Printer, program, and information processing method of printer

Abstract

To print an appropriate expiration date of a commodity after opening the commodity in a printer.SOLUTION: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer including a first setting unit configured to set a pre-opening expiration date that is an expiration date before opening of a product, a second setting unit configured to set a post-opening expiration date of the product after opening of the product, and a printing control unit configured to perform control to print one of the pre-opening expiration date and the post-opening expiration date closer to a current time as a substantial expiration date.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, labels attached to products have expiration dates such as a use-by date or best-before date printed on them. The labels are printed using a label printer in a store that sells the products and then attached to the products. Conventionally, processes have been proposed to prevent the printing of incorrect expiration dates. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a printer that, when a user inputs an additional value, prints on a label a character string representing the date obtained by adding the additional value to the printer's reference date. With this printer, if the condition specified by at least one of the upper and lower limit values ​​of the additional value is not met, a message prompting the user to re-enter the additional value is displayed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-026682 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, some products may be required to be consumed earlier than their predetermined expiration dates. For example, although a package containing food may have an expiration date printed on it, once the package is opened, the food inside the package may need to be consumed within a certain period of time. In such cases, when attaching a label to the food inside the package after opening it, it is required to issue a label with an appropriate expiration date printed on it.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to enable a printer to print an appropriate expiration date on a product after the product has been opened. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, a first setting unit sets a pre-opening expiration date, which is an expiration date before opening of a product; a second setting unit that sets the expiration date of the product after opening the product; and a print control unit that controls the printer so that the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time, is printed as the effective expiration date. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the printer can print an appropriate expiration date on a product after the product has been opened. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a label issuing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a project file creation screen on a computer terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating setting of an object on a computer terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating setting of an object on a computer terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating setting of an object on a computer terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating setting of an object on a computer terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a procedure for displaying a call table on a computer terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating screen transitions when printing a label in a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state when data is input into a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a label issuing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when a label is printed by a label printing application of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a label printed by a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating screen transitions when displaying an issuance history in a printer according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The embodiments described below are not limited to the drawings described by the brief description of the drawings.

[0010] A first aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a product, comprising: a first setting unit that sets a pre-opening expiration date that is an expiration date before opening of the product; a second setting unit that sets the expiration date of the product after opening the product; and a print control unit that controls the printer so that the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time, is printed as the effective expiration date.

[0011] According to a first aspect of the present invention, the printer can print an appropriate expiration date on a product after the product has been opened.

[0012] A second aspect of the present invention is a printer according to the first aspect, wherein the first setting unit sets the expiration date after opening by adding a predetermined period corresponding to the product to the current time.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to set an expiration date after opening depending on the product.

[0014] In a third aspect of the present invention, the method further includes a selection unit that selects one of the plurality of products, In the printer according to the first aspect, the first setting unit sets the expiration date after opening by adding a predetermined period according to the product selected by the selection unit to the current time.

[0015] According to a third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to set an expiration date after opening for each of a plurality of products.

[0016] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, the expiration date before opening is attached to the product, In the printer according to any one of the first to third aspects, the first setting unit sets the expiration date before opening via a reading device that reads the expiration date before opening from the product.

[0017] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the use of a reading device makes it easy to set the expiration date before opening.

[0018] A fifth aspect of the present invention is a printer according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising an output unit that outputs an error if at least one of the pre-opening expiration date and the post-opening expiration date does not satisfy specified conditions regarding the data format.

[0019] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to notify the user to input or set an appropriate expiration date before opening and / or the expiration date after opening.

[0020] A sixth aspect of the present invention is a printer according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a display control unit that, after printing is completed, displays printing history information on a display unit, including the expiration date before opening and the expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time.

[0021] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a user can check expiration dates that have been printed on print media in the past.

[0022] A seventh aspect of the present invention is a method for implementing a printer program that, when installed in a printer, causes a computer to: The procedure for setting the expiration date before opening, which is the expiration date before the product is opened, and a step of setting an expiration date for the product after opening the product; and a program for executing a control procedure so that the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time, is printed as the effective expiration date.

[0023] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the printer can print an appropriate expiration date on a product after the product has been opened.

[0024] In an eighth aspect of the present invention, a pre-opening expiration date is set, which is an expiration date before opening the product, After opening the product, set a post-opening expiration date for the product; The information processing method of the printer controls the printer so that the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time, is printed as the effective expiration date.

[0025] According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the printer can print an appropriate expiration date on a product after the product has been opened.

[0026] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this disclosure, the "expiration date" of a product refers to a date that indicates whether the product can be used, enjoyed, or consumed by a user. Examples of expiration dates include a use-by date, a best-before date, a consumption date, and a quality assurance date. In the following description, the "expiration date" of a product is an example of an expiration date. Also, in the following description, "expiration date before opening," "expiration date after opening," and "use by date" are mentioned.

