Hand-held labeler

• US 5,910,227 A
• Filed: 08/22/1996
• Issued: 06/08/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Monarch Marking Systems, Inc. (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamisch, Paul H. Jr., Makley, James A., Mistyurik, John D., Fogle, Ronald L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Osele, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US08/701,259
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 156/384, 156/577, 156/579, 156/DIG. 48, 156/DIG. 49, 242/588.2, 242/588.3, 242/588.6, 101/288, 101/292
• US Class Current: 156/384
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 11/0247 by actuating a handle manually
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2210/0081 web brakes
• 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

Abstract

There is disclosed a hand-held labeler which is easy to load, clean and service. The labeler has a gear driven print head wherein the print head is situated on an upper housing section and the print head is actuated from a lower housing section. The upper housing section can be moved to an open position without interfering with the maintenance of the drive connection with the print head or the advance of a label carrying web through the labeler.

Claims

1. A hand-held labeler for printing and applying labels utilizing a supply roll including a composite web having pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a lower housing section and an upper housing section, a platen, the lower housing section having a handle and mounting the platen, an actuator disposed at the handle, wherein a supply roll is rotatable about an axis, a print head and a cooperable platen, a toothed driver for advancing carrier web, the upper housing section mounting the print head for reciprocating straight line movement and being cooperable with the platen, a drive connection between the actuator and the print head and the toothed driver, and the upper housing section being mounted for pivotal movement about the axis.

2. A hand-held labeler for printing and applying labels utilizing a supply roll including a composite web having pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a lower housing section and an upper housing section, a platen, the lower housing section having a handle and mounting the platen, an actuator disposed at the handle, a print head, a toothed driver for advancing the carrier web, the upper housing section mounting the print head for reciprocating straight line movement and being cooperable with the platen, a drive connection between the actuator and the print head and the toothed driver, an applicator disposed at a front portion of the housing, the upper housing section being mounted for pivotal movement at a location spaced from the applicator, wherein the drive connection includes a gear section on the actuator, a gear mounted on the lower housing section and meshing with the gear section, a rack on the print head meshing with the gear, a pawl and ratchet mechanism coupled to the gear and to the toothed driver, and wherein the rack moves out of mesh with the gear when the upper housing section is pivoted to an open position.

3. A hand held labeler for printing and applying labels utilizing a supply roll including a composite web having pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a lower housing section and an upper housing section, a platen, the lower housing section having a handle and mounting the platen, an actuator disposed at the handle, a print head, a toothed driver for advancing the carrier web, the upper housing section mounting the print head for reciprocating straight line movement and being cooperable with the platen, a drive connection between the actuator and the print head and the toothed driver, the upper housing section being mounted for pivotal movement, wherein the drive connection includes a rack on the print head, a pin on the print head, an inker arm having a cam slot, an ink roller on the arm for inking the print head, the pin being captive in the slot, and the pin cooperating with the cam slot to move the inker arm to cause the ink roller to ink the print head.

4. A hand-held labeler for printing and applying pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a first housing section and a second housing section, the first housing section having a handle, a print head mounted for reciprocating straight line movement on the second housing section, a platen cooperable with the print head, a delaminator adjacent the platen, an applicator disposed at a front portion of the housing adjacent the delaminator, a rack on the print head, the second housing section being mounted for pivotal movement at a location spaced from the applicator relative to the first housing section between a closed operating position and an open non-operating position away from the front portion of the housing, a gear mounted on the first housing section and meshing with the rack when the second housing section is in its operating position, the rack and the gear being out of mesh when the second housing section is in its open non-operating position, a toothed driver on the first housing section engageable with the carrier web to advance a label to between the print head and the platen and to advance the just printed label into label applying relationship with respect to the applicator, and a manually engageable actuator disposed at the handle for moving the gear and the toothed driver.

5. A hand held labeler as defined in claim 4, wherein the print head is movable between an initial position and a printing position including an interlock for preventing essentially any movement of the print head from its initial position unless the second housing section is in its closed position.

6. A hand held labeler as defined in claim 4, including spaced apart straight guides within the housing, and guide rollers connected to the print head in guided relationship with the guides.

7. A hand held labeler as defined in claim 4, further comprising an assembly which includes the platen and the delaminator, and the housing and the assembly having cooperable locators for locating the assembly at different positions on the housing.

8. A hand held labeler as defined in claim 4, wherein the print head is movable between an initial position and a printing position including a member disposed adjacent the driver and having a brake surface, a brake roll cooperable with the brake surface to apply a braking force to the composite web when the print head is at or near its initial position, and the member being mounted for movement to provide access to the driver.

