1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a character printing method and device for reading a character group from a disc which can be played back and stores data of the character group, and printing the character group.
2. Prior Art
Recently, disc systems have become commercially available one after another which store and reproduce main information and attribute information concerning the main information (which is formed of text data, and includes management information corresponding to the main information, a disc title entered by the user, and main information titles corresponding to the main information) by using a recordable/reproducible disc.
The disc system of this kind includes a magneto-optical (MO) disc system for mainly storing and reproducing music/voice signals as the main information, a rewritable CD (CD-R, etc.) system, and a DVD system for mainly recording and reproducing movie data as the main information. A mini disc (minidisc) (hereinafter referred to as an xe2x80x9cMDxe2x80x9d) system available from Sony Corporation as an applied system of the MO disc system is also a commercial product of the disc system of the same kind drawing attention of users.
In the case of the MD system, for instance, the MD records not only music pieces (music information) as the main information but also characters representative of a disc title, music numbers, music titles, playing (playback) times, recording dates, etc., as the attribute information. When the MD is played by an MD player, these characters (attribute information) are displayed on a display block of the MD player, to present information from which the user can know a title of the disc, a title of the music piece being played, etc., and further write down on various kinds of labels to be affixed to predetermined areas of an MD cartridge and an MD case, which are supplied as accessories of the MD.
However, it is a troublesome and time-consuming operation to extract data (take notes) from the information displayed on the MD player being played. Further, even if the MD player is provided with means for reading all the attribute information from the MD and printing the information on a predetermined printing object, it is still required to extract therefrom a portion suitable for a selected one of various sizes (e.g. of various kinds of labels). Still further, even if the extraction can be properly carried out, it is difficult to manually write lots of letters within a small-sized label such that the written characters have an attractive appearance, and what is more, when there are lots of labels to be prepared (i.e. when several types of labels are manually written), the operation demands much patience.
It is an object of the invention to provide a character printing method and device which is capable of reading a character group from a recordable/reproducible disc on which is recorded the character group, and printing a portion extracted from the character group such that the portion is adapted to a selected one of various print sizes.
To attain the object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of printing characters, comprising the steps of:
defining print size alternatives to be selectively set to a print size of a printing area of a printing object on which is to be printed part or all of a character group including at least one character;
reading the character group from a disc storing the character group;
setting one of the print size alternatives to the print size;
forming print image data by extracting part or all of the character group such that the part or all of the character group is adapted to the set print size; and
printing a print image on the printing object based on the print image data.
To attain the object, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a character printing device comprising:
print size storage means for storing print size alternatives to be selectively set to a print size of a printing area of a printing object on which is to be printed part or all of a character group including at least one character;
reading means for reading the character group from a disc storing the character group;
print size-setting means for setting one of the print size alternatives to the print size;
image data-forming means for forming print image data by extracting part or all of the character group such that the part or all of the character group is adapted to the set print size; and
printing means for printing a print image on the printing object based on the print image data.
According to the character printing method and device, by reading out a character group recorded on a disc, and at the same time, setting one of print size alternatives to the print size, a predetermined part or all of the character group is extracted such that the predetermined part or all of the character group is adapted to the set print size to form print image data, and a print image is printed based on the print image data. In short, by selecting one of various print size alternatives and setting the selected one to the print size, it is possible to extract part or all of the character group such that the part or all of the character group is adapted to the set print size and print the same.
Preferably, the method includes the step of removably mounting one of a plurality of kinds of printing objects in a printing device, as the printing object.
Preferably, the character printing device includes mounting means for removably mounting one of a plurality of kinds of printing objects in a printing device, as the printing object.
According to these preferred embodiments, it is possible to mount one (any) of the plurality of kinds of printing objects in the printing device, and print on the mounted printing object.
More preferably, the step of setting one of the print size alternatives to the print size includes selecting, from the print size alternatives, one corresponding to the mounted one of the plurality of kinds of printing objects, when the print size varies with a kind of the printing object which is mounted in the printing device.
More preferably, the print size-setting means selects, from the print size alternatives, one corresponding to the mounted one of the plurality of kinds of printing objects, when the print size varies with a kind of the printing object which is mounted in the printing device.
