Thermal Printer Pre-Printed Tape Overlap Control

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The existing printing methods require printing the background color first, increasing costs and complexity, as they need to match the background color with the print color, limiting the ability to create high-information-identification print results at a low cost.

Innovation Solution

A printer and control method that use a thermosensitive medium with a background area as an unprinted color and a pre-print area with a different pre-print color, allowing thermal printing with a print color distinct from both, and an overlapping area with a specific color, enabling high-information-identification prints without initial background printing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If printing is performed in advance to make the background color the same as the print color, then the information identification is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation identificationVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies local quality by pre-printing only specific segments of the tape with pre-printed colors rather than uniformly printing the entire background. This localized pre-printing approach allows the background color to differ from the print color in certain areas, creating visual differentiation and improving information identification without requiring costly uniform background printing across the entire medium.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention employs preliminary action by pre-printing segments with pre-printed colors before the actual printing process. This advance preparation creates segments that will be visually distinguishable after printing, enabling better information identification. The pre-printing is performed selectively on specific segments rather than the entire background, avoiding unnecessary manufacturing costs while achieving the desired visual effect.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Stability of the object's composition

If the background color is made the same as the print color through advance printing, then the visual uniformity is improved, but the process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisual uniformityVSAvoidprocess complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of requiring uniform background coloring across the entire tape, the invention uses local quality by applying pre-printed colors to specific segments only. This creates intentional visual variation between segments, where some segments have pre-printed colors that differ from both the background and print colors. The resulting print output displays visual uniformity within each segment while maintaining differentiation between segments, achieving visual consistency without the complexity of uniform background printing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Device complexity

If only two colors (background and print) are used, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the information identification capability is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing process simplicityVSAvoidinformation identification capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The invention implements color changes by introducing pre-printed colors that are distinct from both the background color and the print color. This three-color system (background color, pre-printed color, and print color) enables enhanced information identification capability. Different segments can be distinguished by their pre-printed colors, and after printing, the interaction between pre-printed and print colors creates visually distinctive patterns that convey more information than a simple two-color scheme would allow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach allows for high-information-identification print results using three colors (background, pre-print, and specific colors) at a lower cost by avoiding initial background printing, enhancing visual differentiation through area and shape differences in the overlapping areas.

Implementation Method 1

a thermal head configured to perform thermal printing on a thermosensitive medium

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal printing: Thermal Expansion

Data Source

PatentUS12179499B2Printer, control method of the printer, and thermosensitive medium

Publication Date: 2024.12.31 BROTHER KOGYO KK

AI summary

A printer includes a thermal head and a controller. The thermal head performs thermal printing on a thermosensitive medium having a background area with a background color being an unprinted color and a pre-print area, which is an area colored in advance, with a pre-print color different from the background color. The controller performs printing processing of causing the thermal head to execute the thermal printing in which a print area, which includes at least a part of the pre-print area, of the thermosensitive medium is printed with a print color different from both the background color and the pre-print color, and an overlapping area of the pre-print area, which overlaps with the print area, is printed with a specific color different from the pre-print color.