Patent ID: 8549998

Claim:
An apparatus for embossing a pattern of dots on a tape, comprising: an embossing assembly configured to emboss the pattern of dots, the embossing assembly comprising: a die assembly; three actuators; three shafts each coupled to one of the three actuators, each shaft including two cams; six embossing pins, wherein the six embossing pins are configured in the embossing assembly such that each embossing pin is positioned so as to be driven by one cam of one shaft into the die assembly and the six embossing pins are arranged in a two-by-three matrix of three rows of two embossing pins each; and a controller coupled to the three actuators and configured to control the embossing assembly in response to user inputs, wherein the three shafts and each of the cams on each shaft are oriented within the embossing assembly and configured such that the two cams on each shaft actuate the two embossing pins in a single row, and wherein the controller is configured to control each of the three actuators to independently (i) rotate its coupled shaft through a predetermined angle in a first direction to cause a first of two cams on the shaft to drive a first embossing pin in a row into the die assembly to form a first dot in the row, (ii) rotate its coupled shaft through the predetermined angle in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotation direction to cause a second of two cams on the shaft to drive a second embossing pin in the row into the die assembly to form a second dot in the row, and (iii) rotate its coupled shaft through the predetermined angle in the first direction and then through the predetermined angle in the second direction while the tape remains in the same tape position to form both dots in the row.