US3840422A

US3840422A - Hand held automatic labelling machine

Info

Publication number: US3840422A
Application number: US00243142A
Authority: US
Inventors: E Finke
Original assignee: Monarch Marking Systems Inc
Current assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC
Priority date: 1971-01-08
Filing date: 1972-04-12
Publication date: 1974-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 1991-10-08

Abstract

A hand held, automatic labelling machine in which the printing head and feed roller are powered by a double acting piston and cylinder. Pressurized fluid is directed to opposite sides of the piston through a valve member controlled by means of a sensing mechanism. An applicator roll is carried by the sensing mechanism so that contact between the applicator roll and an article to be labelled as a label is applied to the article automatically causes the next label to be printed and positioned opposite the applicator roll, ready for application to another article.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Finke 1 Oct. 8, 1974 [5 HAND HELD AUTOMATIC LABELLING 3,427,214 2/1969 Voight 156/541 MACHINE 3,440,123 4/1969 Hamisch.... 156/384 3,468,739 9/1969 Schrotz 156/384 Inventor: Eugene W. Finke, Miamisburgh,

Ohio

Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 104,874, Jan. 8, abandoned.

us. c1 156/579, 156/384, 156/541 rm. 0 B32b 35/00 Field Of Search 156/277, 384, 385, 540,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,436,044 4/1971 Germany Primary ExaminerDouglas J Drummond Assistant ExaminerCaleb Weston Attorney, Agent, or Firm-J0seph .1. Grass [57] ABSTRACT A hand held, automatic labelling machine in which the printing head and feed roller are powered by a double acting piston and cylinder. Pressurized fluid is directed to opposite sides of the piston through a valve member controlled by means of a sensing mechanism. An applicator roll is carried by the sensing mechanism so that contact between the applicator roll and an article to be labelled as a label is applied to the article automatically causes the next label to be printed and positioned opposite the applicator roll, ready for application to another article.

11 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures SHEET 2 OF 5 PATENTED am 8 I974 PATENTEUUCI 8mm 3.840.422.

sneer w s HAND HELD AUTOMATIC LABELLING MACHINE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a division of patent application Ser. No. 104,874, filed Jan. 8, 1971.

Certain subject matter disclosed in the application Ser. No. 104,874, now abandoned and in this application is claimed in copending applications Ser. No. 104,873, filed Jan. 8, 1971 and Ser. No. 369,668, filed June 13, 1973. Applications Ser. Nos. 104,873 and 369,668 are assigned to the same assignee as this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION US. Pat. No. 3,440,123 discloses a hand labeller which prints and dispenses a label from a roll of such labels upon actuation of spring biased handle. This labeller includes a base frame, an upper handle fixed to the base frame and a lower handle pivoted to the base frame for movement towards and away from the upper handle. A printing head is mounted on a supporting framework which is fixed to the lower handle so that movement of the lower handle towards the upper handle causes the printing head to be moved towards and away from a printing platen mounted on the base frame in opposition to the printing head. A magazine is provided for carrying a roll of pressure sensitive labels adhered to a backing strip and the backing strip with labels adhered thereto is trained through the labelling machine, over the printing platen and thence, reversely between a pair of cooperating drive and idler rollers. A rack is associated with the supporting frame for the printing head and the rack cooperates with appropriate gearing and clutch mechanism to rotate the drive roller as the lower spring biased handle moves away from the upper handle when the pressure thereon is relaxed.

The above noted labeller contains many features in addition to those described above for regulating tension on the backing strip, indexing the labels through the machine, preventing jamming and tearing of the strip of labels, etc., all of which are described in detail in the above noted patent and which have contributed to the wide spread acceptance with which this labeller has been received in the industry. Despite the many advantages which the above noted labeller holds over prior art structures, however, there are, nonetheless, certain areas open to improvements.

For example, although the spring tension against which the lower handle works is not excessive, it will be apparent that prolonged use of the labeller, particularly by one not accustomed to using it, may cause some fatigue. Additionally, three sequential actions are required: squeezing the handles together, releasing pressure on the handles and applying the label on an article by a wiping action.

