Correction label applying device for portable label printing machine

A correction label applying device for use with a portable label printing machine is disclosed. The device comprises a price tag holding device for temporarily holding a price tag to be corrected. The price tag holding device is mounted on a guide at the underside of the portable label printing machine so as to be movable between an operative forward position, in which it holds a price tag or the like in a position to receive at a predetermined location thereon a correction label piece fed out by the portable label printing machine, and a rest rearward position, in which the price tag holding device is positioned rearwardly from the correction label exit of the printing machine so as not to interfere with the label printing machine being operated to print and apply a label in the usual manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a correction label applying device for a 
portable label printing machine, for correcting the printing on price 
tags, tickets and the like. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
It has been conventional to correct erroneous printing on price tags, for 
example, an incorrect price, by using a portable label printing and 
applying machine to apply a small label piece with corrected printing to 
the price tag as precisely as possible, for correcting the printed 
information. Attaching the label piece at the correct position on the 
price tag with sufficient precision is extremely difficult in practice, 
however, so that such work cannot be done quickly, and errors tend to 
occur. 
One proposed correction label applying device detachably mounts a price tag 
holding device for correcting printed characters to a label printing 
machine (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 54-142100 (1979). See 
U.S. application Ser. No. 32,378, (filed Apr. 23, 1979) now U.S. Pat. No. 
4,259,138. This price tag holding device is detachable, however, and the 
price tag holding device is attached to the label printing machine only 
when correcting errors, being detached therefrom for normal use of the 
label printing machine. The necessary repeated attachment and detachment 
is inconvenient, and the price tag holding device may be lost. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved 
correction label applying device for a portable label printing and 
applying machine, which device is free from the above-described 
disadvantages of the prior art. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a correction label 
applying device comprising a price tag holding device which need not be 
detached from the main body of the label printing machine but which can 
instead be moved to and held in a rest position which permits the label 
printing machine to be used conveniently to print a label, whereby the 
inconvenience involved in attaching and detaching the price tag holding 
device and the danger of losing it are eliminated. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a correction 
label applying device which is simple in structure but effective in 
practical use and inexpensive to manufacture. 
Pursuant to the above objects, the correction label applying device of the 
present invention for a portable label printing machine comprises means 
for mounting on the main body of a portable label printing machine a price 
tag holding device which has an upper surface for holding a price tag to 
be corrected. Guiding means guides the mounted price tag holding device 
for motion between an operative position and a rest position, relative to 
the main body of the portable label printing machine. Locking means locks 
the price tag holding device in either position. The price tag holding 
device is moved by the user to one end of the guiding means when it is to 
be used and to the rest position at the other end of the guiding means 
when it is desired to use the label printing machine to print a label.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 is a side view of a label printing machine employing the label 
correcting device of the invention. A hand grip 2 is formed integrally 
with a machine frame 1 and extends to the rear of the frame (to the right 
in FIG. 1). A supporting section 3 for a label roll 8 is formed integrally 
with the upper part of the machine frame 1. A hand lever 4 is pivotably 
mounted to the machine frame 1 by a pivot shaft 5 below the hand grip 2. 
Yoke arms 7 with printing heads 6a and 6b mounted thereon are formed 
integrally with and move together with the front part of the hand lever 4. 
A label strip 9 is fed in a known manner from the label roll 8 by squeezing 
and releasing of the hand lever 4, which cooperates with a feeding device 
35 inside the machine frame 1 to advance the label strip 9 through the 
machine a predetermined distance each time the hand lever 4 is squeezed 
and released. The printing heads 6a and 6b print the label strip 9 as it 
moves through the machine. A backing paper 10 is separated from the label 
strip 9 in a known manner, and label pieces 11 are sequentially fed out 
below an applying roller 12 disposed at the lower front end of the machine 
frame 1. 
A price tag holding device 13 included in the correction label applying 
device of the present invention is attached to the lower front end of the 
label printing machine. The price tag holding device 13, as shown in FIGS. 
