JPH0348866B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a barcode printer for price tags,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a barcode printer that inputs print data according to a marking code and issues barcode labels accordingly.

Conventionally, in the JAN code type of barcode where print data is entered by key-in, flag code (code indicating country classification or in-store marking code type),
Manufacturer code (product manufacturer code), item code (item code set independently by each product manufacturer or retailer based on certain standards),
The required number of digits for a marking code consisting of an appropriate combination of price (product price), department, etc. is entered using a numeric keypad.

The input method is that even if the type of marking code is the same, if the value of the print data to be input is different even by one digit from the value of the previously input data, input all of the print data from the beginning. I had to fix it.

Therefore, when pricing various products at a store, all of the print data for each product must be input from the beginning, which causes a lot of time to be spent on pricing. This also causes incorrect input of print data.

On the other hand, if pricing is done by department, products from the same department will be handled for a certain period of time.For example, if the marking code is JAN13NONPLU type, only the last two digits of the item code and the price will change, and other The remaining digits of the flag code and item code are common numbers.

Similarly to other JAN codes, it can be divided into a fixed part, which has a common value in use, and a variable part, which has different numbers.

Furthermore, in conventional barcode printers, the operator calculates the check digit using a calculator while inputting the print data, and then enters the calculated value in the check digit digit, which is a time-consuming operation. However, there was a problem that caused incorrect input of check digit values due to calculation errors.

Therefore, the inventor of the present invention focused on the above-mentioned matters and divided the print data into a fixed part and a variable part, and once the fixed part was inputted, the pricing work could be done by replacing only the variable part without having to input it each time. At the same time, the inventors have invented a barcode printer for price tags that automatically calculates check digits and inputs them into predetermined digits, which has significantly superior operability and work accuracy compared to conventional printers.

The barcode printer of the present invention is suitable for price tags in which a marking code consisting of a plurality of digits is divided into fixed part digits, which have a common number in use, and variable part digits, which have different numbers. In a barcode printer, a program/issue switch that switches between marking code setting and label printing, a data input key that inputs print data values into the fixed and variable digits of the marking code, and marking・A manual key that specifies and sets the variable part of the code digit by digit, a designation key that allows you to erase input values in a predetermined category at once among the variable part digits, and a check digit in the marking code. A check key for specifying and setting the digit of the marking code, and a data display section for displaying input data having a number of digits corresponding to the number of digits of the marking code, and when the changeover switch is set to the program side. , use the data input key to input the digit of the fixed part of the marking code, use the check key to specify and set the digit of the check digit, and use the manual key to specify and set the digit of the variable part of the marking code; When the changeover switch is set to the issuing side, a predetermined numerical value is entered into the digit of the variable part using the data input key, and a predetermined classification of the digit of the variable part is specified and set using the designation key, and all data are input. The barcode is printed on the label and issued upon completion of the input.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a barcode printer, and Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the operational relationship of the barcode printer. It is composed of a program/issue changeover switch 4, an arithmetic control section 5, a data display section 6, a printer 7, and the like.

The data input key 2 is composed of a numeric keypad 8 and a clear key 9, and the numeric keypad 8 is composed of a total of 10 keys with numbers from 0 to 9 written on them, and print data of the product can be selected by operating the keys. Enter each digit according to the marking code.

In addition, based on the input, data to be printed is displayed on the data display section 6 with a predetermined number of digits.

The clear key 9 consists of a clear key 9a for erasing only one digit and an all clear key 9b for erasing all digits at once.

The function input key 3 includes a manual key 10, a check key 11, and a blank key 12.
Furthermore, the manual key 10 is set so that one input corresponds to one digit of the marking code.
The digit designated by 0 can be freely replaced with a numerical value when inputting print data, regardless of the digits in other fixed parts. Also, the digit column 1 of the display section 6 specified by the manual key 10
3, an appropriate mark such as a dot is displayed at the upper left by lighting it up.

