US 5,639,340 AGranted

Portable hand-held labelling and marking device and printing mechanism therefor

AssigneeEsselte Meto International GmbH

InventorHeinrich Volk

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Abstract

A portable hand-held labelling device can generally have a printing mechanism, which in the case of an embodiment with printing belts and print-side guide wheels, can have the guide wheels rotationally mounted on a shaft which is fixed to the housing. The shaft can be fabricated as a single piece with the housing or a part of the housing, and the free end of the shaft can be centered and laterally fixed in a blind locator in another part of the housing. The shaft can be provided with a longitudinal groove into which a locking strip with a number of guide channels for locking elements, corresponding to the number of guide wheels, can be inserted, and in particular, inserted and locked into place. The locking elements are preferably components of a locking mechanism, which locking mechanism also includes locking locators in the bearing hole of each guide wheel, which locking locators interact with the locking elements to rotationally position the guide wheels on the shaft. The number of locking locators determines the number of defined rotational positions of each guide wheel.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A hand-held, portable labelling device for printing labels, said labelling device comprising:

a first housing;
handle means for gripping said labelling device in a hand;
printing means disposed within said first housing for printing on a label to produce a printed label, said printing means being movable in a direction towards and away from the label;
means for actuating said printing means to move said printing means towards and away from the label;
means for providing ink to said printing means;
means for supplying labels;
means for feeding labels from said label supply means to said printing means;
said printing means comprising:
a second housing;
shaft means disposed within said second housing, said shaft means defining a longitudinal dimension, and said shaft means comprising a peripheral surface, and a groove disposed along at least a portion of the longitudinal dimension of said shaft means;
at least one wheel rotationally disposed about said shaft means, said at least one wheel comprising an interior portion disposed adjacent said shaft means, a periphery portion disposed away from said shaft means, and print-type disposed about at least a portion of said periphery portion, said at least one wheel defining an axis of rotation, and said interior portion of said at least one wheel comprising at least one indentation;
and
means for selectively fixing and selectively releasing said at least one wheel in and from a rotationally fixed position on said shaft means to locate at least one print-type in a position for printing of the at least one print-type on the label by said printing means;
and
said means for selectively fixing comprising a first member for being disposed within the groove of said shaft means, said first member comprising:
a portion for being disposed within said groove of said shaft means and a periphery portion disposed adjacent said periphery surface of said shaft means;
at least one passage disposed through said first member in a direction from said periphery portion through said first portion;
a strip-shaped member having a first side and a second side, said second side being spaced apart from said first side and substantially parallel to said first side;
means for engaging said at least one indentation of said at least one wheel, said means for engaging having a first portion disposed and guided within said at least one passage and a second portion extending out of said at least one passage through said periphery portion of said first member, said second portion being configured for engaging said at least one indentation to rotationally fix said at least one wheel on said shaft means;
and
means for biasing said second portion of said means for engaging out of said at least one passage and into engagement with said at least one indentation;
said at least one passage comprising a plurality of passages in said strip-shaped member.

19 more elements

A method for assembling a hand-held, portable printing device, the printing device comprising:

a first housing;
handle means for gripping the printing device in a hand;
printing means disposed within the first housing for printing on a label to produce a printed label, the printing means being movable in a direction towards and away from the label;
means for actuating the printing means to move the printing means towards and away from the label;
means for providing ink to the printing means;
means for supplying labels;
means for feeding labels from the label supply means to the printing means;
the printing means comprising:
a second housing;
shaft means disposed within the second housing, the shaft means defining a longitudinal dimension, and the shaft means comprising a peripheral surface, and a groove disposed along at least a portion of the longitudinal dimension of the shaft means;
at least one wheel rotationally disposed about the shaft means, the at least one wheel comprising an interior portion disposed adjacent the shaft means, a periphery portion disposed away from the shaft means, and print-type disposed about at least a portion of the periphery portion, the at least one wheel defining an axis of rotation, and the interior portion of the at least one wheel comprising at least one indentation;
and means for selectively fixing the at least one wheel in a rotationally fixed position on the shaft means to locate at least one print-type in a position for printing of the at least one print-type on the label by the printing means;
and the means for selectively fixing comprising a first member for being disposed within the groove of the shaft means, the first member comprising:
a portion for being disposed within the groove of the shaft means and a periphery portion disposed adjacent the periphery surface of the shaft means;
at least one passage disposed through the first member in a direction from the periphery portion through the first portion;
means for engaging the at least one indentation of the at least one wheel, the means for engaging having a first portion disposed and guided within the at least one passage and a second portion extending out of the at least one passage through the periphery portion of the first member, the second portion being configured for engaging the at least one indentation to rotationally fix the at least one wheel on the shaft means;
and means for biasing the second portion of the means for engaging out of the at least one passage and into engagement with the at least one indentation, the method comprising:
providing the first housing;
providing the handle means on the first housing for gripping the first housing;
providing the means for actuating the printing means to move the printing means towards and away from the label;
providing the means for providing ink to the printing means;
providing the means for supplying labels;
providing the means for feeding labels from the label supply means to the printing means;
providing the printing means within the first housing, the providing of the printing means comprising:
providing the second housing;
providing the shaft means having the groove, within the second housing;
and
providing the means for fixing the at least one wheel in a rotationally fixed position on the shaft means, the providing the means for fixing comprising:
providing the first member for being disposed within the groove of the shaft means;
providing the means for engaging the at least one indentation of the at least one wheel;
inserting the means for engaging into the at least one passage of the first member;
providing the means for biasing the second portion of the means for engaging out of the at least one passage;
inserting the means for biasing into the at least one passage;
and
inserting the first member, with the means for engaging and the biasing means disposed within the at least one passage, into the groove of the shaft means;
providing the at least one wheel for being disposed about the shaft means;
installing the at least one wheel about the shaft means;
and
providing print-type disposed about at least a portion of the periphery portion of the at least one wheel;
providing a strip-shaped member as the first member, the strip-shaped member having a first side and a second side, the second side being spaced apart from the first side and substantially parallel to the first side;
and
providing a plurality of passages in the strip-shaped member.

39 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/401,012Filed 9 Mar 1995
Priority: DE 44 08 460.912 Mar 1994
Granted: 17 Jun 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B41K 3/06
And movable at right angles to the surface to be stamped: having type-carrying bands or chains
B65C 11/02
Manually-controlled or manually-operable label dispensers, e.g. modified for the application of labels to articles: having printing equipment
Y10T 156/1707
Lamina transferred to base from adhered flexible web or sheet type carrier: discrete spaced laminae on adhered carrier
Y10T 156/1795
Work traversing type and/or means applying work to wall or static structure: implement carried web supply