JP3394992B2 - Heating and pressing mechanism in secret label sticking device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heating / pressurizing mechanism in a secret label sticking device for sticking a hot-melt type secret label to a postcard or a private postcard.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a secret label has been attached to a portion in which secret matters such as notification of insurance amount are described,
A postcard has been developed that hides the information in the middle of mailing and allows the legitimate recipient to easily peel off the secret label to see the information after it is received. There are two types of secret labels: an adhesive type that is attached by the adhesive force of the adhesive layer formed on the back side, a hot melt type that applies an adhesive that melts when heated to the back side and then heat-presses it, and an adhesive patch. There is a pressure-sensitive type that is applied to the back side of the label by encapsulating it and pressurizing it with a predetermined pressure or more, but the adhesive type must be peeled off from the release paper and then attached to the postcard, so it is mechanically processed. Is not suitable for. For this reason, the hot melt type is attracting attention because a large number of processes are performed in a short time. As a heating and pressurizing mechanism in the conventional label sticking device for sticking this hot melt type secret label to a sheet-shaped postcard, there is a heating roller having a built-in heat source.

[0003]

The conventional heating roller has the following problems.
Since a flat postcard and a label are superposed and sandwiched by the outer peripheral surface of the roller to perform heating and pressurization at the same time, the heating area is narrow and the heating time is short. Therefore, it is difficult to stably heat the temperature of the hot melt layer of the label to the predetermined temperature every time, and it is difficult to control the temperature. For this reason, there may be a problem such as a defective adhesion portion or defective peeling. Further, even if the outer diameter of the heating roller is increased, the heating area cannot be made as wide as expected and the heating roller becomes bulky. Further, in order to lengthen the heating time with the heating roller, the rotation speed must be decreased to decrease the postcard feeding speed, so that it is difficult to increase the speed for applying the secret label.
In addition, the postcard may stop when it is sandwiched between the heating rollers due to some trouble.In this case, to avoid the risk of the postcards or labels burning or catching fire, set the temperature of the heating roller to There is an upper limit. Further, if a preheating device is provided for preheating, the device becomes large. Then, conventionally, it has been considered necessary to hold the label against the postcard during heating in order to prevent the label sticking position from being displaced, for example, while sandwiching the heating roller in pairs. Before heating, or before heating the entire surface of the label, a part of the label is previously marked and then the entire surface is heated. However, if the heating rollers are heated in pairs, there is the above-mentioned problem, and if the heating rollers are set in advance, a device for this purpose must be provided, and the device becomes large. Therefore, the present invention intends to provide a heating / pressurizing mechanism in a secret label sticking apparatus, which has a wide heating area, a long heating time, easy temperature control, and high-speed processing. It is a thing.

[0004]

Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above, and a postcard transport mechanism provided in a postcard transport path and a secret label having a hot melt layer are polymerized in the middle of the postcard transport path. In a secret label sticking device provided with a label delivery mechanism for supplying to a position, a heating and pressurizing mechanism which is provided on the downstream side of the superposition position, and which heats and pressurizes a postcard and a secret label in a superposed state,
The heating and pressurizing mechanism is a pair of left and right plates sandwiching the postcard transport path, and a plate-shaped heater having a flat heat transfer surface on the postcard transport path side, and a postcard transport path downstream of the heater. It is composed of pressure rollers arranged in a pair of right and left, one heater is provided in a fixed state with respect to the postcard conveying path, and the other heater is made movable in a direction intersecting with the postcard conveying path. It is characterized in that the heater is biased toward the postcard conveying path side by a spring.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a postcard transport mechanism provided in the postcard transport path, a label delivery mechanism for supplying a secret label having a hot melt layer to a superposition position in the middle of the postcard transport path, In the secret label sticking device, which is provided on the downstream side of the polymerization position and which heats and pressurizes the postcard and the secret label in a polymerized state, the heat and pressure mechanism is arranged on both sides of the postcard transport path. A plate-shaped heater arranged in pairs to form a flat heat transfer surface on the side of the postcard, a postcard feed mechanism arranged on the upstream side of the heater, and a left and right side of the postcard on the downstream side of the heater. It consists of pressure rollers arranged in pairs, one heater is fixed to the postcard transport path, and the other heater is moved back and forth in the direction intersecting the postcard transport path. In addition to activating the heater, the heater is biased toward the postcard conveying path by a spring, and the gap between the nip position of the heater side of the postcard feeding mechanism and the nip position of the pressure roller is set shorter than the length of one postcard in the conveying direction. It was done.