Thus, the initial squeezing together of the upper and lower handles will cause the printing head to move to.- 7

Ward the printing platen to imprint the desired indicia on the particular label indexed over the platen at that time. As the pressure on the handles is released the printing head supporting frame and rack move upwardly and, through the one-way clutch mechanism associated with the drive roller, dispense the printed label from the labelling machine. The labelling machine, with a freshly printed label positioned opposite an applicator roll associated with the labeller, should then be manipulated with a wiping action to cause the label to be applied to the surface of the article to be labelled.

It will be seen, therefore, that despite the many advantageous features associated with the above noted hand labeller and its widespread commercial acceptance, certain features thereof might be modified to advantage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention resides in the provision of a hand held automatic labelling machine which is automatically operated to feed a printed label into a labelling station in response to application of a label.

The hand held labeller of the present invention incorporates all of the desirable features of the hand held labeller described above and in US. Pat. No. 3,440,123, but additionally incorporates certain improvements which add to both its efficiency and ease of operation. Thus, the hand held labeller of the present invention includes a base frame upon which is pivotally mounted a supporting frame carrying a printing head for relative movement towards and away from a printing platen. A rack extending from the printing head supporting frame actuates, through gearing and a one-way clutch mechanism, a drive roller to cause a series of labels adhered to a backing strip to be drawn through the labelling machine, over the printing platen, and thence, over a stripping mechanism for separating each individual label from the backing strip for application to an article to be labelled. Additionally, mechanism is provided for indexing the labels through the machine, maintaining proper backing strip tension to prevent jamming of the labels through the machine, etc.

However, actuation of the supporting frame which carries the printing head and the rack mechanism for driving the drive roller is accomplished, not through a manually actuated handle, as in the above noted prior art labeller, but by means of a power driven mechanism. As a result, it is not necessary to overcome spring pressure in squeezing together a pair of opposed upper and lower handles to cause the printing and dispensing of a label but instead, it is merely necessary to actuate control valve which controls a drive mechanism. In a preferred embodiment the drive mechanism is a double acting piston and cylinder and the control valve is operated by the applicator frame to direct the flow of a fluid under pressure alternately to opposite sides of the piston of the piston and cylinder mechanism. In this way,

contact with the article to be labelled by the applicator will cause the applicator frame to pivot about its connection to the base frame, and through the linkage mechanism, cause a label to be printed.

As the labeller is removed from the article labelled, the applicator frame returns to its original position, repositioning the control valve and directing fluid under pressure to the opposite side of the piston. This in turn will cause the label just printed to be fed forward to the applicator and the strip of labels to be advanced to position a subsequent label in position for printing.

With the hand held labeller of the present invention, therefore, manual operation of the various components thereof is unnecessary and the printing and dispensing of a label from the labelling machine is accomplished by contacting the article to be labelled with the applicator. Operation of the hand held labelling machine of the present invention, therefore, not only involves little physical exertion on the part of the operator but requires little or no experience, 'co-ordination or manual dexterity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OFTI-IE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view of one side of a labelling machine according to the present invention with portions broken away for clarity and other'portions shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is another elevational view of the opposite side of a labelling machine according to the present invention;

FIG. '10 is a sectional view taken on line 10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the actuating mechanism'including the actuating frame, the applicator'roll, and the interconnecting linkage;

FIG. 12 is a view showing the manual operation of the labelling machine of the'present invention;

FIG. 13 is a view, partly in section, through a second FIG. is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG.

- 4 ing tape, all as described in detail in the above noted US. Pat. No. 3,440,123.

With reference also to FIG. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the

side plates

24 and 26 also carry a feeder frame 40 pivoted between the side plates, as at 42 and journalling a pinion 44, a gear and one-way clutch mechanism 46 and a feed roller 48, again, all as explained in detail in the above noted patent. The feeder frame also carries a camming surface 50 and the side plates of the base frame journal an idler roller 52 in opposition to the feedroller 48. As noted above, the

printing head 14 is carriedby a supporting frame 16 and this frame, as seen in FIGS. l-3 of the drawings, is formed of a pair of parallel supporting

plates

54 and 56. The plates 54 and 56v are attached to the printing head 14, as at 58 and 59, and are maintained in spaced. parallel relationship by means of the clevis 60 and spacer block 62. Clevis 60 is fixed in place by means of the bolt 59 and a pin 64 while block 62 is held in place by otally mounted between the

