US 5,117,719 A · End trimming mechanism of tape printer

Abstract

A tape printer for making adhesive labels includes a tape supply, a printer for reverse printing on the tape and a double-sided adhesive film, one side of which is laminated to the printed tape and the other side of which carries a release paper. The printer has a cutter for cutting the tape from the continuous supply tape and includes a trimmer for rounding the corners of the tape to reduce defoliation of the tape from the surface to which it is applied. The cutting blade of the trimmer has a central straight section, contiguous arcuate sections at each end of the central straight section and auxiliary straight cutting edges contiguous with the arcuate sections and extending at an obtuse angle to the central straight section. The cutting blade is mounted in an integrally molded support unit which includes guide members for guiding the width of tape to be trimmed by the cutting blade. The support unit is detachably mounted on a tape support member so that tapes of differing widths can be trimmed by interchanging the support units. Levers for actuating the cutting blade are movable from a position to actuate the cutter to a retracted position enabling replacement of the support unit.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An end trimming mechanism for trimming an end portion of a leading portion of a tape-like printing medium on which an image is printed and which is cut from a continuous length of the tape-like printing medium, comprising:

a tape support member having an engagement surface for supporting a leading portion of the tape-like printing medium thereon;
and
a cutting member having a cutting blade movable toward the engagement surface of the tape support member to cut an end portion of the leading portion of the tape-like printing medium and wherein said cutting member includes:
a straight cutting edge having opposite ends, the straight cutting edge being extended across a width of the tape-like printing medium defined in a direction transverse to the length of the tape-like printing medium;
two arcuate cutting edges which extend contiguously from the opposite ends of the straight cutting edge;
and
straight auxiliary cutting edges which extend contiguously from the arcuate cutting edges, each in a direction tangential to the contiguous curve of the arcuate cutting edges to form an obtuse angle with the straight cutting edge wherein said auxiliary cutting edges are arranged to permit the cutting of tape like printing medium of varying width while forming said end portion with rounded corners.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

End trimming mechanism of tape printer

Life of this patent

End trimming mechanism of tape printer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18