Abstract:
A portable electronic dispenser for the application of labels includes elements for housing a tape-like support roll for labels and elements for unwinding the roll which cause a separation of the labels from the tape-like support, the unwinding elements including an assembly for driving the tape-like support formed by a driving roller, provided with actuating elements, and by contrast rollers spring loaded against the lateral surface of the driving roller, in which the elements for actuating the driving roller are constituted by a control system, having a gear motor inside the driving roller, a trigger for activation through an electronic board, an electric power supply and a photocell; the driving roller has on its lateral surface notched ring gears for engaging the tape-like support.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a portable electronic dispenser for the application of labels on containers, packages or other items.  
         [0002]     In general, current portable machines for the application of neutral or previously printed labels operate manually: the operator, pressing with the force of the hand on the grip of the machine causes the step by step unwinding of the roll that bears the labels and distributes said labels on the products to be labelled. This manual operation entails operator fatigue, time wastage and uncertainty in the correct distribution of the labels.  
         [0003]     An existing motorised dispenser solves the aforementioned drawbacks of fatigue and time wastage, but not the one relating to the correct distribution of the labels. The known motorised dispenser has a system for advancing and driving the label bearer support based on the friction of two or more rollers made of rubber or other contrasting material. Since generally the label bearer support is a roll of silicone-coated paper, and thus quite slippery, this arrangement causes the rollers to slip on the silicone-coated paper, so that the proper advancement to obtain the correct application of the label may not be achieved.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     An essential object of the present invention, therefore, is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.  
         [0005]     In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser that allows a sure drive of the label bearer tape-like support.  
         [0006]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser that eliminates operator fatigue in the application of the labels.  
         [0007]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser that reduces the time required for applying labels of any format or size.  
         [0008]     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser that has a simple and reliable operation and an elementary maintenance.  
         [0009]     Therefore, the present invention provides a portable electronic dispenser for the application of labels formed by a body provided posteriorly with a handle, the body superiorly bearing means for housing a silicone-coated tape-like support label bearing roller and means for unwinding the roll which determine a separation of the labels from the silicone coated tape-like support, the labels exiting, according to a first path from a front passage and the silicone coated tape-like support exiting, along a second path, from a rear opening, one and the other being obtained in a bottom positioned in the lower part of the body, and hinged therein in a pivot; the unwinding means comprising an assembly for driving the tape-like label bearer support formed by a driving roller, provided with actuating means, and by contrast rollers spring loaded against the lateral surface of the driving roller, which from a general viewpoint is characterized in that said means for actuating the driving roller are constituted by a control system, comprising a gear motor inside the driving roller, a trigger for activation through an electronic board, an electric power supply and a reflection photocell; said driving roller having on the lateral surface notched gear rings to assure the driving of the tape-like support. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention shall become more readily apparent from the detailed description that follows of a preferred embodiment illustrated purely by way of non limiting indication in the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic lateral view of an electronic dispenser according to the invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  shows a plan view of the dispenser of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0013]      FIGS. 3A, 3B  and  3 C show the dispenser of  FIG. 1  without the cover, the better to highlight the internal part, the cover itself and, respectively, a bottom; and  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective bottom view of the dispenser of  FIG. 3A .  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  3 A,  3 B and  3 C, which are lateral and plan views of the dispenser of the present invention, it has a plate base  1 , a cover  2  and a bottom  3 , openable in rotatable fashion. Moreover, anteriorly to the plate base  1  is mounted, also rotatable, a front openable cowling  4 .  
         [0016]     The plate base  1  serves as a support for the electromechanical and electronic parts of the dispenser, whilst the cover  2 , the bottom  3  and the front cowling  4  serve, one as closure shell and the others as movable covering elements of the plate base  1 . The overall configuration deriving from the whole as described above is that of a machine body  100  and of a handle  101  posterior to the body  100 .  
         [0017]     As shall be discussed in greater detail below, the body  100  is provided with means for housing a silicone coated tape-like label-bearing support roll with labels (not shown in the figures) and with means for unwinding the roller which cause a separation of the labels from the silicone coated tape-like support. The labels follow a path (not shown, as it is conventional) for application onto products according to a first direction, the support, deprived of the labels, advances to exit, according to a path in another direction (also not shown).  
         [0018]     The plate base  1  and the cover  2  are mutually joined by means of screws or fastening pins, with the aid, when necessary, of spacers. The screws and the pins project outside the cover  2  through respective through holes, obtained in the cover itself, and designated as  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9 ,  10 ,  11  and  12 .  
         [0019]     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 3 A, which are respectively a complete lateral view of the dispenser and a view thereof without the cover  2 , the plate base  1  is provided with a web of stiffening ribs. The plate base  1  comprises a body portion  13  with quadrilateral profile and a handle portion  14  shaped as a concave semi-grip.  
         [0020]     The body portion  13  superiorly has a triangular area to receive a roll formed by a label-bearing tape-like support as mentioned previously. As shown also in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , which are a top plan view of the dispenser of  FIG. 1  and a perspective bottom view of the dispenser of  FIG. 3A , the aforesaid means for housing the label-bearing roll comprise a support pivot  15 , having an end passing in a hole on the triangular area of the body portion  13 . On the support pivot  15  are rotatable roll-bearing drums  16 . At the free end of the support pivot  15 , opposite to the plate base  1 , whereon it is fastened, is coaxially inserted a wall  17 , lightened by circular sector slots  18 . The wall  17  is movable along the support pin  15  to delimit laterally a label bearing roll. The position of the wall  17  on the support pin  15  depends on the width of the roll and hence on the size of the labels.  
