Labeling machine

Claim 2

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 2, including means for supporting said register element in stationary condition at said pick-up station adjacent to said closed path of movement of said applicator.

Claim 3

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 2, in which said label register element is mounted on said applicator in association with said label supporting surface thereof.

Claim 4

In a labeling machine ss defined in claim 1, in which said registering means includes a stationary label holder located at said pick-up station and having a label holding surface adjacent to said closed path of movement of said applicator, means for creating at said holder supporting surface a low suction condition sufficient to hold a label thereto, and means for slidably advancing a label across such holder supporting surface under suction control and for halting such movement when said given line in the plane of the label will come into coincidence with said given line in the plane of said applicator surface, and in which said means for creating a suction condition at said applicator label supporting surface creates thereat a higher suction than that created at said holder supporting surface.

Claim 5

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 5, in which said means for slidably advancing and halting the movement of a label on said holder supporting surface includes a label register element mounted on said holder in association with said label supporting surface thereof and in the path of the slidable movement of a label on the latter.

Claim 6

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 5, in which said means for slidably advancing and halting the movement of a label on said holder supporting surface includes movable means for carrying a label in secured registered relation thereon toward such surface and for advancing the separated leading end of the label slidably across such surface, means for progressively separating the label from said carrier means as it is advanced across such holder surface, and means for halting the movement of said carrying means when the label reaches its registered position on said holder supporting surface and while the trailing end of the label is still secured to such carrier means.

Claim 7

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 5, in which said label holder has a pair of spaced label holding suction surfaces disposed on opposite sides of said closed path for holding spaced portions of a label with the central position thereof spanning said closed path, and in which said label advancing means slidably advances a label across both of said spaced surfaces simultaneously to its registered position, said applicator in its movement away from the pick-up station stripping the registered label from both of said spaced surfaces.

Claim 8

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 5, in which said label holder surface faces in the direction of travel of said applicator on said closed path, and in which said applicator label supporting surface faces in the direction of travel of said applicator on said closed path in the region of said label holder.

Claim 9

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 6, in which said means for slidably advancing and halting the movement of a label on said holder supporting surface further include means for feeding towarD such surface a label supporting strip having labels provided thereon in spaced registered relation at a given forward velocity, and mean for successively detaching labels from said supporting strip without interfering with the forward velocity imparted to a detached label by said advancing supporting strip, whereby the detached label is propelled across said holder supporting surface into engagement with said label register element while under the control of the suction on said holder supporting surface.

Claim 10

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 1, in which said registering means includes means for advancing a label supporting strip having labels provided thereon in spaced registered relation, means operative during the advancement of said supporting strip to successively detach the foremost terminal labels at least partially from said supporting strip so as to advance them toward said pick-up station, and means operative to halt the advancing movement of each terminal label when it reaches a position in which said given line in the plane thereof will come into coincidence with said given line in the plane of said applicator surface.

Claim 11

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 11, in which said operative means includes means operative to stop the advancing movement of the strip by said advancing means each time the trailing end of a label on the strip passes a given point in the path of movement of the strip, whereby the terminal label will be completely detached from the strip and propelled into the pick-up station, and means associated with said applicator to stop the advancement of such terminal label.

Claim 12

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 11, in which said operation means includes means operative to stop the advancing movement of the strip by said advancing means, each time a given point adjacently in advance of the trailing ends of the labels on the strip arrives at a given point in the path of movement of the strip, such points being so selected that the terminal label in its registered position will only be partially detached and will have its trailing end still secured to said supporting strip.

Claim 13

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 1, in which said applicator moving means moves the applicator into position to enable the label supporting surface thereof to receive a label prior to the advancement of such label to said pick-up station, in which said suction creating means creates a low suction condition at said applicator surface prior to the advancement of such label to said pick-up station, and in which said registering means includes means for slidably advancing a label across said applicator surface under such suction control and for halting such movement when it reaches a position in which said given line in the plane of the label will come into coincidence with said given line in the plane of the applicator surface.

Claim 14

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 1, including means for orienting the label supporting surface of said applicator during the movement of said applicator so that when the latter is at said pick-up station, said surface thereof faces in the direction of said path, said orienting means being operable to turn said applicator surface toward said label applying station as the applicator approaches the latter from said pick-up station so that when said applicator is at said label applying station said given line of the label carried thereby will be in registration with a corresponding given line of the article at such station.

Claim 15

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 15, in which said orienting means comprises a shaft, means operable to turn such shaft to given positions as said applicator moves along said closed path and thereby to control the direction in which said label supporting surface faces, a pivot carried by said shaft, a lever movably mounted on said pivot, a member slidably mounted on said shaft, means preventing rotational movement of said slidable member on said shaft, means coupling oNe arm of said lever to said slidable member, an applicator finger bearing said label supporting surface connected to the other arm of said lever, and means operable to slidably move said member to given positions on said shaft as said applicator moves along said closed path and thereby to control the transverse movement of said finger relative to said shaft.

Claim 16

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 16, in which the portion of said applicator finger bearing said label supporting surface is so configured with relation to said orienting means as to enable such surface to deposit a label on any given portion of an article at said label applying station, said applicator moving means being synchronized with said article moving means so that said orienting means is enabled to cause said label supporting surface to carry a label at said label applying station so that it is substantially parallel to the path of movement of the article to which it is to be applied for a substantial distance in the same direction and at the same linear speed as the article.

Claim 17

In a labeling machine having a label pick-up station and a label applying station, means for moving an article toward and past said labeling station, a label applicator habing a label supporting surface for carrying and applying a label to an article at said labeling station, means for moving said label applicator along a closed path from said pick-up station toward said labeling station, means associated with said pick up station for advancing a label supporting strip having a series of labels successively provided thereon, means operative to control the operation of said advancing means, a first means operative during the advancement of said supporting strip for successively detaching the foremost terminal labels from said strip so as to advance them toward said pick-up station, first detector means connected to and controlling said control means and operative to cause the latter to stop the advancing movement of the strip by said advancing means each time a portion at least of a label carrying section of said strip that is provided with a label passes a given point in the path of movement of the strip, a second means spaced upstream from said first means for periodically performing an operation on the labels carried by said strip and having its operation controlled by said control means, and second detector means connected to and controlling said control means and operative to cause the latter to stop the advancing movement of the strip by said advancing means each time it detects a label in a label carrying section of said strip, whereby said second means will perform its operation on each label carried by the strip even through a strip label carrying section located downstream therefrom will not have a label thereon.

Claim 18

In a labeling machine as defined in claim 18, including third detector means connected to and controlling said control means, said third detector means being located along the path of movement of the articles to said label applying station, and operative to actuate said control means to start said advancing means each time a bottle is detected thereby.