EP0972711B1 - Etikettendrucker - Google Patents

Etikettendrucker Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0972711B1
EP0972711B1 EP19990202303 EP99202303A EP0972711B1 EP 0972711 B1 EP0972711 B1 EP 0972711B1 EP 19990202303 EP19990202303 EP 19990202303 EP 99202303 A EP99202303 A EP 99202303A EP 0972711 B1 EP0972711 B1 EP 0972711B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
stripper
platen
roller
protective backing
shaft
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19990202303
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0972711A3 (de
EP0972711A2 (de
Inventor
James William Engel
John Tomasik
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ZIH Corp
Original Assignee
ZIH Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US09/345,274 external-priority patent/US6478488B1/en
Application filed by ZIH Corp filed Critical ZIH Corp
Publication of EP0972711A2 publication Critical patent/EP0972711A2/de
Publication of EP0972711A3 publication Critical patent/EP0972711A3/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0972711B1 publication Critical patent/EP0972711B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65C—LABELLING OR TAGGING MACHINES, APPARATUS, OR PROCESSES
    • B65C11/00—Manually-controlled or manually-operable label dispensers, e.g. modified for the application of labels to articles
    • B65C11/02—Manually-controlled or manually-operable label dispensers, e.g. modified for the application of labels to articles having printing equipment
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65C—LABELLING OR TAGGING MACHINES, APPARATUS, OR PROCESSES
    • B65C11/00—Manually-controlled or manually-operable label dispensers, e.g. modified for the application of labels to articles
    • B65C11/02—Manually-controlled or manually-operable label dispensers, e.g. modified for the application of labels to articles having printing equipment
    • B65C11/0289—Manually-controlled or manually-operable label dispensers, e.g. modified for the application of labels to articles having printing equipment using electrical or electro-mechanical means

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to imaging forming devices, and more particularly to a printer that automatically separates self-adhesive portions of a printable medium strip from a protective backing of the strip without causing excessive looping or jamming failure of the printer.
  • Self-adhesive labels have been in use for many years.
  • such self-adhesive labels come in a continuous strip, such as in a roll, and have a front side suitable for writing or printing information, an adhesive back side, and a protective backing forming the strip and adhering to the adhesive back side of the labels.
  • the labels must be peeled away from the protective backing and adhered to a medium, e.g., an envelope or a box, for labeling.
  • the continuous strip of the labels enters a conventional device, such as a printer, from a first location of the device--normally the back side of the device. After entering, the strip passes through a contact area between a print head and a platen of the device, and then leaves the device in a second location-normally the front side of the device. Ideally, the labels should be peeled off from the protective backing as it leaves the device.
  • EP-A-0 416 802 discloses a label separating device comprising a conveyance roller for the conveyance of a paste-board with labels; a separating member disposed downstream with respect to a printing head which holds the pasteboard with labels between the same and a platen, and a pinch roller for holding between the same and the conveyance roller the pasteboard portion which has been bent and separated from a label after printing by the separating member.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device that will automatically separate detachable adhesive printing media from a protective backing strip without causing excessive looping or jamming failures to the imaging device, as indicated in the claims appended hereto.
  • One embodiment of the present invention provides the imaging device, e.g., a printer, comprising a print head; a platen for pressing a printing medium, such as a sheet of paper or a series of self-adhesive labels attached to a continuous protective backing strip, against the print head and for moving the printing medium during operation; a stripper bar properly angled upward and adapted to separate the self-adhesive labels from the protective backing when the strip of labels passes over the stripper bar; and a stripper roller positioned under the stripper bar and against a pressure roller or against the platen.
  • a printing medium such as a sheet of paper or a series of self-adhesive labels attached to a continuous protective backing strip
  • the stripper roller has a tube-shaped sleeve and a stepped and generally cylindrically-shaped roller shaft, wherein the roller shaft is coupled to the first and second wall of said support frame at opposite ends, wherein the sleeve rotatably encircles the roller shaft, wherein the roller shaft has a center portion having a length shorter than the length of the sleeve, wherein the center portion has the largest diameter of the roller shaft, and wherein only the center portion of the roller shaft touches and presses against said sleeve during operation when the sleeve rotates about the roller shaft.
  • the stripper roller causes the protective backing to pass under the stripper roller at a first speed sufficiently different from a second speed of the label strip passing between the print head and the platen to prevent looping or jamming of the protective backing and the label strip.
  • the stripper roller includes a stepped stripper roller shaft encircled by a sleeve and adapted to cause the protective backing initially passing the stripper roller at the first speed sufficiently different from the second speed of the strip passing between the print head and the platen, until a tension of the protective backing reaches an equilibrium point which equalizes the first and the second speeds of the protective backing and the strip respectively.
