Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler for printing and applying labels and for printing tags. The labeler has a keyboard, a display, a scanner, and a battery-containing handle. The labeler is user-friendly and compact. The labeler can be easily loaded with label and tag webs of different widths. The labeler has a discharge chute for the carrier web which can be slid to a position outside the labeler for easy cleaning.

Abstract: There is disclosed a thermal printer having a print head and a pressure roller cooperable with a platen roll, with one manually operable member for substantially simultaneously separating the print head and the pressure roll for threading the printer and another member for separating the print head widely from the platen roll for cleaning purposes.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler which can feed and apply a relatively long label or tape to merchandise or packaging. In one embodiment the feeding of the label web is accomplished by using a feed wheel that is driven both during the feeding stroke of a manual actuator and during its return stroke. The print head is driven toward and away from a platen during each cycle and the advance of the feed wheel is interrupted as the print head nears printing cooperation with the platen and the intervening label. In another embodiment some of the advance of the feed wheel is through a one way clutch.

Abstract: There is disclosed method and apparatus which promotes effective peeling of a linerless-type label web from a roll by use of a peel roller in contact with the outer periphery of the roll. The apparatus can include a print head and a driven platen roll. The apparatus can also apply labels which are printed by the apparatus.

Abstract: A portable barcode printer includes a circuit coupled between a main battery and a read/write memory of the printer to provide power to the memory from the main battery with a minimal voltage drop across the circuit. The circuit is also coupled between the main battery and a backup battery to prevent leakage current from the backup battery from flowing through the circuit. The circuit in includes a P-channel field effect transistor having a drain coupled to the main battery and a source coupled to the read/write memory. A N-channel field effect transistor having a source connected to ground has its drain connected to the gate of the P-channel field effect transistor so that when the N-channel field effect transistor is turned, on the P-channel field effect transistor is turned on and driven to saturation to allow a positive current flow from the drain to the source of the P-channel field effect transistor.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler for printing and applying labels and for printing tags. The labeler has a keyboard, a display, a scanner, and a battery-containing handle. The labeler is user-friendly and compact. The labeler can be easily loaded with label and tag webs of different widths. The labeler has a discharge chute for the carrier web which can be slid to a position outside the labeler for easy cleaning.

Abstract: There is disclosed an improved thermal printer with a rigid frame made from a main frame plate with compound bends and a base plate, record member supply roll mounting and guide devices, an ink ribbon and record member web feed control system, a print head assembly, and improved ink ribbon cores and spindles.

Abstract: There is disclosed a composite label web and methods of making and using same. The composite label web has a carrier web and a label material web releasably adhered thereto by pressure sensitive adhesive. The label material web is butt cut laterally at equally longitudinally spaced intervals. The carrier web is perforation cut laterally at equally longitudinally spaced intervals. The butt cuts and the perforation cuts are longitudinally offset to provide a tab. The invention provides the cost and manufacturing advantages of a butt composite label web plus the feature of ease of separation of the leading label from the carrier web.

Abstract: There is disclosed an improved thermal printer with a rigid frame made from a main frame plate with compound bends and a base plate, record member supply roll mounting and guide devices, an ink ribbon and record member web feed control system, a print head assembly, and improved ink ribbon cores and spindles.

Abstract: A hand held labeler is programmable to operate in accordance with a sequence of commands forming an application program that is downloaded to the labeler and stored in a random access memory. Each command is associated with a command routine selected from a set of command routines that is stored in a read only memory. The commands of the application program and associated command routines are executed by a microprocessor of the labeler to perform flexible data collection, data manipulation and label printing operations.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hand-held labeler for printing and applying labels and for printing tags. The labeler has a keyboard, a display, a scanner, and a battery-containing handle. The labeler is user-friendly and compact. The labeler can be easily loaded with label and tag webs of different widths. The labeler has a discharge chute for the carrier web which can be slid to a position outside the labeler for easy cleaning.

