JP2003251595A - Printer for printing receipt, and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the printing speed, and to prevent any additional information from being divided in a printer to provide a receipt with the additional information printed thereon. <P>SOLUTION: A receipt printer 100 to perform the printing on a roll paper 102 comprises a thermal print head 104 to print the accounting information, and an ink jet print head 106 to print the additional information located on the upstream side thereof, and the printing is controlled so that a paper with the additional information printed thereon of the predetermined length is constantly accumulated between the print heads. The ink jet print head 106 prints a marker which can be detected by a detection sensor 136 together with the additional information. Control is performed so that the roll paper is cut between the additional information based on the position of the detected marker when cutting the roll paper by a cutting mechanism 124. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a receipt printing printer having two printing means for different purposes and printing on continuous paper such as roll paper, and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A small printer used together with a register to generate a receipt printed with payment information of a commodity in a retail store is widely used. As an output mode of this kind of printer, for sales promotion at retail stores, on a receipt printed out, information such as product advertisements, campaigns, etc. at retail stores, coupons, etc. ).) Is being printed along with the printing of payment information.

As a method of printing additional information on a receipt and providing it to the customer, two types of methods have been mainly used in the past. One is a method in which a roll paper, which is printed with predetermined additional information on the back side of a receipt or the like, is installed in a printer and used. With this method, the additional information can be printed on the roll paper in advance, which has the advantage that color printing and fine photographs can be printed, while the contents of the additional information can be changed periodically or the additional information can be changed for each store. There is a drawback that it is difficult to provide flexible information such as different information.

Another method of printing additional information on a receipt is to print the additional information in real time at the time of printing the payment information by the same printing mechanism as the printing information or a printing mechanism dedicated to printing the additional information provided separately from the printing information. It is a method of printing. In this method, it is possible to provide flexible information by periodically changing the advertisement data stored in the printer or changing the advertisement data for each store.

[0005]

On the other hand, on the side of the information provider, there is a demand for the additional information to be more conspicuous on the receipt, and in order to meet this demand, a printing mechanism dedicated to the additional information must be provided. It is necessary to prepare it separately from the payment information printing mechanism, and further to make it a specification capable of multicolor or color printing (for example, an inkjet printing mechanism).

In this type of printer, however, the printing mechanism used for printing the settlement information is usually a thermal type or other printing mechanism capable of relatively high-speed printing because it is necessary to keep the settlement business as short as possible. Although used, when printing additional information of multiple colors or colors at the same time as the payment information as described above, it is necessary to print out according to a relatively low speed printing mechanism for printing the additional information.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a printer for receipt printing and its control, which mainly enables printing of various additional information such as multicolor and color printing on the receipt, without reducing throughput at the time of issuing the receipt. Is to provide a method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a printer for printing payment information and additional information by using two printing mechanisms having different purposes, and aligning the printing positions of the payment information and the additional information. At the same time, one piece of additional information is prevented from being divided when the continuous paper is cut.

[0009]

To achieve the above object, the present invention is a printer for receipt printing for printing on continuous paper, wherein payment information for printing merchandise payment information on paper. A printing unit, a first sheet conveying unit that conveys the sheet in synchronization with the printing operation of the settlement information printing unit, and an upstream side of the settlement information printing unit with respect to the sheet conveyance direction. Additional information printing means for printing advertisements and other additional information and a marker indicating the printing position of the additional information; second paper transporting means for transporting the paper sheet in synchronization with the printing operation by the additional information printing means; The additional information printing unit and the second sheet conveying unit are configured to accumulate a predetermined length of paper printed by the additional information printing unit between the payment information printing unit and the additional information printing unit. A storage control unit for controlling the step, a sheet cutting unit for cutting and separating the leading end side of the sheet and a first sheet conveying unit are arranged on the downstream side of the settlement information printing unit in the sheet conveying direction. On the paper path,
Marker detection means for detecting a marker printed on the paper by the additional information printing means, and at least one addition printed by the additional information printing means based on the position of the marker detected by the marker detection means And a cutting control means for controlling the paper cutting means and / or the first paper conveying means so that the paper is cut and separated by the paper cutting means at a position where information is not divided.

With the above arrangement, the settlement information printing means can smoothly print out in response to a print processing request without being affected by the print processing by the additional information printing means. Further, since the paper cutting means and / or the first paper conveying means is controlled to cut the paper at a position where the one additional information is not divided, the additional information is surely provided on each receipt provided to the customer. Will be provided to.