  • the step-stripper roller shaft of the printing device is also designed to have a configuration adapted to prevent looping of the strip or the backing when used in conjunction with a narrow printing medium.
  • Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention where a continuous label strip 14 is fed into a drive part 1 of a printer from a back side of the printer.
  • the continuous label strip 14 comprises sequentially arranged self-adhesive labels 10 attached to a continuous protective backing strip 12.
  • Each of the self-adhesive labels has a printable side and a self-adhesive side adhered to the protective backing 12.
  • the continuous label strip 14 is typically wound to form a label roll before being supplied into the printer. After entering the printer, the label strip 14 goes through and between two pathway guides 16, 18 for guiding the label strip 14 toward a front side of the printer.
  • the pathway guides 16, 18 are movably coupled to a shaft 30, as shown in Figure 2, and are equally spaced apart at opposite sides from a midpoint of the shaft 30.
  • the midpoint of the shaft 30 is approximately located at the middle of the shaft 30 having an equal distance from opposite side walls 56, 58 of the drive part 1.
  • the pathway guides 16, 18 guide the label strip 14 to pass through the printer where the labels passing within the printer are centered therein to provide an optimum printing result.
  • the shaft 30 is rotatably coupled to the drive part 1 at the bottom by threading through opposite side walls 56, 58 of the drive part 1.
  • the shaft 30 has right and left halves respectively coupled to pathway guides 16, 18, and has a middle part integrally coupled to the left and right halves at opposite ends.
  • the middle part of the shaft 30 is also supported by a middle support rack of the drive part 1 for further supporting the shaft 30.
  • the shaft 30 has worm notches across the left and right halves, but there are no notches on the middle part of the shaft 30.
  • the worm notches have opposite rotational directions respectively on left and right halves of the shaft 30.
  • a rotating nob 20 is securely coupled to the shaft 30 at the one end (left) for rotating the shaft 30.
  • the pathway guides 16, 18 respectively have ring parts at their bottoms.
  • the ring parts of the pathway guides 16, 18 encircle the respective right and left halves of the shaft 30 and have inner worm grooves meshing with the worm notches of the shaft 30.
  • the meshing of the grooves and notches allows the pathway guides 16, 18 to move along the shaft 30 by rotating the shaft 30.
  • the left and right halves of the shaft 30 will respectively cause the pathway guides 16, 18 to move in opposite directions along the shaft 30 when the shaft 30 rotates.
  • the pathway guides 16, 18 will be moved toward each other, and they will be moved away from each other when the shaft 30 rotates in a second direction, opposite to the first rotational direction.
  • a user of the printer may therefore rotate the rotating nob 20 to adjust the relative distance between the pathway guides 16, 18 for accommodating different printing media having different dimensions.
  • the printer has a platen 22 disposed in the drive part 1, and has a print head (not shown) located in a print part, which is pivotally coupled to the drive part 1 at the back side.
  • the print part may be pivotally opened from the drive part 1 for a loading position of a printing medium, such as the label strip 14, and may be closely engaged to the drive part 1 for an operation position.
  • the print head is positioned over the platen 22 when the drive part 1 is closely engaged to the print part of the printer during operation. Therefore, in normal operation, the platen 22 will press the printing media, such as the label strip 14, tightly against the print head to allow forming data images on the printable side of the labels.
  • the platen 22 has a platen shaft 23 rotatably coupled to the drive part 1 at opposite side plates 56, 58.
  • the platen 22 rotates during operation, it will drag the label strip 14 through the printer, thereby the labels of the label strip 14 could be sequentially printed by the print head.
  • the label strip 14 is first inserted through an opening near the back side of the drive part 1.
  • the label strip 14 then passes between the pathway guides 16, 18 horizontally and between the print head and the platen 22 vertically wherein the platen 22 is positioned beneath the label strip 14 and the print head is positioned over the label strip 14.
  • the lower side of the label strip 14, that touches the platen 22, comprises the protective backing 12 while the upper side includes the printable surface of the labels 10.
  • the label strip 14 is tightly trapped in the printer between the print head and the platen 22 when the printer is in the operation position.
  • the platen 22 rotates, it will force the label strip 14 to move through the printer in a direction tangential and centrifugal to a rotational direction of the platen 22.
  • the platen 22 rotates counterclockwise, viewed in from the right side plate 56 of the drive part 1, so that the label strip 14 is pulled by the platen 22 toward the front side of the printer.
