Abstract:
There is disclosed a printer and a stacking system to receive and stack tags. The stacking system includes a tag stacker and a removable tag-receiving tray to facilitate transferring a stack of tags from the tag stacker to the place where the tags are to be used. A method of handling tags involves the provision of at least first and second removable trays wherein a first tray with a stack of tags can be replaced by an empty second tray so that the stacking of additional tags can recommence without waiting for the first tray to be emptied.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT DOCUMENTS 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,182 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/409,803 are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The disclosure is to tag stacking systems and stack trays and method of making and handling tags. 
     2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
     The following U.S. patent documents are made of record: U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,182 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/409,803. 
     SUMMARY 
     An embodiment relates to an improved stacking system for a printer and to trays for stacks of tags. As the printer operates, tags can accumulate in a removable tray in the stacker. When the desired number of tags has accumulated in the tray, the printer can be stopped or interrupted and the tray can be removed. An empty tray can be inserted into the stacker and the printer can resume printing. In the meantime, the tray containing the accumulated stack of tags can be taken to a location where the tags are to be used, and so on. It is clear that by use of one or more trays the overall output of the printer can be increased. 
     An embodiment of a method of handling tags, comprises providing at least first and second removable trays insertable and positionable in a tag stacker, inserting the first tray in the tag stacker, feeding tags into the first tray in the tag stacker, interrupting the feeding of tags, removing the first tray from the tag stacker, inserting and positioning the second tray in the tag stacker, and feeding tags into the second tray in the tag stacker. The method can start out by providing a roll of a printable web, printing on the web on one or both sides of the web, and severing the web into separate tags. Alternatively, printed tags can be provided in the form of a roll of a tag web and the tags can be severed from the tag web. 
     An embodiment of the disclosure includes a stacking system comprising a stacker having a platform, a tray removably supported on the stacker, the tray including an upstanding rear panel and a bottom panel connected to the rear panel, the bottom panel being capable of being supported on the platform, the bottom panel being capable of accumulating a stack of tags, wherein the tray can include a side panel toward which the tags can be fed, wherein the side panel is spaced from a side wall of the stacker, wherein the side panel can be adjustably positionable and attached to the rear panel, and the side panel is manually movable toward and away from the side wall, and wherein the side panel can be magnetically attached to the rear panel. A tag hold-down device can be repositionably attached to one or both of the side and rear panels. The tag hold-down device is preferably magnetically attached to one or both of the side and rear panels. 
     The embodiment of the stacking system comprises a stacker having a side panel toward which tags can be fed, the side panel being magnetically attached and repositionable to accommodate tags of different lengths. 
     The embodiment of a stack tray comprises a rear panel, a bottom panel connected to the rear panel, the bottom panel being capable for supporting a stack of tags, a side panel selectively repositionable with respect to the rear panel, wherein the rear panel is comprised of magnetically responsive material, and a magnet on the side panel enabling the side panel to be magnetically attached to the rear panel at a selected position. A hold-down device can be magnetically attached to one or both of the side and rear panels to retain the stack of tags between the bottom panel and the hold-down device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAMMATIC DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an elevational view of a printer and a stacking system including a stacker with a stack tray; 
         FIG. 2  is a pictorial view of a fragmentary portion of the printer and the tag stacker with the stack tray; 
         FIG. 3  is a pictorial view showing a platform of the stacker supporting the stack tray; 
         FIG. 4  is a pictorial view of the stack tray and a hold-down device also shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  for example; 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded pictorial view of a panel which can form part of the stack tray; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded pictorial view of a hold-down device or member which can be positioned to bear against the top of the tag stack; and 
         FIG. 8  is an elevational view showing a stack of tags on a bottom panel, when the tag stack is held or clamped between the bottom panel and the hold-down device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a printer generally indicated at  50  for printing on a printable web W and a stacker generally indicated at  51 . The printer  50  and the stacker  51  are disclosed in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,182. Where possible the same reference characters are used herein as in U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,182. Alternatively, the printer  50  can have components arranged differently as for example in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/409,803 wherein the path of travel of the web W is somewhat different. The web W is in the form of a roll R can pass beneath a guide mechanism  57 . Then the web W can pass between a platen roll  54  and a print head  53 ′ of a print head assembly  53  where the underside of the web W can be printed. From there the web can pass between a platen roll  56  and a print head  55 ′ of a print head assembly  55  where the top side of the web W can be printed. The platen roll  56  may be a driven roll. From there the fully printed web W can pass to an auxiliary feed mechanism  58  which can feed the web W to a cutter mechanism  59  which cuts the web W into predetermined length sheets, in particular tags T. The expression “tags” as used herein is intended to apply to paper and plastic tags, paper and fabric labels and other types of record members because all of such tags and labels can be handled by the printer  50  and the stacking system  51 ′. The tags T are feed to a feed mechanism  60  which feeds the tags T onto a platform  61  of the stacker  51 . The feed mechanism  60  is close to the cutter mechanism so that control of the cut-off tag T is maintained. The feed mechanism  60  can be considered to be part of the printer  50 , because the feed mechanism  60  feeds the tags T out of the printer  50 , or to be part of the stacker  51  because the feed mechanism  60  feeds the tag T onto the platform  61 . 
