Patent Publication Number: US-7905371-B1

Title: Label dispenser

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This document concerns an invention relating generally to dispensers for adhesive labels, and more specifically to label dispensers which automatically dispense adhesive labels onto a substrate from a roll of labels when such dispensers are slid or otherwise run over the substrate. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Consumers are more frequently using adhesive labels in their households, with postage stamps and address labels being a common example. These adhesive labels are generally provided in the form of labels with a gummed rear face adhered to a peelable backing strip, with the label-bearing strip being rolled up so that consumers may unroll the strip and peel off labels for application to a substrate as needed. Such adhesive labels are far more convenient to use than labels which require the application of moisture prior to use, as in the case of “lick-and-stick” labels backed with dry adhesive. The rolled form of such adhesive labels is also useful because the rolls are not as easily misplaced as sheets of labels (which are often “buried” amidst the user&#39;s papers), and the rolls also expose fewer of the faces of the labels to soiling and damage. However, rolls of adhesive labels can also be inconvenient in that they tend to uncoil unless they are restrained into their rolled form, and the uncoiled roll then occupies excessive space and presents a messy appearance. It is therefore useful to have devices available for storing and dispensing adhesive labels. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention involves a label dispenser having a variety of advantageous features. To give the reader a basic understanding of some of these advantageous features, following is a brief summary of a preferred version of the label dispenser. Since this is merely a summary, it should be understood that more details regarding this and other versions of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description set forth elsewhere in this document. The claims set forth at the end of this document then define the various versions of the invention in which exclusive rights are secured. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  for a view of a preferred version of the label dispenser in fully assembled form, the label dispenser  100  has a central spool  102  from which labels are dispensed from a rolled label-bearing backing strip, a pair of opposing dispenser sides  104  which assist in maintaining the strip on the spool  102 , and a roller  106  which can be rolled across the substrate to which the label is to be applied, with the roller  106  assisting in feeding the strip from the spool  102  and peeling the labels from the backing strip for application to the substrate. The spool  102 , which extends between the dispenser sides  104 , includes an inner spool circumference  108  bounding a hollow spool interior  110  wherein the label-bearing roll may be situated (see particularly  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  4 A- 4 B, and  5 A- 5 B), and an opposing outer spool circumference  112  (see particularly  FIGS. 2 ,  4 A, and  5 A). The outer spool circumference  112  can be regarded as including three sections: a feeding surface  114  following a convex curve, against which a label-bearing strip unspooling from the spool interior  110  may be fed (consider, for example, a roll of labels situated within the spool interior  110  of  FIG. 4A  and unspooling in a counterclockwise direction against the feeding surface  114 ); a peeling lip  116  which protrudes outwardly from the feeding surface  114 , with the peeling lip  116  promoting the release of adhesive labels from the backing strip as the backing strip is fed from the feeding surface  114  and around the peeling lip  116 ; and a receiving surface  118  following a convex curve away from the peeling lip  116  in a direction opposite that of the feeding surface  114 , against which the label-less backing strip may be received after being fed from the feeding surface  114  and about the peeling lip  116 . Looking particularly to  FIGS. 4A and 5A , it is seen that the feeding surface  114  and receiving surface  118  together define an at least substantially cylindrical surface, with the peeling lip  116  extending radially outwardly between the feeding surface  114  and the receiving surface  118 . The cylindrical surface defined by the feeding surface  114  and receiving surface  118  is not complete, since a feed opening  120  extends between the inner spool circumference  108  and the outer spool circumference  112  between the feeding surface  114  and receiving surface  118  opposite the peeling lip  116  (see particularly  FIGS. 3 ,  4 A, and  5 A), whereby the label-bearing strip may be unspooled through the feed opening  120  from the roll of labels situated within the spool interior  110 . This feed opening  120  is bounded on opposing sides by a first side  122  and a second side  124  which extend between the opposing dispenser sides  104 , wherein the feeding surface  114  extends from the first side  122  of the feed opening  120  toward the peeling lip  116 , and the receiving surface  118  extends from the second side  124  of the feed opening  120  toward the peeling lip  116 . 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 4A-4B  and  5 A- 5 B, the dispenser sides  104  extend radially outwardly from the spool  102  to terminate in dispenser edges  126 , with the dispenser sides  104  thereby defining barriers which help to restrain a label-bearing strip (and the label-less backing strip) on the spool  102 . As best envisioned with reference to  FIG. 1 , the dispenser sides  104  may bear a central aperture  128  so that a user may view the presence of a roll of labels within the spool interior  110 . 