The settlement information printing means is the first sheet of paper.
And the additional information printing means is configured to print on the second surface of the paper opposite to the first surface.

In this case, it is preferable that the additional information printing means prints the marker at the head position of the additional information.

If the length of the additional information to be printed is less than or equal to the predetermined minimum length required for printing the payment information, the additional information printing means sets the predetermined minimum length. It is preferable that the additional information is controlled to be printed at a pitch.

Alternatively, the additional information printing means is
If the length of the additional information to be printed is equal to or less than 1 / N (N is an integer of 2 or more) of the predetermined minimum length required for printing the payment information, within the predetermined minimum length 2 to N
It can also be arranged to be controlled to print a number of said additional information.

Further, the cutting control means drives the first sheet conveying means to convey the sheet after the settlement information printing means finishes printing the settlement information, and is detected by the marker detecting means. Controlling the paper cutting means so as to cut the paper when it is determined that the position between the additional information and the additional information has come to the position of the paper cutting means based on the position of the marker. Is preferred.

Further, it is preferable that the cutting control means controls the paper cutting means so as to cut the paper at a position where the marker is printed.

Further, in the receipt printing printer of the present invention, the first storage means for storing the number and the interval of the markers printed by the additional information printing means, the number of the markers detected by the marker detection means, and the Based on the information stored in the second storage means for storing the interval and the first and second storage means, the length of the sheet accumulated between the payment information printing means and the additional information printing means. And a storage length calculation means for calculating the length.

The present invention is also a paper cutting for independently controlling the payment information printing means and the additional information printing means, and cutting and separating the leading end side of the paper on the downstream side of the payment information printing means with respect to the conveying direction of the paper. And a method of controlling a receipt printing printer, which prints on a continuous sheet of paper, including printing of advertisements and other additional information and the additional information on the sheet of paper using the additional information printing unit. Between the step of printing a marker indicating the position and the settlement information printing means and the additional information printing means, the additional information is printed so that the printed paper by the additional information printing means is always accumulated for a predetermined length. Controlling the printing means and the second paper conveying means; printing the product payment information on the paper using the payment information printing means; In the process of transporting the printed paper area of the product settlement information on the side, the step of detecting the marker on the paper and the printing by the additional information printing means based on the position of the detected marker on the paper And a step of cutting and separating the paper by the paper cutting means at a position where the generated one additional information is not divided.

In this case, it is preferable that the step of printing the additional information and the marker by the additional information printing means includes a step of printing the marker at the head position of the additional information.

In the step of printing the additional information and the marker by the additional information printing means, when the length of the additional information to be printed is equal to or less than a predetermined minimum length necessary for printing the payment information. It is preferable that the method includes a step of printing the additional information at a pitch of the predetermined minimum length.

Alternatively, in the step of printing the additional information and the marker by the additional information printing means, the length of the additional information to be printed is a predetermined minimum length required for printing the settlement information. When it is 1 / N (N is an integer of 2 or more) or less, a step of printing 2 to N pieces of the additional information within the predetermined minimum length may be included.

In the present invention, the step of cutting and separating the sheet by the sheet cutting means conveys the sheet after the settlement information is printed by the settlement information printing means, and the step is detected. Controlling the paper cutting means so as to cut the paper when it is determined that a position between the additional information and the additional information has arrived at the position of the paper cutting means based on the position of the marker. Can be configured.

Further, it is preferable that the step of cutting and separating the paper by the paper cutting means includes a step of cutting the paper at a position where the paper cutting means prints the marker.

Furthermore, the present invention stores the number and the interval of the markers printed by the additional information printing means, and the number and the intervals of the markers detected in the step of detecting the markers on the paper. And a step of calculating a length of a sheet accumulated between the payment information printing unit and the additional information printing unit based on the stored information.

The present invention also relates to a program for executing the control method for the receipt printing printer, and a computer-readable information recording medium recording the program.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an internal mechanism of a receipt printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, a receipt printer 100 includes two print heads, a thermal print head 104 as a payment information printing unit and an inkjet print head 106 as an additional information printing unit, which prints on a built-in roll paper 102. There is.

The thermal print head 104 is the printer 1
00, which is arranged near the receipt outlet 108 of the roll paper 102, with respect to the surface of the front side of the roll paper 102, the settlement information of the product in the store where the printer is used, that is, the identification name of the product purchased by the customer, its purchase price, the price It is for printing the total amount, tax amount, payment amount, etc. In addition, the roll paper 10
A thermal paper is used for 2 in order to enable printing by the thermal print head 104.

