Label printing device and label printing method

Abstract

To make it possible to easily print and cut an unfixed length label with a label printing device that has a mount.SOLUTION: A label roll 50 around which label paper 51 having an adhesive layer on a back surface and a mount 52 on the back surface thereof is wound is rotatably supported. The label paper 51 is printed with an unfixed length while sequentially winding the mount 52 from the label roll 50 by a mount winding roller 2. At a peeling roller 3 provided between a roll support part 1 and the mount winding roller 2, the label paper 51 is peeled off from the mount 52. The label paper 51 that has been peeled off from the mount 52 and floated is cut into the unfixed length.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a label printing apparatus and a label printing method for printing and cutting variable-length labels on a packaging material.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when foods are cooked in a cooking area inside a store such as a supermarket and displayed as processed foods on the sales floor, labels with printed explanatory texts regarding the contents are attached to the packaging materials for these processed foods. As an example of an apparatus for printing the explanatory texts regarding the contents of processed foods on labels, a label printing apparatus with a backing paper is known. In this label printing apparatus with a backing paper, a label roll with a fixed pre-printed label continuously attached thereto is used. After printing is performed on the pre-printed label of this label roll, the label is attached to the packaging material.

[0003] However, there are a wide variety of processed foods as described above, and since the sizes of the packaging materials vary according to the contents of the processed foods, the sizes of the labels attached to the packaging materials also vary. Therefore, when attaching labels of different sizes for each processed food, there is a problem in that it becomes difficult to secure storage space for a large number of label rolls corresponding to the number of types of processed foods.

[0004] As another example of an apparatus for printing on labels to solve the above problems, a label printing apparatus without a backing paper has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). In this label printing apparatus without a backing paper, after printing is performed on a label roll without a backing paper, the label roll is appropriately cut to different lengths according to the size of the processed food, and the cut label is attached to the processed food. Therefore, there is no need to prepare label rolls of different sizes for each processed food, and the problem of storage space for label rolls is solved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, when using a label printing device without a backing sheet as described above, (1) Since the label roll is wound in a roll shape, a silicone release treatment is required on the surface of the label roll. Therefore, it is impossible to stack and paste the cut labels. (2) Printing cannot be performed on the silicone on the surface of the label. (3) The adhesive surface of the label roll without a backing sheet comes into contact with the platen roller that guides the label roll. There are the following problems.

[0007] In particular, when the adhesive surface of the label roll comes into contact with the platen roller, the following problems occur. (i) The label roll is caught by the platen roller. (ii) If silicone rubber is used for the platen roller to prevent the label roll from being caught, over time, the silicone will emerge on the surface and transfer to the adhesive surface of the label roll, reducing the adhesive strength of the label roll. (iii) The degree of freedom in selecting the type of adhesive for the label roll is reduced. For example, when silicone rubber is used for the platen roller, a silicone adhesive with high affinity for silicone rubber cannot be used. Also, in the case of acrylic adhesives and rubber-based adhesives, generally, as the coating amount of the adhesive increases, the release property (peelability) from the silicone rubber deteriorates (becomes heavy), so there is a limit to the coating amount.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of such points, and an object thereof is to enable easy printing and cutting of variable-length labels with a label printing device with a backing sheet.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the label paper is cut in a state of being lifted from the backing paper.

[0010] Specifically, in the present invention, on the premise of a label printing apparatus for attaching an indefinite-length label to a packaging article, a roll support portion that rotatably supports a label roll around which a label paper having an adhesive layer on the back surface and a backing paper on the back surface of the label paper are wound, a backing paper winding roller for winding up the backing paper, a printing portion for printing on the label paper in accordance with the contents of the packaging article, a peeling portion provided between the roll support portion and the backing paper winding roller, for peeling the label paper off the backing paper so as to lift it, and a cutting portion for cutting the label paper lifted off the backing paper to a length corresponding to the length of the printing.

[0011] Also, in the present invention, on the premise of a label printing method for attaching an indefinite-length label to a packaging article, a label roll around which a label paper having an adhesive layer on the back surface and a backing paper on the back surface of the label paper are wound is rotatably supported, while sequentially winding up the backing paper from the label roll by a backing paper winding roller, an indefinite-length printing is performed on the label paper, in a peeling portion provided between a roll support portion that rotatably supports the label roll and the backing paper winding roller, the label paper is peeled off the backing paper so as to lift it, and the label paper lifted off the backing paper is cut to an indefinite length by a cutting portion.

