USO0RE43133E

(19) United States (12) Reissued Patent

(10) Patent Number: US RE43,133 E (45) Date of Reissued Patent: Jan. 24, 2012

Yamaguchi et al. (54)

TAPE-SHAPED LABEL PRINTING DEVICE

(56)

References Cited U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

(75) Inventors: Koshiro Yamaguchi, Kakamigahara (JP); Mitsuharu Hattori, Nagoya (JP)

4,261,260 A

4/1981 Thomson et a1.

(Continued)

(73) Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha,

Nagoya (JP)

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS BX

(21) Appl.No.: 11/599,638 (22) Filed:

24609-01

Nov. 15, 2006

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Related US. Patent Documents

Of?ce Action issued in US. Appl. No. 11/599,63 5 datedApr. 9,2010.

Reissue of:

(64) Patent No.: Issued:

(60)

(Continued)

6,709,179 Mar. 23, 2004

Appl. No.: Filed: US. Applications:

Primary Examiner * Anthony Nguyen (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm * Oliff& Berridge, PLC

09/962,305 Sep. 26, 2001

(57)

Continuation of application No. 11/125,418, ?led on May 10, 2005, noW Pat. No. Re. 41,354, Which is a division of application No. 09/737,551, ?led on Dec. 18, 2000, noW Pat. No. 6,334,724, Which is a division

of application No. 09/302,955, ?led on Apr. 30, 1999, noW Pat. No. 6,190,069, and a division of application No. 08/621,835, ?led on Mar. 26, 1996, noW Pat. No.

5,964,539, Which is a continuation-in-part of applica tion No. 08/450,356, ?led on May 25, 1995, noW Pat. No. 5,653,542.

(30)

2/1994

(Continued)

Foreign Application Priority Data

May 25, 1994

(JP) ..................................... .. 6-136328

Mar. 29, 1995

(JP) ..................................... .. 7-100061

(51)

Int. Cl. B41J 29/02

(52) (58)

US. Cl. ................................... .. 400/693.1; 400/247 Field of Classi?cation Search ............. .. 400/693.1,

(2006.01)

400/247, 615.2, 613, 691, 693, 248, 703,

ABSTRACT

A tape cassette is used in a printing device With a drive shaft. The tape cassette includes a cassette casing Which houses a

printing tape and de?nes a feed path through Which the tape moves in a feeding direction. The cassette casing includes a

head recess adapted to receive a print head of the printing device. The cassette casing forms a generally rectangular shape that is bounded by four corners, but also includes a recess for receiving the drive shaft adjacent a ?rst corner of the four corner of the cassette casing downstream of, and spaced from, the head recess in the feed direction. The cas sette casing de?nes a ?rst positioning hole adjacent the drive shaft and a second positioning hole spaced from the drive

shaft, the ?rst and second positioning holes each communi cating With a corresponding pin of the printing device to ensure a proper positioning of the cassette casing Within the printing device. A detector surface is located on the cassette casing and is adapted to interact With an array of sensors on the printing device to identify at least one characteristic of the tape cassette. The detector surface is positioned at a second corner of the four corners of the cassette casing most distant from the ?rst corner.

400/249

See application ?le for complete search history.

11 Claims, 25 Drawing Sheets

US RE43,133 E Page 2 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 4,338,644 A *

4,380,032 A 4,402,619 A 4,419,749 A

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12/1985 10/1988 3/1989 3/1989 *

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Koike Miyamoto eta1. Asakura et a1, Paque Basile

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5,188,469 A

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5,195,835 A

“993 C0111“

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5,232,297 A

8/1993

2008

D342,275

S

5,277,503 A

12/1993

Kitazawa Cooper

' '

_

_

'

1 NO 11/599 636 dated Au

PP '

'

’

11 g‘

’

_

V1994 Nagao

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5,302,034 A

4/1994 Kitazawa

Notice ofAlloWance issued in U.S. Appl. No. 11/125,418 dated Dec.

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8/1994 Nagashima 9/1994 Yoshiaki et al.

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9/1994 Ichinomiya et al. l2/l994 KiIIlllra

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5,419,643 A 5,419,648 A

5/1995 Matsuum 5/1995 Nagao et al.

D361,342 S

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9/1995

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Hattori et al.

Otsuka eta1.

10/1995 Yamaguchi 12/1995 Koizumi eta1. 1/1996 Tanahashi

'-

-

-

-

-

iestnlcgoélolggquuement 1ssued 1n U.S. Appl. No. 11/125,418 dated “8

t

_

~_

_

Of?ce Act1on 1ssued 1n U.S. Appl. No. 11/980,692 dated Mar. 4, 2010 Of?ce Action issued in U.S. Appl. No. 11/980,692 dated Aug. 18,

5,492,420 A *

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5,618,119 A

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g’ggg’ggg 2

213g;

5,653,542 A

8/1997

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DE

63-222883

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Richardson et al. Sug1ura et al. MFGOUHY et a1~ Richardson et al.