On the other hand, the ink jet print head 106
Is arranged upstream of the thermal print head 104 in the paper conveyance direction, and is used for advertisements of products, campaign information, coupons, etc., in the store where the printer is used, with respect to the back surface of the roll paper 102. This is for printing so-called additional information and a marker indicating the printing position of the additional information. As referenced in FIG.
The inkjet print head 106 is provided on the back surface 3 of the roll paper.
00, the additional information print area 302 and the marker 304.
To print. As one embodiment, it is preferable that the inkjet print head 106 be capable of color printing by using inks of a plurality of colors (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, black) and corresponding heads in order to make the print information conspicuous. Generally, the print processing speed of the inkjet print head is slower than that of the thermal print head, and the output thereof takes a relatively long time. That is, in the current printer, the print processing speed by the thermal print head is 150 to 180 mm / s, whereas the print processing speed by the inkjet print head is about 100 mm / s. However, in the printer according to the present invention, the print processing speed of the inkjet print head 106 does not affect the print processing speed at the time of receipt output by the printer due to the configuration described later.

In the embodiment, the print head for printing additional information prints on the back surface of the paper, and the print head for printing payment information prints on the front surface of the paper. However, the additional information is printed in color. In this case, the payment information, which is receipt printing, may be printed on the front surface by printing using black of thermal paper.

The marker can be detected by a marker detection sensor 136, which will be described later, and is used to confirm the position of the additional information printing area when printing the settlement information by the detection. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the marker 304 is printed at the head position of the additional information print area 302, and therefore the position of the marker 304 immediately represents the head position of the additional information print area 302. However, the position of the marker 304 is not limited to this, and it suffices that the relative position with respect to the additional information is fixed, and by considering the detection position of the marker and the carry amount of the paper, the position of the additional information printing area is determined. The position of the head position or the tail position becomes clear. Also, the marker 304
The arrangement shape of is not limited to that shown in the figure, and it is possible to print in various modes so as not to obstruct the additional information area or to visually obscure.

The roll paper 102 is formed in the housing of the printer 100 by a paper path 1 which is composed of a plurality of conveying roller pairs 110 to 116 and a paper guide (not shown).
It is guided along 18 to the outlet 108. A plurality of conveyance rollers 110 to 116 are connected to the respective print heads 104 and 10.
By driving in synchronization with No. 6, printing is realized on the roll paper 102, and the printed paper portion is output toward the discharge port 108. The printed portion of the roll paper 102, that is, the portion output from the discharge port 108 to the outside, is the roll paper cutting mechanism 1 arranged in front of it.
By 24, it is cut and separated from the inside of the printer casing, and is ready for delivery to the user.

Here, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment.
In the above, the two pairs of conveying rollers 110 and 112 on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction and the two pairs of conveying rollers 114 and 116 on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction each have different drive control systems, that is, the first pair. Transport drive controller 126 and second
It may be connected to the transport drive controller 128 and controlled independently. That is, the pair of downstream transport rollers 110 and 1
The first transport unit 120 configured by 12 is driven by the first transport drive controller 126 in synchronization with the printing of the payment information by the thermal print head 104, and is configured by the upstream transport roller pair 114 and 116. 2 transport section 12
2 is driven by the second transport drive controller 128 in synchronization with the printing of the additional information by the inkjet print head 106.

On the paper path 118 in the housing of the printer 100, a paper path switching valve 130 is provided between the first carrying section 120 and the second carrying section 122, and a fixed length of roll paper is stored in the printer housing. A guide member 132 formed so as to secure a sheet storage unit for storing the sheet is provided.

In the normal state, the paper path switching valve 130 is arranged so that the paper path 11 between the roller pair 112 and 114 is located.
Although the operation portion is placed at a position where 8 is opened, when this is controlled by the switching valve drive controller 134, as shown in the figure, the portion of the roll paper 102 beyond the roller pair 114 is moved to the guide member. It functions so as to be guided into the paper storage unit formed by 132. By the operation of the paper path switching valve 130, the first transport unit 12
When the inkjet print head 106 and the second transport unit 122 are driven in a state where 0 is stopped, the roll in which the additional information is gradually printed on the back surface of the roll is printed in the paper storage unit formed by the guide member 132. Paper parts will be accumulated.