[0027] The "use-before-opening date" is the expiration date before the product is opened. In this disclosure, opening a product means opening a package such as a box or bag in which the contents are packed. When a product is packed in a box or bag, the use-before-opening date is printed on the box or bag, for example. The use-before-opening date is determined, for example, at the time the product is manufactured, and is printed on the box or bag in which the product is packed at that time. The "expiration date after opening" is the expiration date of a product after it has been opened. For example, if multiple products are packed and sealed in a box or bag, depending on the type of product, they may need to be consumed within a certain period of time after the box or bag is opened. Also, if the box or bag has been stored in the freezer, they may need to be thawed and consumed within a certain period of time after being opened. In this case, the expiration date after opening is the date and time after the certain period of time has passed since the box or bag was opened. The "use by date" is the date by which a product should be used or consumed, and is the earlier of the pre-opening or post-opening expiration dates (i.e., the date closest to the current time), and is the actual expiration date taking into account the fact that the product has been opened. Note that the "use by date" mentioned below is not intended to be limited to days, but can be set down to the hour and minute. In this disclosure, "setting a deadline" includes setting a deadline by obtaining the deadline from outside (for example, by obtaining it through user input) or by calculating the deadline through some kind of calculation.

[0028] The printer in one embodiment described below is configured to print a use-by date on a label that is affixed to a product after it has been opened, thereby printing a practical expiration date on the label that takes into account the event of the product being opened.

[0029] First, a label issuing system 1 including a printer according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram of the label issuing system 1 according to an embodiment.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 1, in a label issuing system 1 of this embodiment, a computer terminal 2 and a printer 3 are connected to a server 5 via a network NW such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network). The printer 3 and an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) scanner 6 (an example of a reading device) are capable of short-range wireless communication. Various protocols are known for short-range wireless communication methods, and the present invention is not limited to a specific protocol, but an example is Bluetooth (registered trademark). In addition to Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication) may also be used. In the following description, the OCR scanner 6 is used as an example of a reading device, but the reading device is not limited to this and may be a code scanner. The printer 3 and the OCR scanner 6 may be connected by wire.

[0031] In the example described below, the label issuing system 1 is a system operated by a retailer that operates a store, and is used to issue labels for products sold in the store or products used in the backroom of the store. However, the label issuing system 1 is not limited to this, and can also be applied by a management company that manages products in a factory, warehouse, etc.

[0032] A computer terminal 2 is located at the retailer's headquarters. The computer terminal 2 is an information processing device such as a personal computer or tablet terminal. A printer 3 is located in the store. Although only one printer 3 is shown in FIG. 1, this is not limited to this, and if multiple stores are operated, one or more printers 3 may be located in each store. The headquarters uses a computer terminal 2 to design the basic layout design of the labels. Each store uses a printer 3 to print labels to be affixed to products based on the label layout design provided by the headquarters.

[0033] A label creation application program (hereinafter referred to as the "label creation application") is installed on the computer terminal 2, which creates a project file (described later) that includes data on the label layout design, data on each item included in the label, various settings, etc. A project file is a file that indicates a management unit for data related to label layout. In accordance with a predetermined operation by the user on the computer terminal 2, the project file is converted into a format file on the computer terminal 2, and the format file is distributed from the computer terminal 2 to the printer 3 via the server 5. In other words, in accordance with a predetermined operation by the user, the format file is uploaded from the computer terminal 2 to the server 5, and then downloaded from the server 5 to the printer 3 at a predetermined timing.

[0034] A label printing application program (hereinafter referred to as the "label printing application") that prints labels based on a format file obtained from the computer terminal 2 is installed on the printer 3. By executing the label printing application, printing data (described later) that is the basis for printing labels is selected from the downloaded format file in response to user operations.

[0035] Next, the project file created by the computer terminal 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is an example of screen G1 (project file creation screen) displayed on the computer terminal 2 when the label creation application is launched. On the project file creation screen, the user can design the label to be printed by the printer 3 by setting objects to be placed in the effective printing area of ​​the label. In the label creation application, data is managed by a project file. As described above, a project file is created by the label creation application and indicates a management unit for data related to label layout.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the screen G1 includes a group of instruction buttons 101, a group of object buttons 102, a design window 103, a project setting section 104, and an object property setting section 105. The data included in the project file is displayed in a hierarchical structure in the project setting section 104. As shown in this hierarchical structure, the project file includes a call table and layout data. By operating the buttons in the instruction button group 101, the user can read a project file from the project file storage, save a project file that is being created or has already been created in the storage, or convert a project file into a format file and upload it to the server 5.

[0037] The call table is data that is referenced when printing a label in the label printing application of the printer 3. The call table will be described later.

