(19)
(11) EP 0 995 605 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
10.01.2001 Bulletin 2001/02

(43) Date of publication A2:
26.04.2000 Bulletin 2000/17

(21) Application number: 99203400.9

(22) Date of filing: 18.10.1999
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)7: B41J 13/00, G01V 8/12
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE
Designated Extension States:
AL LT LV MK RO SI

(30) Priority: 22.10.1998 US 176628

(71) Applicant: Eltron International, Inc.
Simi Valley, CA 93065-1692 (US)

(72) Inventors:
  • Engel, James William
    Simi Valley, CA 91306 (US)
  • Zevin, Thomas M.
    Canoga Park, CA 91306 (US)

(74) Representative: Weatherald, Keith Baynes 
Castles, 17 Lansdowne Road
Croydon CR0 2BX
Croydon CR0 2BX (GB)

   


(54) Label detector


(57) A media detector detects the presence of a printed label in a printer which is designed to pause after printing each label, and resume printing only after the printed label has been removed. The detector uses reflected light from an LED, which strikes the print media and is reflected onto a light sensor. The ambiguity caused by ambient light striking the light sensor is avoided by using a two-step detection process. The output from the light detector is read both with the LED on and with the LED off. The status of the light sensor under both conditions is repeatedly analyzed until it is unambiguously determined that the printed label has been removed and the printer can therefore resume printing.






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