Patent ID: 7497362

Claim:
A tear bar for assisting the separation of a piece of media from a strip of media, the strip of media having a surface, a first and second side, and a center portion, the tear bar comprising: (A) a first side portion, the first side portion being adapted to abut the surface of the strip of media adjacent to the first side of the strip of media and apply resistance on the strip of media when a longitudinal force is applied to the strip of media; and (B) a second side portion, the second side portion being adapted to abut the surface of the strip of media adjacent to the second side of the strip of media and apply resistance on the strip of media when a longitudinal force is applied to the strip of media; wherein the tear bar is formed from an integrally formed member having a substantially semi-circular lateral cross-section, the integrally formed member further having a center portion between the first side portion and the second side portion, the center portion having a diameter less than the first side portion and the second side portion, and wherein at least one of the first or second side portions comprises a roughened surface.