Apparatus and method for applying labels to a container

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6755931
  • Patent Number
    6,755,931
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, July 18, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 29, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A chuck assembly comprises a housing defining a longitudinal axis and having a first end. A plurality of pins extend substantially parallel with the axis from the first end. The plurality of pins is located at a first radius relative to the axis. At least one of the pins is operable to move from the first radius to a second radius, relative to the axis. The chuck assembly also includes a means for moving at least one pin between the first radius and the second radius. A prime mover provides the necessary drive to the means for moving. The chuck assembly may be used in combination with various other components to form combinations or systems. A method of labeling a container is also disclosed.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to the field of processing and packaging consumer products, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for applying a label to a container, such as a vial for pharmaceuticals.




BACKGROUND




The use of automated labeling systems for packaging pharmaceutical products, such as pill vials, is known in the art. Examples of such systems include U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,494 B1 to Yuyama et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,812 to Williams et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,020 to Coughlin et al. In a typical system, a vial is placed into a labeler and held in place by a gripping mechanism. As the vial is rotated, a label is applied to the vial and the vial is removed from the labeler.




Prior art labeling systems use various types of gripping mechanisms to secure the vial while a label is being applied. The prior art gripping mechanisms, however, do not easily adapt to handle vials having different diameters. For example, a system set up to place labels on vials with a small diameter cannot easily be converted to place labels on vials with a larger diameter. In typical prior art labeling systems, the labeling process must be halted and a different sized gripping mechanism substituted to accommodate a vials of different diameters. Furthermore, even if the gripping mechanism is capable of accommodating different sized vials, alignment problems (i.e., alignment of the label relative to the vial) are often encountered. Also, vials of different height cannot be labeled in the preferred method which is near the vial opening.




Thus, a need exists for a labeling system having a vial gripping mechanism that can accommodate different sized vials without requiring changes in hardware. Additionally, a need exists for a labeling system that enables labels to be accurately aligned in the preferred location on a vial, regardless of the vial's size.




SUMMARY




One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a chuck assembly comprising a housing defining a longitudinal axis and having a first end. A plurality of pins extend substantially parallel with the axis from the first end. The plurality of pins is located at a first radius relative to the axis with at least one of the pins being operable to move from the first radius to a second radius, relative to the axis. The pins move from the first radius to the second radius without exposing a cavity on or within the chuck assembly. A means for moving the at least one pin between the first radius and the second radius is also provided. The means for moving may comprise any known combination of gears, cams, and other mechanical components for imparting the desired motion to the pins.




The chuck assembly of the present invention may be used in combination with various other components. For example, the chuck assembly may be used in a container labeling system comprising a printer stand, a label printer, a vial drive assembly, a stand assembly, and the chuck assembly.




The present invention is also directed to a method for labeling a container comprising placing a container on a gripping mechanism having a plurality of movable gripping pins for inserting into the container. The gripping mechanism is activated to engage the container with the gripping pins. The container is brought into engagement with a source of labels and a label is applied to the container. The container is taken out of engagement with the source of labels and the gripping mechanism is deactivated to disengage the gripping pins from the container.




The present invention enables vials of various diameters to be handled by a single device without the need to change hardware. The present invention also enables labels to be uniformly placed on vials of different lengths. Those advantages and benefits, and others, will be apparent from the Detailed Description appearing below.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




To enable the present invention to be easily understood and readily practiced, the present invention will now be described, for purposes of illustration and not limitation, in connection with the following figures wherein:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a chuck assembly for gripping containers of various diameters according to an embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a front view of the chuck assembly of

FIG. 1

with the chuck pins in a disengaged position according to an embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 3

is a front view of the chuck assembly of

FIG. 1

with the chuck pins in an engaged position according to an embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 4

is a detailed view of the internal components of the chuck assembly of

FIG. 1

according to an embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 5

is a front view of a chuck stand assembly for mounting the chuck assembly of

FIG. 1

according to an embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 6

is a rear view of the chuck stand assembly of

FIG. 5

according to an embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 7

is a perspective view of a labeling system incorporating the chuck stand assembly of

FIG. 5

according to an embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 8

is a top view of the labeling system of

FIG. 7

according to an embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 9

is an operational process for gripping a container according to an embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 10

illustrates the alignment of a label relative to a vial having a first length secured by the chuck assembly of

FIG. 1

according to an embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 11

illustrates the alignment of a label relative to a vial having a second length secured by the chuck assembly of

FIG. 1

according to an embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a chuck assembly


10


for gripping containers of various diameters according to an embodiment of the present invention. Chuck assembly


10


is a gripping mechanism that is used to secure and transport a container, for example, to and from a station where a label is applied. The chuck assembly


10


is comprised of a chuck body


12


, which is a housing for the various parts of chuck assembly


10


. Chuck assembly


10


has one or more chuck pins


34


extending from a first end


13


of the chuck body


12


. The chuck pins


34


extend substantially parallel with a longitudinal axis of the chuck body


12


, which may be a central axis. Each chuck pin


34


may have a roller sleeve


36


associated therewith. In the current embodiment, each chuck pin


34


is attached to a cam shaft


26


housed within the chuck body


12


. Each cam shaft


26


may be rotated by a single drive shaft


16


which enters the chuck body


12


from a second end


15


.




