Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler with a thermographic print head for printing on labels releasably secured to a carrier web, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels, an applicator for applying printed labels, a web feeding mechanism including an electric motor for advancing the carrier web, a detachable handle containing a source of electrical energy, and circuitry including a plurality of printed circuit boards electrically connecting the electrical energy source, the keyboard and the print head.

Abstract: There is disclosed a printing band print head having a one-piece, dimensionally accurate, mounting block with integral end plates, the mounting block having a cradle for rotatably supporting drive wheels, printing bands with long printing characters and short human readable characters, a selector cooperable with any selected drive wheel, the selector being easy to assemble and including a knob connected to a selector shaft, an indicator axially shiftable as a unit with the selector, the selector shaft being rotatable with respect to the indicator, a sleeve on the shaft, and the sleeve having detent means and driver means. Printing bands coupled to the drive wheels pass about direction changing means and a support.

Abstract: First and second separately actuatable triggers are mounted to a housing which carries a hollow needle through which a fastener is dispensed. The needle is mounted to the housing for movement between original and extended positions. The article to be tagged is situated adjacent the front of the housing. When the first trigger is depressed, a tag is moved from a stack on the housing into alignment with the needle as the needle is moved forward to pierce the tag and article. Also, a fastener is fed into the needle. When the second trigger is depressed, the fastener is moved through the needle such that the T-bar end is situated behind the article and the needle retracts to its original position. The apparatus is pulled away from the article, leaving the tag affixed by the fastener. The apparatus is light-weight, easily manipulatable, and can be operated by a single hand.

Abstract: First and second separately actuatable triggers are mounted to a housing which carries a hollow needle through which a fastener is dispensed. The needle is mounted to the housing for movement between original and extended positions. The article to be tagged is situated adjacent the front of the housing. When the first trigger is depressed, a tag is moved from a stack on the housing into alignment with the needle as the needle is moved forward to pierce the tag and article. Also, a fastener is fed into the needle. When the second trigger is depressed, the fastener is moved through the needle such that the T-bar end is situated behind the article and the needle retracts to its original position. The apparatus is pulled away from the article, leaving the tag affixed by the fastener. The apparatus is lightweight, easily manipulatable, and can be operated by a single hand.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler which uses labels releasably adhered to a carrier web. The labeler has a body with a pair of identical body sections. The body mounts first, second and third feed rolls. The first and third feed rolls project beyond the body and cooperate respectively with the second feed roll. The body has a delaminator and a guideway for the carrier web. The carrier web can be threaded through the guideway and about the delaminator in either direction. In either event, the first, second and third feed rolls cooperate with the carrier web to advance it and effect label delamination. Depending on the direction of threading, either the first or the third feed roll is used to advance the carrier web by rolling that feed roll along the surface to be labeled. A label roll is held captive in a holder having two identical body sections. In an alternative embodiment, a label strip winding feature enables a strip of labels to be wound into a roll for subsequent use in the labeler.

Abstract: There is disclosed label printing and applying apparatus by which labels are successively printed and applied to merchandise. The apparatus feeds pressure sensitive labels mounted on a web of supporting material to a printing zone and to a delaminating zone. An applicator disposed downstream of the delaminating zone is used to apply the labels to merchandise.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler with a thermographic print head for printing on labels releasably secured to a carrier web, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels, an applicator for applying printed labels, a web feeding mechanism including an electric motor for advancing the carrier web, a detachable handle containing a source of electrical energy, and circuitry including a plurality of printed circuit boards electrically connecting the electrical energy source, the keyboard and the print head.There is also disclosed a process of making a feed wheel for the labeler which includes molding a hub having external axial grooves, molding feed rings having external tooth and internal projections which are cooperable with the grooves in the hub in only one rotational position, and sliding the rings onto the hub.

Abstract: There is disclosed a mold for making a fastener assembly which is substantially less expensive to construct and maintain than existing molds. The disclosed mold uses one-half the number of ejector pins ordinarily used in molding fastener assemblies having connected fasteners with bar sections and button sections joined by filament sections. The improved fastener assembly is useable in a hand-held tag attacher of a well-known type, e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,452.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler having a print head with electrically selectable printing elements for printing and applying pressure sensitive labels. The labeler has a housing with a handle and structure for mounting a roll of pressure sensitive labels releasably carried on a carrier web. The labeler has a movable section which mounts a keyboard and a control circuit on a circuit board. The control circuit controls the printing elements. Labels are printed by the printing elements as the carrier web is advanced, and labels are delaminated at a delaminator and dispensed into label applying relation to an applicator. The print head is mounted on a support and is continuously spring-urged toward the platen. Movement of the print head toward the platen is limited to prevent damage. The support and the print head can be moved away from the platen from the outside of the labeler to facilitate threading of the web.

