US 5,524,996 AGranted

Linerless label printing apparatus

AssigneeGrand Rapids Label Company

InventorsGeorge F. Carpenter, Karl Burdick

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Abstract

A label printer apparatus is arranged to produce printed labels from a continuing strip of adhesive-backed, linerless label material. By operation of a standard printer roller, the apparatus advances a strip of linerless material along a path from a roll of the material over a print head where a portion of the strip is printed. The printed portion is advanced past a cutting blade onto a label applicator and is severed from the remainder of the strip by operation of a cutting blade. A guide comprising a lower wall and a pair of opposing side walls is disposed along the path and serves as a guide for the adhesive back material from the roll to the printer. The printer roller is controlled by a control unit responsive to operator input instructions and the condition of a photosensor to position and reposition the leading edge of the strip relative to the print head, before and after printing operation.

Claims12

Dependent claims

Apparatus for producing printed labels from linerless label material comprising:

a predefined path and a strip of linerless label material extending along the predefined path;
a print head disposed along the path and along one side of the path;
a printer roller disposed adjacent the print head and along an other side of the path;
label cutter apparatus disposed along the path and spaced apart from the print head and having one side adjacent the print head having an opposite side;
a controller operative to control the print head to print a first selected portion of the strip of linerless label material disposed adjacent the print head and to control the printer roller to advance the first selected portion a predetermined distance in the path and to a position between the print head and the label cutter apparatus and to control the print head to print a second selected portion of the strip, the controller further operative to control the printer roller to advance the first selected portion to a position on the opposite side of the label cutter apparatus and to control the cutter apparatus to cut the first selected portion from the strip of linerless material and operative to activate the printer roller to withdraw the strip by a predetermined distance, to activate the print head to print a third selected portion and to subsequently activate the printer roller to advance the second selected portion to a position on the opposite side of the label cutter apparatus for cutting the second selected area while the third selected portion is disposed between the print head and the cutter apparatus;
whereby a selected portion of the strip is printed before a previously printed portion is cut from the strip.

3 more elements

Apparatus for producing printed labels from linerless label material comprising:

a predefined path and a strip of linerless label material extending along the predefined path, the strip of linerless material having a predefined width and having an adhesive side coated with an adhesive and a non-adhesive side;
a print head disposed along the path and on the non-adhesive side of the strip of the linerless label material;
label cutter apparatus disposed along the path and spaced apart from the print head and having one side adjacent the print head and an opposite side;
a printer roller disposed adjacent the print head and on the adhesive side of the strip of linerless label material for engaging the adhesive side of the strip, the printer roller operative to advance the strip from the roll of linerless label material and along the print head and to the cutter apparatus;
an upper plate disposed adjacent the printer roller on the adhesive side of the strip of linerless material and in alignment with the print head for guiding the strip in the direction of the print head, the upper plate comprising opposing end walls extending perpendicular to the path and having end surfaces, and an inner spatial area extending between the opposing end walls, the end surfaces of the opposing end walls providing contact areas for engaging the adhesive surface of the strip of linerless label material, whereby the upper plate provides a reduced area of contact with the adhesive side of the linerless label strip while guiding the strip into a position to be printed by the print head on the non-adhesive side of the strip.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.