Handheld Printer Decorative Border for Print Range Setting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing hand-held printers lack the ability to visually indicate and set a print region, making it difficult for users to determine the print range they have set.

Innovation Solution

A printing device that includes a print head for printing image data on a print medium, where a decorative image is first printed to indicate the print range, and then the actual image data is printed within this indicated range, allowing users to easily set and view the print area.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a hand-held printer determines the boundary of a print region by being moved by the user, then the user can set the print range, but the user cannot view the print range that is set because no images indicating a print region such as border lines are printed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprint range settingVSAvoidprint range visualization

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by first printing a decorative image that serves as a visual indicator of the print region boundary before printing the actual target image. This preliminary decorative print provides the user with immediate visual feedback about the print range, allowing them to verify and adjust the boundary as needed before the main printing occurs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes color changes by employing a decorative image with distinct visual characteristics (such as border lines or decorative patterns) that differ from the target image. This visual differentiation allows the user to clearly distinguish the print region boundary from the actual content to be printed, providing intuitive feedback about the print range.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

2Device complexity

If the print head prints image data of the print target without visual indicators, then the printing process is simple, but the user cannot easily set and view the print area

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprinting processVSAvoidprint range setting and viewing

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs a preliminary decorative printing action that establishes visual boundaries before the main printing operation. This two-stage process (decorative print followed by target image print) maintains relative simplicity while significantly improving user ability to set and verify print ranges.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The decorative image serves as an intermediary element between the user's movement input and the final target image printing. It mediates the communication of print range information to the user, providing visual feedback without requiring complex additional hardware or interfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10507651B2Printing device, printing method, and non-transitory recording medium

Publication Date: 2019.12.17 CASIO COMPUTER CO LTD

AI summary

A printing device includes a print head that prints on a print medium image data of a print target and a decorative image and a processor that controls the print head to print image data of the decorative image on the print medium while the printing device that is held by a user moves on the print medium in a first movement, wherein the processor causes the print head to print the image data of the print target in a range that is indicated by the printed decorative image while the held printing device moves on the print medium in a second movement after the image data of the decorative image is printed.