[0006]

[Function] When a postcard and a label in a superposed state enter between the plate heaters from the leading portion, the heater on the movable side slightly retracts according to the thickness of the postcard and the label, but the heater urges the label and the postcard due to the spring force. Surface contact with each and heat uniformly from both sides. Therefore, the hot melt layer at the leading portion of the label first begins to melt, which increases the coefficient of friction between the label and the postcard and makes it difficult for relative slippage to occur. Then, when the postcard and the label in the polymerized state further go deeper by the postcard feeding mechanism, the newly entered portion comes into surface contact with the fixed heater and the movable heater and is heated, and the melting width of the hot melt layer is expanded to The friction coefficient is further increased and slippage is less likely to occur, and the leading portion of the label that has begun to melt is uniformly heated to a predetermined temperature. Even if the postcard and the label enter further deeply and the label comes off from the postcard feeding mechanism, the label does not deviate from the postcard due to the increase in the friction coefficient. Therefore, the label moves downstream at the same speed as the postcard.
In this way, when the space between the heaters reaches the trailing edge of the label, the entire surface of the label is uniformly heated to the predetermined temperature,
By this heating, the entire surface of the hot melt layer is melted uniformly.

By the time the postcard feeding mechanism nips the rear end portion of the postcard and sends it out to the heater side and leaves the postcard,
The leading portion of the postcard is sandwiched between the pressure rollers. Therefore, the postcard is conveyed from the heater to the downstream side at the same speed by the rotation of the pressure roller so as to be pulled out from between the heaters. When the postcard sandwiched between the pressure rollers is conveyed, the leading portion of the label is immediately sandwiched between the pressure rollers.

When the pressure roller conveys the postcard and the label to the downstream side while sandwiching the postcard and the label, the hot melt layer of the label in a molten state is pressed against the surface of the postcard to be in close contact therewith, and is cooled by the pressure roller. Therefore, the label can be reliably attached to the postcard with sufficient attachment force.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the secret label sticking device 1 with the inside thereof seen through, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the main part with the cover 2 opened.

Secret label sticking apparatus 1 shown in the drawings
Stands up in a slanted state in which the main body front part 3 covered with the cover 2 is retracted from the lower part to the upper part, and a series of secret labels (secret label band 4) is provided on the upper right part of the main body front part 3. A coil support portion 5 for supporting the wound coil in a state where its axial direction is tilted upward from the horizontal is provided,
On one side (lower left side) of the main body front surface portion 3, a first postcard storage portion 6 for stacking and storing sheet-shaped postcards is provided.
On the other side (lower right side), the second postcard storage units 7 for stacking and storing the postcards to which the secret labels are attached are respectively arranged, and the upper end of the first postcard storage unit 6 and the second postcard storage unit 7 are arranged.
A postcard conveying path 8 is formed between the postcard conveying path 8 and the upper end of the postcard, and a postcard delivered from the first postcard storing section 6 to the second postcard storing section 7 is conveyed to the second postcard storing section 7 by the feeding mechanism. A postcard conveying mechanism 9 is provided, and a label cutting mechanism 10 for cutting the label strip 4 unwound from the coil into a predetermined length is provided on the lower left side of the coil supporting portion 5, and the cut secret label is provided in the postcard conveying path 8. A label delivery mechanism for delivering the label to the superposition position P is arranged, and the postcard conveying path 8 downstream of the superposition position P is provided with a heating / pressurizing mechanism 11 for adhering the secret label to the postcard.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the entire front surface 3 of the main body is formed as the same plane, but steps or irregularities may be formed if necessary. In short, the coil supporting portion 5, the label cutting mechanism 10, the label sending mechanism, and the postcard conveying path 8 are provided on the front surface of the main body 12 which covers the front surface of the main body 12 provided with the driving portions for driving the coil supporting portion 5 and the postcard conveying mechanism 9. Any base member may be used as long as it is provided with the above.