[0038] The layout data is design data for a label that can be printed by the printer 3 in combination with a call table, and is displayed in the design window 103 on the screen G1 during editing. The design window 103 corresponds to the label creation / editing area, and labels are designed by placing and moving objects within this creation / editing area. In other words, the design window 103 is a window for designing the layout of labels. The example shown in Figure 2 illustrates a case in which a label is designed that includes four objects: object OBJ1 corresponding to the "product name" item, object OBJ2 corresponding to the "best before opening" item, object OBJ3 corresponding to the "best after opening" item, and object OBJ4 corresponding to the "use by" item.

[0039] When button b2 ("input screen") is operated, a window (not shown) for inputting the character string or code contained in each object is displayed in place of the design window 103. When button b1 ("layout") is operated while this window is displayed, the display returns to the design window 103.

[0040] The object button group 102 is a section for performing operations to select and move objects in the design window 103 or to set new objects. The object button group 102 allows selection of objects such as a character string object, price object, barcode object, date and time object, and graphic object. Various settings for the objects can be made in the object property setting section 105. The object property setting section 105 displays the property corresponding to the object selected in the design window 103 .

[0041] The example in Fig. 2 shows a case where object OBJ1 is selected in design window 103. In this case, various settings for object OBJ1 can be made in object property setting section 105. Object property setting section 105 includes input method setting section 201 that specifies the method for inputting a value corresponding to an item name. In input method setting section 201, one of "Fixed," "At Issue (Data)," or "Reference / Link" can be selected as the input method. When "Fixed" is selected as the input method, it indicates that the value set in the "Data" field (in this example, "chicken thigh") will be printed, and when "At Printing (Data)" is selected as the input method, it indicates that the initial value set in the "Data" field will be displayed by the label printing application of the printer 3. When "At Printing (Data)" is selected as the input method, the initial value can be changed by the label printing application. When "Reference / Combination" is selected as the input method, it indicates that data from other items will be referenced or data from multiple items will be combined. When "Reference / Combination" is selected, detailed settings become available by operating the detailed settings button b3.

[0042] FIG. 3 shows the object property setting section 105a that is displayed when the object OBJ2 corresponding to the "expiration date before opening" item is selected in the design window 103. The object property setting section 105a allows various settings to be made for the object OBJ2, and includes an input method setting section 201a, similar to the object property setting section 105. In the input method setting section 201a, one of "Fixed", "At Issue (Data)", or "Reference / Link" can be selected as the input method. In one embodiment, the label printing application of the printer 3 is set to input values ​​from the OCR scanner 6 when printing a label. Specifically, when "Reference / Combination" is selected as the input method and the advanced settings button b3 is operated, a setting table TL1 consisting of "Type," "Data," "Starting digit," "Number of digits," and "Padding type" is displayed. The "Type" column in the setting table TL1 indicates either fixed or reference. The "Data" column indicates the value to be printed if the type is "Fixed", and indicates data acquisition by another object that references the value or the OCR scanner 6 if the type is "Reference". The "Starting digit" column specifies which digit of the data to reference when referencing data. The "Number of digits" column specifies which digits from the starting digit of the value to reference when referencing a value. The "Padding type" column specifies the method of padding digits if the value does not meet the number of digits when referencing a value.

[0043] By specifying "(INP-DEV)" in the "Data" field of the setting table TL1, the setting is made so that data is acquired from the OCR scanner 6 when the label is printed. If the expiration date before opening is to be entered using the label printing application of the printer 3, simply select "At time of printing (data)" in the input method setting section 201a.

[0044] A check box 202 allows the user to set whether or not to print the value corresponding to the item name.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows the object property setting section 105b that is displayed when the object OBJ3 corresponding to the "expiration date after opening" item is selected in the design window 103. The object property setting section 105b allows various settings to be made for the object OBJ3, and includes an input method setting section 201b. The input method setting section 201b allows the user to set whether or not an additional value is to be added, and if an additional value is to be added, to specify or refer to the additional value.

[0046] The additional value is a date and time value set in the date and time object of the layout data created by the label creation application, and is a value added to the reference date of the printer 3. The additional value is not limited to being set in units of days, but may also be set in units of hours and minutes. As mentioned above, the expiration date after opening is the date and time after a predetermined period has elapsed since the box or bag containing the product was opened, and the additional value is a value equivalent to that predetermined period. By setting the additional value for each product in the label creation application, the expiration date after opening can be set in the label printing application of printer 3 as the date and time obtained by adding the additional value corresponding to the product to the base date of printer 3 (the date when the label is printed). The additional value for each product can be set in a call table, which will be described later. In the example of the input method setting section 201b shown in Figure 4, "Data Set" is selected as the additional value reference. When "Data Set" is selected, it means that a specific item in a call table (described later) is designated and referenced. In this example, the additional value is referenced to the value set in the "Additional Value" item in the call table TL4 (Figure 7; described later).