  • the platen 22 is connected by a gear system, having a series of gears including a gear 24 as indicated in Figure 1, to a motor 26 positioned at the right end of the drive part1.
  • the motor 26 drives the gear system to rotates the platen 22 such that the platen 22 will urge the label strip 14 to move through the printer (see also Figure 2).
  • the printer has a locking mechanism, which will be explained in the followings, to open up a gap between the print head and the platen 22 for inserting the label strip 14, or to closely engage them for the operation.
  • the print head is locked into place to contact the upper printable side of the labels 10.
  • a small amount of friction is created as the label strip 14 passes through and beneath the print head during printing. This small amount of friction is important to the operation of the present Invention, as will be explained more detailedly in the paragraphs that follow.
  • the stripper bar 28 is basically a flat panel plate, preferably made by stainless steel or other metal materials, having a wide center portion and two narrow portions, with same length, respectively positioned at opposite ends (left and right) of the stripper bar 28.
  • the overall length of the stripper bar 28 is approximately 14.3 cm (5.63 inches) long, roughly the same length between the left and right side plates 56, 58 of the drive part 1.
  • the stripper bar 28 may be coupled to the drive part 1 by inserting the narrow portions of the stripper bar 28 into respective receiving slots on the opposite side plates 56, 58.
  • the center portion of the stripper bar 28 is approximately 12cm (4.75 inches) long and is slightly longer than the platen 22, whose length is of approximately 11cm (4.4 inches).
  • the stripper bar 28 is angled upward from a level position with its lower bottom end positioned close to, but not touching on, the platen 22.
  • the lower bottom end of the slanted stripper bar 28 is also positioned slightly above a surface intersection line, which is the tangential intersection line of the platen 22 and a vertical plane, of the platen 22.
  • the angle of the stripper bar 28 is suitably positioned in order to separate a portion of the protective backing 12 from a label 10 directly over the stripper bar 28.
  • the angle of the stripper bar 28 is of approximately 30° to 50°, preferably at 40°. measured from a level position upward.
  • the angle of the stripper bar 28 may be of any degree as long as it is suitable to separate the labels 10 from the protective backing 12 when the label strip 14 passes over the stripper bar 28.
  • the stripper roller 32 includes a stripper shaft 38 movably coupled to the drive part 1 at opposite ends and a sleeve 42 rotatably encircling the stripper shaft 38.
  • a pair of roller receiving holes are respectively positioned at opposite side plates 56, 58 of the drive part 1 to receive the opposite ends of the stripper shaft 38.
  • the roller receiving holes are of approximately elliptic shape in a slanted down position .toward the front side, and are slightly larger than a diameter of the stripper shaft 38 to allow the stripper shaft 38 to reciprocally slide therein.
  • the stripper roller 32 is located in front of and lower than the platen 22, thereby the position of the stripper shaft 38 is approximately 45° to 60° angled down from a horizontal plane passing a center axile of the platen shaft 23. In the normal operation, the stripper roller 32 pressed tightly against the platen 22, while in the loading position, the stripper roller 32 is urged away from the platen 22 for threading the protective backing 12 between the platen 22 and the stripper roller 32, as will be explained further.
  • a pair of left and right cam levers 36 is rotatably coupled to the stripper shaft 38 near the opposite ends inside the respective side plates 56, 58, as shown in Figure 2.
  • the left and right cam levers 36 have extending portions having cam-shape contour and positioned directly underneath the platen shaft 23.
  • a pair of levers 34, 35 is securely coupled to the stripper shaft 38 at the opposite ends (left and fight) outside of the respective side plates 58, 56 of the drive part 1.
  • a pair of torsional springs 48, 52 urges the respective levers 34, 35, and thus the stripper roller 32, toward the back end of the drive part 1.
  • the torsional springs 48, 52 urge the stripper roller 32 tightly against the platen 22 during operation.
  • the lever 34 has an upwardly extending handle, as shown in Figure 1, and a ring shape bottom securely encircling the stripper shaft 38, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
  • a user may pull the handle of the lever 34 to rotate the stripper shaft 38, which, in turn, rotates the cam levers 36, thereby the stripper roller 32 may be forced to move toward or away from the platen 22 by the cam levers 36, as will be explained in further details.
  • the sleeve 42 is made of Teflon due to the properties of the Teflon that are suitable to the operation of the present invention, as will be explained further detailed in the following paragraphs.
  • the sleeve 42 may be made of any suitable materials that are commonly adopted to make platens by persons skilled in the art.
  • the Teflon provides a number of advantages suitable for the sleeve 42 of the present invention.