As shown in FIG. 5, the secret label 14 stuck to the postcard 13 by the secret label sticking device 1 has a concealing layer 16, a peeling layer 17 and a peeling layer 17 on the back surface of a base material 15 such as paper or a synthetic resin sheet. The hot-melt layer 18 is formed, and the hot-melt layer 18 is attached to the postcard 13 by being melted by heat, and the concealment layer 16 surely prevents the items described in the postcard 13 from being visually recognized. Then, when the recipient peels off the label, the label is peeled off from the peeling layer 17, and the written matter on the postcard 13 can be read through the transparent hot melt layer 18. On the surface of the secret label 14, eye marks 19 for position detection are printed or holes are formed at predetermined positions at intervals of each sheet.

The coil support portion 5 has a table 20 on which a coil is placed and which rotates, and a support shaft 21 standing upright at the center of the table 20. The table 20 is rotated by the drive of a motor inside the main body 12 to rotate the coil. I am trying to solve it appropriately. The support shaft 21 of the table 20 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the tip is installed in a state in which the tip is inclined upward from the horizontal direction by a predetermined angle (the same angle as the inclination angle θ of the main body front surface portion 3), and is orthogonal to the main body front surface portion 3.

The label strip 4 unwound by the coil support 5 is
Guided by the tension roller 22 and the guide roller 23, the label cutting mechanism 10 moves to the label feeding mechanism 24.
Sent to. The tension roller 22 not only keeps the tension of the unwound label strip 4 substantially constant, but when a large tension acts to move it to a predetermined position, the tension roller 2
A switch (not shown) that operates in conjunction with the arm rod of No. 2 is turned on to start the motor of the table 20 and unwind the coil.

The table 20 is always rotatable,
When the label cutting and feeding mechanism, which will be described later, pulls the label band 4, the table 20 rotates and the coil is unraveled, and when the unraveled length is sufficient, a mechanical brake is used to interlock with the arm rod of the tension roller 22. Alternatively, the rotation of the table 20 may be stopped by operating the electromagnetic brake in response to a signal from a switch that is turned on / off at the position of the arm rod. Further, by operating the operation unit of the operation panel 25, the cutting length of the label, that is, the left and right width in the state of being stuck on the postcard 13, the sticking height of the label, the processing speed, etc. can be set in the control device. With this setting, the guide of the label cutting mechanism 10, which will be described later, moves to a predetermined height and the necessary adjustment is automatically performed. In addition, the heating and pressurizing mechanism 11
The heating temperature can also be set to a temperature suitable for conditions such as the characteristics of the hot melt layer 18 of the label.

Label cutting mechanism 10 and label sending mechanism 24
Are arranged along a label running path formed in a direction diagonally intersecting the postcard 13 conveying path 8. When described in order from the entrance side, the label strips 4 are arranged between two plate materials facing each other. A label guide 26 that guides at a height set through a label position detector 2 that detects the position of each label by detecting the eye mark 19 or hole printed on the label band 4.
7, a pair of label feeding rollers 28, a cutter 29, a pair of label feeding rollers 30 for feeding one label cut by the cutter 29, and the like. The label position detector 27, the drive motor of the label feed roller 28, the drive solenoid of the cutter 29, the drive motor of the label delivery roller 30, and the like are provided in the main body 12 and are connected to a control device such as a microcomputer. It is operated by a signal from this control device.

When the label position detector 27 detects the position of the label by detecting the eye mark 19, the label feeding roller 28 rotating by the signal from the control device.
Thus, the label band 4 is fed, the label boundary (that is, the cutting position) is aligned with the cutter 29, and the feeding of the label band 4 is temporarily stopped at this position. Then, the cutter 29 operates in response to a signal from the control device to cut the leading portion of the label band 4 into a predetermined length and separate it into one secret label 14. When the cutting is performed in this manner, the leading end portion of the separated label is sandwiched by the label delivery roller 30, so that the label delivery roller 30 sends the label to the postcard 13 transport path 8 in response to a signal from the control device. It is sent to the overlapping position P. Since the label 14 must be superposed on a predetermined position of the postcard 13, the label sending roller 30
Operates together with the feeding mechanism of the postcard 13 described below under the control of the control device.