The check key 11 is used to designate a check digit digit, and by inputting the check key 11, a mark such as C is appropriately displayed in the designated digit column 13 of the display section 6.

The blank key 12 is a display section 6 that is not used when a marking code with a small number of digits is selected.
Each input corresponds to one digit, and the digit field 13 specified by the input is displayed using appropriate display means, such as a mask.

The program/issuance changeover switch 4 is used to switch between marking code setting and label issuance in which a barcode label is issued by inputting print data.When set to the program position, all digits are set as shown above. Input can be performed using the data input key 2 and function input key 3, and when the label is set at the position for issuing a label, input can be performed only to the digits designated by the manual key 10 and the designation key 10'.

The arithmetic control section 5 has an input side connected to the data input key 2, function input key 3, and program/issue switch 4, and an output side connected to a data display section 6 and a printer 7. The data display unit 6 and printer 7 are appropriately controlled by input signals from the key 2, the function input key 3, and the program/issuance switch 4, and are set to operate in a predetermined manner. Figure 2).

The data display section 6 consists of a display column 14 for displaying input data, a display column 15 for displaying the number of labels issued, and a display column 16 for displaying the price. Divided into 13 digit fields 13 according to the number of digits, hold the surface of the field with a display tube, and when setting a code, display this with a horizontal bar, and when entering a value with the numeric keypad 8, the horizontal bar is replaced with a number and displayed, and if the digit of the variable part is specified with manual key 10, the corresponding digit field 1
When the horizontal bar of 3 is replaced with the upper left point and displayed, and the check digit is specified as a predetermined digit with the check key 11, the horizontal bar of that digit field 13 is replaced with C and displayed, and the blank key is pressed. When a blank digit is specified in step 12, the horizontal bar in the digit column 13 is masked (unlit) and displayed.

Note that the input display on the manual key 10 is not limited to a dot, but may be a comma or other mark as desired.

The printer 7 prints a barcode on the label according to the input print data according to a command from the arithmetic control unit 5, and prints the barcode label 17 on the label.
is issued from an issuing port 19 provided at the front of the machine frame 18.

Therefore, in the operation example of the barcode printer for price tags of the present invention, the marking code is JAN8NONPLU.
The case where it is a type will be explained below.

In addition, the digit field 13 for inputting data is the display field 14.
Use the 8 digits from the 4th to the 11th.

Therefore, in the above operation, first turn on the power, then before inputting the print data, input the 1-digit flag code, 2-digit item code, the first digit of the price, and the check digit as fixed parts, and then input the remaining price. Set the code using 3 digits as the variable part.

The code setting operation is as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. First, set the program/issue selector switch 4 to program, then press the blank key 12 three times to select the third digit in the display field 14. Set 13 to blank.

Next, press 2 on the numeric keypad 8 to move to the 4th digit column 1
Enter the flag 2 in 3.

Next, hit 1 and 2 on the numeric keypad 8 in order, 5,
Enter departments 1 and 2 in the sixth digit column 13.

Next, press 0 on the numeric keypad 8 to move to the 7th digit field 1
Enter 0 for the price in 3.

Next, press the manual key 10 three times in a row to enter the 2nd to 4th digits, which are the variable part of the price, in the 8th to 10th digit fields 13 using the manual display.

Next, press the check key 11 and enter the check digit C in the 11th digit field 13.

Finally, press the blank key 12 twice to 12 and 13.
The programming of the code is completed by setting the th digit field 13 blank.

After completing the code programming by setting the fixed part and the variable part of the code, the operation of issuing the barcode label 17, in other words, the operation of inputting the variable part set at the time of setting the code is performed. .

To do this, set the program/issue switch 4 to the issue position, and as shown in Figure 4, first press 1, 5, and 0 on the numeric keypad 8 in order to select the 8th to 10th numbers specified on the manual key 10. Enter the numerical values 1, 5, and 0 in the digit field 13 in sequence.

When all numerical values are input into the variable portions specified by the manual key 10, the arithmetic control section 5 automatically calculates check digits.