[0012] According to these configurations, after printing display items corresponding to the contents of the packaging article on the label paper, the label paper is peeled off the backing paper, and the label paper is cut to an indefinite length in accordance with the printing area. For this reason, with a label printing apparatus with a backing paper, labels of various lengths corresponding to the contents can be printed and cut.

[0013] Further, a control unit may be further provided to control the cutting of the label paper according to the printing length based on the signal from the printing unit. By doing so, since the cutting length of the label paper is determined based on the signal from the printing unit, it is possible to prevent the label from being cut during printing.

[0014] Further, a sensor for detecting the length of the printing applied to the label paper may be further provided, and the control unit may be configured to control the cutting of the label paper according to the printing length based on the signal from the sensor. By doing so, since the cutting length of the label paper is determined using the information from the sensor as well, it is possible to more reliably prevent the label from being cut during printing.

[0015] Further, the backing paper may be made of a synthetic resin film. By doing so, a backing paper with a relatively small thickness can be used, so that the outer diameter size becomes smaller when the label paper of the same length is wound into a roll.

[0016] Further, the thickness of the synthetic resin film may be 6 μm or more and 30 μm or less. By doing so, the strength can be ensured by setting the thickness of the synthetic resin film to 6 μm or more, and the outer diameter size becomes preferably smaller compared to when the label paper of the same length is wound into a roll by setting the thickness of the synthetic resin film to 30 μm or less.

[0017] Furthermore, a guiding unit may be further provided to guide the cut non-fixed-length label paper toward the packaging object and a pasting unit for pasting the label paper on the packaging object. By doing so, it can be automatically pasted, and the efficiency is improved compared to the case of manual pasting.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] As described above, according to the present invention, in the peeling portion provided between the roll support portion and the backing paper winding roller, the label paper is peeled off from the backing paper so as to float, and the label paper peeled off from the backing paper and floating is cut into an indefinite length. As a result, it is possible to easily print and cut an indefinite-length label with a label printing apparatus with a backing paper.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, a label printing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] -Label Printing Apparatus- FIG. 1 shows a label printing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This label printing apparatus 10 attaches an indefinite-length label 53 to a package P for packaging foods and the like.

[0022] The label printing device 10 of this embodiment includes a conveyor 9 for conveying the packaging P, and a roll support portion 1 is provided at a position separated from the conveyor 9 to rotatably support a label roll 50. A label paper 51 having an adhesive layer on the back surface and a backing paper 52 on the back surface of the label paper 51 are wound around the label roll 50. In FIG. 1, for the sake of understanding, the label paper 51 and the backing paper 52 are drawn thicker than the actual ones. In this embodiment, for example, the label paper 51 is made of thermal paper, and the backing paper 52 is made of high-quality paper, glassine paper, PET film or OPP film. If it is a synthetic resin film such as PET film or OPP film, a thin backing paper with a thickness of 6 μm or more and 30 μm or less can be used, so there is an advantage that a longer label paper 51 can be wound around the label roll 50 of the same outer diameter. Conversely, when the label paper of the same length is wound into a roll, the outer diameter size becomes smaller.

[0023] A backing paper winding roller 2 for winding the backing paper 52 is provided at a position separated from the roll support portion 1. The backing paper winding roller 2 is rotated by a predetermined angle by a motor or the like (not shown), so that the backing paper 52 is wound at a desired speed.

[0024] Between the roll support portion 1 and the backing paper winding roller 2, printing units 4 and 5 for printing the label paper 51 according to the contents of the packaging P are provided. In this embodiment, the printing units 4 and 5 are composed of separate thermal printers, and different displays are printed respectively, but only one printing unit 4 may be provided.

[0025] A peeling roller 3 as a peeling portion for peeling the label paper 51 so as to float it from the backing paper 52 is provided between the roll support portion 1 and the backing paper winding roller 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the backing paper 52 is wound in a direction bent approximately 90° through the peeling roller 3, so that the label paper 51 with a certain degree of stiffness advances in a floating state from the backing paper 52. The peeling portion may not be roller-shaped but plate-shaped. In this embodiment, the peeling roller 3 also serves to press the label paper 51 from below during printing in the downstream printing unit 5.

[0026] In the direction in which the label paper 51 faces, a cutting guillotine 7 is provided as a cutting portion for cutting the label paper 51 peeled off from the backing paper 52 and floating according to the length of the printing. This cutting guillotine 7 sandwiches and cuts the label paper 51 with upper and lower cutting blades, but a roller cutter may also be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an auxiliary roller 6 may be provided between the peeling roller 3 and the cutting guillotine 7 to support the label paper 51 floating from the backing paper 52. For example, since this auxiliary roller 6 touches the adhesive layer side of the label paper 51, it is desirable to select a material or shape with which the adhesive layer hardly adheres.

