Dispenser for Adhesive Labels

This invention relates to a dispenser for adhesive labels of the kind in which the labels are provided on a strip or web of release material and the label-bearing web is withdrawn from a supply coil past a peel edge at which the direction of travel of the web reverses so that the labels separate from the web and advance towards a surface to be labelled.

Label dispensers of the aforesaid kind are known, for example in the context of labelling of goods in supermarkets. But such labellers have employed large reels of pressure-sensitive adhesive labels and web, with the web being advanced by means of pinch rollers operated by means of a trigger mechanism, and with the spent web being discarded. This kind of dispenser has not been used with preprinted labels but has incorporated a printer to mark price or other information on each label as it is dispensed. It is an object of this invention to provide a label dispenser that is mechanically simple and is primarily intended to be used in association with strips of pre-printed labels. It is a further object of the invention to provide a dispenser in which the labels are discharged simply by moving the dispenser over the surface to be labelled.

Broadly stated the invention provides a dispenser for adhesive labels on a web of release material in which a label-bearing web is withdrawn from a supply coil past a peel edge at which the direction of travel of the web reverses so that the labels separate from the web and advance towards the surface to be labelled, wherein the spent web is taken up by a take-up spool, and a friction roller rotatably mounted in the dispenser for rolling contact with the surface to be labelled rotates as the dispenser is moved over the surface, the friction roller being operatively connected to the take-up spool so that both rotate at substantially the same surface speed whereby the labels are dispensed at substantially the same surface speed as the dispenser is moved but in the opposite direction.

With the above dispenser the labels are discharged simply by wiping the dispenser over the surface, and the labels do not move significantly relative to the surface as they are discharged.

Advantageously means in the dispenser defines a label discharge mouth that is in advance of the friction roller with reference to the intended direction of movement of the dispenser over the surface so that the friction roller passes over the discharged labels and adheres them to the surface.

Advantageously the dispenser is provided in a form comprising a case mounting the friction roller, drive means for the take-up spool and an access door leading to a space dimensioned to receive a removable cassette, said cassette comprising a body that enclosed the supply coil, peel edge and take-up spool. In such a dispenser the drive means may terminate in a splined capstan that engages in a complimentary bore in the take-up spool as the cassette is inserted into the body. Alternatively said drive means has a member formed with a bore into which a splined member projecting from the take-up spool is received. Rachet means may be fitted to inhibit reverse rotation of the take-up spool.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view and FIG. 2 is a side section of a cassette for a label dispenser;

FIG. 3 is a view of the cassette in section on the line C--C of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in horizontal section of a dispenser within which is fitted a cassette as shown in FIGS. 1-3; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic side view of a label dispenser of the invention dispensing a label onto a surface.

In FIGS. 1-3 a cassette for labels comprises a coil 10 of printed labels coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive and held onto a backing web of release material, a take-up spool 12 and a housing formed in halves 14, 16. The blank half 14 is formed with a hollow spigot 17 that fits into a splined central bore 18 of the spool 12 and acts as a bearing axle. The other half 16 is formed with a rachet pawl 20 that cooperates with rachet teeth 22 disposed in a ring on the end of the spool 12 so that the spool 12 can only rotate in a label-dispensing direction. The half 16 is also formed with a guide plate 24 having a peel edge that guides the label-bearing web in a sharply angular path between the roll 10 and the take-up spool 12. Thus as the labels travel over the nose portion or peel edge of the plate 24 they become detached from the release backing and protrude through a dispensing opening 26.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 the cassette fits into a dispenser 30 provided with a space 31 for receiving a cassette. Access to the space can be gained by means of a hinged door access 32. The nose of the dispenser is provided with a pressure roller 33 that drives a train of four transmission gears 34-36 which are in edge to edge meshing relationship and drive output gear 37 that is provided with a splined drive formation 38 that fits into a region of the bore 18 not occupied by the spigot 17. Accordingly as the roller 33 which has a rubber-like outer surface is rotated by being drawn backwards towards the user, the rotation thereof is transmitted via gears 34-37 to the splined capstan 38 and so to the spool 12. Labels are dispensed as the capstan 38 rotates, and the relative speed ratio of the pressure roller 33 and the capstan 38 is chosen so that the label is dispensed at a range of speeds approximately synchronous with the speed at which the dispenser moves over the surface. It will be appreciated that the label speed will increase as the layer of spent web builds up on the take-up roller, but if the web is thin and not too long and the diameter of the take-up roller is large it may be arranged that the slight speed variation is not harmful in practice. The label is discharged in the opposite direction to that in which the dispenser moves and so has approximately zero speed relative to the surface. The label emerges through the opening 26 and through the body of the dispenser at an angle towards the surface 40 and the friction roller 33 then rolls over it. As the label is coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on its underside, the pressure of the roller 33 causes it to be bonded to the surface. If at this point a different cassette is to be used, the door 32 is opened, the cassette falls out and a new cassette can be inserted.

The described apparatus has the advantage that there is not need to thread, feed or reel up the labels or webs as this is done already inside the cassette. When all the labels have been used up and the web shows, the cassette can simply be thrown away. However, the cassette may be made re-usable if required.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, the modifications may be made without departing from the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims. For example, the web path in FIG. 2 may be straight from the guide plate 24 to the take-up spool 10 which is caused to revolve in the opposite direction from that shown by adding a further transmission gear to the train. This arrangement avoids the need for the web to be deflected through 90 degrees as it leaves the guide plate, and lowers the frictional resistance to operation.