Hand-held electrically selectable labeler

A hand held labelling machine comprising:

• a housing having a manually engageable handle, the housing having means for holding a label supply roll of a composite web having labels releaseably adhered to a backing strip, the housing further having means for receiving a source of electrical energy, means for printing on a label at a printing position, means for peeling the printed label from the backing strip, label applying means disposed adjacent the peeling means, means for advancing the web to peel a printed label from the backing strip at the peeling means and advance the printed label into label applying relationship with the label applying means and to advance another label into the printing position, means including a keyboard mounted on the housing for entering selected data to be printed, the printing means including a thermographic printing head having a plurality of individually selectable printing elements arranged in a single line array disposed substantially transverse to the direction of advancement of the web and powered by the source of electrical energy for printing on a thermographic label at the printing position, means coupled to the keyboard for receiving and electrically processing data representative of the selected data entered by the keyboard, means electrically coupling the data receiving and processing means and the thermographic printing head, and means for causing the data receiving and processing means to operate the thermographic printing head to print the selected data on the label, wherein said receiving and processing means includes error checking means for checking the data received from the keyboard.

A hand held labelling machine comprising;

• a housing having a manually engageable handle, the housing having means for holding a label supply roll of a composite web having labels releaseably adhered to a backing strip, the housing further having means for receiving a source of electrical energy, means for printing on a label at a printing position, means for peeling the printed label from the backing strip, label applying means disposed adjacent the peeling means, means for advancing the web to peel a printed label from the backing strip at the peeling means and advance the printed label into label applying relationship with the label applying means and to advance another label into the printing position, means including a keyboard mounted on the housing for entering selected data to be printed, the printing means including a thermographic printing head having a plurality of individually selectable printing elements arranged in a straight line high density array powered by the source of electrical energy for printing on a thermographic label at the printing position, means coupled to the keyboard for receiving and electrically processing data representative of the data entered by the keyboard, means electrically coupling the data receiving and processing means and the thermographic printing head, said coupling means including a plurality of individual conductors electrically interconnecting the printing head and the data receiving and processing means, said electrical coupling means further including a serial-to-parallel converter located adjacent to said selectable printing elements and coupled to said receiving and processing means via said plurality of individual conductors, the number of said individual conductors being fewer than the number of individually selectable printing elements forming said printing head, and means for causing the data receiving and processing means to operate the thermographic printing head to print the selected data on the label.

A hand held labelling machine comprising;

• a housing having a manually engageable handle, the housing having means for holding a label supply roll of a composite web having labels releaseably adhered to a backing strip, the housing further having means for receiving a source of electrical energy, means for printing on a label at a printing position, means for peeling the printed label from the backing strip, label applying means disposed adjacent the peeling means, means for advancing the web to peel a printed label from the backing strip at the peeling means and advance the printed label into label applying relationship with the label applying means and to advance another label into the printing position, means including a keyboard mounted on the housing for entering selected data to be printed, the printing means including a thermographic printing head having a plurality of individually selectable printing elements powered by the source of electrical energy for printing on a thermographic label at the printing position, means coupled to the keyboard for receiving and electrically processing data representative of the selected data entered by the keyboard, means including a serial-to-parallel converter electrically coupling the data receiving and processing means and the thermographic printing head, and means for causing the data receiving and processing means to operate the thermographic printing head to print out the selected data on the label.