Next, the first postcard storage section 6 for stocking postcards 13 ... Before labeling will be described. The first postcard storage unit 6 is the upper part of the postcard 13 (the person who writes the postal code)
, The lower part is faced to the front surface part 3 side of the main body, and is stored in a state of being laid down in a state of being laid down with the address description surface (the communication item hidden by the label 14 is described on the lower part) facing up. The inner surface of the side surface portion 12 of 12 functions as a guide for one long side of the postcard 13, and the first guide member 32 standing upright at a position slightly wider than the width of the postcard 13 from the main body side surface portion 31 is the postcard 13. , Which functions as a guide for the other long side, and is provided with an elevating bottom portion 33 that is vertically moved by driving a motor.

The postcards 13 in the first postcard storage section 6 placed on the elevating bottom part 33 and raised are fed out from the uppermost one to the one-card postcard 13 conveyance path 8 by the feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism is a feeding roller 34 provided at the upper end of the first postcard storage section 6.
And a pair of overlapping prevention rollers 35a, 35b provided on the downstream side of the feeding roller 34, and the front end of the shaft of both rollers is inclined upward by an angle θ with respect to the front surface 3 of the main body. It is provided in a state of being orthogonal to each other. The feeding roller 34 rotates (normally rotates) in the feeding direction of the postcard 13 ...
This postcard 1 is pressed against the uppermost postcard 13 in the postcard storage unit 6,
Send out 3.

In order to properly adjust the pressure at which the postcards 13 come into contact with the feeding roller 34, a detection switch for detecting the swing amount of the support member of the feeding roller 34, that is, the pressure received by the feeding roller 34. The contact pressure of the postcard 13 may be adjusted by controlling ON / OFF of the motor based on the signal from the switch, or a detector for detecting the pressure of the uppermost postcard 13 may be provided. Alternatively, the contact pressure to the feeding roller 34 may be controlled to an appropriate pressure by a signal from the detector.

The delivery roller 34 in this embodiment has its front end slightly inclined in the feeding direction of the postcard 13. Therefore, the first postcard 13 in the first postcard storage unit 6
When comes into contact with the feeding roller 34, the postcard 13
The frictional force with the peripheral surface of the rotating roller receives a force that is sent out in the lateral direction, that is, in the conveying direction of the postcard 13 conveying path 8, and receives a diagonal force on the front surface part 3 side of the main body to cause the bottom surface of the conveying path 8 (reference It is a surface and in this embodiment is pressed against the front surface 3 of the main body. Therefore, the irregular postcards 13 whose edges are not parallel to the front surface 3 of the main body in the first postcard storage portion 6 are sent by the feeding roller 34 in an oblique direction toward the reference plane so that the edges are postcarded. It is corrected to the correct posture in contact with the bottom surface of the transport path 8. Therefore, it is possible to achieve the proper posture of the postcard 13, which is one of the matters required to accurately attach the label 14 to the predetermined position.

The overlapping prevention rollers 35a and 35b are configured to rotate one roller 35a arranged in parallel with the feeding roller 34 in the conveying direction of the postcard 13 to form a forward rotation roller.
5a and the other roller 3 provided on the opposite side with the conveying path 8 in between.
5b is a reversing roller that rotates in a direction opposite to the direction in which the postcard 13 is conveyed, and the outer peripheral surface distance between the rollers 35a and 35b is set to an interval that allows only one postcard 13 to pass. This interval needs to be adjusted to the thickness of the postcard 13 to be used. Therefore, in this embodiment, the shaft of the reversing roller 35b is fixed to the main body 12, and the shaft of the forward rotation roller 35a is set to the transport path 8.
It is constructed so that it can move in the direction intersecting with.

When the distance between the overlapping prevention rollers 35a and 35b is set appropriately, when one postcard 13 is delivered by the rotation of the delivery roller 34, the postcard 13 passes between the rollers 35a and 35b. When the postcards 13 are conveyed and delivered by the rotation of the delivery roller 34 in an overlapping manner, the postcard 13 in contact with the delivery roller 34 and the forward rotation roller 35a, that is, the uppermost postcard 1 of the first postcard storage unit 6
3 is pushed out as it is in the conveying direction and passes between both the forward rotation and reversal rollers 35a and 35b, but the second postcard 13 fed out overlapping this postcard 13 is the reversal roller 35b.
Is pushed back when it comes into contact with the rollers 35a, 35b.
I can't enter in the meantime. Therefore, both rollers 35a, 35
The postcard 13 passing between b is regulated only by the highest postcard 13, and the postcards 13 that are the second and subsequent sheets that are fed out in an overlapping manner are rotated by the feeding roller 34 and the forward rotation roller 35a after the postcard 13 is passed. It is sent out in the transport direction and passes between both rollers 35a and 35b.