side plates

24 and 26 by means of the pivot pin to permit pivotal movement of the printing head 14 towards and away from the printing platen 72 which is also fixed between the

side plates

24 and 26. A pair of

extension members

74 and 75 are bolted to the front end of the side plates and pivotally mount the ink pad carriage 76 for pivotal movement in a manner to be described. A pair of

springs

78 and 80 are attached at their opposite ends to the printing head 14 and ink pad carriage 76 and tend to urge the ink pad 81 carried thereby into contact with printing indicia 82 carried by the printing head.

' *The forward end of the printing platen 72 carries a turning bar 84 about which the strip of labels is re-.

versely' bent as it is fed through the labelling machine to cause the backing strip to be stripped from the pressure sensitive labels carried thereby. Immediately to the rear of the turning bar is an indexing mechanism 86 preferred embodiment of piston and cylinder mechanism and control valve assembly;

FIG. 14 is a view of a portion of a spool valve;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a bushing used in the embodiment of FIG. 13; and

FIG. 16 is a view, partly in section, showing another embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS upper half 28 of the handle assembly 12. Also attached to the rearward ends of the base

frame side plates

24 and 26 is an upstanding magazine 30 which serves as a source of label supply and includes a pair of spaced

parallel arms

32 and 34 bearingdiscs 36 and 38, respectively, intermediate their lengths for the support of a roll 39 of-labels carried on a continuous strip or backwhich is pivotally mounted, as at 88 and bears at its for ward end a pair of claw like members 89. As will be noted from FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings, to the rear of its pivotal connection 88 to the

side plates

24 and 26 the indexing mechanism 86 is positioned oppositely the camming surface 90 mounted on the feed frame 40, and the supporting plate 54 bears a rack 91 engageable with the teeth of the pinion 44. FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings also show the positioning of the actuating means 92 of the drive section-20 within the hollow handie 12 formed by the upper and

lower handle sections

28 and 29. I

The actuating means 92, as best seen in FIGS. 6-10 of the drawings consists of a housing 93 formed of a first cylinder tube 94, a second or valve tube and a third or inlet tube 96, all held together in fixed relationship to each other by a hardenable material such as a synthetic resinous material 97.

Tubes

94 and 95 are provided with inlet and

outlet openings

98 and 99, respectively, communicating with each other through the ports 100 formed in the hardenable material 97.

Tube 95, in addition to the outlet openings 99, is proshaped to engage the external surface of the tube 95 so that these two members can be brought into closely contacting relationship and held in position by the hardenable material 97 to provide free communication from the interior of the tube 96 to the interior of the tube 95. Tube 96, at its end opposite the enlarged portion 103 is provided with a second enlarged portion 104 internally threaded for a fitting 105 (see FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings).

A piston 106 is slidably received in the cylinder 94 and carries a pair of cup-type seals 107 between an upstanding central flange 108 and a pair of aperatured outer flanges 109. An end cap 110 is threadably received in a screw-threaded opening 111 of the housing 93, retaining within the cylinder a spring 112 which urges the piston 106 to the right as seen in FIG. 6 of the drawings. A piston rod 113 is attached to the piston 106 and extends'outwardly through a central opening formed in the end cap 110 with an O-ring 114 seated in a groove in the end cap and engaging the exterior surface of the piston rod.

The valve tube 95 slidably receives a spool valve 115 having annularly shaped lands 116 positioned inwardly of its ends. The spool valve is urged to the left as seen in FIG. 6 by means of a spring 117 seated in one end of the spool valve and in a pocket 118 formed in housing 93 and having a vent opening 119 therefrom.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 3 and 11 of the drawings an upstanding portion 120 of a linkage mechanism 122 is engageable by a spool valve extension 123 threadably received in the spool valve. Linkage mechanism 122, as best seen in FIG. 11 of the drawings, is substantially U- shaped in configuration including a pair of spaced

parallel legs

124 and 126, a bight portion 128 and inturned ends 130. A U-shaped applicator frame 140, including spaced,

parallel legs

142 and 144 and an interconnecting bight portion 146 is journalled, as at 148, to the

extensions

74 and 75 of the

side plates

24 and 26.

