Label printer

Details Label printer Label printer

2000-02-25

2002-01-08

Yan, Ren (Department: 2854)

Typewriting machines

Sheet or web

For feeding web record-medium

C400S691000, C242S578000, C226S192000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06336757

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a label printer for printing and issuing labels of a kind bearing thereon data such as a product name, price, “Best Before” date (a recommended relishable date) and/or any other data associated with the product on which the label is affixed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Label printers for printing and issuing labels are currently largely employed in a variety of industries. In general, the label printers are of a design wherein a ribbon of label carrier sheet carrying a row of blank labels adhering peelably to the label carrier sheet is utilized and the blank labels are successively printed and issued with data printed thereon. The data to be printed on each blank label include, for example, product name, price, “Best Before” date (a recommended relishable date) and/or any other data associated with the product on which the eventually printed label is affixed.
By way of example, the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-9983 discloses the label printer including a label supply unit accommodating therein a roll of ribbon-shaped label carrier sheet comprising a ribbon of backing sheet and a row of closely adjoining blank labels each adhering at an adhesive side thereof to the backing sheet, and a printer unit including a platen roll and a printer head. The ribbon-shaped label carrier sheet is successively drawn out from the label supply unit towards a printing station at which as the ribbon-shaped label carrier sheet is intermittently supplied through a nip region between the platen roll and the printer head, required or desired items of data are printed by the printer head on each label.
The prior art label printer of the type discussed above makes use of a roll holder for rotatably supporting the roll of the ribbon-shaped label carrier sheet. More specifically, as shown in
FIG. 17
, the roll holder employed in the prior art label printer comprises a support bar B having one end rigidly secured to a vertical wall lying parallel to the direction of transport of the ribbon-shaped label carrier sheet, and a retainer member C mounted detachably on the support bar B for retaining the label roll D of the ribbon-shaped label carrier sheet in position between the vertical wall A and the retainer member C. The retainer member C used therein is of a configuration including a boss C
1
and a flange C
2
of a diameter larger than the diameter of the support bar B.
While the label roll D is rotatably supported on the support bar B, the retainer member C is mounted on the support bar B with an end face C
2
′ of the flange C
2
held in sliding contact with the adjacent end of the label roll D to thereby avoid a lateral displacement of the label roll D along the support bar B and, hence, to prevent the label roll D from being laterally separating out of the support bar B when the ribbon-shaped label carrier sheet is drawn out from the label roll D. To avoid any possible displacement of the retainer member C in a direction axially of the support bar B, the retainer member C can be fixed in position by fastening a stopper screw E once the retainer member C is set in position on one side of the label roll D.
A similar roll holder, but having a different structure such as shown in
FIG. 18
, is also largely utilized. As shown in
FIG. 18
, the roll holder includes a support bar F having a free end face, and a generally C-shaped, thin retainer member G having one end connected to the free end face of the support bar F for pivotal movement between folded and operative positions. When the label roll H is to be mounted on the support bar F, the retainer member G is held in the folded position in which the retainer member G is encompassed within the perimeter of the free end face of the support bar F as shown to allow passage of the label roll H over and onto the support bar F. Once the label roll H has been mounted on the support bar F, the retainer member G is pivoted to the operative position, shown by the phantom line, to overlap with the adjacent end face of the roll H to thereby prevent the label roll H from being displaced axially of the support bar F.
According to the previously mentioned publication discussed with reference to
FIG. 17
, the retainer member C makes use of the stopper screw E which, when fastened, allows the retainer member C to be fly positioned at the very location at which the stopper screw E is fastened. Accordingly, by repositioning the retainer member C on the support bar B and then fastening the stopper screw E, the roll holder is capable of accommodating label rolls of different axial lengths, that is, label carrier ribbons of different widths, one at a time.
However, when the label roll D is desired to be replaced with a different label roll of the same or different axial length, the roll holder of the structure shown in
FIG. 17
requires a series of jobs of undoing the stopper screw E with the use of a screw driver or the like to allow the retainer member C to be removed from the support bar B, re-mounting the retainer member C onto the support bar B after the label roll D has been replaced with the different label roll, and fastening the stopper screw E again with the use of the screw driver. This is cumbersome and time-consuming and, therefore, replacement of the label rolls is indeed inefficient.
On the other hand, with the roll holder of the structure shown in
FIG. 18
, replacement of the label roll H with the different label roll can be efficiently carried out since removal of the label roll H and mounting of the different label roll can be accomplished by merely pivoting the retainer member G between the folded and operative positions. However, fitting of the retainer member G to the free end face of the support bar F involves the following problems.
More specifically, the retainer member G secured to the free end face of the support bar F is incapable of being moved in a direction axially of the support bar F. Accordingly, the retainer member G cannot be repositioned according to the axial length of the label roll H and, hence, the roll holder of
FIG. 18
is incapable of accommodating the label carrier ribbons of different widths one at a time.
Also, since the folded position for the retainer member G must be such that the retainer member G is encompassed within the perimeter of the free end face of the support bar F to allow the label roll H to be mounted onto the support bar F without being obstructed by the retainer member G, the radial distance shown by h in
FIG. 18
, measured between the point of pivot of the retainer member G and a free end of the retainer member G remote from the point of pivot when the retainer member G is pivoted to the operative position, is limited. This means that when the label roll of a relatively large diameter, that is, having a radius greater than the radial distance h is mounted on the support bar F, an outer peripheral portion of the label roll H will protrude radially outwardly from the retainer member G in the operative position and, therefore, the retainer member G will be incapable of retaining the label roll H in the right shape. More specifically, if some of outer turns of the label roll H are loosened while the label carrier ribbon is drawn out from the label roll H, the retainer member G is unable to retain such some of the outer turns of the label roll H substantially in flush with the opposite end face of the remaining label roll H and will, therefore, be separated from the remaining turns of the label roll H.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention has been devised with a view to substantially eliminating the above discussed problems inherent in the prior art label printers and is intended to provide an improved label printer wherein not only can the label roll of a varying diameter can be assuredly kept in position on a support bar, but also the label roll of any different diameter can be mounted on the support bar easily and quickly.
To this end, the present invention provides a l

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