Label issuing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10052884-B2
Application number	US-201514921748-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2015
Priority date	Oct 28, 2014
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A label issuing apparatus of an embodiment includes a print unit that prints commodity information on a linerless label, a feeding unit that feeds the linerless label, a cutting unit that detaches the linerless label as a label piece, and a temporary adhesion unit that holds the label piece, and superimposes an upstream end portion in a feeding direction of the held label piece on a downstream end portion in a feeding direction of a subsequent label, the subsequent label being the linerless label next fed by the feeding unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A label issuing apparatus comprising:
a print unit configured to print commodity information on a linerless label;
a feeding unit configured to feed the linerless label;
a cutting unit configured to detach the linerless label as a label piece; and
a temporary adhesion unit configured to hold the label piece, and to adhere an upstream end portion in a feeding direction of the held label piece to a downstream end portion in a feeding direction of a subsequent label, the subsequent label being the linerless label next fed by the feeding unit, wherein
the temporary adhesion unit is disposed further downstream in the feeding direction than the cutting unit, and includes a pressing member and a holding roller,
the pressing member is configured to press the label piece against the holding roller such that the label piece is held from front and rear sides between the pressing member and the holding roller while the label piece is moving in the feeding direction,
the holding roller is configured to move a downstream end portion in the feeding direction of the label piece to a position where the upstream end portion in the feeding direction of the label piece does not hinder progress of the downstream end portion in the feeding direction of the subsequent label,
the pressing member is configured to press the label piece and the subsequent label directly against the holding roller while the label piece is moving in the feeding direction to thereby adhere the label piece to the subsequent label, and
the pressing member and holding roller are configured to hold a series of label pieces in a state in which the label piece is adhered to the subsequent label.

2. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the temporary adhesion unit adheres a printing surface of the subsequent label to an adhesive surface of the label piece, or adheres an adhesive surface of the subsequent label to a printing surface of the label piece, by holding the label piece to be inclined in a direction intersecting with the feeding direction of the label.

3. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the print unit starts printing after the label piece has been detached and the linerless label has been retracted to a print position.

4. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a position of the temporary adhesion unit with respect to the feeding unit is switchably provided in a first direction approximately perpendicular to the feeding direction and to a direction perpendicular to a printing surface of the label piece.

5. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a moving mechanism configured to relatively move the position of the temporary adhesion unit with respect to the feeding unit; and
a control unit configured to control the moving mechanism to switch the position of the temporary adhesion unit.

6. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit switches the position of the temporary adhesion unit every time the one label piece or a plurality of the label pieces is detached.

7. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit alternately switches the position of the temporary adhesion unit to a first position and to a second position different from the first position every time the one label piece is detached.

8. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
an information acquisition unit configured to acquire the commodity information printed on the label piece, wherein
the control unit switches the position of the temporary adhesion unit, based on a type of the commodity information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

9. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit switches the position of the temporary adhesion unit at both of first timing when the one label piece is detached, and second timing when change of the type of the commodity information printed on the label piece is acquired, and
a distance by which the temporary adhesion unit is moved at the second timing is made larger than a distance by which the temporary adhesion unit is moved at the first timing.

10. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the print unit prints the commodity information on the linerless label on which a region on which an adhesive is not applied, and extending in a first direction is formed on a sticking surface, and
the feeding unit feeds the linerless label along the first direction; and
the region is formed at least one of both end portions of the sticking surface in a second direction approximately perpendicular to the first direction.

11. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein a length of the region in the second direction is 1 to 5 mm.

12. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the adhesive is intermittently applied on the region along the first direction.

13. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the print unit prints end portion identification information with which the end portion is identifiable on a position of an end portion in the feeding direction of the label piece.

14. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising:
an information acquisition unit configured to acquire the commodity information to be printed on the linerless label, wherein,
when change of a type of the commodity information has been detected, based on the commodity information acquired by the information acquisition unit, the print unit prints change identification information that indicates that the commodity information has been changed, and/or changes a position where the commodity information is printed, on a position of an end portion in the feeding direction of the label piece.

15. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a position acquisition unit configured to acquire a position of the region, wherein
the print unit prints the commodity information, avoiding a back surface of the position acquired by the position acquisition unit.

16. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feeding unit is configured to feed an upstream end portion of the subsequent label under the downstream end portion of the label piece, which is in a front lowered posture due to holding of the pressing member and the holding roller, and to adhere a printing surface of the subsequent label to a sticking surface of the label piece, or is configured to feed the subsequent label over the downstream end portion of the label piece, which is in a rear lowered posture due to holding of the pressing member and the holding roller, and to adhere a sticking surface of the subsequent label to a printing surface of the label piece.

17. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a contact position of the pressing member and the holding roller is disposed in front of or behind a rotation center of the holding roller along the direction in which the feeding unit feeds the linerless label.

18. The label issuing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the holding roller is a driven roller, and the feeding unit is configured to feed the subsequent label so as to adhere and push the subsequent label onto the label piece held by the pressing member and the holding roller, and to feed the label piece from the temporary adhesion unit.

Assignees

• Ishida Seisakusho

Inventors

• Komai Naoki
• Hiraiwa Osamu
• Doiguchi Suguru

Classifications

• B65C9/183

  and transferred by gripping means or feeding rollers · CPC title

• B31D1/021

  Making adhesive labels having a multilayered structure, e.g. provided on carrier webs · CPC title

• B31D1/027

  involving, marking, printing or coding · CPC title

• B65C9/46

  Applying date marks, code marks, or the like, to the label during labelling (manually-controlled or operable apparatus having printing equipment B65C11/02; ticket printing and issuing G07B1/00 {; apparatus for ticket validating or cancelling G07B11/00}) · CPC title

• B65C2009/1888

  Overlapping labels · CPC title