A hand held labelling machine comprising;

• a housing having a manually engageable handle, the housing having means for holding a label supply roll of a composite web having labels releaseably adhered to a backing strip, the housing further having means for receiving a source of electrical energy, means for printing on a label at a printing position, means for peeling the printed label from the backing strip, label applying means disposed adjacent the peeling means, means for advancing the web to peel a printed label from the backing strip at the peeling means and advance the printed label into label applying relationship with the label applying means and to advance another label into the printing position, means including a keyboard mounted on the housing for entering selected data to be printed, the printing means including a thermographic printing head having a plurality of individually selectable printing elements arranged in a straight line high density array powered by the source of electrical energy for printing on a thermographic label at the printing position, means coupled to the keyboard for receiving and electrically processing data representative of the data entered by the keyboard, means electrically coupling the data receiving and processing means and the thermographic printing head, said coupling means including a plurality of individual conductors electrically interconnecting the printing head and the data receiving and processing means, the number of said individual conductors being fewer than the number of individually selectable printing elements forming said printing head, said electrical coupling means including a serial-to-parallel converter interposed between said thermographic printing head and said plurality of individual conductors, and means for causing the data receiving and processing means to operate the thermographic printing head to print the selected data on the label.

A hand held labelling machine comprising;

• a housing having a manually engageable handle, the housing having means for holding a label supply roll of a composite web having labels releaseably adhered to a backing strip, the housing further having means for receiving a source of electrical energy, means for printing on a label at a printing position, means for peeling the printed label from the backing strip, label applying means disposed adjacent the peeling means, means for advancing the web to peel a printed label from the backing strip at the peeling means and advance the printed label into label applying relationship with the label applying means and to advance another label into the printing position, means including a keyboard mounted on the housing for entering selected data to be printed, the printing means including a thermographic printing head having a plurality of individually selectable printing elements arranged in a straight line high density array powered by the source of electrical energy for printing on a thermographic label at the printing position, means coupled to the keyboard for receiving and electrically processing data representative of the data entered by the keyboard, said receiving and processing means including error checking means for checking the data received from the keyboard, means electrically coupling the data receiving and processing means and the thermographic printing head, said coupling means including a plurality of individual conductors electrically interconnecting the printing head and the data receiving and processing means, the number of said individual conductors being fewer than the number of individually selectable printing elements forming said printing head, and means for causing the data receiving and processing means to operate the thermographic printing head to print the selected data on the label.

A hand held labelling machine comprising;

• a housing having a manually engageable handle, the housing having means for holding a label supply roll of a composite web having labels releaseably adhered to a backing strip, the housing further having means for receiving a source of electrical energy, means for printing on a label at a printing position, means for peeling the printed label from the backing strip, label applying means disposed adjacent the peeling means, means for advancing the web to peel a printed label from the backing strip at the peeling means and advance the printed label into label applying relationship with the label applying means and to advance another label into the printing position, means including a keyboard mounted on the housing for entering selected data to be printed, the printing means including a thermographic printing head having a plurality of individually selectable printing elements arranged in a straight line high density array having an element density of at least 200 elements per inch powered by the source of electrical energy for printing on a thermographic label at the printing position, means coupled to the keyboard for receiving and electrically processing data representative of the data entered by the keyboard, means electrically coupling the data receiving and processing means and the thermographic printing head, said coupling means including a plurality of individual conductors electrically interconnecting the printing head and the data receiving and processing means, the number of said individual conductors being fewer than the number of individually selectable printing elements forming said printing head, and means for causing the data receiving and processing means to operate the thermographic printing head to print the selected data on the label.

A hand held labelling machine comprising;

• a housing having a manually engageable handle, the housing having means for holding a label supply roll of a composite web having labels releaseably adhered to a backing strip, means for printing on a label at a printing position, means for peeling the printed label from the backing strip, label applying means disposed adjacent the peeling menas, means for advancing the web to peel a printed label from the backing strip at the peeling means and advance the printed label into label applying relationship with the label applying means and to advance another label into the printing position, means including data entry means on the housing for entering selected data to be printed, the printing means including a thermographic printing head having a plurality of individually selectable printing elements disposed in an array having a density of approximately 200 elements per inch powered by a source of electrical energy for printing on a thermographic label at the printing position, and means coupled to the data entry means for receiving and electrically processing data representative of the selected data entered via the data entry means, said data processing means including font control means for receiving the data and operating the printing elements in said thermographic printing head to print out selected data in any predetermined font and format.