It should be noted that the paper path switching valve is optimized by optimizing the output direction of the roll paper 102 by the roller pair 114 in the situation where the second transport unit 122 is driven with the first transport unit 120 stopped. Even if 130 is not arranged, the portion of the roll paper that exceeds the roller pair 114 is
Since the elastic force causes the sheet to bend into the sheet storage portion, it is not always necessary to provide the sheet path switching valve. However, it is preferable to use the paper path switching valve 130 in order to control the storage state of the roll paper in the paper storage unit so that the roll paper can be smoothly delivered when being discharged by the first transport unit 120.

The printer 100 according to the present invention further includes a marker detection sensor 136 near the cutting mechanism 124. As described above, the marker detection sensor 1
36 detects the passage of the marker printed with the additional information by the inkjet print head 106. This is used to determine the timing of cutting the roll paper by the cutting mechanism 124 based on the detection timing so that one additional information printed on the roll paper is not divided. That is, a marker detection signal from the marker detection sensor 136 is output to a central control device described later, and the central control device has a predetermined timing based on this signal, that is, a timing when the marker on the roll paper comes to the position of the cutting mechanism 124. A control signal is sent to the first transport drive controller 126 and the cutting mechanism drive controller 138, whereby the first transport unit 120 is stopped and the cutting mechanism 124 is driven.
The roll paper is cut and separated. For control when printing payment information including roll paper cutting,
A detailed description will be given later using a flowchart.

FIG. 2 shows a control block diagram of the printer according to the present invention. In the figure, a control unit 200 includes a central control unit 202 that controls the entire printer, a plurality of storage units for storing various data and executing programs, that is, a ROM 204, a RAM 206, and an EPROM 20.
8, a first transport drive controller 210 that controls the drive of the first transport unit 120, and a second drive that controls the drive of the second transport unit 122.
Transport drive controller 212, thermal print head 10
A first print head controller 214 for driving and controlling the
A second print head controller 216 that drives and controls the inkjet print head 106, and a paper path switching valve 130.
A switching valve drive controller 218 for driving and controlling the cutting mechanism 124 and a cutting mechanism driving controller 220 for driving and controlling the cutting mechanism 124 are included.

The control unit 200 also includes a storage length calculation unit 22.
Equipped with 2. The accumulation length calculation unit calculates the number of markers printed by the inkjet print head 106, the number of markers detected by the marker detection sensor 136, and the fixed printing interval of the markers (these are RAM2.
It is managed by 06. ), The length of the roll paper accumulated in the paper storage unit is calculated. The central controller 202, the controllers 210 to 220, and the storage length calculation unit 222 may be configured by independent hardware logics, or may be configured by a single or multiple CPUs and execution programs. Good. The control unit 200 is connected to the POS terminal computer via the communication interface 224. Upon receiving various commands from the POS terminal computer, the control unit 200 causes the printer 100 to perform various operations.

In the control unit 200, the ROM 204
In advance, an execution program for causing the printer 100 to perform a desired operation, print font data, and the like are stored in advance, and these are read and used in accordance with a request from the central controller 202 or another controller.
The RAM 206 is used as a main storage area when executing programs and various data stored in the ROM 204 and various instructions from the POS terminal computer via the communication interface 224. EPR
The OM 208 stores target data of additional information printed by the inkjet print head 106. EPRO
M is a non-volatile memory that can be rewritten in a timely manner. In the printer according to the present embodiment, the POS terminal computer transmits advertisement data in a timely manner (for example, monthly, campaign period, store, etc.), It can be stored here. However, a plurality of types of advertisement data may be stored in a non-rewritable memory such as the ROM 204, and this may be selectively used.
The data stored in the EPROM 208, and further the additional information printed on the receipt, includes advertisement information for recommended products at the retail store, campaign information, information for giving the receipt a function as a discount ticket for movies and exhibitions, and receipts. It may be information for giving a function as a lottery ticket, a coupon for purchasing a discount of a product, or the like.