The postcards 13 ... Which have been sent out in the state of being separated one by one as described above are moved to the superposition position P with respect to the front surface portion 3 of the main body by the action of the postcard transfer mechanism 9 provided in the postcard transfer path 8. They are transported independently in the orthogonal state. The postcard transport mechanism 9 of this embodiment includes the overlap prevention rollers 35a and 35b.
It comprises a pair of feed rollers 9a provided on the downstream side and a pair of transport rollers 9b provided on the downstream side thereof, and the transport speed of the feed roller 9a is set higher than the transport speed of the feeding roller 34 and the forward rotation roller 35a. There is. Therefore, when the postcard 13 that has passed the overlapping prevention rollers 35a and 35b is conveyed by the feed rollers 9a and 9a, a predetermined space is formed between the postcard 13 and the next postcard 13. In addition,
The feed roller 9a and the transport roller 9b are formed by inclining the front end of each shaft upward by an inclination angle θ to form a reference plane (main body front surface portion 3
The holding angle of the postcard 13 is set to be a right angle with respect to the surface).

A postcard detector 36 including a photosensor is provided in the middle of the conveying roller 9b, and the postcard detector 3 is provided.
The postcard 13 conveyed by 6 is detected. When the postcard detector 36 detects the conveyed postcard 13 (the rear end of the postcard 13 in this embodiment), a signal is sent to the control device,
Based on this signal, the control device controls the feeding of the feeding roller 9b and the label feeding roller 30 described above. Therefore, when the transport roller 9b transports the postcard 13 to the superposition position P, the label 14 sent by the label delivery roller 30 is superposed at a predetermined position on the postcard 13. Since a pair of feed rollers 9c are disposed at the overlapping position P, the overlapped postcard 13 and the label pass between the feeding rollers 9c in an overlapping state and are sent to the heating / pressurizing mechanism 11. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the heating and pressurizing mechanism 11 is arranged in a pair of left and right sides with the postcard conveying path 8 sandwiched therebetween, and has a plate shape having a flat heat transfer surface on the postcard conveying path 8 side. Heater 37, a feed roller 9c disposed upstream of the heater 37 as a postcard feeding mechanism, and a pressure roller 38 disposed on the downstream side of the heater 37 in a left-right pair with the postcard conveyance path 8 interposed therebetween. Become. One of the heaters 37a is provided in a fixed state with respect to the postcard conveying path 8, and the other heater 37b is in a direction crossing the postcard conveying path 8 by the link piece 39 and the shaft 40 (in the present embodiment, in the present embodiment). Axis 40
Is provided in the main body 12 in such a state that it can be rotated about the center and moved forward and backward in a direction substantially orthogonal to the postcard conveyance path 8. The movable heater 37 is urged toward the postcard conveying path 8 by a spring 41 provided on the back side.

Reference numeral 42 in FIG. 6 denotes a heat source, and the metal plate heater 3 is generated by the heat generated from these heat sources 42.
The temperature of the whole 7 rises to the set temperature, and the plate heater 37
Heat is transferred from the heat transfer surface of the card to the postcard 13 or the label. Further, the entrance portion of the postcard conveying path 8 where the heat transfer surface of the fixed heater 37 and the heat transfer surface of the movable heater 37 face each other is chamfered so that the postcard 13 in the superposed state and the label can be easily inserted. Has been formed.

The postcard feeding mechanism arranged on the upstream side of the heater 37 is not limited to the feeding roller 9c but may be a feeding belt provided in a pair. Then, the nip position on the heater 37 side of the postcard feeding mechanism (the position where the postcard 13 is sandwiched, and in the case of the feed roller 9c, the left and right feed rollers 9c, 9c are used to send the postcard 13).
The position where the rollers are sandwiched, the position of the left and right belts on the side of the heater 37 where the belts are sandwiched) and the pressure roller 38,
The interval between the nip position 38 and the nip position is set to be shorter than the length of one postcard 13 in the transport direction, that is, the lateral width of the postcard 13 in this embodiment.