At their distal ends the

leg portions

142 and 144 are apertured to receive the inturned ends 130 of the

legs

124 and 126 and, at a point intermediate their ends and the bight portion 146, the

legs

142 and 144 journal an applicator which can be in the form of a roll 150, although, it will be apparent that the applicator can take other forms such as foot or presser plate or presser fingers. It will also be seen that intermediate the printing platen 72 and the idler roller 52 mechanism, referenced in its entirety by the numeral 152, is positioned to properly tension the label backing strip to prevent undesired slack in material being fed through the labelling machine.

As noted above, the labelling machine of the present invention incorporates advantageous features of the labelling machine described in US. Pat. No. 3,440,123. Thus, a roll of pressure sensitive labels adhered to a continuous backing strip is mounted between the

upstanding arms

32 and 34 by means of the

discs

36 and 38 carried by these arms and a strip of labels is passed downwardly between the guide chute 154 and the printing platen 72, thence around the turning and stripping bar 84, then to the rear and upwardly between the drive and

idler rollers

48 and 52, respectively.

Unlike the prior art mechanism, however, it is unnecessary 'to apply manual power to a pair of opposed handes to actuate the printing head and the drive mechanism, nor are three separate movements necessary, namely, squeezing the handle together to print a label, releasing the pressure on the handles to advance the printed label, and wiping the printed label on the article. Instead, the labelling machine, with a printed label 159 positioned opposite the applicator roll 150, is placed in contact with an article to be labelled. indicated by the reference numeral 160 in FIG. 12 of the drawings.

As the label is applied in a single wiping action by the applicator roll 150, the roll 150 and the associated frame 140 pivot about pivotal connection 148, driving the

legs

124 and 126 and the upstanding central portion 120 rearwardly against the pressure of spring 117 of the spool valve. This causes the spool valve to shift to the left as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings. causingfluid under pressure to be admitted to the left hand side of the piston 106 driving the piston to the right as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, and actuating the printing and drive mechanism.

Forward movement of the piston rod 113 is transmitted by block 161 mounted on the end of the piston rod and causes the clevis to pivot the supporting frame 16 about its pivot point 70, driving the printing head 14 downwardly towards the printing platen 72. The ink pad carriage 76 carrying the pad 80, having applied ink to the characters 82 carried by theprinting head, is deflected out of the path of travel of the printing head 14 by means of the cams 162 carried on either side of the printing head 14 in opposition to the c amming surfaces 164 on the opposed legs of the carriage 76.

Continued downward movement of the printing head 14 causes the inked indicia 82 to provide the desired printing on a label positioned at that time on the printing platen 72. It will also be noted that as the supporting frame 16 moves downwardly the cam surface 61 of the clevis 60 engages the opposed cam surface 50 of the drive frame, pivoting it downwardly about the pivot point 42 and causing the cams 92 to engage the rearward ends of the indexing mechanism 86'to lift the claw like members from engagement with regularly spaced notches in the strip of backing labels, all as explained in detail in the above noted US. Pat. No. 3,440,123.

Once a printed label has been applied to an article 160 the labelling machine is retracted therefrom, allowing the spring biased extension 123 of valve to press forward, pivoting the frame to its initial position and directing pressurized fluid to the front side of the piston 106. This of course, causes the supporting frame 16and printing head 14 to pivot upwardly from the position shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings to that shown in FIG. 1.

It should be noted that the initial downward movement of the supporting frame 16 caused the rack 94 carried by the side supporting frame 54 to engage the pinion 44. However, the pinion 44 is connected to the feed wheel 48 by the gear and one way clutch mechanism 46, which permits only counter clockwise (as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3) rotation of the pinion 44 to be transmitted to the feed wheel 48.v Therefore, the initial downward movement of the rack 94 and the resulting clockwise rotation of the pinion 44 has no effect upon the feed wheel 48. However, as the rack 94 moves upwardly due to the upward movement of the supporting frame 16, the resulting counter clockwise movement of the pinion 44 is transmitted to the feed wheel 48 causing this wheel to rotate in a clockwise manner as seen 7 in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings'in driving relationship with idler 52.