The accumulated length calculation unit 222 is provided with a guide member 1.
The length of the roll paper remaining in the paper storage unit formed by 32, that is, the additional information is printed by the inkjet print head 106, and the thermal print head 104 is printed.
The length of the roll paper that has been accumulated in advance is calculated before printing the payment information by the. This value is detected by the number of markers printed by the inkjet print head 106 and the marker detection sensor 136. It is determined based on the number of markers and the fixed printing interval of the markers. That is, when the first transport unit 120 is driven, the accumulated length calculation unit 222 determines the feed amount based on the number of markers detected by the marker detection sensor 136 and the interval between the markers when the first transport unit 120 is fed. Seeking
The updated accumulated length is obtained by subtracting this from the already known accumulated length. In addition, the second transport unit 122
Is driven, the accumulation length calculation unit 222 causes the inkjet print head 10 to move when the second transport unit 122 is fed.
The updated feed length is obtained by finding the feed amount based on the number of the markers printed in 6 and its spacing, and adding this to the already known feed length. When the roll paper is set, the initial accumulation length is zero, and when the roll paper is first fed by the second transport unit 122, the feed amount obtained by that is the accumulation length. The length calculated by the accumulation length calculation unit 222 is
It is stored in the RAM 206 and is read and used in the next calculation. In the termination process when the power of the printer 100 is turned off, the last calculated accumulation length is EPRO.
The data is stored in the M208 and is read out to the RAM 206 when the printer is started next time or when the storage length needs to be updated.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show an example of the print result by the ink jet print head 106. As shown in the figure, the additional information printing area 30 is formed on the back surface 300 of the roll paper by the inkjet print head 106.
2 and the marker 304 are printed / formed at predetermined intervals. In this embodiment, the marker 304 is printed at the head position of each additional information print area 302. Here, the printing interval of each additional information printing area 302, that is, the marker 3
The pitch of 04 (which corresponds to the length A in the example of FIG. 7A) is a predetermined length (hereinafter, the minimum reference length A, which is the minimum required for printing the settlement information by the thermal print head 104). ) Is determined in relation to. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the print length B of the additional information is smaller than the minimum reference length A, the marker 304 and the additional information print area 302 to be printed next are The length A is secured and printing is performed in the next area (that is, after the additional information is printed, the margin C is sent and then printed). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the print length B of the additional information area is equal to or longer than the minimum reference length A, the marker 304 and the additional information print area 302 to be printed next are It will be printed continuously with the blank space left. Here, the minimum reference length A is a predetermined length required for printing the payment information, that is, an area required for information about the store (store logo mark, store name, address, telephone number, etc.), and The area required for recording the payment date and time, and the area required for recording the payment when purchasing one product (unit price column of products, tax column, total column) can be determined by the length of the amount that can be secured.

Next, the print control of the printer 100 will be described. First, the additional information printing process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 together with FIGS. In FIG. 4, the additional information received from the POS terminal computer is added to the inkjet print head 1.
The flowchart of the process in the case of printing using 06 is shown. The additional information printing process 400 is performed by the printer 100.
The process is started when the amount of roll paper stored in the paper storage unit is reduced by printing the payment information and falls below a predetermined amount (for example, several transactions). That is,
When the accumulated length updated by the accumulated length calculation unit 222 after printing the payment information becomes less than or equal to a predetermined amount, the central controller 2
02 sends a command to the second print head controller 216 and the second transport drive controller 212 to drive the inkjet print head 106 and the second transport unit 122 to start the additional information printing process 400.

When the additional information printing process 400 is started,
The inkjet print head 106 first prints a marker on the roll paper 102 (S402), and then the additional information stored in the EPROM 208 is read and printed (S404). That is, the second transport drive controller 212 drives and controls the second transport unit 122 to pull out the roll paper from the roll paper storage area,
Ink jet print head 10
6 and the second print head controller 2
16 is driven and controlled, and the additional information of interest is printed on the back surface of the roll paper 102 in synchronization with the feeding of the roll paper. When the marker is printed here, the RAM 20
The counter for the number of print markers stored in 6 is incremented by 1. When the printing of one additional information is completed, the process proceeds to step 406, and it is determined whether or not the printing length B of the additional information printed here in the paper feeding direction is the above-mentioned minimum reference length A or more. . Then, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the print length B is smaller than the minimum reference length A, the process proceeds to step 408, where the roll paper 102 is fed by the second transport unit 122. Is sent by the margin C from the print end position of the additional information, and the process proceeds to step 4
Passed to 10. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the print length B is the minimum reference length A or more, the process is passed to step 410 without feeding the roll paper.