  • a bearing surface which is on the outer surface of the sleeve that carries the protective backing 12, of the Teflon sleeve is smooth and offers little friction for the protective backing 12 to pass through.
  • the bearing surface of the Teflon sleeve is a none-sticking bearing surface. Therefore, in some rare cases, if a label is only partially peeled off after passing the stripper bar 28 and follows the protective backing 12 to the stripper roller 32, the label may stick to the sleeve 42 when it approaches the stripper roller 32.
  • a lubricant may be added between the sleeve 42 and the stripper shaft 38 to reduce a rotational friction between the sleeve 42 and the stripper shaft 38. It has been found that the Teflon is suitable to work with most lubricants. All these properties of the Teflon make it particularly suitable to be the material for the sleeve 42.
  • the printer also comprises a pair of torsional springs 48, 52 for urging the stripper roller 32 against the platen 22 thereby maintaining a tight pressure between the stripper roller 32 and the platen 22 during operation.
  • the torsional springs 48, 52 are respectively positioned outside of the side plates 58, 56 and before the levers 34, 35.
  • the torsional springs 48, 52 respectively have extruding spring plates contacting the levers 34, 35 to urge the stripper roller 32 against the platen 22.
  • the levers 34, 35 and/or the cam levers 36 may also be configured to release the print part from engaging to the drive part 1 of the printer so that the print head may be disengaged from contacting the platen 22 in order to allow the threading of the label strip 14 between the print head and the platen 22.
  • the levers 34, 35 may respectively have cam-shape latches adjacent to the side plates 58, 56 and slightly higher than the top surface of the side plates 58, 56.
  • the print part of the printer has a pair of latching cams properly positioned relative to the cam-shape latches of the drive part 1 so that the cam-shape latches will latch with the latching cams of the print part when the two parts are pivotally closed to each other.
  • the torsional springs 48, 52 also serve to urge the levers 34, 35 to lock with the print part during operation. As a result, the user may release the print part from engaging to the drive part 1, and also to simultaneously release the platen 22 from pressing against the stripper roller 32, by pulling the lever 34 toward the front side of the printer.
  • the labels 10 have printable front sides and adhesive back sides adhered to the protective backing 12.
  • the protective backing typically has a gloss surface and most adhesive glue applied on the back side of the labels 10 are often not very sticky in order not to impede peeling off the labels from the protective backing 12.
  • a label just over the bending line of the label strip 14 normally would separate apart from the protective backing 12 and moves in a tangential direction at the bending line relative to the protective backing 12.
  • the label strip 14 is inserted into the printer through the opening at the back side of the drive part 1.
  • the label strip 14 passes through the pathway guides 16, 18 horizontally and between the print head and the platen 22 vertically for receiving printing images on the labels 10 from the print head. After passing through the platen 22, the label strip 14 proceeds over the upwardly angled stripper bar 28 for separating the labels 10 from the protective backing 12. Thereafter, the protective backing 12 is directed backward underneath the stripper bar 28 and over, behind and underneath the stripper roller 32 to come out of the drive part 1 from the bottom of the stripper bar 28, as shown in Figure 1. Since the protective backing 12 is threaded back under the stripper bar 28, the labels 10 will ordinarily move tangentially toward the front side of the printer after passing the stripper bar 28 and will not follow the protective backing 12 to the underside of the stripper bar 28. Thus, the labels 10 will be automatically peeled off the protective backing 12 when they pass the stripper bar 28.
  • the protective backing 12 usually has a gloss and smooth surface on one side, which is attached to the adhesive side of the labels 10, to allow the labels 10 to be peeled off easily. Because the protective backing 12 is designed to allow the labels 10 to be peeled off very easily, the labels 10 can be separated from the protective backing 12 by folding the strip 14 at an edge of a label 10 over a certain critical angle.
  • the critical angle of a specific self-adhesive label may be the same as or slightly different from. others.
  • the present invention comprises a stripper bar 28 having an acute upward angle of approximately 27° to 32° to ensure all labels 10 will be separated from the protective backing 12 when the strip 14 passes the stripper bar 28 while the protective backing is threaded back and underneath the stripper bar 28, as shown in Figure 3.
  • the protective backing 12 is threaded between the platen 22 and the stripper roller 32 to direct it out of the printer in a forward direction.
  • the user will then pivotally fold down the print part to engage the drive part 1, and will move the lever 34 back into its operational position (as shown in Figure 5), that rotates the cam levers 36 and therefore moves the stripper roller 32, the platen 22, and the print head back to its operational position.
  • the protective backing 12 is trapped between the stripper roller 32 and the platen 22, and the label strip 14 is trapped between the print head and the platen 22.