[0047] FIG. 4 shows an object property setting section 105c that is displayed when an object OBJ4 corresponding to the "Usage Limit Date" item is selected in the design window 103. The object property setting section 105c allows various settings to be made for the object OBJ4, and like the object property setting section 105a, includes an input method setting section 201c. In the input method setting section 201c, one of "Fixed", "At Issue (Data)", or "Reference / Link" can be selected as the input method. When "Reference / Link" is selected as the input method and the detailed settings button b3 is operated, a setting table TL2 consisting of "Type," "Data," "Starting digit," "Number of digits," and "Padding type" is displayed, as shown in Figure 5. "Starting digit," "Number of digits," and "Padding type" are as described above.

[0048] In the setting table TL2 shown in Figure 5, the type is set to "Reference (user defined)" and the "Data" reference method is pre-programmed to reference the values ​​of multiple objects. Specifically, when a blank field for "Data" is selected, a window W1 for referencing the values ​​of multiple objects is displayed. The window W1 includes a pull-down menu 301 for selecting one of multiple reference methods (edit types), including "Reference maximum value" and "Reference minimum value."

[0049] When "Refer to maximum value" is selected in the pull-down menu 301, the maximum value of the values ​​of one or more objects included in the object list 304 is referenced. When "Refer to minimum value" is selected in the pull-down menu 301, the minimum value of the values ​​of one or more objects included in the object list 304 is referenced. In the window W1, it is possible to perform an operation to add or delete an object included in the object list 304. Using radio buttons 302, the user can specify whether to compare the values ​​of one or more objects included in object list 304 as numerical values ​​or as dates and times. When comparing multiple dates and times, the earlier the date and time is, the smaller the value is compared.

[0050] When specifying "Date and Time" using radio button 302, the user must specify a date and time format condition (format condition; an example of a predetermined condition related to data format) in input box 303. Specifying a format condition makes it possible to properly compare the values ​​of multiple objects. Format conditions include the case where the date is expressed as "YYYYMMDD" (where Y is a four-digit year in the Gregorian calendar, M is a two-digit month, and D is a two-digit day), as well as the following formats: Note that a format that includes the Japanese era name instead of the Gregorian calendar year may also be used. YYYY.MM.DD (year, month, and day separated by a period) YYYY / MM / DD (year, month, and day separated by / ) YYYY.MM.DD hh:mm (specify the hour and minute; h is a two-digit hour, m is a two-digit minute) MM.DD.YYYY (when used overseas, the order of the month and day is reversed) MM / DD / YYYY (when used overseas, the order of the month and day is reversed)

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 5, the value of object OBJ4 corresponding to the "Usage Limit Date" item is set to be the minimum value of the value of object OBJ2 corresponding to the "Expiry Date Before Opening" item and the value of object OBJ3 corresponding to the "Expiry Date After Opening" item. Here, the values ​​of objects OBJ2 and OBJ3 are set so that the comparison is performed as date and time in the "YYYYMMDD" format. When the window W1 is closed with the settings made as shown in FIG. 5, the settings made in the window W1 are reflected in the "Data" column, as shown in the setting table TL3 in FIG.

[0052] Preferably, the value of the object is determined in the label creation application, and if the value does not satisfy the formatting conditions, the label creation application outputs an error. The value of an object is fixed in the label creation application when the object's input method is set to "Fixed." If the object's input method is set to "At Printing (Data)," the label creation application does not output an error because the value may be changed on the label creation application side. Even if the object input method is set to "fixed," the label creation application will not output an error if the setting is such that values ​​registered in the call table (described later) are read and input. This is because if the call table is changed on the label printing application side, the object value may change. The case where the value of the object does not satisfy the format conditions is, for example, when the value of the object cannot be converted into a numeric value or when the condition of the date and time format specified in the input box 303 is not satisfied.

[0053] Next, the call table will be described with reference to FIG. The call table is a data table for registering data to be printed on a label for predefined items. 7, a call table TL4 is displayed by operating the "Call Table" in the project setting unit 104. In this exemplary call table TL4, in addition to the fields for "Call No.", "Call Name", and "Layout Designation", fields for multiple item names including the predefined "Item Name" and "Additional Value" are provided.

[0054] Each record in the call table TL4 indicates the label layout for printing one label and the data (character strings) for each defined item name. The data in each record will be referred to as "printing data" below. The user can associate the label layout with the character strings corresponding to each item name by inputting values ​​(character strings) corresponding to each item name into the call table TL4, but the values ​​input here are initial values. In other words, when "Fixed" is selected as the input method in the object property setting unit 105 (see Figure 2), the value entered in the call table TL4 is reflected as is when the label is printed, but when "At print (data)" or "Reference / Link" is selected as the input method, the value entered in the call table TL4 is not necessarily reflected as is when the label is printed. In the call table TL4, the values ​​of the fields "Call No." and "Call Name" are provided for calling up print data by the label printing application of the printer 3.