In step 410, it is judged whether or not the accumulated length by printing has reached a predetermined amount. As described above, this determination is made in the accumulation length calculation unit 222 based on the accumulation length stored in the RAM 206, the number of printed markers, the number of markers detected by the marker detection sensor 136, and the marker printing interval. It is performed by comparing the accumulated length obtained with a predetermined amount. Then, when the accumulated length has not reached the predetermined amount, the processing is returned to step 402, and steps 402 to 410 are repeated until the predetermined amount is reached. When the accumulated amount reaches the predetermined amount, the new accumulated length at that time is recorded in the RAM 206. With the above, the additional information printing process 400 is completed.

Next, the printing process of the settlement information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5 together with FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of processing when the control section 200 of the printer 100 receives a payment information print command from the POS terminal computer. Note that here, there is a predetermined amount (for example, several transactions) of roll paper on which additional information has been printed in advance in the paper storage unit of the printer 100, and the accumulated length thereof is stored in the RAM 206. The explanation will proceed as a premise.

Upon receipt of a payment information printing command and payment information to be printed from the POS terminal computer,
In the payment information printing process 500, first, it is determined whether the marker printed on the roll paper is in the correct position with respect to the cutting mechanism 124 (S502). This determination is made in step 5 when the payment information printing process 500 ends normally.
This is done by checking the end flag set at 18. When the payment information printing process 500 ends normally, the marker is located at the cutting mechanism 124 in this embodiment. If the end flag is not set, that is, if it is determined that the marker is not in the correct position,
The roll paper is conveyed so that the marker comes to the position of the cutting mechanism 124 (S504).

When it is determined in step 502 that the marker is at the correct position, or when the roll paper is conveyed to the correct position in step 504, the target settlement information is printed (S506). That is, the first transport drive controller 210 drives and controls the first transport unit 120,
The thermal print head 104 is stepwise transported by the position of the first transport unit 120 and the area of the roll paper in the paper storage unit.
And the first print head controller 21
4 is driven and controlled, and the target settlement information is printed on the surface of the roll paper 102 in synchronization with the feeding of the roll paper. It should be noted that the marker detection sensor 136 is activated in the process of feeding the roll paper accompanying the printing of the payment information, and when the marker passes over the sensor in this process,
The counter for the number of detected markers stored in the RAM 206 is incremented by 1.

When the printing of the settlement information in step 506 is completed, the first conveying section 120 is continuously driven to convey a fixed amount of roll paper (S508). Then, this conveyance is executed until the marker is detected by the marker detection sensor 136 after printing the payment information (S510). When the marker detection sensor 136 detects a marker on the roll paper, after the counter of the number of detected markers stored in the RAM 206 is incremented by 1,
The processing is passed to step 512, and the roll paper is further conveyed until the detected marker comes to the position of the cutting mechanism 124. Then, the cutting mechanism 124 is driven so that the front end of the roll paper, on which the settlement information is printed on the front side and the additional information on the back side, is cut and separated from the inside of the printer housing, and is ready to be delivered to the user ( S514).

Next, in step 516, the accumulation length update process is executed in consideration of the feeding of the roll paper conveyed in connection with the printing of the settlement information. That is, the accumulated length calculation unit 222 is activated, the current accumulated length is calculated based on the immediately preceding accumulated length, the number of detected markers, and the marker interval data on the RAM 206, and this is updated to update the RAM.
Write on 206. Finally, the final payment information printing process 50
An end flag on the RAM 206 indicating that 0 has been normally ended is set (S518). This ensures that the markers on the roll are at the cutting mechanism 124. With the above, the payment information printing process 500 is completed. In the above process, it is guaranteed that the cutting of the roll paper is always performed at the position of the marker printed at the head position of the additional information, regardless of the length of the payment information.
There is no possibility that one piece of additional information will be divided in the middle.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the method of printing additional information on roll paper. In the figure, as in FIG. 3, the additional information 602 and the marker 6 are provided on the back surface 600 of the roll paper.
It is shown that 04 is printed continuously. In the present embodiment, unlike the example of FIG. 3, the minimum reference length A,
That is, a set of a plurality (two in the example in the figure) of additional information 602 and a marker 604 is printed within a predetermined length required for printing the payment information. That is, the length D of the additional information to be printed is 1 which is the minimum reference length A.
If / N (N is an integer of 2 or more) or less, 2 to N pieces of additional information are printed within the minimum reference length A. In this way, when the additional information is shorter than the minimum reference length, the paper surface is not wasted,
It is possible to insert a plurality of pieces of additional information into one receipt. The additional information in this case may be of the same type or of another type.

