Abstract:
There is disclosed labeling apparatus including a portable labeler having a handle that can be suspended using a hanger assembly. The hanger assembly suspends the labeler so that the labeler is in a position ready to apply a label and with the handle at an attitude to be conveniently grasped to maneuver and operate the labeler.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/801,281, filed May 9, 2007 is a related application. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The disclosed embodiments relate to labeling apparatus. 
     2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
     The following documents are made of record: U.S. Design Pat. No. D486,512; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,486,259; 6,241,407 and 6,379,058. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One embodiment includes a labeling apparatus which includes a labeler for printing and applying pressure sensitive labels and a hanger assembly by which the labeler can be suspended prior to or during use in labeling articles. Even though the labeler is light enough to be carried by its handle and used to print and apply labels, the hanger assembly can be used to suspend the labeler from a cable at a location above or near a conveyor on which articles to be labeled travel. A specific embodiment can comprise a labeler including a portable housing having a manually graspable handle, the housing having space to receive a supply roll of labels releasably adhered to a carrier web, a print head disposed within the housing, the web being transportable from the supply roll to the print head, a label delaminator disposed downstream of the print head and capable of peeling printed labels from the carrier web, and an applicator disposed downstream of the delaminator and capable of applying printed labels, and a hanger assembly including connectors secured at opposite sides of the housing, a hanger connectable to the connectors, and the hanger assembly supporting the labeler above the center of gravity of the labeler to enable the labeler to be hung at a position at which the handle can be readily grasped. In one configuration, the hanger can be connected or disconnected from the housing, if desired. In another embodiment, the hanger is held captive by the connectors so that it cannot be released or removed without disassembling the connectors. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAMMATIC DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a pictorial view of labeling apparatus according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a left side elevational view of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a longitudinal sectional view through the apparatus shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a transverse sectional view viewed from the handle showing fragmentary portions of the labeling apparatus; 
         FIG. 5  is a pictorial partially unassembled view of the hanger assembly; 
         FIG. 6  is a partly sectional view of a fragmentary portion of a connector and a fragmentary portion of a hanger; 
         FIG. 7  is a partially exploded, pictorial view of a hanger and shaft and connectors of another embodiment of a hanger assembly; 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded pictorial view of the shaft and the connectors shown in  FIG. 7 ; and 
         FIG. 9  is an assembled sectional view of the shaft and connectors and fragments of the hanger of the embodiment of  FIGS. 7 through 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     There is shown a portable apparatus generally indicated at  10 . The apparatus  10  includes a labeler  10 ′ having portable housing  11  including a manually graspable handle  12 . The apparatus  10  is lightweight enough to be carried from place-to-place and used to apply labels L using the handle  12 , and accordingly, the apparatus is hand-held as well as being portable. A trigger switch  13  is disposed adjacent the handle  12 . The trigger switch  13  is disposed adjacent a front portion  14  of the labeler  10 ′. A rear portion  15  of the labeler  10 ′ includes a key pad  16  and a touchscreen keyboard and display  16 ′ and printed circuit boards  17  ( FIG. 3 ). The housing  11  includes a housing section  18  pivotally mounted about a pivot  19  and releasably latched to a housing section  20 . A parting line between the housing sections  18  and  20  is indicated at  18 ′. The handle  12  can extend away from the front portion  14  and preferably contains a rechargeable battery (not shown). The front portion  14  includes an applicator generally indicated at  21  preferably in the form of an applicator roll  22 . A laser scanner  9  can be also mounted on the housing section  18  of the housing  11 . 
       FIG. 3  shows that the housing  11  includes a space  23  for a roll R of a composite label web C. The web C includes a carrier web W to which labels L are releasably adhered by tacky or pressure sensitive adhesive L′. The composite label web C can pass along a path from the roll R to beneath a guide or direction changing roll  24  and a driven platen roll  26 . The platen roll  26  is preferably comprised of a resilient material. An electric motor  27  is gear-connected to the platen roll  26  to transport or advance the composite web C and its web W while the print head  25  and the platen roll  26  cooperate to print on one label L at a time. The delaminator  28  can take the form of a small diameter roll  28 ′ as shown in  FIG. 3  or a peel edge. As the composite web C passes from the print head  25  and platen roll  26  in the downstream direction ( FIG. 3 ), the web W is trained partially around the delaminator  28  where the web W makes an abrupt change in direction. Thus, the delaminator  28  is capable of causing the leading label L which has been printed to be delaminated or peeled from the web W. In the position shown in  FIG. 2 , a short trailing end portion of the leading label L still remains adhered to the web W so that the leading label L is presented in underlying or label applying relationship to the applicator roll  22 . After the web W passes the delaminator  28 , the web W passes between the platen roll  26  and a pressure roll  29 . When the pressure roll  29  is in the operating position as shown in  FIG. 3 , the pressure roll  29  exerts pressure against the web W which in turn exerts pressure against the platen roll  26 . Accordingly, traction is applied to the web W both at the nip between the print head  25  and the platen roll  26  and at the nip between the pressure roll  29  and the platen roll  26  when the platen roll  26  is driven. The pressure roll  29  is shown to be disposed forward of the platen roll  26  in  FIG. 3 . As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the web W exits at the front portion  14  of the housing  12  at the front of the labeler  10  a short distance after having passed between the nip of the platen roll  26  and the pressure roll  29 . Further details of constructions are disclosed in my pending application Ser. No. 11/801,281 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     The drawings show the apparatus  10  as including a hanger assembly generally indicated at  30 . The hanger assembly  30  can include a hanger  31  having a generally inverted U-shaped configuration as seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  5 . The hanger  31  can be comprised of a wire or a braided cable. A simple construction for the hanger  31  is to construct the hanger  31  from a wire that has been formed into a generally U-shaped configuration by bending opposite end or hanger portions  32  and  33  into a generally C-shaped configuration, as shown. The hanger  31  can be of one-piece construction as shown or it can be a composite of two or more pieces. The hanger assembly  30  may include a rod or shaft  34  which can preferably extend through the housing  11  and most preferably through side panels or side plates  35  and  36  of the housing (as best shown in  FIG. 4 ). The shaft  34  serves not only to hold the housing together, but also to mount connectors  37  and  38  which straddle the side plates  35  and  36 . The shaft  34  has an end portion with a threaded axially extending hole  39 . The connector  37  has a grooved connector member  40 , a groove  41  in the connector member  40  and a threaded portion  42 . The threaded portion  42  is received in the threaded hole  39 . The connector  38  may be formed integrally with the shaft  34  as shown. The connector  38  comprises a grooved connector member  43  and a groove  44  in the connector member  43 . 