[0055] The value of the "Layout Designation" field in the call table TL4 is a value indicating one or more layout data created in the design window 103 (see FIG. 2). In this example, when two layout data, [1] expiration date label and [2] content display label, have been created, the value of the "Layout Designation" field indicates which of these two layout data each print data corresponds to. By registering data in the call table TL4, the user of the computer terminal 2 can design labels with different layouts or labels with the same layout but different printed content for each item. For example, in the example of the call table TL4 shown in Figure 9, the label issued for call No. 1 and the label issued for call No. 2 have different layouts and printed content.

[0056] For example, the label design in the design window 103 shown on screen G1 in Fig. 2 displays the printing data corresponding to the record with call number 1 (call name: "Meat") in the call table TL4. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the label design in the design window 103 corresponds to the value ([1] Expiration date label) in the "Layout specification" field of the record corresponding to call number 1. The character string in the object OBJ1 corresponding to the product name corresponds to the value in the "Product name" field of the record with call number 1 in the call table TL4. In the example of the input method setting section 201b shown in Figure 4, since "Data Set" is selected as the additional value reference, the value set in the "Additional Value" item of the call table TL4 is referenced for the value of the object OBJ3 corresponding to the "Expiration Date After Opening" item.

[0057] As described above, layout data and a call table are created in the label creation application of computer terminal 2. Then, by operating the output button in instruction button group 101, a project file including the layout data, the call table, and various setting data is created, and a format file is created by converting the project file. The format file is uploaded to server 5 in accordance with a predetermined operation.

[0058] Next, the procedure for printing a label on the printer 3 will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 shows the transition of the display screen when the label printing application on the printer 3 is running. Figure 9 shows the state when data is input into the printer 3. Although not shown, the user first starts the label printing application on the printer 3 and performs an operation to download a format file from the server 5. Next, as shown on screen g1 in Figure 8, from among the downloaded format files, the user selects, for example, "meat" as the format file corresponding to the label they wish to print. Next, screen g2 is displayed, which displays a list of call numbers and call names in the selected format file (i.e., a list corresponding to each record in the call table TL4 in FIG. 7). It is possible to select any call number from this list. Here, for example, if call number 1 is selected, the issue data of the record corresponding to call number 1 in the call table in FIG. 7 is called, and screen g3 is displayed. The method of selecting issuance data is not limited to selecting a call number, and any of a plurality of issuance data corresponding to labels issued in the past may be selected (history issuance).

[0059] Screen g3 is an input screen for the expiration date before opening and the expiration date after opening. Here, in the input box 403 on screen g3 corresponding to the expiration date after opening, the date and time obtained by adding the additional value included in the publication data to the reference date of the printer 3 is automatically input. Note that the user can also change the value input in the input box 403 as the expiration date after opening.

[0060] In screen g3, an input box 402 corresponding to the expiration date before opening is entered by the user operating the OCR scanner 6, or the user enters the date directly into the printer 3. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the system is set to acquire data from the OCR scanner 6 when the label is printed, so as shown in Fig. 9, by operating the OCR scanner 6 to scan the expiration date printed on the product P, the label issuing application acquires the value of the expiration date before opening from the OCR scanner 6 and enters (sets) the expiration date before opening in the input box 402. When the expiration date before opening is entered in the input box 402, the label issuing application displays screen g5. The label issuing application may obtain the value of the expiration date before opening from the server 5 and input (set) the expiration date before opening in the input box 402. In this case, a barcode indicating identification information for identifying the product P is printed on the product P instead of or in addition to the expiration date. A label on which the barcode is printed may be affixed to the product P. The server 5 stores a database in which identification information and expiration date (best before opening) values ​​are associated for each product. The label issuing application is configured to obtain the identification information in response to a barcode scan operation using the OCR scanner 6, and obtain the value of the expiration date before opening of the product P from the server 5 based on the obtained identification information.

[0061] When the user directly inputs the expiration date before opening into the printer 3, the user may, for example, tap the input box 402 to display screen g4 for directly inputting the expiration date before opening. Screen g4 includes a date input button group 404 and a current time display section 405. The expiration date before opening can be set by changing the year, month, and day using the date input button group 404. Note that the example shown on screen g4 is not limiting, and the configuration may also be such that the expiration date before opening can be set in a format that includes the hour and minute in addition to the year, month, and day. When the expiration date before opening is set on screen g4 and the confirm button b5 is operated, the label issuance application displays screen g5.

