A pre-feed system and method for a liner-less label printer includes a drive roll that is configured to peel liner-less labels from a reel and pass the labels to an in-line label printer at a consistent rate. An idler roll disposed in proximity to the drive roll creates a nip for pulling labels from the reel. The idler roll is comprised of silicone which prevents the adhesive side of the liner-less label from sticking. A print controller monitors a non-contact reflective object sensor disposed in proximity to the path of the liner-less labels between the drive roll and the in-line printer. The print controller adjusts the speed of the drive roll to maintain a consistent rate for labels entering the print feed of the in-line label printer and reduces the amount of force required to feed labels into the printer.

An apparatus for applying elastics to a running web including a crank and arm, the arm arranged to reciprocate from side to side during use and having a laydown carriage carried on the arm, the laydown carriage including at least one eyelet arranged to support an elastic strand, the assembly further including a shoe guide.

A kit for dispensing disposable stethoscope covers and other instrument covers is provided. The kit may include a cartridge and a dispenser for automatic touch-free dispensing of disposable stethoscope covers. The kit further includes a first spool having a roll of backing member with disposable stethoscope covers disposed thereon and a second spool for receiving the spent backing member after a disposable stethoscope cover has been removed, self-contained within the cartridge. The cartridge is inserted within the dispenser so that a user may insert a stethoscope head through a window of the dispenser to attach to a disposable stethoscope cover. Alternatively, the cartridge or cassette may be comprised of disposable instrument covers so that a user may insert the instrument near or through the window of the dispenser for application of the instrument cover directly to the instrument. The kit may further include a proximity sensor for detecting a user.

A ribbon supply roll for use in a plastic card or passport personalization machine. The ribbon supply roll includes a zone-coated splice tape with a pressure sensitive adhesive on a backing film where the adhesive does not flow or ooze beyond the edges of the backing film. Therefore, a transferrable material on a winding layer in contact with the splice tape is not pulled away. For example, portions of the backing film of the splice tape are not coated with the adhesive which permits the adhesive to flow or ooze when pressure is applied to the splice tape. However, the adhesive does not flow enough to flow beyond the edges of the backing film.

An apparatus for applying elastics to a running web including a crank and arm, the arm arranged to reciprocate from side to side during use and having a laydown carriage carried on the arm, the laydown carriage including at least one eyelet arranged to support an elastic strand, the assembly further including a shoe guide.

A dispenser housing for dispensing a multi-layer tape transfer tape used in a paper web turn-up operation, the transfer tape being the combination of a tape substrate coated on one side with a web grabbing adhesive and on the other side with a mounting adhesive and an affixed cord or cordlike feature, and a release liner having a release liner substrate fully coated on a first side with a release layer and zone-coated on a second side with a release layer, the transfer tape being wound onto a single spool with the release liner facing inward and the mounting side adhesive facing outward, such that buckling is precluded when the transfer tape is unwound from the spool.

A label printer includes a print head, a transporting roller, a peeling roller, and a control unit, wherein the control unit controls a current value to be supplied to a peeling motor configured to rotate the peeling roller such that a transport force of the peeling roller for transporting the backing sheet is equal to or greater than a minimum force required for peeling the label and is greater than a maximum friction force between the peeling roller and the backing sheet, and the maximum friction force and a maximum friction force between the transporting roller and the label sheet are set such that the maximum friction force between the peeling roller and the backing sheet is equal to or smaller than a transport force of the peeling roller that sets a transport error of the label sheet by the transporting roller to be within an acceptable value.

A mechanical touch fastener assembly (10, 101) including two longitudinally continuous tapes (16), (18) carrying engaged fastener patches (12, 12a), (14, 14a,14b, 14c). The first tape (16) carrying a series of first fastener patches (12, 12a) arranged in a row along a length of the tape (16) and carrying a field of touch fastening features. Each first patch longitudinally spaced from adjacent first patches (12, 12a). The second tape (18) carrying a series of second fastener patches (14, 14a, 14b, 14c) carrying a second field of touch fastening features. The first (16) and second (18) FIG. 1 tapes including a release liner (22), (24). The first (16) and second (18) tapes wound together to form a roll (60), with each of the first fastener patches (12, 12a) releasably engaged to a respective one of the second fastener patches (14, 14a, 14b, 14c) by inter-engagement of the first and second touch fastening features. As wound to form the roll (60), one patch of an engaged pair (25) has a leading edge (52, 52b, 52c) disposed behind a leading (50) edge of another patch of the engaged pair (25).

A series of elastic break brakes are provided throughout a travel path of elastics in a machine operation. Elastic strands thread through each individual brake mechanism, and if an elastic strand breaks downstream, a natural snap back of the elastic, which ordinarily travels through the system under tension, drives an immediately upstream cam mechanism back, and holds the elastic thread in place at the elastic break brake immediately upstream of the break as to minimize rethreading required downstream of the elastic break brake.

A label printer includes a print head configured to perform printing on a label sheet, a transporting roller configured to transport the label sheet downstream, a peeling roller configured to transport a backing sheet in a direction different from a travelling direction of a label to peel the label from the backing sheet, and a control unit configured to control rotation of the transporting roller and rotation of the peeling roller, wherein a maximum friction force between the transporting roller and the label sheet are set such that the maximum friction force between the peeling roller and the backing sheet is not greater than a transport force of the peeling roller so as to make a transport error of the label sheet by the transporting roller within an acceptable value.