     The printer  50  can be of the thermal transfer type wherein ink ribbon I can be advanced from a supply roll SR to a take-up roll TR for both print heads  53 ′ and  55 ′. 
     The stacker  51  is mounted to a frame plate  70 . Shafts  151  and  152  are cantilevered to the frame plate  70  and pass through a bracket  153  attached to a wall  154  which may be referred to as a side wall. By loosening a thumb screw  155 , the stacker  51  can be adjusted laterally or transversely of the printer  50  toward and away from the plane of the frame plate  70 . 
     The stacker  51  is illustrated as including the platform  61  which has a depending mounting member  176  secured to a slide (not shown) by screws  176 ′ passing through a slot  175  in a rear wall  156 . The platform  61  can be raised and lowered by a motor-driven pulley system (not shown). As the motor-driven feed roll  95  of the feed mechanism  60  feeds tags T into space within the stacker above the platform  61 , the platform  61  is lowered. 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , the stack tray generally indicated a  200  is shown to have an upstanding rear panel or wall  201  which is preferably formed integrally with a bottom panel or base panel  202 . The rear and bottom panels  201  and  202  are preferably made by bending a piece of sheet metal at a bend line  203 . The rear panel  201  preferably has a flange  204  made by bending the sheet metal along a bend line  205 . The bottom panel preferably has a flange  207  made by bending the sheet metal along a bend line  207 . The angle between the rear panel  201  and the bottom panel  202  is preferably a right angle. The rear panel  201  and the bottom panel are in an L-shaped configuration. Likewise, the angle of the flange  204  to the rear panel  201  is preferable a right angle, and the angle of the flange  206  to the bottom panel  202  is preferably a right angle. The flange  204  adds stiffness to the rear panel  201  and the flange  206  adds stiffness to the bottom panel  202 . 
     The stacker  51  and the tray  200  form part of a stacker system  51 ′. 
     An upstanding side panel or wall  208  preferably extends perpendicularly to the rear panel  201  and to the bottom panel  202 . The side panel  208  has a flange  209  extending preferably at a right angle to the panel  208  from a bend line  209 ′. The side panel  208  is preferably perpendicular to the bottom panel  202 . As best shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a magnetic strip  210  is secured to the flange  209  preferably by an aggressive permanent adhesive  211 . Even though the side panel  208  is preferably perpendicular to the bottom panel  202  and the rear panel  201 , the side panel  208  can be magnetically attached to the rear panel at any selected angular orientation. 
