Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor – With work feeding or handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-24
2001-08-28
Crispino, Richard (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor
With work feeding or handling means
C156S574000, C156S579000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280565
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for dispensing adhesively backed labels. Specifically, the invention is a label gun for applying labels to curved or irregular surfaces.
2. Description of Related Art
Several different inventors have developed various improvements to label guns. Such improvements include means for ensuring that the label gun properly dispenses labels of varying lengths, means for printing information on a label as it is dispensed, means for protecting a label gun from damage if dropped, and means for applying labels to angled surfaces. To the current inventor's knowledge, no one has developed a label gun suitable for applying labels to curved surfaces, around corners, or on other irregular surfaces. Additionally, many other label guns are significantly more complex—and consequently expensive to produce —than the current invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,123, issued to Paul H. Hamisch, Sr. on Apr. 22, 1969, describes one example of a label gun which dispenses labels having a glassine paper backing strip. The labeler has a printing head comprising a series of bands which can be rotated to change the character being printed in a given location. The labeler is operated by squeezing a movable handle towards a fixed handle, which moves a drive wheel lined with a material having a high coefficient of friction. The labeler includes a series of fingers biased to drop into notches on the backing, taking the drive wheel out of contact with the label strip.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,735, issued to Paul H. Hamisch, Jr. on Sep. 5, 1978, describes a labeler having an applicator which deflects when the labeler is dropped on the applicator, preventing damage to the labeler.
Paul H. Hamisch, Jr. attempted to improve the ability of label guns to apply labels to angled surfaces, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,746, issued on Sep. 26, 1978. This labeler has an applicator roll providing for both rolling and canting movement so that it will conform to the surface to which the label is applied. Unlike the current invention, it can not accommodate irregular or curved surfaces.
Other inventors also attempted to provide label guns allowing for different size labels. U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,110, issued to Werner Becker on Jan. 15, 1991, describes a labeler having a printing mechanism. The labeler can accommodate labels of different sizes by varying the diameter of the pinion engaging the transport roll, or by an adjustable lug on the operating handle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,874, issued to Toshikaru Kawada on Jan. 22, 1991, describes a labeler having a feeler and lever stop to allow for different length labels. When the feeler pushes up against the forward edge of a label, the lever stop tilts. Both designs are significantly more complicated and expensive than the operational design used in the current invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,390, issued to Klaus-Dieter Hermann on May 7, 1991, describes a labeler having a tape brake pressing against the tape when the operating lever is in its rest position, releasing the tape as the operating lever is released. The same invention appears to be described in international application WO 88/07960, filed by the same inventor, and published on Oct. 20, 1988.
U.K. Pat. App. No. 2,008,070, published on May 31, 1979, describes a labeler having a printer which is slightly rockable to improve contact with the label, and which completely separates the label from the backing before applying the label to the desired surface, preventing pulling on the backing.
Related international patents include Japanese Pat. No. 4632984, published in Sep. 1971, German Pat. No. 2,123,598, published on Nov. 16, 1972, and German Pat. No. 2,512,471, published on Sep. 30, 1976.
None of the above patents describes a label gun having the simplicity of the current invention, or the ability of the current invention to apply labels to irregular or curved surfaces.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The current invention is a label gun with a far simpler actuation means than any other label gun known to the inventor, and which is capable of applying labels of varying lengths to curved or irregular surfaces. The invention includes a label storage area, a dispenser, a plurality of flexible fingers next to the dispenser, a slidable front handle and fixed rear handle.
The labels for the current invention are stored inside the housing on top of the label gun. The housing has a clear top to allow the user to view the labels as they are dispensed, ensuring that the user can dispense the proper length of label. The labels are preferably stored in a roll. The side walls of the housing may include a rod or shaft passing through the center of the roll, and attached to one side wall for centering the roll of labels. Alternatively, a pair of convex bubbles opposite each other may be used.
The dispensing unit comprises a rounded surface at the front end of the label gun having a small radius. A typical sheet of backing paper is flexible enough to travel around the small radius, but a typical label is too rigid to do so. The label will therefore separate from the backing paper when the backing paper is pulled around the small radius dispenser. The label can then be pressed against the desired surface using the plurality of flexible fingers located adjacent to the dispenser.
The backing paper continues back through the label gun, passing adjacent to the tops of the front and rear handles. The rear handle's location is fixed. The front handle is slidably movable along the length of the bottom of the label gun's housing, and is biased towards the forward position. The top of the front handle is elongated and flat. The rear portion of this flat surface is preferably elevated and preferably has a high coefficient of friction. When the front handle is pulled rearward, this rear surface engages the backing paper, pulling the labels to the dispenser. When the trigger slides forward, the front portion of the top surface engages the backing paper. The front surface is slightly lower than the rear surface, and does not have a coefficient of friction sufficiently high to move the backing paper.
Ideally, a foam rubber member will press against the backing paper with sufficient force to prevent undesired movement of the backing paper, but insufficient force to overcome the rearward movement caused by pulling the front handle.
If the means of biasing the front handle in the forward position is a spring, a threaded rod can be used to vary the compression of the spring, thereby limiting the front handle's distance of possible movement to the length of the labels currently being used. Alternatively, if the top of the housing is transparent, the user can watch the labels being dispensed, thereby pulling the front handle only the appropriate distance to dispense a label.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a label gun capable of applying labels to curved and irregular surfaces, by applying pressure over the entire surface of a label engaging such a surface.
It is another object of the invention to provide a label gun capable of applying labels of varying sizes.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a label gun with a significantly simpler and more inexpensive operating mechanism than other currently existing label guns.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3440123 (1969-04-01), Hamisch, Sr.
patent: 4111735 (1978-09-01), Hamisch, Jr.
patent: 4116746 (1978-09-01), Hamisch, Jr.
patent: 4758303 (1988-07-01), Shastko
patent: 4985110 (1991-01-01), B
Crispino Richard
Hawkins Cheryl N.
Litman Richard C.
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