Apparatus for visually marking an article with characters over an opaque background covering

Claim 2

A hand operated machine for applying a label to an article and marking a character thereover in a single operation, comprising: a frame having an end for contacting said article, a handle assembly mounted on said frame in a manner to be slideable along a fixed path toward and away from said article contacting frame end, means on said frame for holding a supply roll of carrier tape having labels adhesively attached thereto, means including an edge fixed to the frame at its article contacting end for guiding said tape along a given path as tape is drawn from the supply roll, means responsive to movement of said handle assembly toward said article contacting end of the frame for pulling said tape through said guiding means over said fixed edge generally in a direction opposite to that which the tape travels from the supply roll to said fixed edge, whereby movement of the tape by said pulling means causes an adhesive bond between a label and said tape to be broken and the label to be dispensed from the machine at said article contacting end of the frame to cover an area of the article, means responsive to movement of said handle assembly along said fixed path to an extreme position nearest the article contacting frame end for marking at least one alpha-numeric character over said label after it has been dispensed from said machine onto the article and means responsive to movement of said handle assembly for applying pressure to said label after it has been dispensed to cover an area of the article, said pressure means being separate from said marking means to aid in forming an adhesive bond between the label and the article.

Claim 3

The machine according to claim 1 wherein said means for applying pressure to a label against the article, other than said marking means, includes, a pair of parallel pads positioned in the vicinity of said article contacting end of the frame where a label is dispensed, a resilient means for normally holding said paralleL pads a distance away from said article contacting end sufficient to allow a label to be dispensed to an article thereunder, and means responsive to movement of said handle assembly to said extreme position nearest the article contacting end frame for urging said pressure pads against said article through a dispensed label.

Claim 4

The machine according to claim 2 wherein said means for urging said parallel pads against the dispensed label includes said means for marking at least one alpha-numeric character over said label, said pair of parallel pads being separated a distance sufficient to allow marking said at least one alpha-numeric character on said label between said pressure pads substantially simultaneously with said pressure pads being urged against the dispensed label.

Claim 5

A hand operated machine for applying a label to an article and marking a character thereover in a single operation, comprising: a frame having a base plate for contacting said article, said base plate including an opening through which a label is dispensed onto said article and marked, a handle assembly communicating with said frame in a manner to be moveable along a fixed path toward and away from said base plate, means adjacent said frame for holding a roll of carrier tape having labels adhesively attached thereto, a plow bar extending across said frame adjacent a side of said base plate opening and positioned between said base plate opening and said means for holding the roll of carrier tape, means responsive to movement of said handle assembly toward said base plate for advancing said tape from said roll in a direction toward said plow bar and thence in generally a direction that is away from said base plate opening, whereby movement of the tape by said advancing means causes an adhesive bond between a label and said tape to be broken and the label to be dispensed from the machine through said base plate opening and onto the article, wherein said means for advancing said tape includes, a pressure feed slide with a base surface adapted to slide back and forth along a top surface of said base plate within said machine, a member slideable on said feed slide and capable of applying pressure against said feed slide base surface, whereby said tape positioned between said member and said base is gripped and pulled away from said base plate opening, means for applying force to said member and said feed slide during a downward stroke of said handle assembly to advance said member and said feed slide away from said base plate opening during a downward stroke of said handle assembly, and means responsive to further movement of said handle assembly along said fixed path to an extreme position nearest said base plate for extending through said base plate opening to mark at least one alpha-numeric character over said label after it has been dispensed from said machine onto said article.

Claim 6

A hand operated machine for applying a label to an article and marking a character thereover in a single operation, comprising: a frame having a base plate for contacting said article, said base plate including an opening through which a label is dispensed onto said article and marked, a handle assembly communicating with said frame in a manner to be moveable along a fixed path toward and away from said base plate, means adjacent said frame for holding a roll of carrier tape having labels adhesively attached thereto, a plow bar extending across said frame adjacent a side of said base plate opening and positioned between said base plate opening and said means for holding the roll of carrier tape, means responsive to movement of said handle assembly toward said base plate for advancing said tape from said roll in a direction toward said plow bar and thence in generally a direction that is away from said base plate opening, whereby movement of the tape by said advancing means causes an adhesive bond between a label and said tape to be broken and the label to be dispensed from the machine through said base plate opening and onto the article, wherein said means for advancing said tape includes, a pressure feed slide with a base surface adapted to slide back and forth along a top surface of said base plate within said machine, a member slideable on said feed slide and capable of applying pressure against said feed slide base surface, whereby said tape positioned between said member and said base is gripped and pulled away from said base plate opening, means for applying force to said member and said feed slide during a downward stroke of said handle assembly to advance said member and said feed slide away from said base plate opening during a downward stroke of said handle assembly, and means responsive to further movement of said handle assembly along said fixed path to an extreme position nearest said base plate for extending through said base plate opening to mark at least one alpha-numeric character over said label after it has been dispensed from said machine onto said article.

Claim 7

The hand operated machine of claim 4 wherein the means for applying force to said member and said feed slide comprises at least one lever arm pivotally connected to said member and which is slideably engaged with said handle assembly.

