Automatic label attaching apparatus for magnetic disk

A 3.5-in. disk case is stored into a rotary holding frame through transfer means having a group of rollers, the intermediate portion of a printed label is stuck to the upper end surface of the disk while the holding frame is brought upright from the horizontal state, and the label is brought into pressure contact with, and automatically attached to, both surfaces of the disk when the holding frame is returned to the horizontal position and the disk is passed through the transfer means in the opposite direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to an apparatus for attaching automatically labels 
onto both front and rear surfaces of a hard case for a 3.5-in. disk or the 
like in one process and to an apparatus for attaching automatically 
printed labels identifying the recorded data of a disk to the disk while 
keeping correct correlation between them. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A label printing press (labeller) for printing directly on a label sheet 
attached to a peel sheet (board) (silicon coated) in such a manner as to 
be peelable easily, by a thermosensitive printer or the like and 
transferring the board at a speed of about 100 mm/sec is well known in the 
art. 
On a hard case of a 3.5-in. disk (hereinafter referred to simply as the 
"disk"), a label attaching surface(s) is specified and moreover, so-called 
"turn-up attaching" which turns up the edge of the label is necessary. 
Therefore, attaching of the printed label to the disk has been carried out 
manually up to the present. 
In the present method of attaching work, the recording operation to the 
disk and label printing are carried out separately without any association 
between them. For this reason, a mistake where a label indicating 
information which does not identify the recorded data of the disk is 
attached is likely to occur during the label attaching operation. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides an apparatus which accurately positions and 
attaches printed labels attached to a board to predetermined positions on 
both front and rear surfaces of the case. 
In order to eliminate the discordance between the recorded data of the disk 
and the label indication, the present invention controls a copying 
apparatus as a production apparatus of the magnetic disks and a label 
printer by a common controller so that the printing information 
corresponding to the recording information of the disk can be supplied to 
the label printer, printing is then made and the printed information is 
immediately attached automatically to the case. 
The apparatus of the present invention comprises means disposed in the 
proximity of the peeling device of a commercially available label printer, 
for sucking and holding part of a peeled label and pushing it down and 
attaching it; transfer-push means for transferring a case horizontally by 
a plurality of idle rollers and feed rollers rotating in both normal and 
reverse directions as case feeding/label attaching means, and for 
attaching the labels onto both surfaces at the time of reverse rotation, a 
case rotary holding frame for accepting the case from the transfer-push 
means and holding upright the edge surface of the case immediately below 
the label attaching means, and transmission driving means for moving the 
case holding frame, and the present apparatus can automatically make 
turn-up attaching of the printed labels to the predetermined positions of 
the hard case. 
In the apparatus of the present invention, the driving timing at which the 
case upright rotary holding means is returned from the upright state to 
the horizontal state and the restart timing of a peel (mold release)sheet 
are important. 
In order to reliably make turn-up attaching of the label, a first roller of 
the idle rollers constituting the transfer-push means is formed as a flat 
roller, a second roller is formed as a taper roller having a medium height 
and these first and second rollers are made to be non-driven rollers. 
In order to eliminate the discordance between the recorded data of the disk 
and the printed data of the label, the apparatus of the present invention 
controls the copying operation of the disk and the label printer by a 
common controller and supplies the disk to the automatic label molding 
device by the disk transfer means of the copying apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
In FIG. 1, symbol A represents a label attaching apparatus; B is a label 
printer; B1 is a printer portion; B2 is a peel portion; C is a copying 
apparatus; and C1 is a disk conveyor device which reciprocates on guide 
rails R and is equipped with a disk delivery-acceptance device. Symbol D 
represents a driver for reading/writing the disk; E is a disk hopper; F is 
a stacker for storing the disks to which the label is attached and G is a 
controller for managing the copying apparatus C and the printer B. 
In FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 1 represents a disk transfer-push 
device; 2 is a first idle roller equipped with a pair of upper and lower 
straight rollers; and 3 is a second idle roller consisting of a pair of 
upper and lower taper rollers having a medium height. Reference numeral 4 
represents a feeder, wherein an intermediate gear 6 meshing with a gear 5 
driven by a motor M1 and a pinion 8 meshing with this intermediate gear 6 
are disposed in a longitudinal line, a feed roller 7 having a large 
diameter is axially fitted to the intermediate gear shaft 6a and a feed 
roller 9 having a small diameter is axially fitted to the pinion shaft 8a 
in such a manner as to oppose the feed roller 7. 
Reference numeral 10 represents a follower feed roller and a pulley 10b is 
axially fitted to the extension portion of its roller shaft 10a outside 
the machine frame and is connected to another pulley 9b fitted to the 
extension portion of the pinion shaft 8a through a belt or a chain 9c. 
Reference numeral 11 represents an upright rotation holding device, and a 
holding frame 12 for receiving the disks via the open end and holding them 
rotates with a pivot shaft 13 on the base end side being the center and 
keeps two states, that is, the horizontal state and vertical state. 
Reference numeral 14 represents a leaf spring or roller for backup which 
comes into contact with one of the surfaces of the disk, reference numeral 
15 represents a vertical stopper of the holding frame 12 and 15a 
represents a horizontal stopper. 
Reference numeral 16 represents a transmission device for moving the 
holding frame. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a first pinch arm 17a fitted to 
the driving shaft 22 of the reduction motor M2 disposed on the same axis 
as the pivotal shaft 13 and a second pinch arm 17b fitted idlely to this 
shaft clamp the side protuberance 21 of the holding frame through their 
pinch plates 19, 20 and rotate the holding frame 12. 