As illustrated in

FIG. 1

, each pin


34


may be rotated by its associated cam shaft


26


without exposing the interior housing of the chuck body


12


and without creating a cavity relative the chuck body


12


, the cam shafts


26


, and the chuck pins


34


, among others. Thus, the chuck assembly of the present invention prevents contaminants from entering the chuck body or restricting the rotation of the cam shaft


26


and chuck pins


34


.





FIGS. 2 and 3

are front views of the chuck assembly


10


illustrated in FIG.


1


.

FIGS. 2 and 3

illustrate the chuck pins


34


in a disengaged position and in an engaged position, respectively, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The outer edges of chuck pins


34


are positioned at a first radius relative to a point


17


laying along the longitudinal axis of the chuck body


12


. In the current embodiment, each chuck pin


34


is attached near an outer edge of its respective cam shaft


26


, so that when cam shafts


26


are rotated, the radius measured from the chuck pins


34


to the point


17


is changed. In the disengaged position (as illustrated in FIG.


2


), the outer edges of the chuck pins


34


are at a first radius


38


. The disengaged position refers to a position in which the chuck pins


34


are not securing a container, such as a vial, that is placed over the chuck pins


34


. In the engaged position (as illustrated in FIG.


3


), the outer edges of the chuck pins


34


are at a second radius


39


; the second radius


39


being larger than the first radius


38


. The engaged position refers to a position in which the chuck pins


34


secure a container, such as a vial, that is placed over the chuck pins


34


.




In the current embodiment, the chuck pins


34


begin in the disengaged position (i.e., positioned at the first radius


38


). A vial (not shown) is loosely placed over the chuck pins


34


and pushed towards the chuck body


12


such that the vial comes in contact with the chuck body


12


. Once the vial is in place, the drive shaft


16


is rotated, causing each cam shaft


26


to rotate in, for example, a counter-clockwise direction. The drive shaft


16


is rotated until the chuck pins


34


engage the vial (i.e., come into contact with the vial's inner walls). Thus, the second radius


39


(corresponding to the engaged position) is equal to the inner radius of the vial. In the current embodiment, the maximum angular rotation of the cam shafts


26


is limited to 120°.




The roller sleeves


36


permit an engaged vial to be rotated by a vial drive motor (not shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

) while the vial is engaged by the chuck pins


34


(for example, while a label is being placed on the vial). After a label is placed on the vial, the drive shaft


16


is rotated in the opposite direction causing the cam shaft


26


to rotate in the clockwise direction. The rotating cam shafts


26


, in turn, cause the chuck pins


34


to disengage the vial (i.e., to travel from the second radius


39


to the first radius


38


). The labeled vial is then removed from the chuck pins


34


.




It should be noted that the rotational direction used to engage and disengage a vial may be reversed (i.e., clockwise to engage, counter-clockwise to disengage) and/or mixed (i.e., one cam shaft


26


rotating clockwise with another cam shaft


26


rotating counter-clockwise) while remaining within the scope of the present invention. It should further be noted that the present invention is not intended to limit the chuck pins


34


to a rotational manner of travel. For example in an alternative embodiment, the chuck pins


34


may move radially relative to the point


17


, from the first radius


38


to the second radius


39


. In the alternative embodiment, other components may replace or accompany the drive shaft


16


and cam shafts


26


to effect the linear motion. Furthermore, a shield to eliminate the exposure of a cavity on or within the chuck body (and thus, preventing contaminants from entering the chuck body), may be associated with each pin


34


.





FIG. 4

is a detailed view of the internal components of the chuck assembly


10


of

FIG. 1

according to one embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in

FIG. 4

, each chuck pin


34


is attached to one end of its respective cam shaft


26


. A cam shaft spur gear


28


is carried between a pair of cam shaft needle bearings


32


, all of which are secured to the cam shaft


26


by a cam shaft retaining ring


30


. In the current embodiment, three chuck pins


34


are used, however, it should be noted that a different number of chuck pins


34


may be used while remaining within the scope of the present invention.