571990 KuZ-uya et a1‘

5 009 531 D317,172 5,017,942 5,022,771 5,056,940

5,165,806 A

DE

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5,078,523 A 5,120,147 A

CH

JP JP

1/1985 Maeyama

A A A A

4,839,875 A

Staar ........................... .. 360/132

4/1983 Pfost 9/1983 Paque et al. 12/ 1983 Nokihara et al.

4,496,955 A 4,557,617 4,776,714 4,815,871 4,815,875

7/1982

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4023784 A1

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sugimoto et a1‘ Takami Yamaguchi et a1, Yamaguchi et al.

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FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 121073 2/1994 M 9401507.4

2009.

_

_

_

_

2/1991

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2/1994

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DE

43 30 742 A

3/1994

EP

0 322 918 A

7/1989

Of?ce Action issued in U.S. Appl. No. 11/599,635 mailed Jan. 20,

EP

0 327 076 A

8/1989

2011‘

EP

0 386 937 A1

9/1990

EP

0 457 309 A

“H991

g;

lgfgigi; A

EP

0555 954 A

9/1993

EP EP EP EP EP FR GB JP

0 555 957 A 0 588 333 A A-580438 A-652110 0 769 385 A1 940681 2037151 62-189187

9/1993 9/1993 1/1994 5/1995 10/1995 2/1994 8/1994 8/ 1987

-

-

-

-

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_

_

_

_

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* cited by examiner

US. Patent

Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 1 or 25

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Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 3 0f 25

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Sheet 5 0f 25

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Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 6 0f 25

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FIG. 7 32

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Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 8 0f 25

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Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 9 0f 25

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Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 10 or 25

US RE43,133 E

US. Patent

Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 12 or 25

US RE43,133 E

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US. Patent

Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 13 or 25

US RE43,133 E

FIG. I7 START OF MULTl-COLOFI PRINTING CONTROL

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PROCESS FOR SETTING THE PRINTING COLOR SEQUENCE

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SETTING COLOR PRINTING PROCESS

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s19

PRINTING TAPE REWIND PROCESS

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US. Patent

Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 14 or 25

US RE43,133 E

FIG. 18

START OF PROCESS CONTROL FOR SETTING

THE PRINTING COLOR SEQUENCE

830 l / PROCESS FOR SETTING THE NUMBER OF COLORS

L

/ S31

PROCESS FOR SETTING THE

COLOR SEQUENCE

US. Patent

Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 15 or 25

US RE43,133 E

FIG. I9 (sTART OF PROCESS CONTROL FOR SETTING THE PRINTING TARGET RANGE

/ S33

S34

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835

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TARGET CHARACTER ARRAY FOR THE TOP PRINTING COLOR THAT HAS NOT BEEM SET

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I PROCESS FOR SETTING THE REMAINING

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CHARACTER ARRAY IN THE FINAL COLOR

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PROCESS FOR SETTING FRONT AND REAL MARGINS L

S38

US. Patent

Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 16 or 25

US RE43,133 E

FIG. 20 PROCESS FOR SETTING THE REMAINING CHARACTER ARRAY IN TEH FINAL COLOR

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/ $371

READ TEXT FROM TEH TOP OF TEXT MEMORY

IS COLOR DATA APPENDED 7

S375

/ APPEND COLOR DATA

FOR LAST COLOR

LAST OF COLOR DATA

READ NEXT DATA

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US. Patent

Jan. 24, 2012

US RE43,133 E

Sheet 17 0f 25

FIG. 21 @ART OF PRINT START PROCESS CONTROL

[READ RIBBON COLOR R /

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SET C TO TOP PRINTING

COLOR

S42 YES

S43

NO

/

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DISPLAY ERROR MESSAGE

s45

READ CHARACTER ARRAY TO PRINT IN COLOR C

S44 NO

HAS CASSETTE COVER BEEN DPENED AND CLOSED 7 YES

ROTATE TAPE DRIVE MOTOR ONE STEP CLOCKWISE

DISPLAY MESSAGE TO CUT

PRINTING TAPE

S48 NO

YES

US. Patent

Jan. 24, 2012

Sheet 1s or 25

US RE43,133 E

FIG. 22

( START OF CONTROL COLOR FOR ssrrn®

L

/ 860

ROTATE TAPE DRIVE MOTOR CLOCKWISE FOR FRONT MARGIN L

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//

862

ROTATE TAPE DRIVE MOTOR CLOCKWISE FOR PRINTING GAP

r PRINTING

PROCESS

S63