The pair of pinch arms 17a and 17b are biased in the mutually contacting 
direction by a weak torsion spring 18. 
Reference numeral 25 represents a label suction and attaching device. 
Suction portions 28a, 28b consisting of a perforated plate and a window 29 
are disposed on the bottom of a box 27 incorporating therein a blower 26 
in this device 25. The window 29 is disposed immediately above the 
implanted rotary holding frame 12 and a rubber push plate 30 is put into 
this window in such a manner as to be capable of moving up and down. 
Reference numeral 31 represents a movable plate which holds the push plate 
and moves up and down with respect to a base 32; 33 is a guide post; and 
34 is a return spring. 
The movable plate 31 is pushed down by a rotary cam 36 coupled directly to 
a motor 35 and thus the push plate 30 pushes down the label through the 
window 29. 
The label peel portion B2 of the printer is equipped with a knife edge 41 
for bending a board 40 at an acute angle and this knife edge 41 is 
positioned substantially on the same level as the bottom of the box 27 of 
the label suction device Reference numeral 42 represents a driving roller 
of the label board, which is driven by the printing control output of the 
label printer with a label pitch LP being its unit driving length. 
Reference numeral 44 represents a printer which is controlled by a 
controller G and reference numeral 45 represents a guide roller. 
Next, the function of the apparatus described above will be explained. 
It will be assumed hereby that the disk case 50 is supplied from the disk 
conveyor device C which reciprocates between the disk driving device D and 
the label attaching apparatus A. 
When the disk 50 is supplied by the normal-reverse rotation feed rollers 
51a, 51b, 52a, 52b of the disk delivery device mounted to the disk 
conveyor device to the transfer-push device 1, the motor M1 is started by 
the output of the sensor S1 to rotate the feed rollers 7, 9 and the 
follower roller 10 and insert the disk 50 into the holding frame 12 which 
is under the horizontal state. 
On the other hand, the label L is under the stand-by state while its 
leading portion LA is being sucked and held by the suction portion 28 with 
its trailing portion LB being left on the board. 
The motor M2 for rotating the pinch arms 17a, 17b is actuated by a disk 
loading signal, erects and then stops the holding frame 12. Then, the 
motor 35 of the label putting device rotates by a predetermined angle of 
rotation and lowers and then returns the push plate 30 to the 
predetermined position. 
The label under the stand-by state is pushed down by the descending push 
plate 30 and the tacky surface at the folding center on the back of the 
label L is stuck to the disk end surface. 
Then, the motor M2 rotates reversely and turns counterclockwise the pinch 
arm 17a. 
In this instance, in order to ensure the end surface attaching by the 
label(excessive force must not be applied to the label), the rotating 
speed of the holding frame 12 and the driving speed of the label board 40 
must be brought into accurate conformity with each other. (but this is 
extremely difficult to attain by use of simple control means). 
Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the holding frame from being rotated 
forcedly even when the pinch arm 17a rotates. 
Since the pinch arm 17a is pivotally fitted to the rotary shaft 22, it 
rotates in synchronism with the motor M2 but the holding frame 12 is not 
immediately rotated because the force of rotation is transmitted through 
the weak torsion spring 18. When driving of the board 40 is thereafter 
started a little later, the tensile resistance to the holding frame 12 is 
released, so that the torsion spring 18 acts and both pinch arms returns 
the holding frame to the horizontal state in cooperation with each other. 
Accordingly, the remaining portion of the label can be peeled safely from 
the board without peeling the portion of the label that is attached to the 
disk end surface. 
The disk 50 is rotated with the holding frame 12 under the state (FIG. 6A) 
where the label is attached in the T form to the rear end surface of the 
disk 50. When the holding frame reaches the horizontal state, the motor M1 
is reversely driven and the disk is transferred between the feed rollers 7 
and 9 by the rotation of the follower feed roller 10. 
At this time, the minor side portions (lower portions) and major side 
portions (upper portions) of the label come into contact with the rotary 
shafts 9a and 6a, respectively, are deformed preparatively (FIG. 6B) and 
are then fed between the second rollers 3 and 3 of transfer-push device. 
Since the pair of second pollers 3, 3 have the taper form of a medium 
height made of flexible material, the label is pressed strongly from its 
center portion and is sent between the first rollers 2 and 2 while the air 
is being removed (FIG. 6C). 
The first rollers are flat rollers made of a highly flexible material and 
attaching is completed while they strongly press the entire surface of the 
label (FIG. 6D). 
After passing through the first rollers, the disk is detected by the sensor 
and the feed rollers 52a, 52b and rollers 51a, 51b of the disk conveyor 
device are rotated reversely, so that the disk is fed into the stacker F 
and is completely pushed in by a push device not shown in the drawing. 
During the label attaching operation, the disk conveyor device Cl receives 
a new disk from the disk feed hopper and supplies it to the driver D. 
Therefore, after the case is fed into the stacker F, the disk conveyor 
device moves towards the driver D side, receives the recorded disk from 
the driver and supplies it to the label attaching machine. 
Incidentally, when any disk having defective writing is found in the disk 
driver D, the conveyor device lowers on receiving the instruction from the 
controller (to the position represented by chain line in FIG. 2) and 
discharges the defective disk to a discharge portion 60. 
Reference numerals 61 and 62 represents discharge-guide rollers. 
In accordance with the apparatus of the present invention, the label 
attching work to both surfaces of the hard case, that has been carried out 
mannually in the past, can be conducted fully automatically and when used 
while connected with a commercially available label printer and a disk 
copying apparatus, the present apparatus can attach the printed label 
carrying information correctly identifying the recorded data to both 
surfaces of the disk.