Label printing machine

Claim 1

A machine for printing a continuous strip of labels with identical and selectively changeable characters including a stack of typewheels on a common axis and each having a plurality of different print characters on its periphery; a stack of drive wheels on a common axis which is parallel with and spaced from said first named axis and each of the drive wheels forming a wheel pair with one of said typewheels; teeth on the periphery of one wheel of each of said pairs of wheels receivable in indentations in the periphery of the other wheel of the wheel pair whereby each of said drive wheels may drive and rotate one of said typewheels for adjusting the rotative position of the typewheel; a spur gear coaxially disposed and fixed with respect to each of said drive wheels with intermediate ones of said drive wheels and the stack of drive wheels having their spur gears disposed between adjacent ones of said drive wheels; a plurality of racks corresponding in number to said drive wheels and said typewheels and respectively in mesh with said spur gears so that some of the racks extend between adjacent ones of said drive wheels in their said stack; a manually operated knob connected with each of said racks whereby, on linear movement of the knob and the rack connected therewith, the corresponding typewheel is rotatably adjusted through a corresponding drive wheel and spur gear so as to move certain print characters on the typewheel into a printing position; and means for moving individual labels of said strip consecutively into printing engagement with the print characters on the peripheries of said typewheels which are in alignment and in printing positions; said means for moving individual labels of said strip consecutively into printing engagement with said aligned print characters including a label feed wheel having a boss on its periphery, means for driving said feed wheel, a drive gear coaxially disposed with respect to said feed wheel and fixed thereto, a second drive gear fixed on a certain center and in mesh with said first named drive gear, a pin fixed on said second drive gear and extending parallel with the axis of said second drive gear, an arm swingably mounted on the same center as said feed wheel and carrying said typewheels by means of a shaft fixed with respect to said arm on which the typewheels are rotatably mounted, said teeth being disposed on said drive wheels and said indentations being in said typewheels, and a motor connected with said arm for swinging the arm about the center of said label feed wheel and for thereby moving said typewheels out of toothed interengagement with said drive wheels and at the same time interengaging said pin in aligned ones of said indentations in said typewheels for providing a driving connection between said second drive gear and said typewheels whereby said driving means for said feed wheel may be effective to drive said feed wheel and said typewheels through said gears and whereby consecutive ones of said labels may pass between said boss on said feed wheel and print characters on said typewheels in printing positions for printing the labels as they pass between said boss and said typewheels on rotation of said label feed wheel and typewheels.