     Referring particularly to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the roller  106  is rotatably mounted between the dispenser sides  104  within a concave receiving region  130  defined between the receiving surface  118  and the peeling lip  116 , with the concave receiving region  130  being best seen in  FIGS. 4A and 5A . Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the roller  106  has opposing roller ends  132  with a roller circumference  134  extending therebetween, with the roller circumference  134  preferably having a surface frictionally adapted to grasp a label-less backing strip. The dispenser sides  104  bear opposing cavities  136  (see particularly  FIGS. 2 ,  4 A- 4 B, and  5 A- 5 B) wherein the roller ends  132  are rotatably situated within the cavities  136  (see  FIG. 1 ). When the roller ends  132  are so mounted, a portion of the roller circumference  134  extends inwardly from the dispenser edges  126  toward the outer spool circumference  112 , and the remainder of the roller circumference  134  extends outwardly beyond the dispenser edges  126 , whereby the roller  106  protrudes from between the opposing dispenser edges  126 . The roller ends  132  are also preferably translatably situated within the cavities  136  so that the roller  106  may be displaced by a small amount toward the receiving surface  118  on the outer spool circumference  112  when pressed in this direction. As will be discussed below, this assists in the dispensation of labels from a roll provided within the dispenser. 
     A strip infeed restraint  138  is preferably provided (see particularly  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  4 A, and  5 A) wherein the strip infeed restraint  138  extends between the dispenser sides  104 , and adjacent to (and spaced from) the feeding surface  114  and peeling lip  116 . A label-bearing strip fed along the feeding surface  114  from the spool interior  110  may therefore be received between the strip infeed restraint  138  and the peeling lip  116 . The strip infeed restraint  138  preferably has a window  140  defined therein (see particularly  FIG. 1 ), with the window  140  being situated opposite the feeding surface  114 , so that a user may readily see the faces of the labels being dispensed (for example, to verify the denomination of stamps borne on the backing strip being fed across the feeding surface  114 ). As perhaps best envisioned with reference to FIGS.  3  and  5 A- 5 B, the strip infeed restraint  138 , the receiving surface  118 , and the feeding surface  114  preferably curve along a shared spiral path, with the feeding surface  114  extending to the receiving surface  118 , and the receiving surface  118  then extending to the strip infeed restraint  138 , with the strip infeed restraint  138  curving adjacent to, and radially outwardly from, the feeding surface  114  of the outer spool circumference  112 . 
     The dispenser also preferably includes a strip outfeed restraint  142  (best seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  4 A, and  5 A- 5 B) which extends between the dispenser sides  104  within the concave receiving region  130 , and adjacent to and spaced from the receiving surface  118 . The strip outfeed restraint  142  is spaced from the peeling lip  116  so that the roller  106  rests between the strip outfeed restraint  142  and the peeling lip  116 . Thus, once the backing strip sheds its label(s) at the peeling lip  116 , the label-less backing strip may be received from the peeling lip  116  between the roller  106  and the receiving surface  118 , and may then be received between the strip outfeed restraint  142  and the receiving surface  118 . Apart from serving to maintain the backing strip adjacent the receiving surface  118 , the strip outfeed restraint  142  also serves as a wedge/blade against which any extending length of the backing strip may be urged to tear it off. 