2 and 3, comprises a price tag holder 15 for supporting a price tag 14 on 
its upper surface, and an adjusting member 16 for adjusting the holding 
position of the price tag 14. 
Side plates 17 stand upright on both sides of the rear end of the price tag 
holder 15. Engaging pins 18 are arranged on the inner surfaces of the side 
plates 17, facing each other. A locking member 19 with an inclined top 
surface is formed integrally with the rear end of the holder 15. Both 
front corners of the holder 15 are slightly recessed to form attaching 
grooves 20 for the adjusting member 16. Two slots 21 are formed between 
grooves 20. An indexing recess 22 with ribs and grooves is formed at 
substantially the center of the lower surface of the price tag holder 15. 
There is a price tag pushing spring whose rear end is securely fixed to 
the holder 15. 
A respective hook-like retainer 24 stands upright at each side edge of the 
adjusting member 16. Locating projections 25, which are slidably 
engageable in the slots 21, stand upright between retainers 24. A spring 
flap 26 protrudes from the center of the rear side of the adjusting member 
16 and has a pointed locking projection 27 standing upright at its rear 
end. 
The adjusting member 16 is secured to the price tag holder 15 by inserting 
the locating projections 25 into the slots 21 of the price tag holder 15, 
engaging the locking projection 27 with the indexing recess 22, and 
engaging the hook-like retainers 24 in the attaching grooves 20. The 
adjusting member 16 may be held at a desired position with respect to the 
holder 15 by locating the locking projection 27 in a suitable groove of 
the indexing recess 22. 
The price tag holding device 13, comprising the combination of the price 
tag holder 15 and the adjusting member 16, is secured to a bottom cover 28 
of the label printing machine in the preferred embodiment shown. The 
bottom cover 28 is mounted pivotably about the axis of the applying roller 
12, as is conventional. Elongate grooves 29 are formed in the side plates 
of the bottom cover as guiding means engageable with the engaging pins 18 
of the price tag holder 15. Locking sections 30 and 31 are formed at both 
ends of the elongate grooves 29 for locking the engaging pins 18 forward 
in the front end locking sections 30, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, when the 
price tag holding device 13 is in use, and for locking the pins 18 
rearward in the rear end locking sections 31 when the price tag holding 
device 13 is not in use. Each locking section 30 and 31 is preferably 
circular and is defined by a narrowing of the elongate groove 29, which 
narrowing also separates it from the main portion of the elongate groove 
29. A wedge-shaped stopper 32 is securely fixed to the lower surface of 
the bottom cover 28 near the rear end locking sections 31. 
The operation of this correction label applying device is now described. 
Prices and other information are generally printed in several rows on tag 
cards, such as price tags and tickets. When it is necessary to correct a 
portion of the information printed on such a price tag or ticket, the 
price tag holding device 13 is located at a predetermined position 
relative to the label printing machine, in which position the engaging 
pins 18 engage front end locking sections 30, as shown in FIG. 1. This 
position is the operative position of the price tag holding device 13. 
The price tag holding device 13 is located at the rear side of the label 
printing machine when not in use, as shown by the two-dot chain lines in 
FIG. 4. When the correction label applying machine is to be used, the 
price tag holding device 13 is lightly pressed forward, being grasped by 
the user by means of holding portions 33 which are provided on each side 
of it. This action releases the engaging pins 18, which have been locked 
in the rear end locking sections 31 of the elongate grooves 29 of the 
bottom cover 28, from the locking sections 31. The pins 18 are slid along 
the elongate grooves 29 to move the price tag holding device 13 forward, 
and are locked in the front end locking sections 30 of the elongate 
grooves 29. 
The printing heads 6a and 6b of the label printing machine are then 
operated to align the desired printing types in the printing position. The 
end portion of the price tag 14 to be corrected is inserted, from the 
front end of the price tag holding device 13, between the price tag 
pushing spring 23 and the upper surface of the price tag holder 15, as 
shown in FIG. 3. The price tag 14 is held in a predetermined position by 
means of notches 14a (FIG. 5), which are formed at both side edges of the 
price tag 14 and which engage the locating projections 25 of the adjusting 
member 16. 
