Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to mounting structures to mount printers. 
         [0003]    2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    The following documents are made of record: U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,407; and 9490™ Vehicle Mount Instructions, TC 9490PVOI, © 1995 Monarch Marking Systems, Inc. 1/95 pages 1 through 4. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    There is provided an embodiment of an improved mounting assembly to mount a printer for stationary or portable use, which includes a holder for a web supply and an associated holder for a printer, and wherein the mounting assembly can be positioned in a variety of attitudes while maintaining the printer secured to the mounting assembly and holding the web supply in an operative position relative to the printer. The embodiment enables the printer to be releasably manually latched to the mounting assembly and enables the web supply to be manually latched and unlatched from the mounting assembly. It is preferred that the printer be held releasably by the printer holder so that the printer cannot be accidentally dislodged from the printer holder. A manually movable latch on the printer holder engages the printer and latches the printer in its held position. It is preferred that the web supply, which may be a roll of pressure sensitive labels, can be readily loaded onto and unloaded from the supply holder and latched, and that once so latched the web supply roll cannot be accidentally dislodged from the supply holder. It is mostly preferred that the web supply latch include a member that can be moved between a supply loading or unlatched position and a loaded supply or latched position. By way of example, a label web supply roll can be supported by a shaft and the shaft can be rotated between latched and unlatched positions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAMMATIC DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a pictorial view of a mounting assembly, and a printer and a label web supply roll mounted by the mounting assembly; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a pictorial view of the mounting assembly showing the printer exploded away and omitting the label roll shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is an exploded pictorial view of the mounting assembly; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3A  is a fragmentary partly sectional view of a shaft having opposed flats and releasably locked against rotation to a mounting member; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3B  is a sectional view taken along line  38 - 38  of  FIG. 3A ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the mounting assembly with the web of the label roll threaded into the printer; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of one of the latches; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is an elevational view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4  with certain parts omitted for clarity; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a pictorial view of the mounting assembly mounted to overhead rails of a forklift truck. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]    With reference initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a mount or mounting assembly generally indicated at  10 , including a printer mount or printer holder generally indicated at  11  for a printer  12  and supply holder generally indicated at  13 . It is preferred that the holders  11  and  13  share a common base  14 .  FIG. 1  shows the printer  11  held by the printer holder  11  and latched in its held position while  FIG. 2  shows the printer  12  aligned with the holder  11 . The printer  12  is like the printer illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,407, but other and different printers may be mounted on and latched to the mounting assembly  10 . The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,407 is incorporated by reference in its entirety. As is evident from  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the holder  11  includes side panels  15  and  16  which straddle and confine the printer  12 , and a connecting bottom or end panel  17 . The printer  12  is latched to the printer holder  11  by at least one and preferably two latches generally indicated at  18 . 
         [0016]    The end panel  17  is connected to the base  14  by an upstanding panel  19  which holds the end panel  17  in generally parallel spaced relation to the base  14 . The panel  19  is connected to the base  14  at a bend  20  and to the end panel  17  at a bend  21 . The side panels  15  and  16  are joined to the end panel  17  at bends  22  and  23 . A portion of the base  14  is cut and bent at a bend  14 ′ as best shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  to form a guide and retainer member  24  having a guide portion  25  generally parallel to the base  14 . The guide portion  25  has a lower guide surface  26  which is slightly above upper surface  27  of the base  14  for guiding a web W. The member  24  has an upstanding retainer portion  28  joined to the guide portion  25  at a bend  29 . Upper end  30  of the retainer portion  28  prevents a data cord connector  31  from becoming dislodged from the printer  12  by providing a stop. Thus, the unitary member  24  serves the dual function of guiding the web W and of preventing the data cord connector  31  from becoming dislodged from the printer  12  during use. As shown in  FIGS. 1 through 4  and  6 , there are two cord holders  32  and  33  for holding respectfully a data cord  34  and a power cord (not shown) to power the printer from a source of low voltage electricity by a transformer (not shown). The holder  32  has two outwardly extending bent tabs  35  that straddle an inwardly bent tab  36 . Likewise, the holder  33  has two outwardly extending bent tabs  37  that straddle an inwardly bent tab  38 . The data cord  34  is woven around the tabs  35  and  36 , and likewise the power cord is woven around tabs  37  and  38 . The connecting panel  19  is shown to have two T-shaped retaining slots  39  and  40 . The slot  39  is for the data cord  34  and the slot  40  is for the power cord or vice versa. 