By the action of the feed roller 9c, the postcard 13 and the label 14 in the superposed state are moved from the leading portion to the plate heater 37.
When entering between a and 37b, the heater 37b on the movable side slightly retracts according to the thickness of the postcard 13 and the label 14, but the heater 37 on the fixed side is biased by the spring 41.
a is in contact with the label side, and the movable heater 37b is in contact with the postcard 13 side, respectively, and heats uniformly from both sides. Therefore, the hot melt layer 18 at the leading portion of the label 14 first begins to melt, which increases the coefficient of friction between the label 14 and the postcard 13 and makes it difficult for relative slippage to occur.
Then, the postcard 1 in a superposed state by the action of the feed roller 9c
When 3 and the label 14 enter further deeply, the newly entered part comes into surface contact with the fixed heater 37 and the movable heater 37 and is heated, the melting width of the hot melt layer 18 is expanded, and the friction coefficient is further increased. As a result, slippage is less likely to occur, and the leading portion of the label 14 that has begun to melt is uniformly heated to a predetermined temperature. Further, by the action of the feed roller 9c, the postcard 13 and the label 14 enter further deeply and the label 14 is separated from the feed roller 9c. In this state, the label 14 is not sandwiched by the feed roller 9c and the downstream pressure roller 38, but the label 14 is not displaced from the postcard 13 due to the increase in the friction coefficient. Therefore, the label 14 moves to the downstream side at the same speed as the postcard 13. In this way, label 1
When the space between the heaters 37 reaches the rear end portion of the label 4, the entire surface of the label 14 is uniformly heated to a predetermined temperature, and this heating uniformly melts the entire surface of the hot melt layer 18.

When the feed roller 9c nips the rear end portion of the postcard 13 and sends it to the heater 37 side and moves away from the postcard 13, the distance between the feed roller 9c and the pressure roller 38 is larger than the width of the postcard 13. Since it is set small, the leading portion of the postcard 13 is sandwiched by the pressure roller 38. Therefore, the postcard 13 is rotated by the rotation of the pressure roller 38.
Is conveyed through the postcard conveying path 8 at the same speed toward the downstream second postcard 13 storing section 7 so as to be drawn out from between the heaters 37. When the postcard 13 sandwiched by the pressure roller 38 is conveyed, the leading portion of the label 14 is immediately sandwiched by the pressure roller 38.

When the pressure roller 38 conveys the postcard 13 and the label 14 to the downstream side while sandwiching the postcard 13 and the label 14, the hot melt layer 18 of the label 14 in a melted state is pressed against the surface of the postcard 13 so as to be in close contact with the surface of the postcard 13. It is cooled by the roller 38. Therefore, the label 14 is reliably attached to the postcard 13 with sufficient attachment force. Then, the postcards 13 to which the labels 14 are attached are successively put into the second postcard storage section 7 by the feeding action of the pressure roller 38 which also has the function of a transport roller, and are overlapped in the second postcard storage section 7. It is stored in the state.

The second postcard storage unit 7 stores the postcards 13 in a state where the upper part of the postcard 13 (where the postal code is written) is in front and the lower part of the postcard 13 is laid down toward the front face part 3 of the main body. The inner surface of the side surface portion 44 of the main body 12 functions as a guide for one long side of the postcard 13.
The second guide member 45 standing upright at a position slightly separated from the postcard 13 by a distance slightly wider than the width of the postcard 13 functions as a guide for the other long side of the postcard 13, and the main body side surface portion 44 and the second guide member 45 are separated from each other. The postcard placement surface of the bottom portion 46 in between is inclined downward from the front side toward the back on the front side 3 of the main body. The downward inclination angle of the bottom portion 46 of the second postcard storage portion 7 may be the same as the inclination angle θ of the front surface portion 3 of the main body, but may be further inclined downward at a large angle of θ or more.