It will also be noted that the upward movement of the side supporting frame 16 releases the pressure exerted on the index mechanism 86 by the cams 90 on the feeder frame 40 so that the claw like members 89 thereof rest once again on the backing strip moving through the labelling machine. Therefore, when the ends 89 of the indexing mechanism come to a notch in the strip they drop downwardly, camming the feed wheel 48 upwardly out of driving relationship with the idler roll 52 to discontinue further movement of the label strip through the labelling machine and provide precise indexing of the labelling strip therethr ough.

With reference now to FIGS. 13-15 of the drawings a second preferred embodiment of piston and cylinder mechanism and control valve therefor will be described. The assembly 170, as seen in FIG. 13 of the drawings, is similar in many respects to assembly 92 described above. Thus, the assembly 170 includes a housing172 consisting of a first or cylinder tube 174, an

inlet tube, not shown, but the same as the inlet tube 96 of FIGS. 6-10 of the drawings, and a valve section, referenced in its entirety by the numeral 176.

Within the cylinder 174 a piston 178 is slidably received and carries a pair of cup-type seals 180 between an upstanding central flange. 182 and a pair of spaced apertured end flanges 184. An end cap 186 is threadably received in one end of the housing and compresses a spring 188 which tends to urge the piston 178 to the right as seen in FIG. 13 of the drawings. Theend cap 186 is centrally apertured and slidably receives a piston rod 190 which also passes through the-O-ring type seal 192.

However, whereas the assembly of FIGS. 6-10 of the drawings utilized a second tube fixed in place by the hardenable material as the valve tube, the embodiment of FIG. 13 dispenses with the valve tube and instead the valve body is formed directly in the hardenable material of the assembly. Thus, the valve body 176 is provided with a'central bore 194 having shouldered portions 196 adjacent each end thereof and each of the shouldered portions receives a resilient ring member 198 which is complementarily configured to the shoulders 196 and force fitted into place.

A spool bushing 200 having a series of four equally spaced openings 202 formed therein is next frictionally fitted in place in the inner ring members 198 and a second, substantially identical pair of outer ring members 199 are then force fitted into the valve body to hold the bushings 200 in place. Just prior to the positioning of the second, outer ring members 199 within the valve body the two-piece spool valve 204 consisting of identical sections 205 is inserted into the valve body from opposite ends thereof and the threaded right hand end 206 of the left-hand section of the spool valve is threaded into an internally threaded socket 208 formed in the left hand end of the right hand section of the spool valve. The two sections of the spool valve are identical and carry land portions 210 which cooperate with the ring members to maintain the spool valve within the valve body and with the ring members and bushings to selectively vent pressurized fluid to opposite sides of the piston 178. Thus, it will be apparent from an inspection of FIG. 13 of the drawings that fluid under pressure admitted into the annular space besurface 206 of the spool valve will be directed to the left as seen in FIG. 13 of the drawings through the openings 202 of the left hand bushing 200 and thence to the left hand side of the piston, driving it to the position shown in FIG. 13 of the drawings. At the same time, the right hand land 210 of the spool valve contacts the inner right hand ring member 198 in sealing relationship therewith. Upon shifting of the spool valve to the right as seen in FIG. 13 of the drawings the left hand land member 210 will be pressed into sealing engagement with the inner left hand bushing 198 and fluid will be admitted through the openings 202 of the right hand bushing and thence, to the right hand side of the piston 178, driving it to the left in opposition to the force exerted by the spring 188. With the above construction it will be noted that not onlyis a positive tween internal walls of the bore 194 and the external sealing engagement provided within the valve, but that the spool valve may be formed from two identical members.

It should be noted that in each of the piston and cylinder and control valve assemblies described above a light weight yet strong construction is provided by combining the various tubes of the assemblies in a hardenable material. By integrating light weight metal tubes with a synthetic resinous or other hardenable material the weight of the assembly can be reduced to well under grams and in an actual assembly is approximately 16 grams.

