US3799834A

US3799834A - Container label operating device

Info

Publication number: US3799834A
Application number: US00280227A
Authority: US
Inventors: S Horvath
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-08-14
Filing date: 1972-08-14
Publication date: 1974-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 1991-03-26

Abstract

In a container labeling machine, flat tubular labels are supplied as a two-ply running web which has transverse lines of perforations between the individual labels. A container moves along a concave guide which has spaced double walls defining a passage for the label web. At one end of the guide, a reciprocable cutter penetrates both plies of the web at a line of perforations, and a detent on the cutter separates on ply of the web from the other ply which is held in place. A pivotally mounted shoe, engaged by the moving container, opens the separated plies of the label into a container-fitting form.

Description

March 26, 1974 5. J. HORVATH 2 She'ets-Sfieet 1 Filed Aug. 14, 1972 March 1974 s. J. HORVATH CONTAINER LABEL OPERATING DEVI-CE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4.

3,799,834 CONTAINER LABEL OPERATING DEVICE Steve J. Horvath, 12600 S. Harvard, Chicago, Ill. 60628 Filed Aug. 14, 1972, Ser. No. 280,227 Int. Cl. B65c 3/10 US. Cl. 156-481 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a container labeling machine, fiat tubular labels are supplied as a two-ply running web which has transverse lines of perforations between the individual labels. A container moves along a concave guide which has spaced double walls defining a passage for the label Web. At one end of the guide, a reciprocable cutter penetrates both plies of the web at a line of perforations, and a detent on the cutter separates one ply of the web from the other ply which is held in place. A pivotally mounted shoe, engaged by the moving container, opens the separated plies of the label into a container-fitting form.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in machines for placing labels around containers. In particular, the invention concerns itself with a machine in which flat tubular labels are supplied as a two-ply running web having transverse lines of perforations between the individual labels.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a very simple but highly eflicient label operating device by which the flat tubular labels in the running web have their two plies separated and opened up into a containerfitting form, each label being automatically placed on a container as the latter passes through the machine and the label Web being advanced step-by-step as the labeling operation progresses. The device is capable of applying labels to containers which are either cylindrical or polygonal in form.

With the foregoing more important object and features in view and such other objects and features which may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the label operating device of the invention, showing the two plies of a label separated in front of an advancing container;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the separated label plies opened up and the container partially inserted into the label;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but with the label completely applied to the container;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the container moving and label holding means at an initial stage of the procedure;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but at a later stage of the procedure;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but at a still later stage of the procedure; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but at the final stage of the labeling procedure.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, more particularly to FIGS. 1-3, the numeral 10* generally designates the base of a labeling machine, provided with a horizontally elongated concave guide 12 to slidably receive containers, such as a cylindrical container C to which a label is to be applied. The labels are supplied to the machine in a flat tubular form as a two-ply running web W, as for example from a supply roll 13 rotatably "United States Patent 0 ice mounted on longitudinal support arms 14 projecting from the base 10.

The concave guide 12 has spaced double walls, defining therebetween a convexo-concave passage 15 through which the label web W passes. The web W is provided with transverse lines of perforations, indicated at 16 in FIG. 1, between the individual labels.

The guide 12 terminates intermediate the ends of the base 10, at Which point an upwardly projectable and downwardly retractable shaft-like member 17 is provided in the base, the same being projected and retracted in any suitable manner. The upper end of the member 17 is equipped with a diamond-shaped cutter blade 18 and with a forwardl projecting detent 19 on the lower portion of the front side of the cutter blade.

As shown in FIG. 1, the label web W has been advanced through the passage .15 and into the forward portion of the base 10, so that the leading label in the web, designated as -L, is disposed in the forward portion of the base, and the line of perforations 16 between the leading label and the next following label lies in the plane of the projectable and retractable member 17. When the member 17 is projected upwardly, the cutter blade 18 penetrates through the perforations 16 in both plies of the web W, but since the cutter blade is much narrower than the web W, the penetration of the perforations initially takes place only centrally of the web.

