Hand labelling device

Claim 1

In a device for imprinting characters on a belt, said device being of the type which includes a body, a lever pivotally carried on said body, a rotatable, substantially rigid member, having a first set of characters for use in imprinting selected characters on said belt, a second rotatable member coaxial with and non-rotatable relative to said first rotatable member, said second member having a plurality of flexible arms with characters on said arms and movable into cooperating relationship with each of said first set of characters for imprinting selected characters on said belt, said lever selectively moving each of said flexible arms into action for imprinting a selected character on said belt, the improvement comprising means for guiding said belt to an imprinting position, intermediate said first and second members, a housing for storing a length of said belt, and being removably secured to said belt guiding means, said belt passing to said imprinting position for imprinting characters on said belt, from said housing upon passage from said guiding means, cooperating knife defining means on said first and second members for at least partially severing said belt at a preselected time in response to pivoting of said lever relative to said body, said knife defining means including a blade on said rigid member and a back-up means for said blade on one of said flexible arms, said lever forcing said back-up means towards said blade with said belt therebetween, said guiding means positioning one edge only of said belt laterally away from said blade whereby said belt is severed for its entire width except for said one edge, said blade and said back-up means being the sole parts of said device contacting said belt during said severing operation at said severing position.