Turning now to FIG. 16 of the drawings, another preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the labelling machine shown in FIGS. l-3 of the drawings power is supplied by means of the fluid pressure operated piston and cylinder mechanism and control valve. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 16 of the drawings, power is derived from electromagnetic means illustrated as being a rotary solenoid 226. A push rod arm 220 is pivotally attached as at 222 to a crank arm 224 of the solenoid 226. The applicator which may take a variety of forms, as noted above, but is shown in the present instance as a roller 228 journalled between a pair of arms 230 which are pivotally mounted on the labeller, as at 232. A pair of contacts 234 are positioned in opposition to a rearwardly extending extension 235 of the arms 230 so that the application of a label by the applicator 228 will close the contacts 234, energizing the motor 226 and causing it to rotate in the direction of the arrow a desired amount. This causes the same sequence of the events to occur as occur upon extension of the piston rod of the embodiments of FIGS. 1-3. As the labeller is removed from contact with the article labelled the contacts 234 open, deenergizing the motor 226 and allowing spring 236 to retract the crank arm to the left as seen in FIG. 16 of the drawings. Current is, of course, supplied to the motor 226 from any conventional source of power as indicated by the leads 238.

Alternately, the solenoid 226 can be operated by closure of a switch 240 which is operated by a trigger 241. The trigger 241 is engageable and operable by the users index finger. In this regard it will be noted that the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 can also be manually actuated. Thus, a bell crank is pivotally mounted, as at 152, in the handle 12 and is provided with a bifurcated sectionl54 straddling the extension 123. A push button 156 is also received in a shouldered opening 158 in the handle 12 and bears against leg 169 of the bell crank 150. Depressing the button 156, therefore, it will shift the spool valve to the left as seen in FIG. 1. Releasing pressure on the button will, of course, allow spring 117 to shift the spool valve back to the right as seen in FIG. 1.

From the above it will be seen that labelling apparatus according to the present invention provides a hand held, automatic unit which requires very little muscular exertion, coordination or physical dexterity and permits the printing, dispensing and application of labels with a simple wiping action.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A hand held automatic label printing and applying machine comprising:

a base frame including a pair of spaced parallel side plates,

a feeder frame carrying a rotatable feed roller pivotally mounted between said side plates,

a stationary idler roller extending between and journalled in said side plates in opposition to said feed roller,

a printing head supporting frame pivotally mounted between said side plates and carrying a printing head adjacent one end and a clevis adjacent an opposite end thereof, I

means for rotating said feed roller in response to movement of said supporting frame,

cam means projecting from said clevis to engage said feeder frame upon pivotal movement of said supporting frame,

a handle fixed to said base frame,

a double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism mounted in said handle,

a piston rod extending from said piston and having an outer end thereof pivotally attached to said clevis,

a valve member associated with said mechanism for alternately directing fluid under pressure to opposite sides of said piston,

an applicator frame movably mounted on said base frame and carrying a rotatable applicator roll, and

linkage means extending from said applicator frame to said valve member to control said piston and cylinder in response to movement of said applicator frame.

2. A portable label printing and applying machine for automatically printing and dispensing a printed label in response to contact of said machine with an article to be labelled comprising:

a base frame including a pair of spaced side plates,

a printing platen mounted between said side plates,

a pair of spaced support arms pivotally attached intermediate their ends to said base frame,

a printing head bearing printing indicia mounted between said support arms adjacent one of their ends for movement toward and away from said printing platen,

an ink pad carriage carrying an ink pad pivotally attached to said base frame,

' spring means urging said ink pad and said carriage a one way clutch interconnecting said pinion and one of said feed rollers to drive said one feed roller upon movement of said pinion in one direction only,

a rack mounted on one of said support arms and engageable with said pinion as said printing head is moved toward and away from said platen,

a clevis attached to said support arms adjacent the ends thereof opposite said one end,

a handle attached to said base frame,

a double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism mounted in said handle and including a piston rod pivotally attached to said clevis,

an applicator frame pivotally mounted on said base frame,

an applicator roll journalled in said applicator frame,

linkage means interconnecting said valve and said applicator frame to control said valve in response to contact of said applicator roll with an article to be labelled, and

means cooperating withsaid drive rollers for indexing said labels through said machine.