  • the protective backing 12 may therefore be separated from the labels 10, which move directly out of the printer from over the stripper bar 28, and comes out of the printer through moving underneath the stripper roller 32.
  • the stripper roller 32 comprises a stepped stripper shaft 38, surrounded by the sleeve 42.
  • the stepped stripper shaft 38 is made of any 300 series stainless steel, and the sleeve 42 is made of FEP Teflon, but other suitable materials may be adopted for the stripper shaft 38 or the sleeve 42.
  • the Teflon sleeve 42 has an exterior diameter of approximately 1 cm (0.419 inches), an interior diameter of approximately 0.6cm (0.25 inches), and is approximately 12cm (4.72 inches) in length.
  • the stripper shaft 38 is approximately 15cm (5.98 inches) long.
  • the stripper shaft 38 has a first diameter, measured on the portion of the shaft 38 from either end of the shaft 38 to a set of first steps 44, of approximately 0.4 cm (0.156 inches); a second diameter, measured on the portions of the shaft 38 from either first step 44 to an adjacent second step 46, of approximately 0.5 cm (0.204 inches); and a third diameter, measured on the portion of the shaft 38 between the two second steps 46, of approximately 0.6 cm (0.236 inches).
  • the stripper shaft 38 is generally symmetrical, with the distance between either end and the adjacent first step 44 of approximately 1.57 cm (0.62 inches) the distance between either first step 44 and the adjacent second step 46 of approximately 4.75 cm (1.87 inches), and the distance between the two second steps 46 of approximately 2.5 cm (1.0 inches).
  • the motor 26 turns the gears of the gear system 24, which, in turn, rotates the platen 22 to urge the label strip 14 moving forward by passing through the print head and platen 22.
  • the print head prints data on the labels 10 and creates a small friction on the label strip 14 when it slides over the print head.
  • the small friction has a slight slowing effect on the speed of the label strip 14.
  • the pressure from the platen 22 against the protective backing 12 and the stripper roller 32 drives the stripper roller 32 to rotate and thus forces the protective backing 12 to pass underneath the stripper roller 32.
  • the tension will be kept accumulating until such time that the tension in the protective backing 12 becomes strong enough to counter act the speed differential. At this point, the tension reaches the equilibrium level and the protective backing 12 and the label strip 14 will be moved in a same speed. Once the equilibrium level of the tension is reached, the printer tends to move the protective backing 12 and the label strip 14 at the same speed while maintaining the equilibrium tension level on the protective backing 12 to keep it straight.
  • the above-noted tension will also help maintaining the proper angle of the fold as the label strip 14 passes over the stripper bar 28.
  • the Teflon sleeve 42 will "slip" against the protective backing 12 and thus maintains the equilibrium level of tension on the protective backing 12 and the label strip 14 for proper printing.
  • the "slip" of the Teflon sleeve 42 is partly due to the lubricants filled in the radial clearance between the Teflon sleeve 42 and the stripper shaft 38.
  • the present invention does not have the above-mentioned problems for the thermal transfer printers and/or for using the narrow printing media.
  • the present invention causes a sufficient tension on the protective backing 12 to prevent the looping problem in the thermal transfer printers and/or of the narrow printing media.
  • stepped stripper shaft 38 of the present invention is particularly suitable to accommodate the narrow media.
  • the center portion of the stripper shaft 38 which is between the set of the second steps 46, has the largest diameter on the stepped shaft 38 of approximately 0.6 cm (0.236 inches) and of approximately 2.5 cm (1.0 inches) in length.
  • the stepped stripper shaft 38 helps the stripper roller 32 press against the protective backing 12 by focusing most of the pressure on the center portion of the protective backing 12.
  • the dimensions of the stripper roller, and its relevant parts such as the stripper shaft may be changed to accommodate different printing devices.
  • the relative proportion of different parts of the stripper shaft may also be changed to accommodate any specific purpose.
  • the sleeve may be made of materials, other than the Teflon, suitable to create speed differential and to "slip.”