A vacuum line 20- extends into the base -10 and communicates with a suction area under the web whereby the bottom ply of the label L is held in place, the bottom ply being indicated at Lb in FIGS. 1 and 4. However, as the member 17 moves upwardly, the detent 19 on the cutter blade 18 engages the upper ply Lu of the label. This upward movement causes the perforations 16 in the upper ply of the web to become torn, and continued upward movement of the member 17 projects the upper ply Lu of the label -L into an inverted V-shaped form, separated from the lower ply Lb, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.

A label forming shoe 21 extends longitudinally above the guide 12 and is pivotally mounted on a suitable bracket 22 projecting upwardly from one side of the base 10. The shoe 21 lies in the path of the container C which is being moved along the guide 12 in the direction of the arrow 23. As the front end portion of the container C comes into engagement with the shoe 21, the latter becomes raised or swung upwardly. At the same time, the member 17 is retracted and the raised shoe 21 engages the upper ply Lu of the label L so as to shape it approximately into a cylindrical form to fit the container C, as will be apparent from FIGS. 2 and 5. As forward movement of the container continues, it eventually reaches a position where the label L is in proper position on the container, as indicated in FIGS. 3 and 6. By that time the shoe 21 has become withdrawn from the label, that is, from between the label and the container, and has swung down by gravity as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7.

The containers C are pushed successively through the machine by any suitable means such as a pusher 24 having a bearing 25 slidable along a guide rod 26 at one side of the machine, the pusher being swingable laterally in and out of the way, so as to come into place at the back end of the successive containers. As shown in FIGS. 4-7, a label holder 27 is also slidable on the guide rod 26, being suitably locked on the guide rod at a location where the label L occupies the container-inserting position shown in FIGS. 4-6. A compression spring 28 is provided on the guide rod 26 between the label holder 27 and a stop 29 secured to the guide rod.

As shown in FIG. 4, the holder 27 retains the label L in the container-inserting position while the container C is still outside of the label and the bearing 25 of the container pusher 24 is remote from the holder 27 at the rear end of the guide rod 26. In FIG. 5 the holder 27 still retains the label, but the bearing 25 of the pusher 24 has moved closer toward the holder 27, incident to the forward travel of the container C into the label L. By the time the container is fully inserted into the label as in FIG. 6, the label is still held by the holder 27, but the bearing 25 of the pusher 24 has come into abutment with the holder 27, thus automatically releasing it from its locked position on the rod 26.

As the pusher 24 continues in its forward movement from the position of FIG. 6 to that in FIG. 7, the shoe 21 becomes withdrawn from between the container and the label, and forward movement of the pusher 24 causes the pusher bearing 25 to slide the holder 27 forwardly along the rod 26. It is to be understood that during all this action, the line of perforations 16 in the lower ply of the web B still remains intact, and thus forward movement of the label container to the position of FIG. 7 advances the next succeeding label in the web into position for the next container in the next cycle of operation. When the labeled container is ultimately pushed out of the machine, the perforations in the lower ply of the web become torn, as between the label on the container and the next unused label in the Web, thus completing the procedure.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a container labeling machine wherein flat tubular labels are supplied as a two-ply running web having transverse lines of perforations between the individual labels, a label operating device comprising a concave guide adapted to have a container move therealong, said guide having spaced double walls defining therebetween a passage for the label web, means at one end of said guide for penetrating the web at a line of perforations and separating one ply of the web from the other, and means responsive to passage of a container along said guide for opening the separated label into a container-fitting form.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for penetrating and separating the Web comprise a reciprocable cutter for penetrating both plies of the web at a line of perforations, and a detent at one side of said cutter for engaging one ply of the web and separating it from the other ply.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 together with means for holding said other ply of the web against movement with the ply which is engaged by said detent.

4. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for opening the separated label comprise a shoe pivotally mounted above said guide, said shoe being engageable by a moving container and swingable thereby to open the plies of a label into a container-fitting form.

5. The device as defined in claim 1 together with means for step-by-step advancing the label web as a function of container movement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,097 11/1955 Von Hofe 216-25 3,193,431 7/1965 Seifert 156-384 3,428,981 2/1969 Hofimann 12-1 WILLIAM A. POWELL, Primary Examiner B. J. LEITTEN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.