Claims
- 1. An apparatus for producing printed labels forming a strip of covers interconnecting a plurality of package bases, with each strip of covers being a segment severed from a continuous length of a laminated foil, including a framework for supporting the laminated foil along a predetermined path of movement, comprising:
- a. a supply roll having a continuous strip of laminated foil thereon, the laminated foil strip comprising a series of individual covers, with each individual cover having background graphics and a print field on which appropriate product data is to be printed, the background graphics and the print field separated by a widthwise border which extends from one side of the strip of laminated foil to the other side;
- b. a printer, including drive rollers which advance the laminated foil strip intermittently therethrough between successive printings by a printhead on successive print fields of successive labels;
- c. a photodetector positioned to detect the widthwise borders between the background graphics and the print fields to accurately control the position of the laminated foil strip in the printer for each printing of appropriate product data on each print field, and
- d. a foil level sensor positioned adjacent to the supply roll, which sensor includes a beam projector which projects a narrow beam of light along a path, which will be clear when the supply roll is nearly empty, to a photodetector, an output from which indicates that the supply roll is nearly empty.
- 2. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 1, including an accumulator means for receiving the printed laminated foil strip from the printer for temporary accumulation therein.
- 3. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 1, including a foil guide assembly, receiving the laminated foil strip from the supply roll, for maintaining the laminated foil strip under tension as it enters the printer, wherein said foil guide assembly includes a pivoted tensioning arm, the weight of which maintains the laminated foil strip under tension, and the foil guide assembly includes upper and lower detectors for detecting upper and lower positions of the pivoted tensioning arm.
- 4. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper position detector deactivates the drive rollers in the printing machine, while the lower position detector activates the drive rollers in the printing machine.
- 5. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 1, wherein a perforation cutter perforates the printed laminated foil strip output of the printer, and includes a flying knife cutter which perforates the laminated foil strip widthwise a number of times, once between each pair of adjacent covers in each strip of covers, including a knife blade supported on a shaft which is driven by a motor to rotate during a cut, and the strip of laminated covers is perforated between the blade edge and a roller positioned widthwise beneath the strip of laminated covers.
- 6. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 5, including a first photodetector positioned to detect the widthwise borders between the background graphics and the print fields which determines where the perforation cutter will cut the perforations, and a second photodetector positioned to detect the background graphics which determines the border between the end of one strip of covers and the beginning of the next successive strip of covers, which is not perforated, and a feed roller unit is responsive thereto to position each widthwise border between adjacent covers in a cover strip beneath the flying knife cutter to provide perforations thereat, and perforations are not provided at borders between successive strips of covers.
- 7. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 5, including a feed roller unit for pulling the printed laminated foil strip output of the printer over a suction brake, which maintains the laminated foil strip under tension, and into the perforation cutter.
- 8. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 7, wherein the suction brake includes means for controlling the vacuum applied to the suction brake and thereby the tension on the laminated foil strip through the perforation cutter.
- 9. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 7, wherein the feed roller unit includes upper and lower rollers, between which the laminated foil strip is intermittently driven by a stepper motor.
- 10. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 9, wherein the feed roller unit includes an adjustment which controls the tension on the laminated foil strip by controlling the force with which a spring presses the two drive rollers together.
- 11. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 9, wherein the feed roller unit includes a release level to release and disengage the two rollers.
- 12. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 5, including a cleaning unit for cleaning the perforated laminated foil strip at the output of the perforation cutter, and the cleaning unit includes a vacuum applied through vacuum ducts and contact cleaning strips on each side of the laminated foil strip.
- 13. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 1, including a feed roller unit for pulling the printed laminated foil strip output of the printer into a perforation cutter.
- 14. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 13, wherein the feed roller unit includes upper and lower rollers, between which the laminated foil strip is intermittently driven by a stepper motor.
- 15. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 14, wherein the feed roller unit includes an adjustment which controls the tension on the laminated foil strip by controlling the force with which a spring presses the two drive rollers together.
- 16. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 13, including a dance roller unit, wherein the laminated foil strip proceeds from the feed roller unit into the dance roller unit, which has a dance roller which maintains the laminated foil strip under tension.
- 17. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 16, wherein the dance roller unit includes a pivoted tensioning arm on which the dance roller is mounted, the weight of which maintains the laminated foil strip under tension.
- 18. An apparatus for producing printed labels as claimed in claim 17, wherein the dance roller unit includes upper and lower detectors for detecting upper and lower positions of the pivoted tensioning arm, and the upper position detector deactivates drive rollers in a subsequent feed roller unit, and the lower position detector activates the drive rollers in the subsequent feed roller unit.
Parent Case Info
The present application is a continuation-in-part application of parent application for APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PREPARING PRINTING LABELS, Ser. No. 08/257,789, filed Jun. 10, 1994 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,059.
US Referenced Citations (16)
Foreign Referenced Citations (6)
Number |
Date |
Country |
460201 |
Oct 1949 |
CAX |
1 963 956 |
Aug 1971 |
DEX |
2 355 208 |
Sep 1974 |
DEX |
57-084725 |
May 1984 |
JPX |
5-154946A |
Jun 1993 |
JPX |
1 403 625 |
Aug 1975 |
GBX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
257789 |
Jun 1994 |
|