Combination label imprinting and applying apparatus

Claim 1

COMBINATION LABEL IMPRINTING AND APPLYING APPARATUS FOR PRINTING SUITABLE INDICIA ON SERIALLY ARRANGED LABELS CONNECTED INTO A WEB OF INDETERMINATE LENGTH AND FOR SEPARATING SUCH LABELS AND APPLYING THE SAME TO ARTICLES SUCCESSIVELY AND RANDOMLY PRESENTED THERETO, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING (A) LABEL SEPARATING MEANS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE WEB OF LABELS AND TO SUCCESSIVELY SEPARATE THE SAME INTO UNCONNECTED INDIVIDUAL LABELS, (B) LABEL APPLYING MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID LABEL SEPARATING MEANS FOR RECEIVING INDIVIDUAL LABELS THEREFROM AND FOR APPLYING THESE LABELS TO ARTICLES PRESENTED THERETO, (C) FEEDING MEANS FOR FEEDING THE WEB OF LABELS TO SAID LABEL SEPARATING MEANS, (D) ARTICLE SENSING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LABEL APPLYING MEANS FOR SENSING ARTICLES PRESENTED TO SAID APPLYING MEANS AND FOR ACTUATING SAID APPLYING MEANS TO APPLY LABELS THERETO IRRESPECTIVE OF THE SPEED OF TRAVEL OR ARRANGEMENT OF THE ARTICLES BEING PRESENTED FOR LABELING, AND SAID ARTICLE SENSING MEANS ALSO BEING CONNECTED TO SAID FEEDING MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME TO FEED ANOTHER LABEL TO SAID LABEL SEPARATING MEANS UPON THE APPLICATION OF A LABEL TO AN ARTICLE SO THAT ANOTHER LABEL IS LEVIERED TO SAID APPLYING MEANS FOR APPLICATION TO THE NEXT ARTICLE PRESENTED TO SAID APPLYING MEANS, (E) LABEL SENSING MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID LABEL SEPARATING MEANS AND CONNECTED TO SAID FEEDING MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID FEEDING MEANS ACTUATED UNTIL ANOTHER LABEL REACHES A POSITION ADJACENT SAID SEPARATING MEANS AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE ARRIVAL OF A LABEL AT SAID POSITION FOR DEACTIVATING SAID FEEDING MEANS, (F) IMPRINTING MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID LABEL SEPARATING MEANS FOR PRINTING SUITABLE INDICIA ON SAID LABELS IN THE WEB BEFORE THE WEB IS DELIVERED TO SAID SEPARATING MEANS AND INCLUDING A ROTATABLE PRINTING CYLINDER, (G) SENSING MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID IMPRINTING MEANS AND SAID SEPARATING MEANS FOR SENSING THE LABEL REQUIREMENTS OF SAID APPLYING MEANS, AND (H) CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID IMPRINTING MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID SENSING MEANS (G) FOR ACTUATING THE PRINTING MEANS TO PRINT LABELS AND FOR DEACTUATING THE PRINTING MEANS WHEN THE LABEL REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN FILLED.