Tape Printer Talk Data Layout Using Dimensionality Change
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tape printers struggle to clearly display and edit conversation content from instant messaging apps on print-receiving tapes, as the text is often reduced to fit the narrow tape width, making it difficult to interpret and distinguish between speakers.
Innovation Solution
A tape printer system with a feeder, printing head, display device, data receiving portion, and print control portion that receives talk data via wireless communication, displays it in a preview mode with different forms for each speaker along the tape length direction, and prints the data in a format that allows easy editing and clear recognition of conversation content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If talk data is printed with unchanged listing layout correlating tape length direction with time-series direction, then the printing process is simple, but the text is reduced to fit narrow tape width making interpretation and speaker distinction difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the one-dimensional time-series layout into a two-dimensional layout by arranging speech-related data in columns along the tape width direction while maintaining time-series order in the length direction. This dimensional change allows full-text display without reduction while preserving chronological order, resolving the contradiction between simple printing and information interpretability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the conversation data into distinct columns for different speakers, with each column containing time-series data for that specific speaker. This segmentation allows the narrow tape width to accommodate multiple speakers' conversations simultaneously without reducing text size, as each speaker's data is isolated in its own column.
2Device complexity
If talk data is printed with unchanged listing layout, then the device complexity is low, but speaker distinction and editing are difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning distinct visual characteristics to different speakers' data through column-based segmentation. Each speaker's data column can have unique formatting, background colors, or markers that make speaker distinction intuitive and easy, while the overall system maintains relatively simple printing architecture.
3Length of moving object
If text is reduced to fit narrow tape width, then the tape can be printed, but the conversation content becomes difficult to interpret
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the width constraint by utilizing the tape width direction for multi-column arrangement instead of reducing text vertically. By organizing speakers' data in parallel columns across the tape width, the system accommodates full-text content within the narrow tape width without compromising readability.
Data Source
AI summary
A tape printer including a data receiving portion, a display control portion, and a print control portion is provided. The data receiving portion is configured to receive talk data containing plural pieces of speech related data along a time series, the speech related data including speech display texts from each of a first speaker and a second speaker. The display control portion is configured to control the display device so that the plural pieces of speech related data is arrayed and displayed in order of the time series along a tape length direction, and first and second speech related data respectively in relation to the first and second speaker contained in the talk data are displayed in mutually different forms. The print control portion is configured to control a printing head to form a plurality of print objects corresponding respectively to the plural pieces of speech related data.