3. A hand held automatic labelling machine comprisa base frame having a handle operatively associated therewith,

an applicator mounted on said base frame for pressing pressure sensitive labels into contact with an article to be labelled,

feed means mounted on said base frame for conveying labels from a source of supply thereof to a position adjacent said applicator, and

means for actuating said feed means in response to application by said applicator of a label to an article to be labelled to cause an additional label to beconveyed from said source of supply to said position adjacent said applicator to replace the label just applied, wherein said actuating means includes an integrated doube-acting piston and cylinder mechanism and valve disposed at the handle, means defining inlet and outlet means into and from respectively, said cylinder and said valve, a moldable plastic material interconnecting said cylinder and said valve, and means defining a port through said moldable material from said outlet means to said inlet means.

4. A hand held automatic labelling machine comprising: a base frame having a handle operatively associated therewith,

an applicator mounted on said base frame for press ing pressure sensitive labels into contact with an article to be labelled,

means for actuating said feed means in response to application by said applicator of a label to an article to be labelled to cause an additional label to be conveyed from said source of supply to said position adjacent said applicator to replace the label just applied, wherein said actuating means includes an integrated double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism and valve disposed at the handle, and means defining inlet and outlet means into and from, respectively, said cylinder and said valve.

5. An automatic label printing and applying machine comprising:

a base frame,

a printing station including means for printing indicia on labels carried by said base frame,

an applicator,

a U-shaped frame pivotally mounted on said base frame with said applicator journaled intermediate the legs thereof, 7

means carried by said base frame for feeding labels from a source of supply thereof through said printing station to said applicator,

double-acting power means fordriving said printing means and said feeding means, and

means for controlling said driving means in response to movement of said applicator frame.

6. An automatic label printing and applying machine comprising:

a base frame,

a printing station including'means for printing indicia on labels carried by said base frame,

an applicator,

an applicator frame carrying said applicator and movably mounted to said base frame,

meanscarried by said base frame for feeding labels from a source of supply thereof through said print? ing station to said applicator,

a double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism for driving said feeding means and said printing means, and

a control valve controlling said double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism in response .to movement of said applicator frame.

7. A hand held automatic label printing and applying machine, comprising:

a base frame having a handle operatively associated therewith,

a printing station on the base frame having means for printingon labels,

a label applying station on the base frame at which a printed label can be applied to an article,

means for feeding labels to the printing station and thereafter to the label applying station,

means effective only during application of a label to the article for sensing pressure exerted on the machine,

. and double-acting power means connected to a single source of energy, controlled by the sensing means, and powered in one direction for operating the printing means in response to energy from the source and powered in another direction in response to energy from the source'and the completion of the sensing of pressure by the sensing means for operating the feeding means.

8. The machine of claim 7, wherein the single source of energy comprises a source of fluid under pressure.

9. The machine of claim 7, wherein the sensing means comprises an applicator disposed at the label applying station.

10. The machine of claim 7, wherein the doubleacting power means comprises a double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism.

11. The machine of claim 7, wherein the frame includes a manually graspable handle, and the doubleacting power means is disposed in the handle.

Claims

1. A hand held automatic label printing and applying machine comprising: a base frame including a pair of spaced parallel side plates, a feeder frame carrying a rotatable feed roller pivotally mounted between said side plates, a stationary idler roller extending between and journalled in said side plates in opposition to said feed roller, a printing head supporting frame pivotally mounted between said side plates and carrying a printing head adjacent one end and a clevis adjacent an opposite end thereof, means for rotating said feed roller in response to movement of said supporting frame, cam means projecting from said clevis to engage said feeder frame upon pivotal movement of said supporting frame, a handle fixed to said base frame, a double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism mounted in said handle, a piston rod extending from said piston and having an outer end thereof pivotally attached to said clevis, a valve member associated with said mechanism for alternately directing fluid under pressure to opposite sides of said piston, an applicator frame movably mounted on said base frame and carrying a rotatable applicator roll, and linkage means extending from said applicator frame to said valve member to control said piston and cylinder in response to movement of said applicator frame.