According to these preferred embodiments, it is possible to select a print size suitable for a kind of the printing object. More specifically, this embodiment is applied to cases where the print size varies with the kind of printing object, and in this case, the selection of the printing object means the selection of the print size.
Further preferably, the method further includes the step of detecting the kind of the printing object mounted in the printing device, and the step of setting one of the print size alternatives to the print size includes selecting, from the print size alternatives, one corresponding to the detected kind of the printing object.
Further preferably, the character printing device further includes detection means for detecting the kind of the printing object mounted in the printing device, and the print size-setting means selects, from the print size alternatives, one corresponding to the detected kind of the printing object.
According to these preferred embodiments, the kind of a printing object mounted is detected, and the print size is selected according to the kind of the printing object, it is possible to select the print size adapted to the kind of printing object mounted.
Preferably, the step of setting one of the print size alternatives to the print size includes selection of one of the print size alternatives by the user.
Preferably, the print size-setting means selects the one of the print size alternatives in response to an operation carried out by the user.
According to these preferred embodiments, since the print size is selected in response to the selection by the user, and hence it is possible to select the print size complying with the user""s intention.
Preferably, the print size alternatives include sizes of a plurality of kinds of labels.
According to this preferred embodiment of each of the first and second aspects of the invention, since the print size alternatives to be selected for the print size include sizes of a plurality of kinds of labels, and hence by selecting any of them as the print size, it is possible to extract a character group adapted to any of sizes of labels.
More preferably, the plurality of kinds of labels include a disc label to be attached to a front surface of a disc cartridge, a case label to be attached to a front surface of a case of the disc cartridge, and a side label to be attached to a side surface of the disc cartridge or the case.
According to this preferred embodiment of each of the first and second aspects of the invention, it is possible to extract and print a character group adapted to any of sizes of various kinds of labels including a disc label, a case label, and a side label.
More preferably, the step of setting one of the print size alternatives to the print size includes selecting, from the print size alternatives, one corresponding to a size of a half-die-cut label, when the printing object is formed with the half-die-cut label.
More preferably, the print size-setting means selects, from the print size alternatives, one corresponding to a size of a half-die-cut label, when the printing object is formed with the half-die-cut label.
According to these preferred embodiments, when a half-die-cut label is formed in a printing object, by selecting a print size adapted to the size of the half-die-cut label, it is possible to extract and print a character group adapted to the label size of the half-die-cut label.
Preferably, the printing object is a tape.
According to this preferred embodiment of each of the first and second aspects of the invention, since the printing object is a tape, it is possible to apply the method and device to a tape printing apparatus.
Preferably, the disc is a mini disc.
According to this preferred embodiment of each of the first and second aspects of the invention, it is possible to print a character group read from the mini disc.
Preferably, the reading means includes disc playback means for reading the data of the character group from the disc.
According to this preferred embodiment, the character printing device has disc playback means for reading the character group from the disc. That is, the device is provided with the disc playback means which is not only capable of playing back (reading) main information of music, voices, movies, etc., but also capable of reading a character group, such as information of attributes. This makes it possible to easily read out character groups stored in the disc as well as divert the construction of a disc playback device of a general type to the reading of the character group.
More preferably, the disc playback means is constructed such that the disc playback means receives a request signal generated in response to a key operation of a remote controller from the remote controller, and transmits a portion of a character group to be displayed on a display of the remote controller to the remote controller, the portion corresponding to the request signal, and the reading means further includes remote-controlled communication means for sending the request signal and receiving the portion of the character group in place of the remote controller.
The aforementioned disc playback device of the general type is constructed such that it receives a request signal generated by a key operation from the remote controller, and transmits a character group in response to the request signal. Therefore, by generating the same request signal as generated by the remote controller for the same processing, the character printing device can also obtain the same character group as obtained by the remote controller. That is, in this character printing device, the reading means has the disc playback means and the remote-controlled communication means for transmitting the same request signal as generated by the remote controller and receives the character group, which makes it possible to obtain the character group stored in the disc. It should be noted that by configuring the remote-controlled communication means such that it causes the remote controller to generate a plurality of request signals by a single operation and transmit a combination of a plurality of successive request signals to the disc playback device, it is possible to obtain a plurality of character groups corresponding to the respective request signals by a single operation.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.