9. A hand-held labeler for printing and applying pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a first housing section and a second housing section, the first housing section having a handle, a print head mounted for reciprocating straight line movement on the second housing section, a platen cooperable with the print head, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels, an applicator disposed at a front portion of the housing for applying printed labels, a first gear on the print head, the second housing section being mounted for pivotal movement at a location spaced from the applicator relative to the first housing section between a closed operating position and an open position, a second gear on the first housing section meshing with the first gear when the second housing section is in its operating position, the first and second gears being out of mesh when the second housing section is in its open position, a manually engageable actuator disposed at the handle, and means responsive to movement of the actuator for driving the second gear and for advancing the carrier web.

10. A hand-held labeler for printing and applying pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a first housing section and a second housing section, the first housing section having a handle, a print head mounted for reciprocating straight line movement on the second housing section between an initial position and a printing position in cooperation with the platen, a delaminator adjacent the platen, an applicator disposed at a front portion of the housing adjacent the delaminator, a rack on the print head, the second housing section being mounted for pivotal movement at a location spaced from the applicator relative to the first housing section between a closed operating position and an open non-operating position, a gear mounted on the first housing section and meshing and registered with the rack when the second housing section is in its operating position, an actuator disposed at the handle for moving the gear, the rack and the gear being out of mesh when the second housing section is in its open position, and means for holding the print head in its initial position when the rack and the gear are out of mesh so that the rack and the gear register when the second housing section moves toward the closed position.

11. A hand-held labeler for printing and applying pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a handle, a print head, an assembly including a platen cooperable with the print head and a delaminator, an applicator adjacent the delaminator, a toothed driver engageable with the carrier web, a manually engageable actuator disposed at the handle for moving the print head and the toothed driver, the housing and the assembly having cooperable locators for locating the assembly at different positions on the housing.

12. A hand-held labeler for printing and applying pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a handle, a print head, an assembly including a platen cooperable with the print head and a delaminator, an applicator adjacent the delaminator, a toothed driver engageable with the carrier web, a manually engageable actuator disposed at the handle for moving the print head and the toothed driver, and means for selectively positioning the assembly on the housing with respect to the applicator.

13. A hand-held labeler for printing and applying labels utilizing a composite web having pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a handle, a platen, a print head movable between an initial position and a printing position in printing cooperation with the platen, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels from the carrier web, an applicator for applying printed labels, a driver for advancing the carrier web, a manually engageable actuator disposed at the handle for moving the print head and the driver, a member disposed adjacent the driver and including a brake surface, a brake roll cooperable with the brake surface to apply a braking force to the composite web when the print head is at and near its initial position, and the member being mounted for movement to provide access to the driver.

14. A hand-held labeler for printing and applying pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a handle, a platen, a print head movable between an initial position and a printing position in printing cooperation with the platen, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels from the carrier web, an applicator for applying printed labels, a toothed driver for advancing the carrier web, a manually engageable actuator disposed at the handle for moving the print head and the driver, a member including a brake surface and a carrier web guide surface, a die roller on the member, a brake roll cooperable with the brake surface to apply a braking force to the composite web when the print head is near and at its initial position, the guide surface guiding the composite web as its moves toward the platen, the die roller and the toothed driver cooperating with the carrier web after the carrier web has passed partially about the delaminator, the member partly surrounding the toothed driver and the member being mounted for movement to provide access to the driver.

15. A hand-held labeler as defined in claim 14, wherein the member is pivotally mounted, and the member includes a finger-engageable portion to assist in pivoting the member.

16. A hand-held labeler for printing and applying labels utilizing a composite label web having pressure sensitive labels releasably secured to a carrier web, the labeler comprising:

a housing having a lower housing section and an upper housing section which is openable relative to the lower housing section, the lower housing section having a handle, a platen, a print head movable between an initial position and a printing position in printing cooperation with the platen, the print head being mounted on the upper housing section, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels from the carrier web, an applicator for applying printed labels, a toothed driver for advancing the carrier web, a manually engageable actuator disposed at the handle for moving the print head and the driver, a brake including a brake roll and a cooperable brake surface between which the composite web passes, a direction-changing roll between the brake and the platen, a member for mounting the brake roll and the direction changing roll, a pair of spaced racks on the print head, the member being positioned between the racks, a pair of gears meshing with the racks, an actuator disposed at the handle and having a pair of gear sections meshing with the pair of gears, and one of the gears being coupled to the driver to advance the driver stepwise.