Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CONTINUOUS WEB LASER PRINTING SYSTEM
This invention Ielates generally to printing systems, and more
particularly to systems for printing labels, especially address, Oll continuous
web stock.
Conventional printing processes, be they lithographic, flexographic, or
the like, that involve wet ink transfer to a web, are poorly sui~ed to short rlln
printing Iequirements, because the processes lequire a not insubstantial f~lxed
aunount of set up and take down time, as well as preliminary running time to
optimally tune and/or configure the process to produce an acceptable image. A
plate must be produced for each job, and it is not normally not practical to
modify a plate when a change is required. When used in jobs requiring the
printing of large numbers, of impressions such as thousands of copies or
more, neither these times nor the amount of waste generated during set up are
significant. However, for short runs, such as Iuns in the low hlmdreds of
impressions, conventional printing processes may create waste exceeding 15%
or 20% of the total job.
A variety of computer driven printers, from what are essentially
computer controlled typewriters, to line printers that print an entire line of type
at once, to laser printers that print a page at a time have been developed. l"nese
printers are ideal for one of a kind OI continuously changing images in small
~uantities.
Known xero~raphic printing techniques involve little or no waste, and
can, when appropriately computer controlled, be run with a minimum of set up
time.
Tractor drive systems have been developed for feeding a continuous
web of paper to computer controlled printers, most comrnonly in the well
kl~own fanfold configuration, in which paper is stored in a zig-zag
~rrangement in a feed box, fed through the printer by such tractors and
refolded in an output tray. The paper can then be manually or automat;cally
divided into sheets, usually along perforated lines of weakness arranged
transverse to the length of the web. ~emovable edges havulg sprocket holes
for use in printers with drive sprockets are often provided as well. ~pparatus
is available for feeding a continuous web of pressure sensitive material, such
as labels, to a printer, withdrawing the printed web ~rom the p~inter, remov-ingpin feed edges, splitting the web into narrow strips, and respooling the strips.
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While many print jobs are somewhat fle~sible as regards the way in
which the printed output may be provided, other jobs such as short run label
printing jobs require that the output be prepared in a particular way such as inspool form. ~ddress labels in particular must, in some instances, be provided
S on pressure sensitive stock adhered to an elongated web, one label wide, and
250 or 500 labels long. The preparation of such labels by flexographic printing
techniques is known, but there is no known dry ink or inkless process or
available apparatus for efficiently and cost effectively preparing spools of
labels in small numbers.
It is an object of this invention to provide appaIatus and a method -for
printing short run labels, such as address labels, utilizing a dry or other inldess
process, such as a toner based process, and providing the printed labels rolled
uponaspool.
It is another object of this invention to provide a process for printing
batches of labels, such as the ones just described, on a computer controlled
printer that su~stantially reduces the cost of pAnting each run.
Briefly stated, and in accordance with a presently pre~erred
embodiment of the invention, dry OI inkless pAnting apparatus comprises an
elongated spooled roll of blank labels adhesively secured to a carrier web, and
spooled on a supply reel, the caTrier web being provided with ~lrst and second
longitudinally extending rows of sprocket holes adjacent the respective edges
of the web;
laser printer means for forming a series of ~mages on the label stock, as
the carrier web moves through the printer the images comprising a matrix of
individual label images, in which the images extending longitudinally with
respect to the direction o motion of the web are repeated a mwltiplicity of
times, while the images formed in a direction transverse to the motion of the
web include at least two or more different images;
tractor means for advancing the web through the laser printer means;
slitter means disposed adjacent an output of the laser pIinter means for slitting
the web longitudinally with respect to its direction of motion to procluce thin
elongated webs, each being one label wide and having a multiplicity of
identical labels disposed along the length thereof; and
spoo]ing means for engaging and spooling the inclividual webs of
labels into coils.
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The novel aspects of the invention are set forth with particularity in the
appended claims. The invention itself, taken together with fuIther objects and
advantageg thereof, may be more readily comprehended by reference to the
following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:
~igure 1 is a diagrammatic view of label printing apparatus in
accordance with this invention; and
Figure 2 is a diagrarnmatic view of a portion of the label bearing
supply web.
Referring now to Figure 1 label printing apparatus in accordance with
this invention is illustrated in diagrammatic form. Throughout the description
of the invention, like reference numerals will be used to designate like
ele nents. The following description will be limited to the novel aspects of theinvention. Many of the components of the label printing system in accordance
with the invention areper se well known, and will not be described in detail.
A coiled spool 10 of continuous label bearing web material 12 is
mounted on a spindle 14 at one end of the label printing apparatus. Preferably,
a plurality of dry toner printable labels 16, the thiclcness of which is greatlyexaggerated, is adhered to the web by a pressure sensitive adhesive that is
selected to be compatible with the temperatures involved in the laser printing
process, which may exceed 300F. It is essential that the adhesive that secures
the labels to the web maintains the labels securely attached to the web during
the process of transferring and fusing dry toner to the labels, while at the same
time not degrading, so as to make ~e labels difficult to remove fiom the web
after they have been printed. Sheet form label bearing backing materials are
known and, if converted to web form and provided with drive perforations,
may be used in accordance wi~ this invention. Preferably, the supply spool of
label material is long enough, 2,000 feet or more, to print a plurality of jobs,each of which may be relatively small in number, such as 250 or 500 labels.