As described above, in the receipt printer according to the above-described embodiment, the roll paper portion on which the additional information is printed is always secured in the paper storage portion by a predetermined amount, and therefore the printing of the settlement information is executed. It becomes unnecessary to print additional information at the time of printing, and the settlement information can be printed promptly and output to the user without being affected by printing by an inkjet print head having a relatively slow printing speed. Further, according to the printer, one piece of additional information is not divided on the way when the receipt is cut, and the additional information can be appropriately and reliably provided to the customer.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the matters shown in the above embodiment, and the claims and the detailed description of the invention, and It includes a range in which those skilled in the art can make changes and applications based on well-known techniques. For example,
In the above-described embodiment, the first printing unit is of the thermal type and the second printing unit is of the inkjet type. However, as long as two printing units having different relative print processing speeds are used, any printing The present invention is also beneficial in terms of means. Therefore, for example, the present invention can be applied to a printer using a monochromatic thermal type as the first printing means and a multicolor thermal type as the second printing means.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention, the portion of the roll paper on which the additional information is printed is always secured in the paper storage portion by a predetermined amount. Therefore, the printing means having a relatively slow printing speed is used. Even if the additional information is printed by using the above method, the payment information can be printed promptly.

Further, at the time of cutting the receipt, one additional information is not divided in the middle, and the additional information can be properly and surely provided to the customer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an internal mechanism of a receipt printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the printer of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print result of additional information and a marker by an inkjet print head.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing additional information printing processing in the printer of FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing a payment information printing process in the printer of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the print result of the additional information and the marker by the inkjet print head.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 receipt printer 102 roll paper 104 thermal print head 106 inkjet print head 108 receipt outlet 110-116 Conveyor Roller Pair 118 paper path 120 First transport section 122 Second Transport Section 124 cutting mechanism 126 First Transport Drive Controller 128 second transport drive controller 130 Paper path switching valve 132 Guide member 134 valve drive controller 136 Marker detection sensor 138 Cutting mechanism drive controller 200 Control unit 202 Central control unit 204 ROM 206 RAM 208 EEPROM 210 First Transport Drive Controller 212 Second Transport Drive Controller 214 First Print Head Controller 216 Second print head controller 218 Switching valve drive controller 220 Cutting mechanism drive controller 222 Accumulation length calculator 224 communication interface Back side of 300 roll paper 302 additional information print area 304 marker

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme code (reference) B41J 11/70 B41J 29/40 Z 3F048 29/40 B65H 43/00 B65H 43/00 B41J 3/00 EF term (reference) ) 2C055 KK00 KK02 KK06 2C058 AB08 AC07 AD05 AE04 AF51 GB03 GB13 GB40 GB49 LA03 LC05 LC26 2C061 AQ04 AQ05 AR03 AS06 AS14 HH09 JJ02 JJ04 JJ08 JJ13 2C087 AA07 AC05 AC07 BB09 CB07 CB11 3C024 FF01 3F048 AA00 AB01 AC04 BB02 CA06 DA06 DC00 EB17