The cam shaft spur gears


28


mesh with a drive shaft spur gear


18


carried between and secured to the drive shaft


16


by a pair of drive shaft retaining rings


20


. In the current embodiment, a single drive shaft spur gear


18


is used to mesh with each cam shaft spur gear


28


. It should be noted multiple drive shaft spur gears


18


or multiple drive shafts


16


may be used to rotate the cam shafts


26


while remaining within the scope of the present invention.




In the current embodiment, the drive shaft


16


, drive shaft spur gear


18


, cam shafts


26


, and cam shaft spur gears


28


are a means for moving the chuck pins


34


between the first radius and the second radius. It should be noted that alternative means for moving said chuck pins


34


may be used while remaining within the scope of the present invention. For example, a means using one or more pins, linkages, crank arms, jacks, radius bars, screw gears, winches, yokes, connecting rods, levers, toggles, cables, belts, bell cranks, clutches, pulleys, couplings and/or sprockets (among others) may be used while remaining within the scope of the present invention.




The drive shaft


16


, drive shaft spur gear


18


, drive shaft retaining rings


20


, cam shafts


26


, cam shaft spur gears


28


, cam shaft retaining rings


30


, and cam shaft needle bearings


32


, among others, are contained with the chuck body


12


. In the current embodiment, the first end


13


of the chuck body


12


has an opening for each chuck pin


34


. The chuck pins


34


extend parallel with a longitudinal axis of the chuck body


12


. The second end


15


of the chuck body


12


is located opposite the first end


13


. An alternating pair of bearing plates


14


and drive shaft needle bearings


22


are attached to the chuck body


12


at the second end


15


. The bearing plates restrain the drive shaft and cam shaft components within the chuck body


12


, whereas the drive shaft needle bearings


22


allow the drive shaft


16


to freely rotate while passing through bearing plates


14


. A prime mover (such as a rotary solenoid, electric motor, pneumatic piston, hydraulic piston, among others)(not shown in

FIG. 4

) is a device that is coupled to and imparts the necessary force to the means for moving the chuck pins


34


.




In the current embodiment, a rotary solenoid


46


is used as the prime mover to impart a rotational force on the drive shaft


16


. One of the advantages of using a rotary solenoid is the limited torque produced by the rotary solenoid. For example, the rotary solenoid may be selected so as to provide a known torque for rotating shaft


16


, and thus rotating cam shafts


26


from a minimum radius to a maximum radius. If a vial having a radius somewhere between the minimum and maximum is placed on the chuck assembly


10


, sufficient torque will be generated to rotate cam shafts


26


to bring chuck pins


34


into engagement with the inner wall of the vial. However, resistance caused by contact between the chuck pins


34


and the inner wall of the vial will be sufficient to cease movement of the cam shafts


26


and drive shaft


16


without damaging the rotary solenoid. Furthermore, the rotary solenoid does not provide sufficient torque to damage the vial.





FIGS. 5 and 6

are a front view and a back view, respectively, of a chuck stand assembly


40


for mounting the chuck assembly


10


of

FIG. 1

according to an embodiment of the present invention. Chuck stand assembly


40


includes a chuck assembly mounting plate


42


for mounting the chuck assembly


10


. The chuck assembly mounting plate


42


is also used to mount and align a hub brake


50


, brake release


52


, rotary solenoid


46


, and flexible coupling


48


with the chuck assembly


10


. The chuck assembly mounting plate


42


is coupled to a slide mount bracket


60


with screws


59


. A linear bearing


58


, attached to a slide mount bracket


60


and having a compression spring


56


housed within a spring pocket


54


, permits the horizontal position of the chuck assembly mounting plate


42


to be adjusted.




In the current embodiment, a preferred horizontal position is set such that the smallest diameter vial to be labeled will be pressed against the vial drive assembly


76


(as discussed in more detail in conjunction with FIG.


8


). By setting the chuck assembly mounting plate


42


in this position, the labeler system


70


can accommodate larger vials without changing hardware. Specifically, when a larger vial (secured by the chuck assembly


10


) is placed against the vial drive assembly


76


, the compression spring


56


permits the chuck assembly mounting plate


42


to move horizontally to accommodate the larger vial. It should be noted that other horizontal adjustment means for the chuck assembly mounting plate


42


may be used while remaining within the scope of the present invention. For example, an actuator may be used for adjusting the position of the chuck assembly mounting plate


42


.