Abstract: There is disclosed a printing band print head having a one-piece, dimensionally accurate, mounting block with integral end plates, the mounting block having a cradle for rotatably supporting drive wheels, printing bands with long printing characters and short human readable characters, a selector cooperable with any selected drive wheel, the selector being easy to assemble and including a knob connected to a selector shaft, an indicator axially shiftable as a unit with the selector, the selector shaft being rotatable with respect to the indicator, a sleeve on the shaft, and the sleeve having detent means and driver means. Printing bands coupled to the drive wheels pass about direction changing means and a support.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler with a thermographic print head for printing on labels releasably secured to a carrier web, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels, an applicator for applying printed labels, a web feeding mechanism including an electric motor for advancing the carrier web, a detachable handle containing a source of electrical energy, and circuitry including a plurality of printed circuit boards electrically connecting the electrical energy source, the keyboard and the print head.

Abstract: There is disclosed a composite label web roll and a hand-held labeler for dispensing improved labels from the roll. The label is constructed and arranged so that the label can be folded to provide a tag such as a jewelry tag.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler for applying labels from a composite label web wound into a label roll. The labeler has a cantilevered leaf spring which supports a portion of the composite that has been paid out of the label roll. A pair of fingers is cantilevered to the leaf spring and is in straddling operative relationship to the label roll. A cooperative arrangement on the labeler housing and on the fingers retains the fingers in the operative relationship while enabling the leaf spring to deflect.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler with a thermographic print head for printing on labels releasably secured to a carrier web, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels, an applicator for applying printed labels, a web feeding mechanism including an electric motor for advancing the carrier web, a detachable handle containing a source of electrical energy, and circuitry including a plurality of printed circuit boards electrically connecting the electrical energy source, the keyboard and the print head.

Abstract: There is disclosed a mold for making a fastener assembly which is substantially less expensive to construct and maintain than existing molds. The disclosed mold uses one-half the number of ejector pins ordinarily used in molding fastener assemblies having connected fasteners with bar sections and button sections joined by filament sections. The improved fastener assembly is useable in a hand-held tag attacher of a well-known type, e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,452.

Abstract: There is disclosed an ink pad having an elongated one-piece body of molded plastic construction and an ink receptive pad supported by the body. The body has a bottom wall with projections adapted to engage in corresponding holes in a carrier support. The invention also relates to an ink cartridge having an elongated body of plastics material. An ink-receptive pad supported by the body, a projection extending upwardly from a top wall of the body, a resilient retainer disposed above the projection and secured to the body, the retainer having a portion extending laterally from the projection and adapted to releasably engage a support plate.

Abstract: There is disclosed printing apparatus composed essentially of molded plastics material which has relatively few parts, is easy to manufacture and maintain, and is lightweight and portable. The apparatus is illustrated as being of the table top type which can print both standard type tags and labels, string tags and pin tickets. The apparatus has a print head operable in conjunction with an impression control device, a feed finger assembly with a registration adjustment, a simple drive arrangement operated by a cam with a single cam path, and a reel positionable at different attitudes, and the construction of the apparatus is readily adaptable to both manually operated and motorized versions.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler with a thermographic print head for printing on labels releasably secured to a carrier web, a delaminator for delaminating printed labels, an applicator for applying printed labels, a web feeding mechanism including an electric motor for advancing the carrier web, a detachable handle containing a source of electrical energy, and circuitry including a plurality of printed circuit boards electrically connecting the electrical energy source, the keyboard and the print head.

Abstract: There is disclosed a print head and method of making same, in which the print head has spaced first and second side plates connected by guide members. The side plates support mounting blocks which mount drive wheels for printing bands. The mounting blocks are strongly connected to the first side plate but are weakly connected to the second side plate and the guide members are strongly connected to the second side plate and weakly connected to the second side plate for ease of assembly and disassembly. Selectors pass through openings in the second side plate. An indicator coupled to each selector is guided by a pair of the guide members. The selector is selectively engageable with any drive wheel.

Abstract: There is disclosed a composite label web and method of making and method of applying labels. The composite label web comprises a longitudinally extending carrier web and label material releasably adhered by pressure sensitive adhesive to the carrier web. There are cuts extending across the label material at longitudinally spaced intervals to provide adjacent labels having complementary leading and trailing edges defining a forwardly projecting portion and a rearwardly projecting portion. In dispensing the label from the carrier web, the forwardly projecting portion is gradually delaminated. It is preferred that only a part of the rearwardly projecting portion of the leading label which has been dispensed to a label applying position remain adhered to the carrier web and that only a part of the forwardly projecting portion of the next successive label be delaminated from the carrier web.