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A printer for receipt printing for printing on continuous paper, comprising payment information printing means for printing merchandise payment information on paper, and synchronizing with printing operation by the payment information printing means. A first sheet conveying unit that conveys the sheet, and an additional unit that is located upstream of the settlement information printing unit in the sheet conveying direction and prints advertisements and other additional information on the sheet and a marker indicating the print position of the additional information. Between the information printing means, the second paper carrying means for carrying the paper in synchronization with the printing operation by the additional information printing means, and the additional information printing between the settlement information printing means and the additional information printing means. The additional information printing means and the second information printing means for accumulating a predetermined length of paper printed by the means.
An accumulation control unit for controlling the sheet conveying unit, a sheet cutting unit for cutting and separating the leading end side of the sheet, and a first sheet conveying unit on the downstream side of the settlement information printing unit in the sheet conveying direction. On the paper path, the additional information printing means prints the additional information printing means on the basis of the marker detection means for detecting the marker printed on the paper by the additional information printing means, and the position of the marker detected by the marker detection means. Cutting control means for controlling the paper cutting means and / or the first paper conveying means so that the paper cutting means cuts and separates the paper at a position where the at least one additional information is not divided. Printer for receipt printing. 2. The receipt printing printer according to claim 1, wherein the additional information printing unit prints the marker at a head position of the additional information. 3. The settlement information printing unit prints on a first side of the sheet, and the additional information printing unit prints on a second side of the sheet opposite to the first side. The receipt printing printer according to claim 1. 4. The additional information printing means, when the print length of the additional information to be printed is less than or equal to a predetermined minimum length required for printing the payment information, at a pitch of the predetermined minimum length. The receipt printing printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the printer prints the additional information printing unit. 5. The additional information printing unit has a print length of the additional information to be printed that is 1 / N or less (N is an integer of 2 or more) of a predetermined minimum length required for printing the payment information. In this case, the printer for receipt printing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the printer is controlled to form 2 to N printing units of the additional information within the predetermined minimum length. 6. The cutting control means drives the first sheet conveying means to convey the sheet after the settlement information printing means finishes printing the settlement information, and is detected by the marker detecting means. Based on the position of the marker
The paper cutting means is controlled to cut the paper when it is determined that a position between the additional information printing portion and the additional information printing portion has come to the position of the paper cutting means. The printer for receipt printing according to any one of 1 to 5. 7. The cutting control means controls the paper cutting means so as to cut the paper at a position where the marker is printed, according to any one of claims 3 to 5.
The printer for receipt printing described in 1. 8. A first storage means for storing the number and intervals of the markers printed by the additional information printing means, and a second storage means for storing the number and intervals of the markers detected by the marker detection means. And an accumulation length calculation means for calculating the length of the paper accumulated between the settlement information printing means and the additional information printing means, based on the information stored in the first and second storage means. 7. The receipt printing printer according to claim 1, further comprising: 9. An independently controllable payment information printing unit, an additional information printing unit, and a paper cutting unit for cutting and separating the leading end side of the paper downstream of the payment information printing unit with respect to the conveyance direction of the paper. A method of controlling a receipt printing printer, comprising: printing on continuous paper, wherein the additional information printing means is used to represent advertisements and other additional information on the paper and a print position of the additional information. A step of printing a marker; the additional information printing means and the additional information printing means so that a predetermined length of paper printed by the additional information printing means is accumulated between the settlement information printing means and the additional information printing means. A step of controlling a second sheet conveying means, a step of printing merchandise settlement information on the sheet by using the settlement information printing means, and a step on the side of the settlement information printing means. In the process of transporting the printed paper area of the product payment information, the step of detecting the marker on the paper, and the printing by the additional information printing unit based on the position of the detected marker on the paper And a step of cutting and separating the paper by the paper cutting means at a position where one piece of additional information is not divided. 10. The control method for a receipt printing printer according to claim 9, wherein the step of printing the additional information and the marker by the additional information printing means includes a step of printing the marker at a head position of the additional information. . 11. In the step of printing the additional information and the marker by the additional information printing means, the length of the printing portion of the additional information to be printed is equal to or less than a predetermined minimum length required for printing the payment information. If it is, the method for controlling the receipt printing printer according to claim 9 or 10, including the step of forming the print portion of the additional information at the pitch of the predetermined minimum length. 12. In the step of printing the additional information and the marker by the additional information printing means, the length of the additional information printing portion to be printed is a predetermined minimum length required for printing the payment information. 11. When the ratio is 1 / N (N is an integer of 2 or more) or less, the method includes the step of forming 2 to N print parts of the additional information within the predetermined minimum length.
A method of controlling a printer for receipt printing according to. 13. The step of cutting and separating the sheet by the sheet cutting means, the step of transporting the sheet after printing of the payment information by the payment information printing means, and the position of the detected marker. And controlling the paper cutting means so as to cut the paper when it is determined that the position between the additional information printing unit and the additional information printing unit has come to the position of the paper cutting device. 13. A method of controlling a receipt printing printer according to claim 9, including the printer. 14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of cutting and separating the paper by the paper cutting means includes a step of cutting the paper at a position where the paper cutting means prints the marker. The method for controlling the receipt printing printer according to item 3. 15. A step of storing the number and intervals of the markers printed by the additional information printing means, a step of storing the number and intervals of the markers detected in the step of detecting the markers on the paper, 15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: calculating a length of a sheet accumulated between the payment information printing unit and the additional information printing unit based on the stored information. A method of controlling a printer for receipt printing according to. 16. A program for executing the method for controlling a receipt printing printer according to claim 9. Description: 17. A computer-readable information recording medium in which the program according to claim 16 is recorded.