     With reference to, for example,  FIGS. 4 ,  5 ,  7  and  8 , there is shown a hold-down device or member generally indicated at  212 . The device  212  is shown to have a side panel  213  and a back panel  214  connected to a bottom panel  215  at respective fold lines  216  and  217 . The side and rear panels  213  and  214  are preferably disposed at right angles to each other and to the bottom panel  202 . The panels  213 ,  214  and  215  are preferably formed from one piece of sheet metal by bending up panels  213  and  214  with respect to the bottom panel  215 . A magnet  218  preferably in the form of a magnetic strip is adhered to the outside of the side panel  213  by an aggressive permanent adhesive  219 , and a magnet  220  preferably in the form of a magnetic strip is adhered to the outside of the rear panel  214  by an aggressive permanent adhesive  221 . Instead of one magnet  218  for the side panel  213  and one magnet  220  for the rear panel  214 , multiple spaced magnets or magnetic strips can be provided. The magnets  218  and  220  can, of course, be adhered to their respective panels by any other suitable means, such as by fasteners. 
     In use, the stack tray  200  can be simply seated or rested on the platform  61 . Tags T can be dispensed toward the side panel  208  and accumulate on the bottom panel  202 . As the tags T accumulate, the platform  61  can be lowered so that the tags T continue to be able to be deposited on the top of the stack S. It should be noted that it is not necessary that some or all of the tags T reach the side wall  208 . When the desired number of tags has accumulated in a stack S which rests on the bottom panel  202 , the stack tray  200  is ready to be removed. The user may lift the tray  200  out of the stacker  51  and tilt the tray  200  so that the tags T gravitate against the side panel  208 . The user can actually assist by tamping on the trailing ends TE of the tags T to push the leading ends LE of the tags T against the side panel  208  to form a neater stack S. With the tags T vertically aligned, the user can manually slide the hold-down device  212  downwardly from the upper, normally out-of-use position shown in  FIG. 1 . In that the magnets  218  and  220  hold securely to the panels  213  and  214 , the hold-down device  212  can be slid along the rear and side panels  201  and  208  without dislodging the magnets  218  and  220  from the remainder of the hold-down device  212 . Accordingly, the hold-down device  212  can be slid down into contact with the top most tag T in the stack S. Preferably the hold-down device  212  is pressed against the stack S to slightly compress or clamp the stack S so that while the tray  200  and the stack S are transferred to the place where the tags T are to be used, the stack S is held firmly as a stack to eliminate the possibility of the stack S being dislodged or falling out of the tray  200 . 
       FIG. 3  shows slightly different version of the platform than the platform  61  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  and accordingly it is indicated at  61 ′. The angle of the platform  61 ′ is adjustable about a post or pivot  222 . The pivot is secured in a plate  176 ′ like the plate  176 . A spring-urged plunger  225  can be pulled outwardly and positioned in one of several holes  226 , (only one of which is shown) to adjust the angle of inclination of the platform  61 ′. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the bottom panel  202  of the stack tray  200  has two spaced apart bent-down tabs  228  at the front adjacent the flange  206 , and one bent-down tab  229  adjacent an end  202 ′ of the bottom panel  202 . The tabs  228  and  229 , referred to generally as “locators”, assist in locating the bottom panel  202  and hence the tray  200  on and with respect to the platform  61  or  61 ′. When thus located, the side edge  202 ″ terminates short of the side wall  154  so as not to rub on the side wall  154  as the platform  61  or  61 ′ moves up or down. Likewise, the rear panel  201  terminates short of the rear wall  156  of the stacker  51  so that the rear panel  201  cannot rub on any part of the rear wall  156 . 
     While a magnet  218  is shown attached to the front panel  213  and a magnet  220  is attached to the rear panel  214  as is preferred, only the side  213  panel or only the rear panel  214  needs to be equipped with a magnet to hold the stack tray  212  in the selected position. It is apparent that the magnets  210  and  220  require that the rear panel or at least a part thereof be comprised of magnetizable or magnetically responsive material, such as steel. Likewise, it is apparent that the magnet  218  requires that the front panel or at least a part thereof be comprised of magnetizable or magnetically responsive material, such as steel. 
     While the platforms  61  and  61 ′ are disclosed as being movable, the stack tray  200  is also useful with a stacker having a fixed platform. 
     While the various panels  201 ,  202 ,  208 ,  213 ,  214  and  215  are illustrated as being rectangular, they can have other shapes. 
     Other embodiments and modifications of the invention 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.