  • the angle of the stripper bar may be changed to ensure the labels will be separated from the protective backing when the strip passes over the stripper bar while the protective backing is threaded back and underneath the stripper bar. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Handling Of Sheets (AREA)
  • Labeling Devices (AREA)
  • Folding Of Thin Sheet-Like Materials, Special Discharging Devices, And Others (AREA)
  • Handling Of Continuous Sheets Of Paper (AREA)

Claims (19)

  1. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung, geeignet zur automatischen Ablösung abnehmbarer adhäsiver Druckmedien (10) von einem Schutzträgerband (12), ohne übermäßige Schleifenbildung oder Papierstauungen in der Vorrichtung hervorzurufen, wobei die Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung umfasst:
    einen Trägerrahmen, mit einer jeweils auf entgegengesetzten Seiten angeordneten ersten und zweiten Wand (52, 58) und mit einer Öffnung an einem hinteren Ende;
    eine drehbar mit der ersten und zweiten Wand (52, 58) des Trägerrahmens an entgegengesetzten Enden verbundene Walze (22), wobei die Walze (22) geeignet ist, das bedruckbare Medium durch die Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung zu bewegen; und
    eine Abstreifwalze (32), angeordnet unter und vorne vor der Walze (22), dazu geeignet, das Schutzband gegen die Walze (22) zu pressen;
    dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass
    die Abstreifwalze (32) eine rohrförmige Hülse (42) und eine stufenförmige und im wesentlichen zylinderförmige Laufrollenwelle (38) aufweist,
    wobei die Laufrollenwelle (38) an ihren entgegengesetzten Enden an die erste und zweite Wand (52, 58) des Trägerrahmens gekoppelt ist,
    wobei die Hülse (42) die Laufrollenwelle (38) drehbar umschließt,
    wobei die Laufrollenwelle (38) einen mittleren Abschnitt aufweist, dessen Länge kürzer als die Länge der Hülse (42) ist,
    wobei der mittlere Abschnitt den größten Durchmesser der Laufrollenwelle (38) aufweist, und wobei nur der mittlere Abschnitt der Laufrollenwelle (38) während der Betätigung die Hülse (42) berührt und gegen diese gepresst wird, wenn die Hülse (42) um die Laufrollenwelle (38) rotiert.
  2. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, wobei die Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung zur Aufnahme eines bedruckbaren Mediums geeignet ist, das einen adhäsiven, bedruckbaren Abschnitt auf einem Schutzträgerband (12) klebend aufweist, wobei die Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung weiterhin umfasst
    einen Druckkopf; und
    an den entgegengesetzten Enden mit der ersten und zweiten Wand (52, 58) des Trägerrahmens gekoppelte Abstreifmittel (28),
    wobei die Abstreifmittel (28) vor der Walze (22) angeordnet sind, wobei die Abstreifmittel (28) geeignet sind, um den bedruckbaren Abschnitt von dem Schutzträgerband (12) des bedruckbaren Mediums abzulösen, wobei die Abstreifwalze (32) unter den Abstreifmitteln (28) angeordnet ist und geeignet ist, um das Schutzträgerband (12) gegen die Walze (22) zu pressen, um das Schutzträgerband (12) mit einer ersten Geschwindigkeit zu ziehen, um eine auf das Schutzträgerband (12) einwirkende Zugspannung zu erzeugen.
  3. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 2, wobei die Abstreifmittel einen im wesentlichen plattenförmigen Abstreifschieber (28) umfassen, wobei der Abstreifschieber (28) um einen Winkel von ca. 35° bis 50° von einer horizontalen Ebene ausgehend aufwärts gerichtet ist, und eine untere Hinterkante aufweist, die nahe der und parallel zu der Walze (22) angeordnet ist.
  4. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das bedruckbare Medium über den winklig aufwärts gerichteten Abstreifschieber (28) bewegt wird, in welchem dann das Schutzträgerband (12) des bedruckbaren Mediums durch die Walze (22) und die Abstreifwalze (32) unterhalb des Abstreifschiebers (28) gezogen wird und der bedruckbare Abschnitt direkt nach vorne über eine Vorderkante des Abstreifschiebers (28) hinausbewegt wird.
  5. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 3, wobei die Walze (22) geeignet ist, das bedruckbare Medium rotierbar gegen den Druckkopf der Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung zu pressen, um das druckbare Medium mit einer zweiten Geschwindigkeit über den Druckkopf zu ziehen, wobei der Druckkopf geeignet ist, um Abbildungen auf dem bedruckbaren Medium abzubilden.
  6. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 5, wobei der Druckkopf bei Betätigung eine geringe Reibung gegen das Ziehen des bedruckbaren Mediums durch die Walze (22) hervorruft, wobei während einer initialen Betätigungsperiode die erste Geschwindigkeit geringfügig schneller ist, als die zweite Geschwindigkeit, somit die Zunahme der Zugspannung auf dem Schutzträgerband (12) verursacht, bis die Zugspannung eine Gleichgewichtszugspannung erreicht hat, die ausreicht, die geringe Reibung zu überwinden, und nach der initialen Betätigungsperiode, wenn die Gleichgewichtszugspannung erreicht ist, bei der die erste Geschwindigkeit, zurückgelegt durch das Schutzträgerband (12), und die zweite Geschwindigkeit, zurückgelegt durch das bedruckbare Medium, näherungsweise angeglichen ist.