When the postcard 13 sent from the pressure roller 38 is loaded into the second postcard storage section 7, the postcard 13 first comes into contact with the main body side surface section 44 which also functions as a stopper, and then the first postcard 13 is moved by its own weight. 2 Fall in the postcard storage section 7
It is piled up one by one and stored. In this case, label 1
In the postcard 13 to which 4 is attached, the thickness at the bottom is the label 1
4 thick. Therefore, when the postcards 13 after the label sticking process are piled up one after another in the second postcard storage part 7, the postcards 13 close to the bottom part 46 descend to the main body front face part 3 side at the same angle as the inclination angle of the bottom part 46. It is stored in an inclined state. Then, the postcards 13 piled up afterwards are gradually reduced in inclination angle and stored in a gentle downward inclination state, and when the second postcard storage section 7 becomes almost full, the postcards 13 are stored in a substantially horizontal state. To be done. Note that about 700 postcards 1 are stored in the second postcard storage unit 7 in this embodiment.
It is set to a capacity capable of storing 3 or height.

As described above, since the bottom portion 46 of the second postcard storage portion 7 is inclined downward toward the main body front surface portion 3, a large number of postcards 13 are stored in the second postcard storage portion 7 in a stacked state. However, the postcard 13 on the upper side does not incline downward to the front side. Therefore, the postcard 13 on the upper side can be prevented from slipping down, and the postcard 13 subjected to the label storage processing can be prevented.
Can be reliably stored in the second postcard storage portion 7, and the stored postcard 13 can be stored in a neatly aligned state because the posture of the postcard 13 is restricted by the main body side surface portion 44 and the second guide member 45.

Then, when the second postcard storage section 7 is almost full, the stacked postcards 13 are grasped and taken out by hand. In this case, the front-rear length (depth) of the bottom portion 46 of the second postcard storage portion 7 is set to be shorter than the length of the long side of the postcard 13, and the bottom portion 46 is inclined downward toward the main body front surface portion 3 side. Since it is higher than the back, the front side of the postcard 13 stored in the second postcard storage portion 7 projects more than the bottom portion 46,
The lower part of this protruding portion is vacant. Therefore, it is easy to put in a finger in this empty space and collectively grasp and take out the overlapped postcards 13.

In the above-described embodiment, a pair of plate-shaped heaters 37 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of pairs may be provided along the postcard conveying path 8.
In this case, it is desirable to dispose a pressure roller that also serves as a feed roller between the upstream heater 37 and the downstream heater 37. Further, the postcard transport mechanism 9 is not limited to the one that is transported by the pair of rollers, but the postcard 13
Any structure may be used as long as it can convey the sheet. For example, the belts may be provided as a pair. Further, the secret label sticking apparatus 1 described above sticks the secret label 14 on the sheet-shaped postcard 13, but the present invention is not limited to this sheet-shaped postcard, and the postcard is not limited thereto. It may be provided in the secret label sticking device for sticking the secret label 14 through the postcard conveying path 8 with continuous paper that can be separated into the size of.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the heater is plate-shaped and the flat heat transfer surface is formed on the side of the postcard conveying path, the heating area can be wide, and
Since the length along the postcard transport direction is much longer than that of the heating roller, the heating time can be taken longer, and moreover, the bias of the spring biases the postcard transport path side while one heater can move forward and backward. The heat transfer surface of the heater ensures surface contact with the postcard or label. Therefore, the temperature of the hot melt layer of the label can be stably heated to the predetermined temperature every time over the entire surface, and the temperature control is easy. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of defective sticking portions and peeling defects. Since the hot melt layer can be surely melted even if the postcard transport speed is increased, the speed of applying the secret label can be easily increased. Further, even if the set temperature of the heater is set lower than that of the heating roller, since the heating area is large and the heating time is long, the heating can be surely performed.
Therefore, when the postcard is stopped between the heaters due to some trouble, there is no risk of the postcard or label burning or catching fire, which also contributes to ensuring safety. Further, when the postcard and the label in the polymerized state enter between the plate-shaped heaters from the leading part, the heater on the movable side slightly retracts according to the thickness of the postcard and the label, so the postcard and the label in the polymerized state easily enter, and Since the heater is biased by a spring, the heater heats by making face contact with the label. Therefore, it is possible to first melt the hot melt layer at the leading portion of the label to increase the friction coefficient between the label and the postcard and create a state in which relative slip is unlikely to occur. Then, when the postcard and the label in the polymerized state penetrate further deeply, the melting width of the hot melt layer is expanded, the friction coefficient is further increased, and slippage is less likely to occur, and the label becomes a postcard feeding mechanism or a pressure roller. Even if the label is not sandwiched between the labels, the label is not displaced from the postcard due to the increase in the friction coefficient. As described above, according to the present invention, by providing the plate-shaped movable heater urged by the spring, the label being heated is heated without special means for holding the label against the postcard during heating. The positional deviation with respect to the postcard can be eliminated, and the label can be accurately attached at a predetermined position. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the distance between the heater side nip position of the postcard feeding mechanism arranged on the upstream side of the heater and the nip position of the pressure roller arranged on the downstream side of the heater is determined by the length in the conveying direction of one postcard. Since the postcard is set shorter than this, when the postcard passes through the heating / pressurizing mechanism, at least one of the postcard feeding mechanism and the pressure roll nips the postcard, and the postcard can be reliably transported. When the label superposed on the postcard passes through the heating / pressurizing mechanism, even if it is disengaged from either the postcard feeding mechanism or the pressure roll, the displacement of the label is prevented by heating the plate-shaped movable heater urged by the spring. And it is not necessary to mark a part of the label in advance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a secret label sticking device in a state of seeing through the inside.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the secret label sticking device with the cover open.

