Decorating apparatus

Claim 2

Apparatus for applying labels to bottles comprising two turrets for positioning bottles at first and second labelling stations, one turret at each labelling station, said second labelling station being positioned downstream from the first labelling station, means for rotating said turrets, means for feeding one strip carrying a plurality of labels in a predetermined sequence to both of said labelling stations such that a first label in a sequence of said labels supported by the strip is positioned at the first labelling station and after the first label is removed from the strip at the first labelling station, the strip is moved so that a label following the first label of the sequence is moved past the first labelling station downstream towards said second labelling station, and means for pressing said labels carried by the strip onto the bottles positioned at said first and second labelling stations to remove the labels from the strip.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said turrets are coupled together so as to rotate in unison.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said means for pressing said labels on said bottles are operated so as to simultaneously force labels onto bottles at both said first and second labelling stations.

Claim 5

Labelling apparatus for applying heat transfer labels carried on a single web to bottles at two labelling stations, one positioned downstream from the other, comprising conveyor means for providing bottles at two different locations, first and second turrets, one positioned at each of said labelling stations for carrying bottles through each of said stations in order to permit a label to be applied substantially simultaneously at each of said stations, means for moving a single web supporting a sequence of labels to position the labels carried thereby such that for each movement of the web between stations the odd numbered labels of said sequence of labels are positioned at said first turret and even numbered labels of said sequence are positioned at said second turret, and means for simultaneously pressing labels positioned at each of said stations against bottles at each of said stations as bottles and the web are moved at each of said stations, said means for pressing said labels removing said odd numbered labels from said web prior to said even numbered labels reaching said second turret.

Claim 6

Labelling apparatus for applying heat transfer labels carried on a single web to bottles at two labelling stations, one positioned downstream from the other, comprising conveyor means for providing bottles at two different locations, first and second turrets, one positioned at each of said labelling stations for carrying bottles through each of said stations in order to permit a label to be applied substantially simultaneously at each of said stations, means for moving a single web supporting a sequence of labels to position the labels carried thereby such that for each movement of the web between stations the odd numbered labels of said sequence of labels are positioned at said first turret and even numbered labels of said sequence are positioned at said second turret, and means for simultaneously pressing labels positioned at each of said stations against bottles at each of said stations as bottles and the web are moved at each of said stations, said means for pressing said labels removing said odd numbered labels from said web prior to said even numbered labels reaching said second turret.

Claim 7

Labelling apparatus according to claim 4 in which the turrets aRe coupled together to move simultaneously.

Claim 8

Labelling apparatus according to claim 5 in which the means for pressing comprises a roller positioned at each of said stations, and wherein said means for pressing said labels against said bottles are coupled together such that each roller is adapted to move toward the turret at the same time.

Claim 9

Labelling apparatus according to claim 4 in which the conveyor means are interconnected such that the bottles at one station are first labelled on one side thereof and are then positioned at the other station so that the same bottles may be labelled on another side thereof.

Claim 10

Labelling apparatus according to claim 7 in which a plurality of conveyor belts are positioned between turrets and move with respect to each other to turn a bottle from one side to another side so that a bottle labelled on one side at the first station is positioned at the second station for labelling on another side, and means for moving the conveyor belts.

Claim 11

In an apparatus for applying labels to bottles at first and second labelling stations, each of said stations including a turret for positioning bottles for labelling at said stations, said turret at said second labelling station being located downstream from said turret at said first labelling station, means for feeding bottles to each of said turrets, the improvements comprising a single web supporting a sequence of a plurality of labels, means for moving the web to said first and second labelling stations to only position odd sequenced labels supported by the web at said first station and to only position even sequenced labels supported by the web at said second station, means for removing said labels from said web and applying said labels to bottles supported by said turrets at said first and second stations, said means for moving the web including means for advancing each even label of the sequence past the first station towards the second station after the immediate preceeding odd label of the sequence has been removed from the web at the first station.

Claim 12

In an apparatus for applying labels to bottles at first and second labelling stations, each of said stations including a turret for positioning bottles for labelling at said stations, said turret at said second labelling station being located downstream from said turret at said first labelling station, means for feeding bottles to each of said turrets, the improvements comprising a single web supporting a sequence of a plurality of labels, means for moving the web to said first and second labelling stations to only position odd sequenced labels supported by the web at said first station and to only position even sequenced labels supported by the web at said second station, means for removing said labels from said web and applying said labels to bottles supported by said turrets at said first and second stations, said means for moving the web including means for advancing each even label of the sequence past the first station towards the second station after the immediate preceeding odd label of the sequence has been removed from the web at the first station.

Claim 13

In an apparatus according to claim 9 including a plurality of conveyor belts positioned between said first and second turrets to turn a bottle so that one face of the bottle can be labelled at said first station and another face of the bottle can be labelled at a second station, and means for moving the belts.