Label printing and dispensing apparatus

摘要

In an apparatus for printing and dispensing labels carried in a label ribbon of indeterminate length, a hand lever is held in a rest position by a return spring and a printing device is coupled with the hand lever for movement toward a label, located on a printing table, upon depression of the hand lever and away from the printing table upon release of the hand lever. A transport mechanism is coupled with the hand lever for advancing the label ribbon by a distance equal to the label spacing on the ribbon each time the hand lever is actuated. A printing device is carried at the free end of a further lever movable in the same plane as the hand lever and normally held stationary by a pawl, the other end of the further lever being coupled with the hand lever through a further spring extending between the hand lever and the further lever. When the hand lever is depressed, the further spring is compressed until a predetermined spring force is attained and the pawl is tripped to enable movement of the printing device toward the printing table and to establish a prescribed minimum printing pressure at the printing table.