  7. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 6, in welcher die rohrförmige Hülse (42) und der von der Hülse (42) umschlossene Abstreifschieber (28) im wesentlichen symmetrisch ausgeführt sind und worin die Abstreifwalze (32) ein radiales Spiel zwischen der rohrförmigen Hülse (42) und der Laufrollenwelle (38) der Hülse (42) aufweist, um um die Laufrollenwelle (38) zu rotieren.
  8. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 7, worin die rohrförmige Hülse (42) gegen das Schutzträgerband (12) gleitet, wenn der Zugspannungslevel des Schutzträgerbandes (12) über den Gleichgewichtszugspannungslevel ansteigt.
  9. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 7, worin die stufenförmige Laufrollenwelle (38) umfasst:
    einen ersten Wellenabschnitt, wobei der erste Wellenabschnitt sich in dem Mittelteil der Laufrollenwellen (38) befindet und einen ersten, geringfügig kleineren Durchmesser aufweist, als der innere Durchmesser der Hülse (42);
    einen zweiten und einen dritten Wellenabschnitt, die jeweils an die entgegengesetzten Enden des ersten Wellenabschnitts gekoppelt sind und der zweite und der dritte Wellenabschnitt jeweils einen zweiten Durchmesser aufweisen, der kleiner ist, als der erste Durchmesser; und
    einen vierten und einen fünften Wellenabschnitt, die jeweils an den zweiten und den dritten Wellenabschnitt an den entgegengesetzten Enden von der Laufrollenwellen (38) gekoppelt sind, und der vierte und der fünfte Wellenabschnitt jeweils einen dritten Durchmesser aufweisen, der kleiner ist, als der zweite Durchmesser.
  10. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 9, worin der erste Wellenabschnitt im wesentlichen zylinderförmig ausgeführt ist und näherungsweise 2,5 cm lang ist.
  11. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 2, wobei die rohrförmige Hülse (42) aus FEP Teflon Materialien hergestellt ist.
  12. Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 2, weiterhin umfassend:
    eine Reihe von auf entgegengesetzten Seiten, in der Abbildungsdarstellungsvorrichtung angeordnete Seitenwegführungen (16, 18), wobei der Abstand zwischen den Seitenwegführungen (16, 18) verstellbar ist;
    ein an die entgegengesetzten Enden der Abstreifwalze (32) gekoppelter Ansatz; und
    ein an den Ansatz und die Abstreifwalze (32) gekoppelter Hebel,
    wobei der Hebel geeignet sein kann, den Ansatz zu ziehen, entsprechend dem Ziehen des Hebels wird die Abstreifwalze (32) von der Walze (22) weggezogen, um die Einbringung des Schutzträgerbandes (12) unter die Abstreifwalze (32) zu ermöglichen.
  13. Abbildgestaltungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 12, wobei der Ansatz entsprechend dem Ziehen des Hebels den Druckkopf ebenfalls von der Walze (22) wegdrückt wird, um die Einbringung eines bedruckbaren Mediums zwischen den Druckkopf und der Walze (22) zu ermöglichen.
  14. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 13, weiterhin umfassend eine Reihe an den entgegengesetzten Enden der Abstreifwalze (32) angeordneten Torsionsfedern (48, 52), um die Abstreifwalze (32) anzutreiben und die Abstreifwalze (32) während der Betätigung gegen die Walze (22) zu pressen.
  15. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, weiterhin umfassend
    einen Druckkopf;
    eine Reihe von Seitenwegführungen (16, 18), wobei der Abstand zwischen den Seitenwegführungen (16, 18) verstellbar ist, um das Band aufzunehmen; und
    einen vor der Walze angeordneten Abstreifschieber (28), wobei der Abstreifschieber (28) unter einem geeigneten aufwärts gerichteten Winkel von etwa 40° angeordnet ist und geeignet ist, um die Label von dem Schutzträgerband (12) abzulösen, wenn das Band den Abstreifschieber (28) passiert, während das Schutzband zurück und unter den Abstreifschieber (28) geführt wird.
  16. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 15, weiterhin umfassend:
    einen an die Abstreifwalze (32) gekoppelten Ansatz;
    eine Reihe von an beiden Enden der Abstreifwalze (32) angeordneten Torsionsfedern (48, 52), um die Hülse (42) gegen die Walze (22) zu drängen; und
    einen Hebel (34, 35), gekoppelt mit dem Ansatz und der Laufrollenwelle (38), wobei der Hebel geeignet ist, den Ansatz zu ziehen, entsprechend dem Ziehen des Hebels wird die Abstreifwalze (32) von der Walze (22) weggezogen, um die Einbringung des Schutzträgerbandes (12) unter die Hülse (42) zu ermöglichen.