     As a result of the foregoing arrangement, when a roll of labels  200  is situated within the spool interior  110  (see  FIG. 6 ), with a label-bearing strip  202  unspooling in a counterclockwise direction against the feeding surface  114  (and between the strip infeed restraint  138  and the feeding surface  114 ), the label-bearing strip  202  emerges from a mouth  144  defined between the strip infeed restraint  138  and the peeling lip  116  (the mouth  144  being seen best in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 ). The backing strip  204  may then be fed between the peeling lip  116  and the roller  106 , and between the strip outfeed restraint  142  and the receiving surface  118 . If a user then rolls the roller  106  along a substrate to which a label  206  is to be applied, with the peeling lip  116  trailing the roller  106  and being urged close to the substrate, the roller  106  will rotate and will grasp the backing strip  204  to feed it between the strip outfeed restraint  142  and the receiving surface  118 . The roller&#39;s grasp on the backing strip  204  is enhanced if the roller  106  is allowed to translate inwardly toward the receiving surface  118  as a user presses the roller  106  against a substrate, thereby better pinching the backing strip  204  between the roller  106  and the receiving surface  118 . Toward this end, the dispenser preferably includes a ridge  146  which extends between the dispenser sides  104  between the peeling lip  116  and the receiving surface  118 —this ridge  146  being best seen in  FIGS. 2 ,  4 A, and  5 A—and also extending adjacent the roller  106 , whereby the roller  106  may be displaced toward the ridge  146  to pinch the backing strip  204  between the roller  106  and ridge  146 . Thus, as the roller  106  rotates against the substrate to which the label  206  is to be adhered, it pulls the strip  202  so that it unspools from the spool interior  110  and between the strip infeed restraint  138  and the peeling lip  116 . As the label-bearing backing strip  202  makes a nearly 180 degree turn about the peeling lip  116 , any label  206  thereon will tend to peel off owing to its stiffness with respect to the backing strip  204 , and it will then be applied to the substrate. The resulting label-less backing strip  204  will continue to be pulled by the roller  106  to feed between the strip outfeed restraint  142  and the receiving surface  118  so long as the roller  106  rotates. 
     Further advantages, features, and objects of the invention will be apparent from the remainder of this document in conjunction with the associated drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred version of the label dispenser  100  in assembled form, showing the spool  102  and roller  106  extending between the dispenser sides  104 , wherein a rolled label-bearing backing strip within the spool interior  110  may be unspooled against the feeding surface  114  and below the strip infeed restraint  138 , about the peeling lip  116  (at which labels tend to peel off of the backing strip as the backing strip twists about the peeling lip  116 ), with the label-less backing surface then proceeding beneath the roller  106  and the strip outfeed restraint  142  against the receiving surface  118 . 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the label dispenser  100  of  FIG. 1 , shown at an angle such that the roller  106  is in the foreground. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the label dispenser  100  of  FIG. 1 , shown from another angle. 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of the right section of the label dispenser  100  of  FIGS. 1-3  (shown without the roller  106  of  FIGS. 1-3 ). 
         FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of the left section of the label dispenser  100  of  FIGS. 1-3  (shown without the roller  106  of  FIGS. 1-3 ). 
         FIG. 5A  is an elevational view of the right section of the label dispenser  100  of  FIG. 4A  (shown without the roller  106  of  FIGS. 1-3 ). 
         FIG. 5B  is an elevational view of the left section of the label dispenser  100  of  FIG. 4B  (shown without the roller  106  of  FIGS. 1-3 ). 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the label dispenser  100  of the foregoing drawings, illustrating the label dispensation process described above in reference to  FIG. 1  with a number of labels  206  being shown on a backing strip  204  and being applied to a substrate, and with the roller circumference  134  being shown in phantom. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED VERSIONS OF THE INVENTION 
     To expand on the foregoing discussion, as can be seen from  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  4 A- 4 B, and  5 A- 5 B, the label dispenser  100  is preferably formed in two (or more) sections, here labeled A and B, which allow a user to separate the sections and access the spool interior  110  to install and remove rolls of labels. As seen particularly in  FIGS. 4A-4B  and  5 A- 5 B, this is accomplished in the illustrated dispenser by having the spool  102  (the feeding surface  114 , peeling lip  116 , and receiving surface  118 )—all of which are found on section A—fit within a complementary slot  148  formed in section B. Additionally, section B bears a portion of the strip infeed restraint  138 , and this is received within a complementary slot  150  defined in section A. However, the illustrated assembly/disassembly arrangement is merely exemplary, and the label dispenser  100  could be sectioned and assembled/disassembled in a variety of other ways instead. 
