control circuit 210, and a sensor. 113b is connected via a system bus (not shown).

  The display control circuit 204 controls display on the display device 102 (such as a menu screen including an operation image for selecting related processing) under the control of the CPU 201. A communication I / F 205 is an interface for communicating with an external device such as the host computer 2. The communication I / F 205 is, for example, for communication by infrared communication, USB (Universal Serial Bus), wireless LAN (Local Area Network), RS-232C, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the like, and is provided in the host computer 2. It is possible to communicate with the communication I / F.

  A motor control circuit 206 controls a stepping motor 207 that is a drive source of the platen roller 107 under the control of the CPU 201. The head control circuit 208 outputs a print control signal to the thermal head 106 under the control of the CPU 201. A scanner control circuit 211 controls reading of article information by the scanner 101 under the control of the CPU 201.

  The power supply circuit 209 controls supply / cut-off of power from the battery 210 to each unit of the printer with scanner 1 in accordance with ON / OFF of the power of the printer with scanner 1 by the key input unit 103.

  The cutter control circuit 210 controls the driving of the cutter 111 based on the output of the sensor unit 113b under the control of the CPU 201.

  Next, label printing, issuing, and pasting processes by the scanner-equipped printer 1 will be described. The operator holds the printer with scanner 1 by holding the grip portion 105, reads, for example, a barcode attached to a certain article with the scanner 101, and acquires article information about the article from the reflected light. Note that when the scanner 101 reads a barcode, the trigger switch 104 is operated.

  When the article information is acquired, the scanner-equipped printer 1 acquires information related to the article information from the host computer via the communication I / F 205, and prints on the label by the thermal head 106 based on this information. After printing, the CPU 201 controls the platen roller 107 by the motor control circuit 206 to convey the linerless paper 108 by a predetermined amount. As a result, the front end portion of the printed linerless paper 108 protrudes out of the main body case 100 from the discharge port 110, and a label is issued.

  In this state, the user presses the linerless paper 108 protruding from the main body case 100, in other words, the label against the object A to be pasted. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the tip of the label is stuck on the sticking object A, and the tip 114 of the movable member 112 presses the sticking object A through the label. As a result, the movable member 112 rotates and presses the leading end portion of the label attached to the object A side.

  On the other hand, when the movable member 114 is rotated, the sensor portion 113 b comes into contact with the main body case 100 that forms the discharge port 110. The sensor unit 113b outputs a detection signal to the CPU 201. The CPU 201 outputs a signal to the cutter control circuit 210, and the cutter control circuit 210 drives the cutter 111. As a result, the cutter 111 cuts the linerless paper 108 as shown in FIG. In this state, the user can stick the cut label to the sticking object A by moving the printer with scanner 1 to the right in FIG.

  As described above, according to the labeler in the present embodiment, the linerless paper 108 is cut by the cutter 111 after the leading end of the continuous linerless paper 108 is stuck to the sticking object A. Can do. For this reason, even if it uses linerless paper as a label, it can stick reliably.

  Further, since the movable member 112 for detecting that the leading end of the linerless paper 108 is stuck on the sticking object A is used, the leading end of the linerless paper 108 is pressed down more reliably. A label can be attached to.

  According to the present embodiment, the detection unit that detects that a part of the label sheet has been applied to the application target A is configured to include a movable member having the sensor unit 113b that includes a pressure sensor. However, it is not limited to this. In addition, a part of the label sheet can be adhered by adopting a configuration in which it is detected that a part of the label sheet is adhered in a state where the label to which the distal end portion 114 of the movable member 112 is adhered is pressed. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may be configured to detect indirectly. For example, the distance between the discharge port 110 and the object to be pasted is detected, and it is possible to determine that a part of the label sheet has been pasted when the distance becomes a predetermined distance or less.

110 Discharge port 112 Movable member 113b Sensor part 111 Cutter

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-335443

Claims (5)

A discharge port for discharging label paper having an adhesive layer on the back surface;
A detection unit for detecting that a part of the label paper discharged from the discharge port is attached to the object to be attached;
When the detection unit detects that the label paper has been attached to an object to be attached, a cutter that cuts a portion of the label paper that is not attached;
A labeler characterized by comprising.   The label paper having the adhesive layer on the back surface is discharged from the discharge port, and when a part of the discharged label paper is attached to the object to be attached, the part where the label paper is not attached is cut with a cutter. Characteristic labeler.   The said detection part is further provided with the movable member which protrudes from the said discharge port, and the detection part for movable members which detects that this movable member moved in contact with the sticking target object. Labeler according to any one of   The labeler according to claim 3, wherein the movable member presses a surface of a label sheet attached to an object to be attached.   When it is detected directly or indirectly that a part of the label paper discharged from the discharge port is attached to the object to be attached, the label paper is not attached by driving the cutter based on this detection result. A method for applying a label, comprising cutting a part and applying a label.

Images