  17. Verwendung der Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 2 zur Ablösung selbstklebender Label von einem in die Vorrichtung eingelegten Endlosband von einem Schutzträger (12) des Bandes, wobei die Verwendung umfasst:
    das Rotieren einer Walze (22) der Vorrichtung, um das Band und den Schutzträger (12) aus der Vorrichtung herauszubewegen;
    das Passieren des Bandes über einen nahe einer Stirnfläche der Vorrichtung unter einem vordefinierten aufwärtsgerichteten Winkel angeordneten Abstreifschieber (28), geeignet zum Ablösen der Label von dem Schutzträger (12);
    das Einziehen des Schutzträgers (12) zurück und unter den Abstreifschieber (28), während die Label nach außen aus der Vorrichtung geführt werden;
    das Passieren des Schutzträgers (12) über, hinter und unterhalb einer nach vorne unterhalb der Walze (22) angeordneten Abstreifwalze (32) und gegen die Walze (22) pressend; und
    das Herausleiten des Schutzträgers (12) aus der Vorrichtung unterhalb der Abstreifwalze (32).
  18. Verwendung nach Anspruch 17, weiterhin umfassend:
    die Bewegung des Bandes zwischen einem Druckkopf und der Walzen mit einer ersten Geschwindigkeit;
    das Drucken von Daten auf das Label durch den Druckkopf;
    das Bewegen des Schutzträgers (12) mit einer zweiten Geschwindigkeit an der Abstreifwalze (32) vorüber, wobei, während einer initialen Betätigungsperiode der Vorrichtung, die zweite Geschwindigkeit geringfügig schneller ist, als die erste Geschwindigkeit des das den Druckkopf passierenden Bandes;
    die Erhöhung eines Zugspannungslevels des Schutzträgers (12) während der initialen Betätigungsperiode aufgrund einer Differenz von der ersten und zweiten Geschwindigkeit; und
    die Angleichung der ersten und zweiten Geschwindigkeit, wenn der Zugspannungslevel des Schutzträgers (12) einen Gleichgewichtslevel erreicht.
  19. Verwendung nach Anspruch 17, umfassend folgende Schritte:
    die initiale Bewegung des Medienträgerbandes zwischen der Abstreifwalze (32) und der Walze (22) ist schneller als zwischen der Walze (22) und dem Druckkopf, um eine Geschwindigkeitsdifferenz zu definieren, wobei die Geschwindigkeitsdifferenz das Medienträgerband spannt; und
    die nachfolgende Reduzierung der Geschwindigkeitsdifferenz gegen null, um der auf das Medienträgerband wirkenden Zugspannung zu gestatten, einen Gleichgewichtszustand zu erreichen.
EP19990202303 1998-07-17 1999-07-13 Etikettendrucker Expired - Lifetime EP0972711B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US9323898P 1998-07-17 1998-07-17
US93238P 1998-07-17
US09/345,274 US6478488B1 (en) 1999-06-30 1999-06-30 Step-stripper roller shaft in an image forming device
US345274 1999-06-30

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0972711A2 EP0972711A2 (de) 2000-01-19
EP0972711A3 EP0972711A3 (de) 2000-05-10
EP0972711B1 true EP0972711B1 (de) 2003-10-01

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Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1205888B (de) * 1963-02-27 1965-11-25 Meto Ges Oscar Kind K G Geraet zum Bedrucken und Ausgeben von Klebeetiketten und dazugehoerige Etikettenbaender
DE3515594A1 (de) * 1985-04-30 1986-10-30 Esselte Pendaflex Corp., Garden City, N.Y. Etikettiergeraet
JPH0395068A (ja) * 1989-09-04 1991-04-19 Tokyo Electric Co Ltd ラベルプリンタ
JP2690659B2 (ja) * 1992-05-25 1997-12-10 株式会社テック ラベルプリンタ
US5427460A (en) * 1993-03-22 1995-06-27 Kabushiki Kaisha Sato Label printer and label strip feed mechanism therefor
JP3545830B2 (ja) * 1995-04-27 2004-07-21 東芝テック株式会社 ラベルプリンタ

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EP0972711A2 (de) 2000-01-19
DE69911694T2 (de) 2004-08-05
DE69911694D1 (de) 2003-11-06

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