Printable medium

Abstract: A medium for use in a printing device is disclosed, which medium comprises a substrate (3; 23) which carries a controllably transferable printing medium (5; 30), e.g. ink, and at least one detachable element (4; 24) capable of displaying indicia when contacted under appropriate conditions with said printing medium (5; 30). Printers suitable for use in conjunction with such a medium are also disclosed.

Description: This invention relates to a printable medium and to its use, particularly but not exclusively, in printing labels, for example bar code labels. Bar codes are now widely used for ready identification and tracking of products, samples and documents. For example, they are finding increasing uses in medical, pharmaceutical and research centres as well as in retail areas. Bar codes are now widely used at goods-in and check-out locations associated, for example, with retail trading. They facilitate the use of fully automatic in-and-out systems and, in some instances, do away with the need for price labels on the products. Many supermarkets stock 25,000 to 30,000 items for sale, however, and do not have sufficient shelf space to allocate all of these items to a particular position; as a result, even if there is a bar code on such products, there is still a need for price marking. Nevertheless, the use of a bar code scanning system to identify the goods may reduce labour requirements significantly and thus produce considerable savings. In supermarkets, typically 95 - 96% of food items going through the check-out have a bar code already printed at source by the manufacturer. For non-food items, the number of products bar coded at source is typically 80 - 85% of those going through the check-out. In order to apply price labels to items already carrying a bar code, and to add a bar code to those products which are not coded at source, it is common for a retail outlet to use one or more label printers. These may be hand-held, portable or fixed in position. Typically, three stationary printers may be used by up to ten people. Strips of labels will be printed and taken to the product and either applied by hand or with a dispenser. Some retailers consider that it is more economical for each operative to have his own hand-held bar code label printer. If a national bar code has been allocated to a given product, this will normally be used by the retailer if no manufacturer's bar code is present. For products where no such national bar code has been allocated, it is up to the retailer to decide on his own bar code number. Typically, this number might be based on the numbering system used by the retailer before the introduction of bar code scanning to his store. In practice, the person generating bar codes with a printer will have with him source material which indicates the nature of the bar code for each product where a label is required. In medical applications, bar codes are useful in patient identification, specimen collection and distribution, pharmaceuticals distribution, document tracking, and management applications such as accounting, time recording/allocating, supplies management, and tracking of personnel and documents. Hand-held labelling machines typically comprise a housing which is supported by a handle. Such a machine may include a label supply roll within said housing; a printing unit; and a keyboard for inputting data. When such a machine is used to print bar code labels, an operative will input the bar code number via the keyboard, and then activate a label feed mechanism and the printing unit to apply the requested bar code to one of the labels on the supply roll. After the bar code has been printed, the label feed mechanism moves the supply roll so that the printed label is accessible for application to the appropriate goods item. It is known from GB-A-2 163 562 to provide a thermosensitive recording sheet comprising a number of adhesive labels carried on a substrate. Each label includes a thermosensitive colouring layer which may be developed by a thermal print head in accordance with a pre-formed print pattern carried in the label. Since the print pattern is pre-formed, it is only possible to produce labels bearing predetermined indicia. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medium for use in a printing device, the medium comprising a substrate which carries a controllably transferable pigment and at least one detachable element capable of displaying indicia when contacted under appropriate conditions with said pigment, characterised in that the pigment and the at least one detachable element are carried on opposite surfaces of the substrate. Generally, the substrate will be in the form of a roll of paper or of a synthetic polymer on one side (the obverse side) of which the detachable element or elements (e.g. a plurality of labels) are supported. The transferable pigment is disposed on the reverse side of the substrate, i.e. opposite the labels. The transferable pigment may be a thermosensitive ink or a coloured thermosensitive adhesive. For convenience, the controllably transferable pigment will be referred to hereinafter as ink; likewise, the detachable element or elements capable of displaying indicia will be referred to hereinafter as a plurality of labels. Generally, the ink will be a thermosensitive ink, but the invention is not restricted to such inks. With a thermosensitive ink, the detachable element will be capable of carrying printed indicia produced by contact between the element and the thermosensitive ink layer in the presence of heat, typically from a thermal print head heated to a temperature appropriate for the functioning of said thermosensitive ink. A medium in accordance with this invention may carry, on that surface opposite said thermosensitive ink layer, a plurality of identical detachable labels. For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 shows a schematic side view of a printer utilising a medium in accordance with one embodiment of this invention; FIGURE 2 shows a schematic plan view of the printer and medium of Figure 1; FIGURE 3 shows an alternative construction for part of the printer shown in Figures 1 and 2. Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a medium in accordance with this invention takes the form of a label roll 2 which is supplied from a spool 1. The medium comprises a substrate 3 carrying adhesive labels 4 on one surface thereof and carrying a layer 5 of a thermosensitive ink on the opposite side thereof. The medium is fed from spool 1 to a first roller 6, which is arranged obliquely with respect to the direction of travel of incoming medium 2. The medium then travels to a second roller 8, arranged at 90° to the original direction of travel of the medium 2. The net effect of traversing the two rollers 6 and 8 is that the medium 2 crosses over its initial path in the vicinity of print head 9. Thus that zone 11 of the medium 2 constitutes a first pass of the medium, and the zone 12 of the medium constitutes a second pass of the medium 2. Both passes 11 and 12 travel between print head 9 (see Fig. 1). In use, the print head 9 serves to transfer ink from the underside 10 of pass 12 onto the labels 4 on the upper side of pass 11 of the medium 2. After printing, labels are removed from the substrate 3 at roller 6, and pass over a further roller 7 to be dispensed from the printer. The arrangement of Figure 3 is generally similar to that of Figure 2, except that rollers 6' and 8' are oriented so that the second pass 12 of medium 2 travels in a direction different from that of Figure 2.

Claims: A medium (2) for use in a printing device, the medium comprising a substrate (3) which carries a controllably transferable pigment (5) and at least one detachable element (4) capable of displaying indicia when contacted under appropriate conditions with said pigment (5), characterised in that the pigment (5) and the at least one detachable element (4) are carried on opposite surfaces of the substrate (3). A medium (2) as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said pigment (5) is a thermosensitive ink. A medium (2) as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said pigment (5) is a coloured thermosensitive adhesive. A medium (2) as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that said at least one detachable element (4) is a label.

Inventors: ABRAMS MICHAEL JOHN, FRANZEN PETER, MEHL SIEGFRIED, ABRAMS, MICHAEL JOHN, FRANZEN, PETER, MEHL, SIEGFRIED, FRANZEN, PETER ESSELTE METO INTERNATIONAL, MEHL, SIEGFRIED ESSELTE METO INTERNATIONAL
Applicants: ESSELTE METO INT GMBH, ESSELTE METO INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Application year: 1989
Main classification: G09F3
IPC codes: G09F3