Labeler and method

• US 20020059984A1
• Filed: 07/27/2001
• Published: 05/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Paxar Americas Incorporated (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Inventors: Makley, James A., Moore, Mark W., Goodwin, Brent E., Keller, Thomas P.
• Granted Patent: US 6,712,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/577
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0025 Handling copy materials differing in width
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 11/0226 electrically driven
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 11/0284 Linerless labels
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 11/0289 using electrical or electro-mechanical means B65C11/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2210/0018 permanent
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2210/0075 Applying rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2210/0086 platens
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1795 Implement carried web supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/18 Surface bonding means and/or assembly means with handle or handgrip
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1994 Means for delaminating from release surface

Abstract

There is disclosed a hand-held labeler for printing and applying labels and for printing tags. The labeler has a keyboard, a display, a scanner, and a battery-containing handle. The labeler is user-friendly and compact. The labeler can be easily loaded with label and tag webs of different widths. The labeler has a discharge chute for the carrier web which can be slid to a position outside the labeler for easy cleaning.

Claims

1. Apparatus for printing on composite webs of labels releasably adhered to a carrier web, the apparatus comprising:

a housing, a print head disposed in the housing, a platen roll cooperable with the print head, means for selectively mounting rolls of composite webs of different widths, a keyboard disposed at a rear portion of the housing, a delaminator disposed adjacent the print head for delaminating printed labels from the carrier web, an applicator disposed at a front portion of the housing adjacent the print head for applying delaminated labels, the housing having a movable housing section, means for pivotally mounting the housing section adjacent the keyboard for movement between open and closed positions, wherein a roll of a composite web can be loaded onto mounting means when the housing section is in its open position, a scanner mounted on the housing section, a feed roller for advancing the carrier web, means for providing a path for the composite web from the roll to between the print head and platen roll, about the delaminator to the feed roller and to a position outside the housing, and means drivingly coupled to the platen roll and to the feed roller for driving the feed roller at a peripheral speed slightly greater than the peripheral speed of the platen roll.

2. Apparatus for printing on a web of record members, the printing apparatus comprising a print head, a platen cooperable with the print head, and means for mounting a roll of a web of record members, wherein the mounting means includes a pair of roll mounting members, means for moving the mounting members in unison toward or away from each other to different selected positions to mount rolls of different predetermined widths, and means for releasably holding the mounting members in the selected positions.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein each mounting member comprises a slide member, each slide member having a rack, and a gear meshing with both racks, whereby rotation of the gear moves the slide members relative to each other.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the releasable holding means includes a resilient detent selectively cooperable with spaced recesses corresponding to the different selected positions.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, including means for advancing the web of record members on a centerline of the print head, and wherein the moving means includes means for self-justifying the mounting members toward the centerline.

6. A hand-held labeler, comprising:

a housing having a manually engageable handle, a print head and a cooperable platen disposed in the housing, means for supporting a roll comprised of a series of labels releasably adhered to a carrier web, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels from the carrier web, an applicator for applying printed labels, an exit chute for the carrier web, means for advancing the carrier web, means defining a path for the carrier web from the roll to between the print head and platen, about the delaminator, to the advancing means, and through the exit chute to a position outside the housing, the exit chute including spaced guide plates, the chute being mounted for sliding movement from within the housing to a position essentially outside the housing, and means for moving the guide plates relative to each other to enable the chute to be cleaned.

7. A labeler as defined in claim 6, wherein the guide plates are pivotally connected to each other to enable the guide plates to pivot relatively away from each other to an open position when the guide plates have been moved to the position outside the housing.

8. A hand-held labeler comprising:

a housing having a handle, means inside the housing for mounting a roll composed of a series of labels releasably adhered to a carrier web, a print head and a cooperable platen, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels from the carrier web, an applicator at a front portion of the housing for applying delaminated labels, the housing having a movable housing section, means at a rear portion of the housing for mounting the movable housing section for movement between an open position to provide access to the inside of the housing and a closed or operating position, and a scanner mounted on the movable housing section at the front portion.

9. A hand-held labeler as defined in claim 8, wherein the mounting means includes a pivot, and a keyboard at the rear portion of the housing.

10. A labeler as defined in claim 8, further comprising a print head assembly which includes the print head, wherein the print head assembly has means resiliently acting on the movable housing section and urging the print head to a stop position, and means for providing a stop position for the print head.

11. A hand-held labeler comprising:

a housing having a handle, means inside the housing for mounting a roll composed of a series of labels releasably adhered to a carrier web, a print head and a cooperable platen, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels from the carrier web, an applicator for applying delaminated labels, the housing having a movable housing section, the print head being mounted on the movable housing section, means for latching the movable housing section either in a first position wherein the print head is in cooperation with the platen or in a second position wherein the print head is spaced from the platen, wherein the latch includes a latch member having two spaced pairs of latch surfaces, wherein the housing has two spaced ridges each cooperable with one latch surface of each pair, a pair of depressible members accessible from outside the housing for moving the latch surfaces clear of the ridges, a cam surface on each latch member adjacent each latch surface to enable the movable section to move into the closed position, wherein the latch member is of one-piece construction and is composed of molded plastics material, wherein the latch member includes a pair of spring fingers, each spring finger having one pair of the latch surfaces, a connecting member connecting the spring fingers to each other, and one of the depressible members being on each spring finger.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, including a stepped guide roller rotatably mounted to the mounting member for guiding a web of record members of a selected width into printing cooperation between the print head and the platen.

12. Apparatus for printing on a web of record members, the apparatus comprising:

a housing having an openable cover, a platen, a print head assembly mounted in the housing, the print head assembly comprising a heat sink, a print head mounted on the underside of the heat sink and cooperable with the platen, a mounting member, means acting on the mounting member for urging the print head toward the platen, and resilient means acting on the cover and on the mounting member.

14. Method, comprising the steps of:

providing a labeler including means for defining a pathway for a carrier web for transporting labels from a label roll to a label applying position, the pathway including a movable discharge chute through which the carrier web can exit the labeler, sliding the discharge chute from a position inside the labeler to a position essentially outside the labeler, thereafter cleaning the discharge chute, and thereafter sliding the discharge chute into the inside of the labeler.