The arithmetic expression for the check digit is input and held in the arithmetic control unit 5, and the check digit is calculated based on the arithmetic expression. total)×3
+ (total of input values in the odd-numbered digit field) is calculated, and the value obtained by subtracting the first-place value of the calculated value from 10 becomes the check digit value.For details, (2+2+1+0)×
3+(1+0+5)=21, 10-1=9, and the number "9" is automatically entered in the check digit column (11th).

Thereafter, the printer 7 is operated and a barcode label 17 that conforms to the print data is issued.

Here, if the number of labels to be issued is set in advance, the barcode labels 17 are automatically and continuously issued in a predetermined number.

Next, the bottom 3 of the print data
Product barcode label 17 that differs only in numerical digits
To issue , leave the numbers already entered as they are and press manual key 10.
Only the numerical values input in the 8th to 10th digit columns 13, which have been previously designated by the manual key 10, are erased. And numeric keypad 8
When you press 4, 2, and 7 in order, the new numbers 4, 2, and 7 are entered in the 3rd to 10th digit fields 13, and the calculated value "" is entered in the check digit digit field in the same way as above. 2'' is input, and a barcode label 17 conforming to the print data is issued.

That is, if the only variable part of the print data of the product handled is the last three digits of the price, set the digits specified with the manual key 10 during programming to the last three digits of the price, and the variable part is the price. If there is only one last digit, specify only that last digit using manual key 10 when setting the code. Rather than re-entering print data,
Leave the numbers entered in the fixed part digits as they are, and replace only the numbers entered in the variable part digits.

In the above explanation, the manual key 10 is used as the means for erasing the variable part, but other function keys may be used, and the numerical value of the variable part can be erased at the end of the label issuing operation without any key operation. It is also optional to automatically delete only the

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5.

The configuration and operation other than the designation key 10', which serves as an appropriate means for designating the classification made up of the digits of the variable part when inputting print data, are the same as in the previous embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted, and the designation key will be described below. Regarding 10', the designation key 10' selects a category consisting of digits that can be variable parts in the marking code that can be selected, such as manufacturer code, item code, department, price, etc.
Alternatively, the categories constituting the combination are specified when inputting the print data.In the barcode printer shown in FIG. 1, the item code specification key 10' is used to specify the item code 20.
a.Price specification key 1 to specify price 21
0'b, a department designation key 10'c for designating a department (not shown), and a manufacturer code designation key 10'd for designating a manufacturer code (not shown).
Among the digits of the variable part specified with the manual key 10 when setting the code, the above-mentioned category consisting of that digit is specified when inputting the print data, and the category, for example, the price specification key 10'
When b is pressed, the input value in the price 21 digit shown in FIG. 5 is erased, and a new value can be input in that digit. Therefore, if the manual key 10 is pressed when a plurality of variable parts are specified as in the case of the above embodiment, all the numerical values in the digits of the variable part are erased, but this designation key 10' If you press , the numerical values of all the variable digits will not be deleted, but for example, if you press the item code designation key 10'a, only the numerical value input in item code 20 will be deleted.
If you press the price specification key 10'b, the price will be 21.
Only the numeric value entered in the digit will be deleted, and a new numeric value can be entered only in that digit.

Incidentally, the classification specified by the above-mentioned specification key 10' is not limited to specifying a plurality of digits of the variable part, but it is also possible to specify any one digit. Further, when setting the code, the variable portion may be specified using this designation key 10' instead of the manual key 10.

In this embodiment as well, the check digit (P/
C and C/D) are automatically calculated and input into the corresponding digit column. However, the calculation formulas for both (P/C and C/D) are different.

Next, FIG. 1, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 will explain specific embodiments of the display means.

The display means is a digit field 13 of a display field 14 corresponding to the digit designated by the manual key 10, and a designation key 1.
0' for each key 10, 1.
In conjunction with the input of 0', a display tube is lit up in the digit field 13 and near the display field 14, and these display formats are indicated by appropriate marks.For example, a digit designated with the manual key 10 is displayed as that digit. Column 13
The division designated by the designation key 10' is performed by displaying the corresponding digit column 13 in the display tube 23 provided along the lower edge of the display column 14 by displaying the horizontal bar 24.