[0062] Screen g5 includes the reference date of the printer 3, an issuance data display section 406, a preview button b6, an input box 407 for inputting the number of copies to be issued, and an issue button b7. The values ​​of each item included in the issuance data display section 406 are determined and displayed based on the issuance data corresponding to call No.: 1, the values ​​entered on screen g3, and the setting data of each object (data related to the object settings exemplified in Figures 2 to 6). On screen g5, operating the preview button b6 causes a preview image of the label to be displayed on the printer 3, and operating the print button b7 causes the number of labels set in the input box 407 to be printed.

[0063] Next, the configurations of the computer terminal 2, printer 3, and server 5 included in the label issuing system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a functional block diagram of the label issuing system 1.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 10, the computer terminal 2 includes a control unit 21, a storage 22, an operation input unit 23, a display unit 24, and a communication unit 25. The control unit 21 is mainly configured with a microprocessor, and controls the entire computer terminal 2. For example, the microprocessor included in the control unit 21 loads and executes a label creation application program recorded in the storage 22, and displays the execution results on the display unit 24. The storage 22 is a non-volatile memory, such as a solid state drive (SSD) such as a flash memory. The storage 22 stores the label creation application program as well as project files created by executing the label creation application.

[0065] The label creation application provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) on a project file creation screen, and performs processes to create and update a project file including layout data, a call table, and various setting data in response to user operations on the operation input unit 23, and save the file in storage 22. The label creation application also creates a format file by converting the project file, and uploads the file to the server 5 in response to user operations.

[0066] The operation input unit 23 includes, for example, an input device such as a pointing device or a touch panel. The display unit 24 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display panel, and displays the execution result of the label creation application. If the display unit 24 has a touch panel input mechanism, the display unit 24 constitutes a part of the operation input unit 23. The communication unit 25 is a communication interface for communicating with the server 5.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 10, the printer 3 includes a control unit 31, a storage 32, an operation input unit 33, a display unit , a conveyance unit 35, a printing unit , a communication unit 37, and a short-range communication unit .

[0068] The control unit 31 is mainly configured with a microprocessor, and controls the entire printer 3. The storage 32 is a non-volatile memory, for example, an SSD such as a flash memory. For example, the microprocessor included in the control unit 31 loads and executes firmware and a label issuance application program recorded in the storage 32. The control unit 31 requests the server 5 to transmit a format file, receives the format file transmitted in response to the request via the communication unit 37, and stores it in the storage 32. The timing at which the control unit 31 requests the server 5 to transmit a format file is not limited, but may be, for example, when the printer 3 is started up, at a predetermined time each day, or when a predetermined download operation is performed by the user.

[0069] The display unit 34 has a display panel equipped with a touch panel input mechanism, and displays the execution results of the label printing application. The operation input unit 33 sends data input from the touch panel input mechanism to the control unit 31.

[0070] The label issuing application operates to function as the following selection section, first setting section, second setting section, and print control section. The selection unit selects one of a plurality of products corresponding to different product data. On screen g2 in Fig. 7, selecting the issued data corresponding to the call number corresponds to selecting the product corresponding to the issued data (in the example in Fig. 7, "chicken thigh"). The first setting unit sets the expiration date before opening for the product corresponding to the product selected by the selection unit. On screen g3 in Fig. 7, setting the expiration date before opening based on the user's operation of the OCR scanner 6 or setting the expiration date before opening based on the user's direct input operation into the printer 3 are examples of setting the expiration date before opening. The second setting unit sets the expiration date after opening of the product corresponding to the call No. When displaying the expiration date after opening on screen g3 in Fig. 7, calculating and setting the expiration date after opening by adding an additional value included in the publication data to the reference date of the printer 3 is an example of setting the expiration date after opening. The print control unit determines the set expiration date before opening or expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time, as the use-by date (i.e., the actual expiration date), and controls so that the use-by date is printed on the label. That is, the label issuance application, in accordance with the settings on the label creation application side (see FIG. 5), sets the minimum value of the object value corresponding to the "use-by date" item and the object value corresponding to the "use-by date" item (value of the use-by date). In the example of screen g5 in FIG. 8, the use-by date value is reflected in the issuance data display unit 406 and is printed on the label.