         [0017]    The side panels  15  and  16  have respective projections  15 ′ and  16 ′ formed by cutting and bending out small pieces of the panels  15  and  16 . The side panels  15  and  16  also have bent-over tabs  41  and  42 . Identical latch members  18 ′ of the latches  18  are captive between the panel  15  and its tab  41  and the panel  16  and its tab  42 . The projections  15 ′ and  16 ′ extend into vertical slots  43  in the latch members  18 ′. The projection  15 ′ and  16 ′ guide the latch members  18 ′ for vertical movement. Headed pins  44  pass through openings  45  in the latch members  18  and are secured in the side plates  15  and  16 , respectively, by E-rings  46 . The heads of the pins  44  also help to retain and guide the latch members  18 ′ for vertical movement. 
         [0018]    The side panels  15  and  16  have horizontal open-ended slots or cutouts  47  to receive shafts  48 ′ of headed projections  48  disposed on opposite sides of the printer  12 . The latch members  18 ′ have hook-shaped configurations with enlarged openings  49  leading to throat openings  50 . The throat openings  50  are large enough to receive the projections  48  when the latch members  18 ′ are in their raised positions. In the raised positions, the projections  48  are aligned with and centered with respect to the throat openings  50 . When loading the printer  12  onto the mounting assembly  10 , for example upon inward movement from the  FIG. 2  position to the  FIG. 1  position, the projections  48  pass readily through the throat openings  50  into the openings  49 . When the latch members  18 ′ are moved vertically downward, the projections  48  are captured by the latch members  18 ′, in particular by portions  51  which prevent the projections  48  from outward movement. The openings  45  in the latch members  18 ′ can have at least two and preferably three lobes as best shown in  FIG. 5 . When the latch member  18 ′ is in the lowered position, the pin  44  is in a lobe  45   c . The latch member  18 ′ is provided with two vertically extending through slots adjacent the opening  52 . There is a scalloped wall  53  between each slot  52  and the opening  45 . In that each latch member  18 ′ is preferably constructed of plastics material which has a certain flexibility and resilience, when the latch member  18 ′ is moved vertically so that the pin  44  moves toward the lobe  45   b , the walls  53  flex outwardly away from each other until the pin  44  is embraced within the lobe  45   b . To move the latch member  18 ′ to where the throat opening  50  is aligned with the projection  48 , the user pushes upwardly on the surface  54  until the pin  44  is received in the lobe  45   a . The ridges  53 ′ between the lobes  45   a  and  45   b , and the ridges  53 ′ between the lobes  45   b  and  45   c  releasably retain the latch members  18 ′ in the positions to which they were moved. The construction of the flexible resilient scalloped walls  53  cooperating with the stationary pin  44  provide a detent generally indicated at  55 . 
         [0019]    The latch members  18 ′ cooperating with their respective side panels  15  and  16 , tabs  41  and  42 , tabs  15 ′ and  16 ′ and pins  44  provide the latches  18 . The latches  18 , detented by detents  55 , positively hold the printer  12  latched to the printer holder  11 , and yet the latches  18  can be unlatched manually by sliding the latch members  18 ′ vertically upward. 
