Labelling machines

Claim 3

A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first holder is cyclically moved in a circular path from one operating station to another and is lowered at each station before each operation and raised after each operation before being moved to the next station.

Claim 4

A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adhesive on the label is activated by heating the label at the second station.

Claim 5

A labelling machine for use in labelling slab-like objects, which have a narrow face and two opposite broad faces adjacent thereto, comprising: a first holder including means for holding an adhesive label by suction; at least three operating stations; means for cyclically moving the first holder in steps past said three operating stations in turn; the first of said three operating stations having means for supporting a stack of adhesive labels which have inactivated adhesive on one side thereof and which are picked up by suction one at a time by the first holder when the first holder is at the first operating station; the second of said three operating stations having means for activating the adhesive on the one side of a label held by suction in the first holder when the first holder is at said second operating station; the third of said three operating stations including means for presenting the narrow face of the slab-like object to be labelled to an adhesively activated label in the first holder when the first holder reaches the third operating station; said presenting means comprising a feeding mechanism and a second holder which is pivotable through a predetermined angle about a relatively fixed pivot point between a first position in which the slab-like objects to be labelled are fed, one at a time, in a direction parallel to said opposite broad faces thereof into the second holder by the feeding mechanism, and a second position in which the said narrow face of the object to be labelled held therein is presented to the adhesively activated label held in the first holder when the first holder reaches the third operating station, and means for pivoting said second holder and said object contained therein about said fixed pivot point between said first and second positions; means for causing the activated label to adhere to the said narrow face of the object presented thereto at the third operating station; said last means comprising means for moving the first holder and the second holder relatively towards one another when the first holder is at said third operating station and the second holder is in said second position so as to cause the activated label held by the first holder to adhere to said narrow face of the object in the second holder; a resilient gate; and, said feeding mechanism being arranged to eject an object having a label attached to the narrow face thereof from the second holder, when said second holder returns to its first position through said predetermined angle, through said resilient gate to cause the ends of the label to adhere to the said two opposite broad faces adjacent the said narrow face of said object.

Claim 6

A labelling machine for use in labelling slab-like objects, which have a narrow face and two opposite broad faces adjacent thereto, comprising: a first holder including means for holding an adhesive label by suction; at least three operating stations; means for cyclically moving the first holder in steps past said three operating stations in turn; the first of said three operating stations having means for supporting a stack of adhesive labels which have inactivated adhesive on one side thereof and which are picked up by suction one at a time by the first holder when the first holder is at the first operating station; the second of said three operating stations having means for activating the adhesive on the one side of a label held by suction in the first holder when the first holder is at said second operating station; the third of said three operating stations including means for presenting the narrow face of the slab-like object to be labelled to an adhesively activated label in the first holder when the first holder reaches the third operating station; said presenting means comprising a feeding mechanism and a second holder which is pivotable through a predetermined angle about a relatively fixed pivot point between a first position in which the slab-like objects to be labelled are fed, one at a time, in a direction parallel to said opposite broad faces thereof into the second holder by the feeding mechanism, and a second position in which the said narrow face of the object to be labelled held therein is presented to the adhesively activated label held in the first holder when the first holder reaches the third operating station, and means for pivoting said second holder and said object contained therein about said fixed pivot point between said first and second positions; means for causing the activated label to adhere to the said narrow face of the object presented thereto at the third operating station; said last means comprising means for moving the first holder and the second holder relatively towards one another when the first holder is at said third operating station and the second holder is in said second position so as to cause the activated label held by the first holder to adhere to said narrow face of the object in the second holder; a resilient gate; and, said feeding mechanism being arranged to eject an object having a label attached to the narrow face thereof from the second holder, when said second holder returns to its first position through said predetermined angle, through said resilient gate to cause the ends of the label to adhere to the said two opposite broad faces adjacent the said narrow face of said object.

Claim 7

A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein: the first holder is carried at one end of an arm which is rotatable in steps about an axis at right angles to the length of the arm; and, said means for relatively moving the first and second holders comprises means for moving the first holder and the arm together along said axis.

Claim 8

A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein: at least two first holders are provided, each carried at one end of a respective arm, each of said arms being mounted at the other end thereof on a common shaft for rotation therewith in a manner so that the first holders lie in a common plane orientated at right angles to the axis of the shaft; said means for cyclically moving the first holder including means for rotating the shaft about its axis in steps to bring each first holder to each operating station in turn, and, said means for relatively moving the first and second holders comprising means for moving said first holders, said arms and said shaft together along the axis of said shaft.

Claim 9

A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the resilient grade comprises a pair of parallel resiliently mounted rollers.

Claim 10

A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the means for activating adhesive on the one side of a label comprises heater means including a radiant heating element and means for directing a blast of air past the heater means towards said one side of a label in the first holder when the first holder is at said second operating station.

Claim 11

A labelling machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein said heater means includes a second radiant heating element arranged for fine temperature control.

Claim 12

A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein a sensor is provided at the third operating station for sensing the presence of a slab-like object at the input of the feeding mechanism so as to initate a labelling cycle.

Claim 13

A labelling machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein pneumatic circuitry is provided to control automatically the movement of the first holder and the operation of each operating station.