     The shaft  34  can be inserted through the side plates of the housing so that the connector  38  is adjacent the side plate  35 . The threaded portion  42  can then be threaded into the threaded hole  39 . Thereafter, the hanger  31  can be snapped into the grooves  41  and  44  at respective end portions  33  and  32 . Accordingly, the hanger  31  is releasably connected to the connectors  37  and  38 . The end portions  32  and  33  extend for more than  180  degrees so as releasably capture the connectors  37  and  38 . The shaft  34  cannot rotate in the housing  11  because the shaft  34  has opposed flats  34 ′. 
     The location of shaft  34  and the connectors  37  and  38  is such that the labeler  10 ′ is suspended or hangs from the hanger  31  in an orientation as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  where the handle  12  can be readily grasped and a label L can be applied to an article near or below the level of the labeler  10 ′. The handle  12  is shown to be generally horizontal. The supply-roll-containing labeler  10 ′ has a center of gravity slightly below the shaft  34  and the connectors  37  and  38  as viewed in  FIG. 1 and 2  so that the labeler  10 ′ automatically assumes this attitude when suspended. 
     When the hanger  31  is not needed to suspend the labeler  10 ′, the hanger  31  can be pivoted counterclockwise from the  FIG. 2  position clear of the touchscreen  16 ′. Because of friction between the hanger  31  and the connectors  37  and  38 , the hanger  31  will stay in the position into which it has been pivoted until it is intentionally moved. 
     Referring to the embodiment of  FIGS. 7 ,  8  and  9 , the hanger assembly generally indicated at  50  is shown to include a generally U-shaped hanger  51  and connectors  52  and  53  on a shaft  54 . The shaft  54  have opposite flats  54 ′. The connectors  52  and  53  and the shaft  54  occupy the same position as the connectors  37  and  38  and the shaft  34  and serve to capture end portions or hanger portions  55  and  56  of the hanger  51 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the connector  52  is shown to include a connector member or groove portion  57  having an axial hub  58  and a threaded portion  59 . The threaded portion  59  can be threadably received in a threaded hole  60  in end portion  61  in the shaft or rod  54 . A connector member or groove portion  62  has a hub or sleeve  63  received about the hub  58 . The hub  63  has a through-hole  64  which is preferably only slightly larger than the outside of the hub  58  for clearance purposes. The groove portion  57  has a slot  65  capable of receiving a screw driver or a coin to tighten or loosen the groove portion  57 . The slot  65 , the groove portion  57 , the hub  58 , the threaded portion  59  and the shaft  54  are axially aligned. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the groove portions  57  and  63  are face-to-face to provide a groove  66  which captures the end portion  56  of the hanger  51 . The end portion  56  is an essentially closed configuration or loop so that the only way the end portion  56  can become separated from the connector  52  is by unscrewing the connector portion  57  from the shaft  54  and separating the connector portion  57  from the connector portion  62 . It is an easy matter to assemble or disassemble the connector  52 . 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  also show the connector  53  as being separable. A connector member or groove portion  67  may be formed integrally with the shaft  54 . Another connector member or groove portion  68  is shown to have a shoulder or hub  68 ′ and a threaded portion  69 . The shoulder  68 ′ is received in a bore  71 ′ and the threaded portion  69  is threadably received in a threaded hole  70  in an enlarged portion  71  of the shaft  54 . The shoulder  68 ′ absorbs load applied to the groove portion  68  when a load is applied to the hanger  51 . The connector portion  68  also has a slot  72  to receive a screwdriver or a coin, as with the slot  65 . When the connector member  68  is screwed into the enlarged portion  71 , the groove portions  67  and  68  form a groove  73  to receive and capture end portion  55  of the hanger  51 . The connector members  67  and  68  are face-to-face and axially located with respect to the axis of the shaft  54 . As with end portion  56 , the end portion  55  is an essentially closed configuration or loop so that the only way the end portion  56  can become separated from the connector  53  is by unscrewing the connector member  68  from the connector member  67 . 
     It is preferred to construct the connectors  37  and  38 , the shaft  34  and the hanger  31  and the connectors  52  and  53 , the shaft  54  and the hanger  51  from metal such as steel, although other materials such as suitable plastics can be used. 
     Other embodiments and modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as come within the spirit of this invention are included within its scope as best defined by the appended claims.