[0071] The conveying unit 35 includes a platen roller, a motor drive circuit, and a stepping motor, and conveys labels within the printer 3. For example, based on a conveying request from firmware, the motor drive circuit drives the stepping motor that controls the rotation of the platen roller, thereby conveying, for example, a label strip consisting of a series of multiple labels. The printing unit 36 ​​includes a thermal head and a head drive circuit, and prints on each label on the continuous label roll by selectively passing current through each heating element of the thermal head. After printing is complete, the labels are cut one by one from the continuous label roll and dispensed. The communication unit 37 is a communication interface for communicating with the server 5. The short-distance communication unit 38 is a communication interface for performing short-distance communication with the OCR scanner 6. An example of short-distance communication is wireless communication according to Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0072] The OCR scanner 6 has an imaging unit and a control unit (not shown). When a read instruction is received from the label issuance application via the short-range communication unit 38, the control unit of the OCR scanner 6 analyzes the characters captured by the imaging unit, converts them into text data, and sends the text data to the label issuance application. In the example shown in Figure 9, the OCR scanner 6 sends text data corresponding to the expiration date before opening attached to the product P to the label issuance application, and the label issuance application sets the value of the expiration date before opening from the received text data.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 10, the server 5 includes a control unit 51, a storage 52, and a communication unit 53. The control unit 51 is mainly configured with a microprocessor, and controls the entire server 5. The control unit 51 controls the communication unit 53 so as to transmit a format file to the printer 3 in response to a request from the printer 3, for example. The storage 52 is a large-capacity storage device such as a HDD, and stores the format file sent from the computer terminal 2. The communication unit 53 is a communication interface that communicates with the computer terminal 2 and the printer 3.

[0074] Next, the operation of the printer 3 when printing a label will be described with reference to Figure 11. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the operation when printing a label using the label printing application of the printer 3. This flowchart shows the series of processes that occur in the printer 3, from when a format file is selected and specific printing data is called up until the label is printed.

[0075] The label issuing application first calculates and sets the expiration date after opening by adding the additional value included in the printing data to the reference date of the printer 3 (step S2). The user may also directly input the expiration date after opening by operating the label issuing application. As shown in Figure 7, an additional value is set in the call table TL4 for each piece of printing data. The additional value added in step S2 is a value that corresponds to the product selected by selecting the printing data. Therefore, it is possible to set an expiration date after opening that corresponds to the product for which the label is to be printed.

[0076] Next, the label issuing application inputs the pre-opening expiration date based on the user's operation of the OCR scanner 6 or the user's operation on the printer screen. If the pre-opening expiration date has not been input (step S4: NO), the label issuing application waits for input, and if it has been input, it determines whether the input pre-opening expiration date and post-opening expiration date satisfy the format conditions (step S6). If at least one of the pre-opening expiration date and post-opening expiration date does not satisfy the format conditions (step S6: NO), the label issuing application displays an error message and prompts the user to re-input (step S8). If at least one of the values ​​entered as the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening does not meet the format conditions previously set for the use-by date (the format conditions set in the input box 303 in Figure 5), an error message is displayed. For example, if the format condition is "YYYYMMDD" and the six-digit number "202412" is entered, an error occurs. Also, if the entered value cannot be converted to a number (for example, "aiueo"), it does not meet the format condition and an error occurs.

[0077] If the format conditions are met, the label issuance application compares the expiration date before opening with the expiration date after opening (step S10), and generates an issuance screen so that the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time, becomes the limit date for use, and displays it as shown in screen g5 in Figure 8 (step S12). If an instruction to print a label is received on the printing screen (step S14: YES), the label printing application prints a label in cooperation with the firmware (step S16).

[0078] An example of a label printed in step S16 is shown in Figure 12. Label PL1 is a label that conforms to the layout design set on the label printing application side, as shown in Figure 2. Label PL1 is an example in which all expiration dates, including the expiration date before opening, the expiration date after opening, and the use-by date, are printed on the label, but this is not limited to this. As shown in label PL2, it is also possible to print only the use-by date. When printing label PL2, simply set the label creation application so that it does not print on the objects in the "use-by date before opening" and "use-by date after opening" fields. Specifically, simply set the check box 202 in Figures 3 and 4 to be checked.

[0079] In one embodiment, the printer 3 can display the label issuance history after printing and issuing a label. That is, the label issuance application of the printer 3 is configured to save the issuance instruction date and time, the number of issuance instructions, and issuance data of the issued labels in the storage 32, and to display the issuance history in response to a display instruction operation by the user.

[0080] FIG. 13 shows a series of screen transitions when displaying the issuance history. Operating the menu button mb on screen g2 in FIG. 8 displays screen g6, which includes a settings menu, as shown in FIG. 13. Selecting "Issuance History Settings" from among the multiple items on screen g6 and then selecting "Issuance History Display" from among the multiple items on screen g7 displays screen g8. Screen g8 includes a pull-down menu 411 and a search window 412. The pull-down menu 411 allows the user to select a label layout. Entering values ​​included in the item names for the selected label layout as search criteria in the search window 412 displays an issuance history list 413 that chronologically lists one or more issuance data items that match the search criteria from among the issuance data items corresponding to printed labels. Selecting any issuance data item from the issuance history list 413 displays details of the issuance data (an example of print history information) as shown in screen g9. The example of the details of the issuance data displayed on screen g9 corresponds to screen g5 in FIG. 8. Here, the label issuance application functions as a display control unit that displays details of past issuance data on the display unit 34. This issuance history display allows the user to confirm whether the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening was set as the use-by date for previously issued labels. Note that even if the setting is set to not print the expiration date before opening and / or the expiration date after opening, as shown on label PL2 in Figure 12, the issuance history display shows the values ​​for the expiration date before opening and the expiration date after opening, so the user can confirm whether the use-by date was set as the use-by date.

