Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor – Presses or press platen structures – per se
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-15
2001-01-09
Osele, Mark A. (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor
Presses or press platen structures, per se
C156S345420, C221S073000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06171439
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to stamp or label dispensers, and more particularly to dispensers for dispensing stamps, labels or the like that are removably secured to a backing strip.
Historically, stamps or labels have had adhesive backing which required moisture to be applied thereto prior to applying the stamp or label to an envelope or the like. These stamps were typically supplied in rolls, where a single stamp was torn from the roll, moistened, and then applied to the desired surface. Several dispensers have been commercially produced which allow for dispensing of a single stamp or label at a time, while the remaining portion of the roll remains within the dispenser. More recently, however, self-adhesive stamps and labels are provided on a backing strip which allows a stamp or label to be peeled off from the backing strip for direct application onto an envelope without the need for applying moisture.
In order to dispense stamps from a backing strip, the strip of stamps may be pulled over a surface or edge that substantially changes the direction of travel of the stamp strip. By pulling the backing strip along a sharp bend, the pressure sensitive adhesive that adheres the stamps to the backing strip releases the stamp, which allows the stamp to be discharged in the initial direction of travel while the backing strip is pulled in another direction.
To date, several dispensers for dispensing labels that are attached to a backing strip have been proposed. Many of the proposed designs include a housing in which is placed a roll of labels. The roll is unwound as the backing strip is pulled out of an opening in the housing. The backing strip is often pulled through a sharp turn at an exterior location of the housing such that each label becomes detached from the backing strip, as the labels do not bend around the turn with the backing strip. While such a dispenser may dispense the labels separate from the backing strip, the backing strip is often simply pulled outward from the housing, and has to be separately torn and thrown away after a substantial amount has been pulled from the housing.
Other dispensers have been proposed that include an internal take up spool upon which is wound the backing strip after the label has been discharged from the dispenser. These proposed dispensers typically include a supply roll holder and a take up spool, where the labels and backing strip are guided along a path to a sharp bend in the path where the labels are discharged from the backing strip. However, many of the designs fail to provide tension to the strip of stamps, which results in slack in the stamp strip. Slack in the strip leads to difficulty in discharging the label from the backing strip as the stamp or label then may have enough slack to bend along with the backing strip around the sharp bend in the path.
In order to reduce the slack encountered by the stamp strip, other proposed devices implement additional rollers which allow the stamp strip to roll therebetween. While such a design may reduce slack in the dispenser, it is typically a costly device as there are additional moving parts that must be adjusted properly so as to avoid over and under tensioning of the stamp strip.
Consequently, there is a need for a stamp dispenser for dispensing stamps from a backing strip, which provides for an internal take up roll for the backing strip to allow for easy disposal of the backing strip only when the supply roll of stamps is replaced in the dispenser. Furthermore, there is a need for a dispenser to provide an appropriate amount of tension to the strip of stamps or labels so that the last stamp on the strip is discharged as easily as the first stamp, while avoiding additional moving parts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention provides a manual stamp dispenser for dispensing labels or stamps that are secured to a backing strip, and further provides tension to the strip of labels throughout the entire supply roll, including the last stamp removed from the strip.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a stamp dispenser is adapted for dispensing stamps that are adhered to a backing strip. The stamp dispenser comprises a supply holder, a dispensing surface, a guide surface, a tensioning arm and a take up spool. The supply holder holds a supply of stamps therein and has an opening through which the strip of stamps is advanced. The guide surface guides the stamps from the supply holder to the dispensing surface, which provides an edge for releasing the stamps from the backing strip. The tensioning arm is positioned between the guide surface and dispensing surface and contacts a surface of the stamp strip as the stamp strip is advanced. The stamp strip is thus diverted from a height corresponding to the guide surface thereby providing resistance to advancement of the stamp strip to reduce slack in the stamp strip. The supply holder, guide surface, and take up spool may all be encased within a housing assembly.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the stamp dispenser includes a tensioning tab on the supply roll holder, which extends partially across the opening in the supply holder, and contacts a surface of the stamp strip as it is pulled therefrom. The tensioning tab provides resistance to movement of the stamp strip so as to avoid slack in the strip of stamps as the supply roll is unrolled.
As will be understood, the dispenser of the present invention provides several advantages over the prior art. The dispenser allows the backing strip to be collected on a single spool within the housing for easy disposal when the supply roll is replaced. Furthermore, the dispenser provides at least one tensioning device, which provides tension in the strip of stamps throughout the entire roll of stamps. Each of the tensioning devices of the present invention improve upon the performance of the stamp dispenser without the necessity of additional rollers or other moving parts that are present in the prior art.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of the invention, will become more apparent from the study of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
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Osele Mark A.
Van Dyke Gardner, Linn & Burkhart, LLP
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