Therefore, the marking code JAN13N−
Taking the case of the ONPLU type as an example, as shown in Fig. 6, when setting the code, the manual key 10 is used to set the item code 20 and the price 21.
When you specify this as a variable part, a dot 22 lights up at the upper left of the corresponding digit field 13 to display this, and when inputting print data thereafter, only the price 21 of the variable part is pressed with the price designation key 10'. If b is also specified, the part of the display tube 23 corresponding to the price 21 digit as shown in FIG.
The horizontal bar 24 also lights up to display this.

By displaying the point 22, the horizontal bar 24, and the divisions thereof in colors that are easily distinguishable from each other, the designated digit of the variable portion can be more easily confirmed.

Since the present invention is configured as described above, before inputting print data according to the selectable marking code, a predetermined numerical value is input in advance into the digit of the fixed part, and the digit of the variable part is specified and set. , when inputting print data, you can freely replace the print data value in the digits of the variable part, and when you move from pricing work for a product that has been set to another product, you can change the print data of that product starting from There is no need to input everything from 1 to 20. By specifying the variable part in advance using the manual key, and specifying one or more predetermined categories such as item, price, department, manufacturer code, etc. using the specified key. , all you have to do is erase all the digits in the specified category using the specified key and re-enter new data there, allowing you to set the number of re-entered digits to the minimum necessary.

Therefore, the number of times each key is operated during the print data input operation is reduced, the work time is shortened, the print data input operation is simplified, and erroneous inputs can be eliminated.

In addition, the check digit is automatically calculated in conjunction with the end of the numerical input operation for the variable part and input into the check digit digit, which saves the trouble of calculating the check digit and eliminates the risk of calculation errors. Operation and work accuracy can be further improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the barcode printer, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the barcode printer.
The figure is a block diagram showing the operational relationship of a barcode printer, and Figure 3 shows the marking code.
An explanatory diagram showing the key operations during programming when the JAN8NONPLU type is selected, Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the key operations when issuing the program, and Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the key operations when programming.
Schematic diagram showing the code system of JAN13NONPLU type, Figure 6 is the marking code
An enlarged view of the data display diagram showing the display of the specified digit column by the manual key when using the JAN13NONPLU type. Figure 7 is the data display section showing the display of the category specified by the specified key after the state shown in Figure 6. It is an enlarged view of. In the figure, 2...Data input key, 3...Function input key, 4...Program/issue switch, 5...Arithmetic control section, 6...Data display section, 7...Printer, 8...Numeric keypad ,1
0...Manual key, 10'...Specified key, 1
3...digit field, 14...display field, 23...display tube.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 In barcode printers for price tags, marking codes consisting of multiple digits are divided into fixed part digits, which are a common number, and variable part digits, which are different numbers. A program/issue switch that switches between settings and label printing, and a marking/printing switch.
A data input key for inputting print data values into the fixed and variable digits of the code, and a manual key for specifying and setting the variable digits of the marking code one by one.
A designated key that allows you to erase input values in a predetermined category among the digits of this variable part all at once, a check key that specifies and sets the check digit digit in the marking code, and a digit corresponding to the number of digits in the marking code. and a data display section for displaying the input data, and when the changeover switch is set to the program side, the data input key is used to input the digit of the fixed part of the marking code, and the check key is used to input the data to the digit of the fixed part of the marking code. Specify and set the digit of the check digit, and also use the manual key to specify and set the digit of the variable part of the marking code, and when the changeover switch is set to the issuing side, use the data input key to move to the digit of the variable part. The apparatus is characterized in that a predetermined numerical value is entered and a predetermined division of the digits of the variable part is designated and set using the designation key, and upon completion of inputting all data, a bar code is printed on the label and issued. Barcode printer for price tags.