Abstract: There is disclosed an improved thermal printer with a rigid frame made from a main frame plate with compound bends and a base plate, record member supply roll mounting and guide devices, an ink ribbon and record member web feed control system, a print head assembly, and improved ink ribbon cores and spindles.

Abstract: There is disclosed a portable thermal printer having a printer housing, a printing mechanism and an ink ribbon cartridge containing an ink ribbon cartridge containing an ink ribbon. The cartridge has a cartridge housing and an improved brake for applying a slight braking force on a core of an ink ribbon supply roll in the housing. The cartridge is easy to load onto the printer. The cartridge forms part of the printer housing and is latched thereto. The cartridge is slid onto the printer and the cartridge housing detents into position.

Abstract: There is disclosed a portable thermal printer having a printer housing, a printing mechanism and an ink ribbon cartridge containing an ink ribbon cartridge containing an ink ribbon. The cartridge has a cartridge housing and an improved brake for applying a slight braking force on a core of an ink ribbon supply roll in the housing. The cartridge is easy to load onto the printer. The cartridge forms part of the printer housing and is latched thereto. The cartridge is slid onto the printer and the cartridge housing detents into position.

Abstract: There is disclosed a web of record members of the composite label web, tag and linerless types with cracks or fissures through the webs so that the position of the web can be detected by an optical detector. Apparatus can be used to convert the web into more usable form which includes for provision of optically detectable cracks or fissures in the web. These cracks are made by crushing the web locally between one or more crushing cutters and a back-up roll which cooperates with zero clearance. The method and apparatus can produce a reliably detectable web at low cost. The optical detector includes a source of light and a bicell detector between which the web with the cracks or fissures passes. The bicell detector produces a first output signal representing the amount of light impinging on a first portion of the detector and a second output signal representing the amount of light impinging on a second portion of the detector.

Abstract: The hand-held apparatus of the present invention includes an integral printer and measuring device so that measurement information obtained from the measuring device may be automatically printed, used to determine additional information to be printed such as price information, or merely displayed. A measuring wheel having detectable marks disposed about the periphery thereof is rotatably mounted on the housing of the apparatus in proximity to a sensor that detects the marks. This sensor is positioned on the housing to not only detect the marks on the measuring wheel but to also detect the presence or absence of a label dispensed from the housing so as to provide an on-demand printing mode of operation. A controller is responsive to the sensor in the on-demand mode of operation for controlling a printhead to print on a supply when the previously printed supply has been removed from the apparatus.

Abstract: There is disclosed a label applying machine including a label applicator having a mounting plate and a resilient pad with selectively positionable vacuum buttons to hold labels of different sizes (lengths and widths) onto the label applicator by vacuum.

Abstract: A dynamic strobe compensation control for a battery powered barcode printer varies the strobe time for the thermal printhead of the printer during the printing of a line of data to compensate for internal resistance losses in the thermal printhead. The control varies the strobe time based upon the measured voltage of the battery powering the printhead when the battery is not loaded by the thermal printhead and when the battery is load by the thermal printhead. The print quality is thus maintained across the width of a line of print data as well as over multiple lines of print data.

Abstract: There is disclosed a printer and a method for printing and dispensing either liner-type or linerless-type labels. A delaminator is selectively positionable so that the carrier web of a liner-type composite label web can be drawn about the delaminator to delaminate and dispense a pressure sensitive label or so that the delaminator is out of the way to avoid problems when using the printer to print and dispense linerless-type labels. The linerless-type label web is prepared by folding an end portion upon itself to facilitate threading through a printer.

Abstract: A microprocessor controlled thermal printer particularly usable in a hand-held labeler for printing labels on a composite web detects indices on the web and utilizes the detected indices to position the labels relative to the print head. The printer utilizes an improved index detection system that compensates for variations in index size and density and for variations in sensor sensitivity by detecting both the leading and trailing edges of an index and utilizing the distance between the detected leading and trailing edges to determine the length of the index. By dividing the length thus determined by two, and by advancing the web by this amount after the detection of the leading edge of an index, the center of the index can be accurately located, and the web can be accurately registered at any desired position relative to the center of the index.