         [0021]     On the plate base  1 , inferiorly to the support pin  15 , are mounted the means for unwinding the silicone coated label-bearing tape-like support. Said means are mainly constituted by a driving roller  19  provided with an internal gear motor, and by contrasting rollers  20 ,  20  which engage the driving roller  19 . The driving roller  19  is mounted at its ends on ball bearings. The contrasting rollers  20 ,  20 , made of nylon or other suitable material, are mounted rotatably on an axle  21  loaded by springs  22 ,  22  so that the contrasting rollers  20 ,  20  are permanently in contact with notched gear rings  23 ,  23 ,  23  provided on the lateral surface of the driving roller, such as to assure the driving of the silicone-coated tape-like support. a curved guide element  24  for the tape-like support is fastened perpendicularly to the plate base  1  in such a way as to guide the silicone-coated tape-like support without labels towards a passage  25  obtained in the bottom  3 .  
         [0022]     Anteriorly to the driving roller  19  of the silicone-coated tape-like support is situated a curved profile  26  for guiding the label and an assembly  27  for braking said labels.  
         [0023]     In the bottom  3  is anteriorly obtained a passage  50 . On the front end of the plate base  1  is mounted, around a support pin  30  projecting through the hole  5  of the cover, a pressure roller  29  of the adhesive labels. The pressure roller  29  has a profile with projections, useful to fix the labels to the products. The profile with projections of the roller  29  is engaged by a block  31  for guiding the label in such a way as to allow the labels to pass correctly under the pressure roller  29  after exiting the brake assembly  27 . The brake assembly  27  is constituted by two surfaces in contact, through which the labels pass before exiting the machine. The first surface belongs to a fixed block  32  of the brake assembly  27 , whilst the second surface belongs to a braking element  33  hinged at one end to the front cowling  4  and loaded by a spring  34 .  
         [0024]     The front cowling  4  is hinged on the pivot  30 , passing into the hole  5  of the cover  2 , and it is provided on its internal side, i.e. on the same side whereon is hinged the braking element  33 , with a hook element  35 , spring loaded, and destined to engage a profile correspondingly provided in a rod positioned parallel to the pivots and the fastening screws of the dispenser.  
         [0025]     In the lower part of the dispenser is mounted the bottom  3  with its rear end  36  ( FIG. 3C ) hinged in a pivot  37  ( FIG. 1 ) passing in the hole  7  of the cover. Anteriorly, the bottom  3  is shaped as a hook  38  destined to be hitched in releasable manner by means of grip elements  39 . In the front end of the bottom is also provided the photocell  40 , which is part of the control system for operating the dispenser. Anteriorly to the photocell  40  is the passage  50  for the labels to be applied.  
         [0026]     The rest of this control system is provided in the rear area of the body portion  13  and in the handle portion  14 . As shown in  FIGS. 3A and 4 , the control system comprises a switch  41  and a trigger  44 , in addition to a control board  45 . The system is powered by a battery  42 , positioned inside the handle, where it is closed with a plug  46 . The battery can be rechargeable by means of a connector  43 .  
         [0027]     The path of the silicone-coated tape-like label-bearing support roll is started on the driving roller and held by the contrasting roller. While the tape-like support rotates on the surface of the driving roller  19 , the labels are separated from the tape-like support and are made to advance on the curved profile  26  to pass through the brake assembly  27 . The silicone-coated tape-like support without labels exits the cover  3 , posteriorly, through the opening  25 , whilst the labels, downstream of the brake assembly  27  exit the passage  50  anteriorly to the photocell  40 .  
         [0028]     The operation of the electronic dispenser is as follows. Once the switch  41  is closed, the driving roller  19  is made to rotate in stepped fashion by operating the trigger  44 . The electronic board  45  operates as a control unit for the mode of application of the labels, which is regulated by the reflection photocell  40  positioned on the bottom  3 . The labels are fed thanks to the advancement of the driving roller  19  moved by its internal gear motor.  
         [0029]     In conclusion, the advantages of the dispenser of the present invention can be described.  
         [0030]     Thanks to the ergonomic conformation of the body and of the handle, the handle follows the profile of the hand and the grip provides the proper balance to the whole machine, even when it is loaded with a new label bearing roll. Relative to traditional manual dispensers, operator fatigue is very much reduced, because the operator does not have to squeeze the dispenser in pincer fashion, but simply press the trigger. In this way, the gear motor of the driving roller is energized through the electronic board.  
         [0031]     The label is applied in precise fashion, although they are provided on their silicone-coated tape-like support in irregular fashion. The paper support is driven by the driving roller by means of the notched gear rings present on its lateral surface. Their notches, aided by the contrasting rollers, engage the silicone-coated tape-like support, even if said support has variable thickness or more or less silicone is present on its faces.  
         [0032]     Although the label has variable shapes and sizes, the positioning of the label is always correct, because its complete passage is revealed by the photocell.  
         [0033]     The speed of application of the labels is high, because the labels are distributed with a motorised system controlled by an electronic unit represented by the board.