[0027] The label printing apparatus 10 includes a control unit 11, and this control unit 11 is configured to control the cutting of the label paper 51 according to the length of the printing based on signals input from the printing units 4 and 5.

[0028] Further, a printing area detection sensor 13 is provided in front of the cutting guillotine 7. This printing area detection sensor 13 is configured to detect a printing area formed by the printing applied to the label paper 51 and output the detection signal to the control unit. Then, the control unit 11 is configured to control the cutting guillotine 7 and the like so as to cut the label paper 51 according to the length of the printing based on the signal input from this printing area detection sensor 13.

[0029] And on the downstream side of the cutting guillotine 7, there is provided an attaching portion 8 having a guide belt 8a having a plurality of vent holes (not shown), a pressing roller 8b that drives this guide belt 8a and presses the label paper 51 of indefinite length (that is, the label 53) cut by the cutting guillotine 7 against the packaging object P, and a suction device 8c that sucks the label 53 from the vent holes of the guide belt 8a.

[0030] -Label Printing Method- Next, the label printing method according to this embodiment will be described.

[0031] In recent years, the requirements of the Food Labeling Law have become stricter, and the number of items to be labeled, such as raw materials of foods and the like in the packaging P, has increased, and the label 53 tends to become larger. Therefore, it is necessary to change the length of the label 53 according to the contents.

[0032] When packages P containing multiple types of foods flow on the conveyor 9 of the same production line, the printing units 4 and 5 print on the label 53 the labels corresponding to the respective contents.

[0033] Specifically, first, the label roll 50 is rotatably supported by the roll support portion 1.

[0034] Next, the label paper 51 and the backing paper 52 are pulled out to the portion of the peeling roller 3, and the backing paper 52 is wound around the backing paper take-up roller 2.

[0035] In this state, the conveyor 9 is driven to convey the package P containing the food. For example, packages P containing the same contents are flowed as a lot of a predetermined number.

[0036] Then, while sequentially winding the backing paper 52 by the backing paper take-up roller 2 from the label roll 50, the printing units 4 and 5 print on the surface of the label paper 51 the labeling items corresponding to the contents. The length of this printing varies depending on the contents, and the same printing is performed on the label paper 51 corresponding to the packages P of the same lot. At this time, a signal regarding the printing area is sent from the printing units 4 and 5 to the control unit 11.

[0037] Then, at the peeling roller 3 provided between the roll support portion 1 and the backing paper take-up roller 2, the label paper 51 is peeled off so as to float from the backing paper 52.

[0038] Next, based on the signals regarding the printing areas sent from the printing units 4 and 5, the control unit 11 sends a signal for the cutting timing to the guillotine cutter 7. As a result, the guillotine cutter 7 cuts the label paper 51 peeled off from the backing paper 52 and floating, in accordance with the timing instructed by the control unit 11. Since the label paper 51 flows relatively slowly while being printed, if the guillotine cutter 7 is opened and closed at high speed, the floating label paper 51 is less likely to bend. In some cases, the control unit 11 may temporarily stop the backing paper winding roller 2 at the time of cutting.

[0039] Thereafter, the label paper 51 cut by the guillotine cutter 7 is sucked by the suction device 8c of the sticking unit 8 to the guide belt 8a. Then, the guide belt 8a guides the label 53 made of the label paper 51 after cutting toward the upper surface of the packaging P, and the label 53 pressed against the guide belt 8a is stuck to the packaging P.

[0040] Next, when flowing a packaging P containing another content on the conveyor 9, after instructing to print different display items at the printing units 4 and 5, the same label printing device 10 may stick the label 53 in the same manner as above.

[0041] According to these configurations, after printing the display items on the label 53 in variable length, after peeling the label paper 51 from the backing paper 52, the label paper 51 is cut in variable length according to the printing area, and the cut label 53 is stuck to the packaging P. For this reason, with the same label printing device 10, labels 53 of various lengths according to the content can be stuck to the packaging P.

[0042] Also, in this embodiment, since the control unit 11 determines the cutting length of the label paper 51 based on the signals from the printing units 4 and 5, it is possible to prevent the label 53 from being cut during printing.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the control unit 11 also uses the information from the printing area detection sensor 13 to determine the cutting length of the label paper 51, it is possible to more reliably prevent the label 53 from being cut during printing.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the pasting portion 8 is provided, it can be automatically pasted, and the efficiency is improved compared to the case of manual pasting.

