Esselte Pendaflex Corporation

Dymo Industries, Inc.

Gunter Holland-Letz

Werner Becker

Heinrich Volk

Gerhard Nagel

Klaus Dasting

The invention resides in the field of intermittently transporting of tapes, especially the transporting of tapes bearing adhesive labels in an apparatus by means of which the adhesive labels can be dispensed individually in succession and applied on an article. The device (14) used for transporting the tape includes a tape clamp movable forward and backward along the tape with a clamping member (31) movable between a tape clamping position and a tape releasing position and a counterclamp member (32); the tape (9) is passed between the clamping member (31) and the counterclamp member (32). The tape (9) is provided with control recesses (25) and the transporting device (14) comprises a control sensor (39) bringing the clamping member (31) into the tape clamping position when said sensor drops into a control recess (25). The control sensor (39) is movable relative to the clamping member (31) and is designed so that, when dropping into a control recess (25) it comes into positive engagement with the tape (9). Owing to the positive engagement between the tape (9) and the control sensor (39) the clamping member (31) held in the tape releasing position is moved into the tape clamping position. In this embodiment of the transporting unit a precisely defined instant of activation is attained when the tape clamp grips the tape (9) and carries it along.

Device for intermittently transporting a tape provided with control

The invention relates to a printing wheel for a rotary printer comprising a plurality of type rings (6) positioned side by side on a cylindrical support (3). On their outer periphery said type rings (6) carry printing types (9), while on their inner periphery they are provided with internal toothing (10) capable of meshing with a pinion (11) which, by means of an adjusting spindle (14) connected for co-rotation therewith, is axially slidable into the planes of the individual type rings (6). By means of the pinion (11) the type rings (6) can be rotated relative to one another on the support (3) to bring selected printing types (9) into a predetermined position of adjustment. In order to avoid that during adjustment of a type ring (6) the adjacent type rings (6) are carried along a locking member (16, 17) is provided on the adjusting spindle (14), on either side of the pinion (11), for rotation relative to the adjusting spindle (14), and is secured against - axial shifting. The locking members (16, 17) are in positive engagement with the type rings (6) adjacent the type ring (6) whose inner toothing (10) is meshing with the pinion (11). The locking members (16, 17) are in positive engagement with the support (3).

Print wheels having means for rotating a selected print wheel and

Disclosed is an apparatus for imprinting and dispensing pressure-sensitive labels adhering to a carrier tape. The apparatus comprises an operating lever for controlling a printing mechanism and for controlling a feed means for stepwise drawing of the carrier tape over a platen and around a peel edge at which the pressure-sensitive labels detach from the carrier tape and move into a dispensing position. In the rest position of the operating lever the carrier tape is clamped by a braking means where the braking means is biased against the carrier tape by a spring. By means of a cam gearing arranged between the brake actuating member and the operating lever the brake actuating member can be pivoted against the bias of the spring from the carrier tape clamping position into a carrier tape release position when the operating lever has covered a part of its travel from the rest position into the operative position. An arresting means is provided which arrests the brake actuating member against the bias of the spring in the carrier tape release position. A member is also provided which releases the arresting member when the operating lever reaches its rest position so that the brake actuating member is immediately returned to the tape clamping position by the spring.

Apparatus for imprinting and dispensing pressure-sensitive labels

The present invention relates to a hand labelling apparatus with the aid of which pressure-sensitive labels adhering to a carrier tape can be imprinted, dispensed and applied to articles. For this purpose the apparatus comprises in the front region of its housing a printing mechanism which is driveable by an operating lever and to which the carrier tape with the pressure-sensitive labels adhering thereto is fed by a feed means likewise driveable by the operating lever. In every operating cycle the printing mechanism imprints one pressure-sensitive label which is then further fed by the feed means with the carrier tape to a peel edge at which the imprinted label detaches from the carrier tape and moves into a dispensing position in which it is ready for application to an article. To make the interior of the housing easily accessible for cleaning purposes the printing mechanism is disposed in a frame which for pivoting the printing mechanism out of the housing is connected to said housing pivotally about a shaft disposed near the lower end of the housing end face. The frame can be locked in the housing.

Hand labelling apparatus

A hand labeller having a plurality of rotatable print wheels with selectable print types disposed on the periphery of each print wheel and a selector spindle for positioning selected print types at a printing zone of the print wheels. The selector spindle includes a reduced diameter portion which engages and slides in an arcuate slot in the labeller housing if (a) the spindle is fully pushed into the print wheels and (b) the labeller is operated to rotate the print zone of the print wheels to a label printing position. If the spindle is not fully pushed in, a large diameter portion of the spindle will engage the arcuate slot, the latter portion being too large to enter the slot whereby the print zone of the print wheels is inhibited from rotation to the label printing position.

