Apparatus for applying wrap-around body labels to articles

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, IN A LABELING MACHINE OF THE KIND WHEREIN ARTICLES TO BE LABELED ARE ADVANCED UNINTERRUPTEDLY BY A CONVEYOR ALONG A PREDETERMINED RECTILINEAR PATH AND WHEREIN A WIPER CARRIER, LOCATED AT ONE SIDE OF SAID PATH, MOVES IN TIMED RELATION TO THE CONVEYOR IN A CIRCULAR ORBIT, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING MEANS FOR ADHERING THE CENTRAL PORTION OF A GUM-COATED LABEL TO THAT SURFACE OF THE ARTICLE WHICH IS AT ONE SIDE OF SAID PATH, AND WHEREIN, A MAIN WIPER DEVICE SUPPORTED BY SAID CARRIER, WRAPS THE LABEL ABOUT THE ARTICLE THROUGH AN ARC OF APPROXIMATELY 180*, CHARACTERIZED IN HAVING A PRESSURE-TYPE ENDWIPING DEVICE, SAID END-WIPING DEVICE COMPRISING OPPOSED, PADDED, RELATIVELY MOVABLE, ARCUATE LEVER ARMS OPERATIVE COLLECTIVELY TO EMBRACE THE ARTICLE THROUGH AN ARC OF THE ORDER OF 300* WITH THEIR FREE ENDS APPROXIMATELY IN CONTACT, MEANS OPERATIVE TO SEPARATE SAID ARMS AS THE CARRIER MOVES TOWARD THE CONVEYOR PATH, THEREBY TO ADMIT THE ARTICLE BETWEEN THEM, MEANS OPERATIVE TO APPLY FORCE TO THE FREE ENDS OF SAID LEVER ARMS SO AS TO CLOSE THE ARMS ABOUT THE ARTICLE, THERBY TO WIPE THE FREE ENDS OF THE LABEL INTO ADHERING CONTACT WITH THE ARTICLE, AND MEANS OPERATIVE THEREAFTER TO SEPARATE THE ARMS AT THE COMPLETION OF THE WIPING OPERATION, THEREBY TO PERMIT THE WIPER TO BE WITHDRAWN LATERALLY FROM THE PATH OF THE ARTICLE.