[0045] Therefore, according to the label printing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, the non-fixed-length label 53 can be easily printed, cut, and pasted onto the packaging object P by the same label printing apparatus 10.

[0046] (Embodiment 2) FIG. 2 shows a label printing apparatus 110 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, which is mainly different from Embodiment 1 in that the pasting portion 8 is not provided. In each of the following embodiments, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0047] That is, in this embodiment, the label 53 is manually pasted onto the packaging object P without providing the pasting portion 8.

[0048] Specifically, in this embodiment, the label receiver 109 is disposed on the downstream side of the cutter 7. The label receiver 109 includes, for example, a plurality of grooves extending along the advancing direction of the conveyor 9, and the label 53 is scooped up through these grooves by fingers and pasted onto the packaging object P on the conveyor 9.

[0049] Also in this embodiment, the print area detection sensor 13 detects the print area applied to the label paper 51, outputs the detection signal to the control unit, and the control unit 11 controls the push cutter 7 to cut the label paper 51 according to the print length based on the signal input from the print area detection sensor 13.

[0050] Then, since the label 53 cut to an appropriate length is carried out onto the label receiver 109, the operator scoops up the label 53 with fingers and pastes it onto the packaging object P. If it is manual, it can be carefully pasted at an appropriate pasting position.

[0051] Therefore, also in this embodiment, the same label printing device 110 can easily print, cut, and attach the variable-length label 53 to the packaging P.

[0052] (Other Embodiments) The present invention may be configured as follows with respect to the above embodiment.

[0053] That is, in the above embodiment, the attachment unit 8 is shown as using the suction device 8c, but it is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured to switch between suction and blowing to perform guiding and attachment, or the label 53 may be attached to the packaging P with a push pin during attachment, or the label 53 may be grasped by a robot arm and attached to the packaging P.

[0054] Note that the above embodiments are essentially preferred examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or uses.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0055] 1 Roll support part 2 Mounting paper take-up roller 3 Peeling roller 4, 5 Printing part 6 Auxiliary roller 7 Cutter 8 Attachment part 8a Guide belt 8b Pressing roller 8c Suction device 9 Conveyor 10 Label printing device 11 Control part 13 Printing area detection sensor 50 Label roll 51 Label paper 52 Mounting paper 53 Label 109 Label receiver 110 Label printing device P Packaging

Claims

1. In a label printing apparatus for attaching an indefinite-length label to a packaging material, a roll support portion rotatably supporting a label roll around which a label paper having an adhesive layer on its back surface and a backing paper on the back surface of the label paper are wound; a backing paper winding roller for winding up the backing paper; a printing portion including a thermal printer for printing on the label paper according to the contents of the packaging material; a peeling portion provided between the roll support portion and the backing paper winding roller, for peeling the label paper off the backing paper so as to float the label paper on the downstream side of the printing portion; a cutting portion for cutting the label paper peeled off and floating from the backing paper to a length corresponding to the printing length; and further comprising a control portion for controlling to cut the label paper according to the printing length based on a signal regarding the printing area from the printing portion A label printing apparatus characterized by the above.

2. In the label printing apparatus according to Claim 1, the backing paper is made of a synthetic resin film A label printing apparatus characterized by the above.

3. In the label printing apparatus according to Claim 2, the thickness of the synthetic resin film is 6 μm or more and 30 μm or less A label printing apparatus characterized by the above.

4. In the label printing apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, further comprising an attaching portion for guiding the indefinite-length label paper cut by the cutting portion toward the packaging material and attaching it to the packaging material A label printing apparatus characterized by the above.

5. In a label printing method for attaching an indefinite-length label to a packaging material, rotatably supporting a label roll around which a label paper having an adhesive layer on its back surface and a backing paper on the back surface of the label paper are wound, while sequentially winding up the backing paper from the label roll by a backing paper winding roller, a printing portion including a thermal printer performs indefinite-length printing on the label paper, after performing indefinite-length printing on the label paper, at a peeling portion provided between a roll support portion rotatably supporting the label roll and the backing paper winding roller, peeling the label paper off the backing paper so as to float the label paper, the control portion sends a signal for cutting timing to the cutting portion based on a signal regarding the printing area sent from the printing portion, and cutting the label paper peeled off and floating from the backing paper to an indefinite length corresponding to the printing length at the cutting portion A label printing method characterized by the above.

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