[0081] As explained above, the printer 3 described above sets the expiration date before opening and the expiration date after opening for a product, and controls the printer 3 to print the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time, as the use-by date (i.e., the actual expiration date). This makes it possible to print on the label the use-by date that is the actual expiration date that takes into account the fact that the product has been opened. In other words, the printer 3 can print the appropriate expiration date for a product after it has been opened. In the printer 3, the expiration date after opening is set by adding a preset addition value to the reference date of the printer 3. This prevents mistakes in entering the expiration date that can occur when the user directly enters the expiration date after opening into the printer 3. 7, the label creation application can set the additional value for each product, so different expiration dates after opening can be set for each product even if the reference date is the same for the printer 3. This allows the expiration date after opening to be set appropriately according to the characteristics of the product.

[0082] The information processing method of the printer 3 according to one embodiment includes the following steps (I) to (III). (I) Step of setting a pre-opening expiration date, which is the expiration date before opening the product. (II) a step of setting a post-opening expiration date for the product after opening the product; (III) A step of controlling printing of the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time, as the actual expiration date.

[0083] The program of one embodiment is a program that, when installed in the printer 3, causes a computer to execute the above steps (I) to (III).

[0084] Although the printer, program, and printer information processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Furthermore, various improvements and modifications can be made to the above embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the above-described embodiment, the printer 3 acquires the format file by uploading the format file to the server 5 and downloading the format file from the server 5, but this is not limited to this. For example, the computer terminal 2 and the printer 3 may be connected with a USB cable, and the format file may be exported from the computer terminal 2 to the printer 3.

[0085] The above-described processing of the label creation application in the computer terminal 2 and the processing of the label printing application in the printer 3 are merely examples. Functions may be appropriately distributed between the label creation application and the label printing application. That is, part of the processing of the above-described label creation application may be performed by the label printing application, or part of the processing of the above-described label printing application may be performed by the label creation application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1...Label issuing system 2. Computer terminal 21...Control unit 22…Storage 23...Operation input section 24…Display section 25…Communications Department 3. Printer 31...Control unit 32…Storage 33...Operation input section 34…Display section 35...Transport unit 36...Printing section 37…Communications Department 38…Near field communication department 5...Server 51...Control unit 52…Storage 53…Communications Department 6. OCR scanner 101...Instruction buttons 102...Layout setting buttons 103...Design Window 104...Project Setting Department 105, 105a, 105b, 105c...Object property setting section 201a, 201b, 201c...Input method setting section 202,206...Checkboxes 301...Pull-down menu 302...Radio button 303...input box 304...Object List 401, 402, 403, 407...input box 404...Date input buttons 405...Current time display section 406...Printing data display section 411...Pull-down menu 412...Search window 413...Issue History List NW...Network P…Product PL1, PL2...Label G1, g1~g9...Screen W1...Window TL1~TL4...Table

Claims

1. a first setting unit that sets a pre-opening expiration date that is an expiration date before opening of the product; a second setting unit that sets the expiration date of the product after opening the product; a print control unit that controls printing of the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening, whichever is closer to the current time, as the effective expiration date; A printer equipped with

2. the first setting unit sets the expiration date after opening by adding a predetermined period according to the product to a current time. The printer according to claim 1 .

3. A selection unit for selecting one of the plurality of products is further provided, the first setting unit sets the expiration date after opening by adding a predetermined period according to the product selected by the selection unit to a current time. The printer according to claim 1 .

4. The expiration date before opening is attached to the product, The first setting unit sets the expiration date before opening via a reading device that reads the expiration date before opening from the product. The printer according to claim 1 .

5. The device further includes an output unit that outputs an error when at least one of the pre-opening deadline and the post-opening deadline does not satisfy a predetermined condition regarding a data format. The printer according to claim 1 .

6. The device further includes a display control unit that, after printing is completed, displays on a display unit print history information including the expiration date before opening and the expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time. The printer according to claim 1 .

7. When installed on the printer, The procedure for setting the expiration date before opening, which is the expiration date before the product is opened, and a step of setting an expiration date for the product after opening the product; a control procedure for controlling printing of the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening, whichever is closer to the current time, as the effective expiration date; A program that executes the following.

8. Set a pre-opening expiration date, which is the expiration date before the product is opened. After opening the product, set a post-opening expiration date for the product; Control is performed so that the expiration date before opening or the expiration date after opening, whichever is closest to the current time, is printed as the actual expiration date. How the printer processes information.

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