The present invention relates to a printing mechanism for printing bar codes on pressure-sensitive labels adhering to a carrier tape. The printing mechanism includes a print wheel on which a plurality of type rings rotatable about a common axis relatively to each other are mounted. The carrier tape with the pressure-sensitive labels adhering thereto is pressed with the aid of a pressure roller against the print wheel. To enable the bar codes to be printed to be read without error with electrooptical reading devices, high requirements are made of the printing quality of the bar codes as regards uniformity and contrast. To meet these requirements the type rings comprise a cylindrical peripheral surface on which bar code types of resilient material are formed with which an inking means is in contact; the pressure roller is rotatable about an axis extending parallel to the axis of the type rings and consists of non-resilient material.

Printing mechanism for printing bar codes on pressure-sensitive labels

In a hand labelling apparatus for printing and dispensing labels from a label strip including a carrier tape where the labels are adhered to the tape, a tape feed mechanism for stepwise feeding the label strip in a forward direction to a peel edge at which point the labels are substantially separated from the carrier tape, a printing mechanism having changeable type where the distance between the printing zone of the printing mechanism and the peel edge exceeds the length of each of the labels, a return member for feeding the label strip in a return direction opposite to the forward direction, an operating lever pivotable between a rest position and a working position where the operating lever is connected to the return member and the tape feed and printing mechanisms so that, during movement of the operating lever from the rest position to the working position, the return member feeds the labels in the return direction to the print zone where one of them is printed, a return stop member for disabling the return member for a predetermined portion of the movement of the operating lever between its rest and working positions so that the label strip movement in the forward direction exceeds that in the return direction by an amount equal to the length of one label so that no printed labels remain in the labelling apparatus even though the distance between the peel edge and the printing zone exceeds the length of each label.

Label printing and applying apparatus

The invention relates to a printing mechanism, particularly for labelling devices, with an adjustable printing attachment, an inking rocker arm 20 and 108 which can be swung out and is swung out of its movement path on moving the printing attachment and a transfer roller 2, which inks the set type of the printing attachment said transfer roller 2 cooperating with a supply roller 4 arranged on a roller holder 6 and 106 freely rotatable about a spindle parallel to the transfer roller spindle 16. The roller holder 6 is pivotably mounted about the spindle 16 of transfer roller 2 and has laterally outwardly projecting projections 12, which engage on the guide rails 8 arranged on the sidewalls 18 of the casing. According to another preferred embodiment the roller holder 106 is pivotably mounted on the inking rocker arm 108, the transfer roller 2 is arranged in freely rotatable manner on roller holder 106 and the roller holder 106 has laterally outwardly projecting projections 114 engaging on inwardly projecting projections 128 arranged on the inking rocker arm 108.

Printing mechanism

In an apparatus for printing, dispensing and applying pressure-sensitive labels adhering to a carrier tape said carrier tape is drawn by a feed means stepwise about a peel edge which is formed by a roller mounted on a shaft and at which the pressure-sensitive labels are detached from the carrier tape. To achieve a clean peeling of the pressure-sensitive labels the peel edge must form as sharp an edge as possible which means that the rollers must have the smallest possible diameter and consequently must be mounted on a very thin shaft. To enable rollers of small diameter to be used and nevertheless minimize the effects of the frictional moment between rollers and shaft, the shaft carrying the rollers is supported between its ends.

Apparatus for printing, dispensing and applying pressure-sensitive

A hand-held labeller for printing and/or applying self-adhesive labels which adhere as a strip or separately at equal distances on a carrier strip, the apparatus comprising a frame; a supply member mounted with respect to the frame for mounting the carrier strip and labels; a label separation member mounted with respect to the frame; a feed wheel or winding drum mounted with respect to the frame; means for guiding the carrier strip from the supply member by the label separation member and then to the feed wheel; a hand lever so pivotally mounted with respect to the frame that the lever may be pivoted by an operator's hand as the labeller is being held in the hand of an operator; coupling means for coupling the hand lever to the feed wheel to operate the feed wheel each time the hand lever is pivoted and thus advance the carrier strip from the supply member so that the labels are successively separated from the carrier strip at the label separation member and the carrier strip is incrementally wound upon the feed wheel; sensing means for sensing the advancement of the carrier strip a predetermined distance; de-coupling means for de-actuating the coupling means so that the hand lever is de-coupled from the feed wheel in response to the sensing means sensing the advancement of the carrier strip the predetermined distance and thus ensure that the feed wheel advances the carrier strip the predetermined distance each time the hand lever is actuated regardless of the amount of carrier strip wound upon the feed wheel.

Apparatus for printing or applying self-adhesive labels

The invention relates to an apparatus for printing, keeping in readiness and applying labels of a label strip, having a transport device for the stepwise advancement of the label strip, and associated therewith an inking device, a hand lever held in a braced position by a return spring and having a printer handle, which is pivotally supported and co-operates with the hand lever and with which the printer, the inking device and the transport device are coupled and which has an abutment face which is maintained contiguous to an abutment of the hand lever and the printer lever. The pivot axis of the printer lever is arranged between the pivot axis and the abutment of the hand lever in the vicinity of the pivot axis of the hand lever.

Growing community of inventors

Hirschhorn, Germany

Gunter Holland-Letz