FIG. 3 is a schematic right side view of the secret label sticking device.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a postcard to which a label is attached.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a hot melt type label.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a heating / pressurizing mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 secret label sticking device 2 cover 3 front face part 4 secret label band 5 coil support part 6 first postcard storage part 7 second postcard storage part 8 postcard transport path 9 postcard transport mechanism 9a constitutes a part of a postcard transport mechanism Feeding roller 9b Conveying roller 9c forming a part of the postcard conveying mechanism Feeding roller 10 also serving as a postcard conveying mechanism and a heating / pressurizing mechanism Label cutting mechanism 11 Heating / pressurizing mechanism 13 Postcard 14 Cut secret label 24 Label Feeding mechanism 28 Label feeding roller 29 Cutter 30 Label feeding roller 37 Heater 38 Pressure roller 41 Spring urging the heater

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65C 9/24 B42D 15/04 B65C 1/02 G09F 3/03 B42D 15/08

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A postcard transport mechanism provided in a postcard transport path, and a label delivery mechanism for supplying a secret label having a hot melt layer to a polymerization position in the middle of the postcard transport path,
A heating and pressurizing mechanism which is provided on the downstream side of the polymerization position and heats and presses the postcard and the secret label in a polymerization state,
In the secret label sticking apparatus having the above, the heating and pressurizing mechanism is a plate-shaped heater which is arranged in a pair of left and right with a postcard transport path sandwiched therebetween and has a flat heat transfer surface on the postcard transport path side, and the heater. It is composed of pressure rollers arranged in pairs on the downstream side of the postcard conveyance path with the postcard conveyance path sandwiched between them. One heater is fixed to the postcard conveyance path, and the other heater is provided to the postcard conveyance path. A heating / pressurizing mechanism in a secret label sticking device, which is capable of moving back and forth in a crossing direction and biasing the heater toward a postcard conveying path by a spring. 2. A postcard transport mechanism provided in the postcard transport path, and a label delivery mechanism for supplying a secret label having a hot melt layer to a polymerization position in the middle of the postcard transport path,
A heating and pressurizing mechanism which is provided on the downstream side of the polymerization position and heats and presses the postcard and the secret label in a polymerization state,
In the secret label sticking apparatus having the above, the heating and pressing mechanism is a plate-shaped heater having a flat heat transfer surface on the side of the postcard transport path, which is arranged in a pair of left and right with the postcard transport path sandwiched between the heater and the heater. It consists of a postcard feeding mechanism arranged on the upstream side and pressure rollers arranged on the downstream side of the heater in a pair of left and right sides with the postcard conveying path sandwiched between them, with one heater fixed to the postcard conveying path. A nip position between the heater and the pressure roller of the postcard feeding mechanism is provided so that the other heater can be moved forward and backward in a direction intersecting the postcard transport path and the heater is urged toward the postcard transport path by a spring. A heating / pressurizing mechanism in a secret label sticking device, characterized in that the distance from the position is set shorter than the length of one postcard in the transport direction.