     In other versions of the invention, the sections A and B might be fixed together about a roll of labels after the roll is installed (as by gluing or otherwise fixing the sections together), and the dispenser might then be provided to users as a disposable unit to be discarded after one runs out of labels. Since one could (with difficulty) install a new roll of labels within the dispenser by inserting the roll into one of the central apertures  128  in the dispenser sides  104 , the central apertures  128  might be omitted if the dispenser is intended to be non-reusable. 
     It is notable that the label dispenser  100  need not be operated in the manner discussed above to dispense labels, in that the dispenser need not be run over a substrate to dispense labels thereon. A user could simply actuate the dispenser by hand to eject labels from the mouth  144  of the dispenser, at which point the user can then apply the labels to substrates as desired. For example, the user might actuate the roller  106  with his/her thumb, and/or pull on the label-less backing strip extending from the receiving surface  118  and the strip outfeed restraint  142 . As another option, a user might use the dispenser in such a manner that it dispenses labels without peeling them from their backing strip, as by feeding both the labels and the backing strip through the mouth  144  without then wrapping the backing strip about the peeling lip  116 , and extending the backing strip between the roller  106  and the receiving surface  118 . 
     The label dispenser  100  depicted in the drawings is preferably formed of durable plastic material, though metals, ceramics, or other materials could also or alternatively be used. Since the roller ends  132  preferably snap-fit into the cavities  136  in the dispenser sides  104  (see particularly  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), if the dispenser sides  104  are made of metals or other relatively unyielding materials, it may be desirable to form at least the roller  106  from plastic materials. However, if the roller ends  132  are not to snap into the cavities  136 —e.g., if the roller ends  132  are simply to be fit within the cavities  136  when the dispenser sections A and B are assembled from a state similar to that in  FIGS. 2-3  to the state shown in FIG.  1 —the entirety of the dispenser may be formed of unyielding material. The roller circumference  134  is preferably ensheathed or coated with an elastomeric or other friction-enhancing material to enhance the grip of the roller circumference  134  on the substrate and on the label-less backing strip. 
     The invention is not limited to the label dispenser  100  shown in the drawings, which may be modified in a variety of ways. As one example, the strip outfeed restraint  142  might be made to extend about a substantial portion of the circumference of the spool  102 , such that the label-less backing strip  204 , rather than being ejected from the dispenser in the same direction in which the dispenser is traveling (see  FIG. 6 ), instead ejects behind the dispenser and above the newly-applied labels  206 . Additionally or alternatively, the strip infeed restraint  138  may be extended such that, in  FIG. 6 , it terminates more closely adjacent the substrate so as to further press down any label  206  applied to the substrate. As another example, the dispenser need not have the generally round shape seen (for example) in  FIG. 6 , and the dispenser might have a planar bottom which slides across the substrate. Additionally, multiple rollers  106  might be incorporated, as by installing rollers  106  on opposite sides of the strip outfeed restraint  142 . Otherwise, the shapes/contours and sizes of various components of the label dispenser  100  shown in the drawings may be widely varied, such that the invention adopts an appearance vastly different from that of the exemplary label dispenser  100  shown in the drawings. 
     It should be understood that the versions of the invention described above are merely exemplary, and the invention is not intended to be limited to these versions. Rather, the scope of rights to the invention is limited only by the claims set out below, and the invention encompasses all different versions that fall literally or equivalently within the scope of these claims.