         [0020]    With reference to the supply holder  13  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3  for example, there is shown an upright mounting member or panel  56  formed by cutting and bending up a portion of the base  14 . The member  56  makes a preferably right-angled bend  57  with the base  14  so that the member  56  extends vertically. To help maintain the member  56  in position, a triangular gusset plate  58  is welded or otherwise secured to the base  14  and to the member  56 . The member  56  has a standoff or integral bracket  59  which includes a horizontal portion  60  joined to the upright portion of the member  56  at a bend  61  and a vertical portion  62  joined to the horizontal portion  60  at a bend  63 . The vertical portion  62  has a round hole  64 . A holder member or slide  13 ′ has a generally inverted U-shaped configuration with a leg portion  13   a  and a leg portion  13   b  joined by a connecting or bight portion  13   c . The leg portion  13   a  has an elongate vertically extending slot  66  aligned with the holes  64  and  65 . The leg portion  13   a  also has a pair of bent over tabs  67  that embrace the panel  56 . A shaft or rod generally indicated at  68  has an end portion with a right-angled bend  69 , a large diameter shaft portion  70  and a small diameter shaft portion  71 . The shaft portion  71  has a groove  72  to receive an E-ring  73 . The shaft  68  carries a roll or spool  74 . The spool  74  includes a tubular hub portion  75  and a disc  76  secured to the hub portion  75 . The shaft  68  extends through the hub portion  75  and the disc  76 , through the slot  66 , and through the holes  64  and  65 . The shaft portion  71  receives a compression spring  77  and a washer  78  outboard of the vertical portion  62 . 
         [0021]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  show the transition between the shaft portions  70  and  71 . The marginal end of the shaft portion  70  has opposed flats  79  shown to extend horizontally. The flats  79  are normally against the upper and lower flat edges  65 ′ of the hole  65 , as best shown in  FIG. 3A . The compression spring urges the shaft  68  to the right as viewed in  FIGS. 3 and 3A  so that shoulders  80  bear against the mounting member  56 . 
         [0022]    The leg portion  13   b  has a horizontal elongate slot  81  with which the bent-over end portion  69  is aligned as best shown in solid lines in  FIG. 2 . However, by pushing on the E-ring  78  or a suitable knob (not shown) that can be substituted for the E-ring  78 , the flats  79  clear the hole  65  and the shaft  68  can be manually rotated 180 from the unlatched solid line position shown in  FIG. 2  to the latched solid line position shown in  FIG. 4  and the phantom line position shown in  FIG. 2 . When the shaft  68  has been thus rotated, the user can cease pushing on the E-ring  73  and the shaft  68  moves to the right in  FIGS. 3 and 3A  until the shoulders  80  abut against the mounting member  56 , thereby holding the shaft  89  in the latched position. The spool  74  can rotate freely about the shaft  68 . The hub portion  75  of the spool  74  readily receive the central core C of the roll R. It is preferred to have the leg portion  13   b  make an angle A of greater than 90 with respect to the bight portion  13   c  to hold the leg portion  13   b  against the end position  69 . Especially with a large roll R, the holder member  13 ′ can flex resiliently to an angle greater than angle A when loading the roll R onto the shaft portion  75 . 
         [0023]    In order to load the roll R onto the spool  74  the leg position  13   b  springs slightly outwardly (clockwise as viewed in  FIG. 3 ) until the end portion  69  of the shaft  68  clears the slot  81 . Thereupon, the slide  13 ′ is raised manually, and the roll R is inserted onto the shaft portion  75  of the spool  74 . Then the slide  13 ′ is lowered until the shaft  68  is aligned with the slot  81 . Thereupon, the shaft  68  can be pushed to the left as seen in  FIG. 3  until the flats  79  clear the non-circular hole  65  and upon rotation of the shaft  68  to the phantom line position shown in  FIG. 2 , the shaft  68  is released and the spring  77  re-establishes the locking of the shaft  68  when the flats  79  cooperate with the horizontal edges  65 ′ of the hole  65 . 
         [0024]    The mounting assembly  10  can be disposed in any position, such as on a table or bench, on a vertical wall, or on an overhead structure such as safety rails  82  of a forklift truck.  FIGS. 3 and 7  especially show how the mounting assembly may be mounted to structure such as a forklift truck. A plate  83  can be positioned against the upper surfaces  84  of the rails  82 . Threaded fasteners  85  can pass through holes  86  in a sheet metal plate  87  and are threadably received in threaded holes or fasteners  88  in the base  14 . Alternatively, the mounting assembly  10  may be bolted to a table, bench or wall. 
         [0025]    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.

Technology Category: 7