2. A portable label printing and applying machine for automatically printing and dispensing a printed label in response to contact of said machine with an article to be labelled comprising: a base frame including a pair of spaced side plates, a printing platen mounted between said side plates, a pair of spaced support arms pivotally attached intermediate their ends to said base frame, a printing head bearing printing indicia mounted between said support arms adjacent one of their ends for movement toward and away from said printing platen, an ink pad carriage carrying an ink pad pivotally attached to said base frame, spring means urging said ink pad and said carriage toward said indicia carried by said printing head, cam means carried by said printing head and engageable with portions of said carriage for pivoting said carriage out of the path of travel of said printing head as it moves toward said printing platen, a pair of cooperating feed rollers rotatably mounted between said side plates for engaging a strip of labels and drawing them through said machine over said platen, a pinion rotatably mounted between said side plates, a one way clutch interconnecting said pinion and one of said feed rollers to drive said one feed roller upon movement of said pinion in one direction only, a rack mounted on one of said support arms and engageable witH said pinion as said printing head is moved toward and away from said platen, a clevis attached to said support arms adjacent the ends thereof opposite said one end, a handle attached to said base frame, a double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism mounted in said handle and including a piston rod pivotally attached to said clevis, an applicator frame pivotally mounted on said base frame, an applicator roll journalled in said applicator frame, a valve member associated with said mechanism for alternately directing fluid under pressure to opposite sides of said piston, linkage means interconnecting said valve and said applicator frame to control said valve in response to contact of said applicator roll with an article to be labelled, and means cooperating with said drive rollers for indexing said labels through said machine.

3. A hand held automatic labelling machine comprising: a base frame having a handle operatively associated therewith, an applicator mounted on said base frame for pressing pressure sensitive labels into contact with an article to be labelled, feed means mounted on said base frame for conveying labels from a source of supply thereof to a position adjacent said applicator, and means for actuating said feed means in response to application by said applicator of a label to an article to be labelled to cause an additional label to be conveyed from said source of supply to said position adjacent said applicator to replace the label just applied, wherein said actuating means includes an integrated doube-acting piston and cylinder mechanism and valve disposed at the handle, means defining inlet and outlet means into and from respectively, said cylinder and said valve, a moldable plastic material interconnecting said cylinder and said valve, and means defining a port through said moldable material from said outlet means to said inlet means.

4. A hand held automatic labelling machine comprising: a base frame having a handle operatively associated therewith, an applicator mounted on said base frame for pressing pressure sensitive labels into contact with an article to be labelled, feed means mounted on said base frame for conveying labels from a source of supply thereof to a position adjacent said applicator, and means for actuating said feed means in response to application by said applicator of a label to an article to be labelled to cause an additional label to be conveyed from said source of supply to said position adjacent said applicator to replace the label just applied, wherein said actuating means includes an integrated double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism and valve disposed at the handle, and means defining inlet and outlet means into and from, respectively, said cylinder and said valve.

5. An automatic label printing and applying machine comprising: a base frame, a printing station including means for printing indicia on labels carried by said base frame, an applicator, a U-shaped frame pivotally mounted on said base frame with said applicator journaled intermediate the legs thereof, means carried by said base frame for feeding labels from a source of supply thereof through said printing station to said applicator, double-acting power means for driving said printing means and said feeding means, and means for controlling said driving means in response to movement of said applicator frame.

6. An automatic label printing and applying machine comprising: a base frame, a printing station including means for printing indicia on labels carried by said base frame, an applicator, an applicator frame carrying said applicator and movably mounted to said base frame, means carried by said base frame for feeding labels from a source of supply thereof through said printing station to said applicator, a double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism for driving said feeding means and said printing means, aNd a control valve controlling said double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism in response to movement of said applicator frame.

7. A hand held automatic label printing and applying machine, comprising: a base frame having a handle operatively associated therewith, a printing station on the base frame having means for printing on labels, a label applying station on the base frame at which a printed label can be applied to an article, means for feeding labels to the printing station and thereafter to the label applying station, means effective only during application of a label to the article for sensing pressure exerted on the machine, and double-acting power means connected to a single source of energy, controlled by the sensing means, and powered in one direction for operating the printing means in response to energy from the source and powered in another direction in response to energy from the source and the completion of the sensing of pressure by the sensing means for operating the feeding means.

10. The machine of claim 7, wherein the double-acting power means comprises a double-acting piston and cylinder mechanism.

11. The machine of claim 7, wherein the frame includes a manually graspable handle, and the double-acting power means is disposed in the handle.