As seen in Figure 2, the web 12 carries a matrix of labels having a
plurality, such as 8 or 10 labels A-I, arranged in a direction ~ransverse to theweb and a much larger number arranged longitudinally. In accordance with
this invention, a typical job is one label in the transverse direction by 250
labels in the longitudinal direc~ion of thé web. It is des*able to provide labels
to the printer in even multiples of the smallest quantity normaUy printèd, so
that a plurality of jobs may be printed simultaneously, without the need for
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stopping ~he apparatus in the middle of a job. For example, where a minimum
quantity of 250 labels is required, a 500 label job is printed by eit7ner printing
two parallel longitudinal strips of 250 labels simultaneously, or by
seguentially print~lg two 1 ~ 250 label strips. This allows 7 or 9 otheI 250
S label jobs to be printed simultaneously on a web 8 or lO labels wide, all
starting and stopping at the same point on the web.
The spooled label bearing web 12 is fed into a conventional sprocket
driven laser printer 20 in a controlled manner by simultaneously unwinding
the supply spool and feeding the web into ~e printer. While the tractor drive
of a laser printer could be used to pull che web from the supply spool 10, it ispreferable to wlwind the supply spool, so as to reduce any tendency of the web
to feed illtO the printer otherwise than smoothly, which could degrade the
printed image. A photoelectric sensor 18 of conventional design can be used to
control the supply spindle 14.
Laser printers print images 1 "page" at a time. Typically, a page image
is rastorized in the printer memory, and then scanned onto a photosensitive
drum with a deflected laser beam. In accordance with this invention, a typical
job will require the printing of a plurality oEpages, such as 1~ or 20 pages.
The process may be carried out at high speeds by rastorizing the page image
once which may take some time, and then printing it repeatedly. This makes
prinùng all pages subsequent to the first relatively quick.
In accordance with a presently preferred aspect of t7nis invention, a
print job includes a plurality, for e~ample 10, of sepauate label orders. The
informadon perta~ning to each order is stored in non-volatile computer
~5 memory, such as a magnetic disk and read by a controller 22. In addition to
the information needed to print the labels, it is preferred to store the additional
information necessar7 to generate a mailing label to ship the order,
information relative to the type of label stock on which the order is to be
printed, bookkee.ping and other information necessary to fulfill repeat orders
3~) and the like on th;s same d;s~. Preferably, ;nformation relative to a single
batch of print jobs may be supplied to the label printer operator in the form ofa hard copy page map carrying a proof of each label7 together with some or all
of the additional information mentioned before.
In accordance with a particularly preferred embodiment of this
3~ invention, the page map includes scannable indicia such as a bar code tha~ the
operator may use to cornmence a printJob. Scanning the bar code into tlle
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laser printer controller 22 w;th a wand 24 retrieves the data necessary to
rastorize the print pa~e from the disk, ~eeds the information to the laser
pr;llter, and designates the job as completed. The page map may then
physically accompany the printed labels as they move from the printer to be
shipped to the customer.
As the label bearing web 12 emerges from the laser printer, 20 it
moves to a idler roller, 26 and then to a slicing station 30. The slicing station
includes a plurality of knives, saws or the like 3~, for slicing the web, in a
d;rection longit~ldinal to its motion, into a plurality of one label wide strips.
The printed label bearing strips move from the slicing station 30 to spooler 36
for spooling the labels onto take up reels. Preferably, the ta~e up reels are
mounted on a spindle 40 driven in a controlled fasllion, using photo electric
detector 28 to maintain a predetermined constant tension on the web as it
emerges from the printer, once again to ensure that the web moves smoothly
through the printer to produce the highest quality image on the labels. The
printed labels may be spooled on to a hub or directly on to the spindle, as
desired.
Once the desired number of labels has been spooled on to the take up
hubs, a transverse cutter which is pIeferably part of the slicer 30 separates the
web between the completed job and the next job, which job has already been
started by the laser printer without the need for any wasteful test impressions,as have been required in accordance with conventional pIinting processes. The
finislled spools of printed labels are then removed from the take-~lp spindle.
Preferably, two take-up spindles, capable of being driven simultaneously are
provided. This allows the subsequent job to be started on the second take-up
spindle, while the first job is being remoYed, thereby increasing the rate at
which labels may be printed, Ieducing the labor requirements, and therefore
the cost.
The method and apparatus described before permits enhancements in
the label printing process that were di~ficult or impossible to achieve using
conventional techniques. For example, it is convenient to print a shipping labelat the same time an address label order is printed. The shipping label may be
for a different address than shown on the address labels. The present method
and apparatus allows non-identicaI labels to be printed at any point in ~e web.
In addition to addIess labels, re-order labels can be inserted at appropriate
points on a spool of labels, and a lclbel addressed to the pAntillg Eirm ~collld be
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provided also. We have also printed labels at the end of each run with
distinctive indicia, such as a line of asterisks to delineate order separation
points.
While the invention has been described in connection with a presently
S preferred embodiment thereof, those skilled in the art will recognize that many
modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from tlle
true spirit and scope of the invention, which is accordingly intended to be
defined solely by the appended claims.
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