The hand lever 4 of the label printing machine is now squeezed and released 
once, and the label piece 11 bearing the corrected information is 
separated from the backing paper 10 and is fed out below the applying 
roller 12. The price tag holding device 13 is pressed toward the applying 
roller 12 by being pivoted in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 4, 
i.e., in the clockwise direction, by means of the user pressing the front 
lower end of the label printing machine with a finger or against a work 
table, or the like, clamping the price tag 14 and the label piece 11 
between the applying roller 12 and the upper surface of the price tag 
holder 15 so that the front end of the label piece 11 is applied at the 
predetermined position on the price tag 14. When the price tag 14 is 
pulled forward while still clamped against the applying roller 12, the 
rear side of the label piece 11 is also applied to the price tag 14 by the 
applying roller 12, and the correction is completed (FIG. 5(A)). 
When it is desired to change the location on the price tag 14 at which the 
label piece 11 is to be applied, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the user grips 
holding portions 34 at both sides of the adjusting member 16 and slides 
the adjusting member 16 with respect to the price tag holder 15, to lock 
the locking projection 27 with another groove of the indexing recess 22 of 
the holder 15. This adjustment changes the positions of the locating 
projections 25 and the holding position of the price tag 14, thus changing 
the portion of the price tag 14 to which the label piece 11 is applied. 
When the correction of the price tag 14 has been completed according to the 
above operation, the price tag holding device 13 is lightly pressed 
backward as the user grips the holding portions 33. This releases the 
engaging pins 18 from the front end locking sections 30 of the elongate 
grooves 29. The price tag holding device 13 is pressed backward to slide 
the engaging pins 18 along the elongate grooves 29. When the pins 18 
approach the rear ends of the elongate grooves 29, the inclined top 
surface of the locking member 19 at the rear end of the price tag holder 
15 engages the inclined surface of the stopper 32 or the lower surface of 
the bottom cover 28. 
When the price tag holding device 13 is pressed further toward the back, 
the engagement of the stopper 32 with the locking member 19 is reinforced, 
and the locking pins 18 are locked in the rear end locking sections 31 of 
the elongate grooves 29. The cooperating inclines of the stopper 32 and 
the locking member 19 hold the device 13 pivoted upraised against the 
cover 28. As a result, the position of the price tag holding device 13 is 
fixed as shown by the two-dot chain lines of FIG. 4. Because the front end 
of the price tag holding device 13 is held securely against the bottom 
cover 28 by the engagement of the inclined surface of the stopper 32 with 
the locking member 19, the price tag holding device 13 will not swing away 
from the lower surface of the label printing machine and thus will not 
interfere with normal label applying work. 
Although the price tag holding device 13 is attached to the bottom cover 28 
of the label printing machine in the above embodiment, the present 
invention is not limited to this particular construction. The price tag 
holding device 13 may, for example, be mounted directly on the machine 
frame 1, or any other convenient arrangement may be used. The guiding 
means of the price tag holding device 13 need not comprise elongate 
grooves 29, but may be elongate holes, guide rails or the like. 
The price tag holding device of the invention can be made for use with 
price tags without side notches 14a. One such price tag holding device has 
a stopper at the front end of the adjusting member for positioning the 
price tag, as disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent 
Publication No. 54-142100 (1979), or it may be adapted to permit 
adjustment of the position of the guides on the side edges according to 
the width of the price tag. 
In summary, with the correction label applying device of the present 
invention, the price tag holding device attached to the label printing 
machine need not be detached from the machine when not in use, but may be 
moved and locked in a rest position where it will not interfere with the 
normal operation of the label applying device. As a result, it is not 
necessary to attach and detach the price tag holding device every time it 
is used, and the price tag holding device is therefore not likely to be 
lost. The correction of the price tags can be performed quickly and 
smoothly. 
Although the present invention has been described in connection with a 
preferred embodiment thereof, many variations and modifications will now 
be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of the present 
invention is therefore to be limited not by the specific details of the 
preferred embodiment disclosed herein, but only by the appended claims.