Claim 8

A hand-operated machine for applying a label to an article and marking a character thereover in a single operation, comprising: a frame having a base plate for contacting the article, said base plate including an opening near one end thereof through which a label is dispensed onto said article and marked; means adjacent said frame for holding a roll of carrier tape having labels adhesively attached thereto; a plow bar positioned between said base plate opening and the means for holding a roll of carrier tape; means for advancing tape from said roll first toward and over said plow bar and thence in an opposite direction that is away from the opening of the base plate, whereby movement of the tape by said advancing means causes an adhesive bond between a label and said tape to be broken and the label to be dispenseD from the machine through said base plate opening and onto the article, said advancing means including a feed slide adapted to slide back and forth along said base plate and a gripping member slidable with said feed slide and positioned so that said tape may be fed between said member and said feed slide thus allowing said tape to be gripped therebetween and advanced as said feed slide is operated; means for marking said labels which is extendable through said base plate opening; and actuation means including a handle assembly which is vertically movable toward and away from said base plate and further including means by which said vertical movement is translated to horizontal movement to actuate said label advancing means so as to simultaneously feed a label into said base plate opening and upon the completion of the downward stroke cause the means for marking to project through said opening thereby marking said label as desired.

Claim 9

A hand-operated machine for applying a label to an article and marking a character thereover in a single operation, comprising: a frame having a base plate for contacting the article, said base plate including an opening near one end thereof through which a label is dispensed onto said article and marked; means adjacent said frame for holding a roll of carrier tape having labels adhesively attached thereto; a plow bar positioned between said base plate opening and the means for holding a roll of carrier tape; means for advancing tape from said roll first toward and over said plow bar and thence in an opposite direction that is away from the opening of the base plate, whereby movement of the tape by said advancing means causes an adhesive bond between a label and said tape to be broken and the label to be dispenseD from the machine through said base plate opening and onto the article, said advancing means including a feed slide adapted to slide back and forth along said base plate and a gripping member slidable with said feed slide and positioned so that said tape may be fed between said member and said feed slide thus allowing said tape to be gripped therebetween and advanced as said feed slide is operated; means for marking said labels which is extendable through said base plate opening; and actuation means including a handle assembly which is vertically movable toward and away from said base plate and further including means by which said vertical movement is translated to horizontal movement to actuate said label advancing means so as to simultaneously feed a label into said base plate opening and upon the completion of the downward stroke cause the means for marking to project through said opening thereby marking said label as desired.

Claim 10

A hand operated machine for applying a label to an article and marking a character thereover in a single operation, comprising, a frame having a base plate for contacting said article, said base plate including an opening near one end thereof through which a label is dispensed onto said article and marked, a handle assembly mounted on said frame in a manner to be moveable along a fixed path toward and away from said base plate, a plow bar extending across said frame adjacent a side of said base plate opening, means adjacent said frame for holding a roll of carrier tape having labels adhesively attached thereto, said means being positioned to hold said roll further from said one end of the base plate than said plow bar, means responsive to movement of said handle assembly toward said base plate for advancing said tape from said roll in a direction toward said plow bar and thence in generally an opposite direction that is away from said one end of the base plate, whereby movement of the tape by said advancing means causes an adhesive bond between a label and said tape to be broken and the label to be dispensed from the machine through said base plate opening and onto the article, and wherein said means for advancing said tape includes, a feed slide with a base surface adapted to slide back and forth along a top surface of said base plate within said machine, a member slideable with said feed slide and capable of applying pressure against said feed slide base, whereby said tape positioned between said member and said base is gripped and pulled away from said opening, means for applying force to said member against said base during a downward stroke of said handle assembly base without applying such force while said handle assembly is returning to its rest position, said means for applying force additionally functioning to advance said feed slide and said member away from said base plate end during a downward stroke of said handle assembly, said advance being along a length of said base plate that is removed even further from said one base plate end than is said plow bar, and means responsive to further movement of said handle assembly along said fixed path to an extreme position nearest said base plate for extending through said base plate opening to mark at least one alpha-numeric character over said label after it has been dispensed from said machine onto said article.

Claim 11

A hand operated machine for applying a label to an article and marking a character thereover in a single operation, comprising, a frame having a base plate for contacting said article, said base plate including an opening near one end thereof through which a label is dispensed onto said article and marked, a handle assembly mounted on said frame in a manner to be moveable along a fixed path toward and away from said base plate, a plow bar extending across said frame adjacent a side of said base plate opening, means adjacent said frame for holding a roll of carrier tape having labels adhesively attached thereto, said means being positioned to hold said roll further from said one end of the base plate than said plow bar, means responsive to movement of said handle assembly toward said base plate for advancing said tape from said roll in a direction toward said plow bar and thence in generally an opposite direction that is away from said one end of the base plate, whereby movement of the tape by said advancing means causes an adhesive bond between a label and said tape to be broken and the label to be dispensed from the machine through said base plate opening and onto the article, and wherein said means for advancing said tape includes, a feed slide with a base surface adapted to slide back and forth along a top surface of said base plate within said machine, a member slideable with said feed slide and capable of applying pressure against said feed slide base, whereby said tape positioned between said member and said base is gripped and pulled away from said opening, means for applying force to said member against said base during a downward stroke of said handle assembly base without applying such force while said handle assembly is returning to its rest position, said means for applying force additionally functioning to advance said feed slide and said member away from said base plate end during a downward stroke of said handle assembly, said advance being along a length of said base plate that is removed even further from said one base plate end than is said plow bar, and means responsive to further movement of said handle assembly along said fixed path to an extreme position nearest said base plate for extending through said base plate opening to mark at least one alpha-numeric character over said label after it has been dispensed from said machine onto said article.