The slide mount bracket


60


is attached to an actuator


66


, which is driven by a stepper motor


62


. The actuator


66


permits the vertical position of the combination of the slide mount bracket


60


and chuck assembly


10


to be adjusted. In the current embodiment, a linear ball screw actuator


66


is used. It should be noted that other types of actuators and motors may be used while remaining within the scope of the present invention. It should further be noted that chuck stand assembly


40


of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the chuck assembly


10


described above. Other types of electric chuck assemblies such as those manufactured by Sommer Automatic (e.g., Electric 3-Jaw Grippers catalog numbers GED1302, GED1306, GED1502, and GED1506) and Robohand (e.g., RPZ Electric Gripper), among others, may be used with the chuck stand assembly


40


while remaining within the scope of the present invention.





FIGS. 7 and 8

illustrate a labeling system


70


incorporating the chuck stand assembly of

FIG. 5

according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7

is a perspective view, and

FIG. 8

is a top view of the labeling system


70


.




Labeling system


70


includes a printer stand


72


, label printer


74


, chuck stand assembly


40


(with chuck assembly


10


), a vial drive assembly


76


, and vial drive mount bracket


78


. The printer stand


72


supports label printer


74


, chuck stand assembly


40


, and vial drive mount bracket


78


. Vial drive assembly


76


includes a vial drive motor (not shown) and a vial drum (not shown). In the current embodiment, a roll of labels is fitted over the vial drum, the labels are placed in contact with a vial and the vial drive motor rotates the labels, and thus, the vial.




As best illustrated in

FIG. 8

, the labeling system


70


is configured such that a vial (not shown), which is secured by the chuck assembly


10


, is aligned with and comes into contact with a printed label


80


. In the current embodiment, the labeling system


70


operates in the following manner. The actuator


66


is raised by the stepper motor


62


such that the chuck assembly


10


moves away from the vial drive assembly


76


to a vial exchange position. The chuck pins


34


are reset to the disengaged position. A vial is then placed over the chuck pins


34


. For example, a robot arm from a prescription filling station may be used to place the vial over the chuck pins


34


. One example of a prescription filling station with which the labeling system


70


may be used is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,946, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The brake release


52


is activated to release hub brake


50


, thus allowing the drive shaft


16


to rotate. The rotary solenoid


46


is then activated to move the chuck pins


34


to the engaged position. Once the chuck pins


34


reach the engaged position, the rotary solenoid


46


begins to “torque out” and the hub release


52


is deactivated. When the hub release


52


is deactivated, the hub brake


50


prevents the drive shaft


16


from rotating, and thus locks the chuck pins


34


in the engaged position. Once the hub brake


50


locks the drive shaft


16


in position, the rotary solenoid


46


is deactivated.




The actuator


66


of the chuck stand assembly


40


is then lowered by the stepper motor


62


until the vial comes into contact with the vial drive assembly


76


. The compression spring


76


permits the chuck assembly mounting plate to slightly move in the horizontal direction as required to help facilitate vials of different radii. Printer


74


prints the desired information onto a label


80


. The vial drive assembly


76


simultaneously rotates and applies the printed label to the vial. After the printed label is applied to the vial, the actuator


66


is raised by the stepper motor


62


until the chuck assembly


10


reaches the vial exchange position. The brake release


52


is then activated and the hub brake


50


releases the drive shaft


16


. The chuck pins


34


are then returned to the disengaged position. The vial is removed from the chuck pins


34


(for example, using the prescription filling station's robot arm). The next vial to be labeled may then be placed over the chuck pins


34


.




It should be noted that the operation of the brake release


52


and hub brake


50


may be altered while remaining within the scope of the present invention. For example, the brake release


52


may be activated to engage the hub brake


50


and deactivated to release the hub brake


50


. Additionally, the hub brake


50


may prevent the movement of another means for moving (for example, a cam shaft


26


) the chuck pins


34


while remaining within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the brake release


52


and hub brake


50


may be combined into a single unit.




As discussed above in conjunction with

FIGS. 5 and 6

, other types of electric chuck assemblies such as those manufactured by Sommer Automatic (e.g., Electric 3-Jaw Grippers catalog numbers GED1302, GED1306, GED1502, and GED1506) and Robohand (e.g., RPZ Electric Gripper), among others, may be used with the chuck stand assembly


40


while remaining within the scope of the present invention.





FIG. 9

is an operational process


90


for gripping a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. Operation


91


initiates operational process


90


when a container is placed over the chuck pins


34


of the chuck assembly


10


. In the current embodiment, the container is a vial. The vial is pushed over the chuck pins


34


(which are in the disengaged position) until the vial comes into contact with the chuck body


12


.




Operation


92


assumes control after operation


91


initiates operational process


90


. In operation


92


, the hub brake


50


is released, thus allowing drive shaft


16


to rotate. In the current embodiment, hub brake


50


is released when brake release


52


is activated. After the hub brake


50


is released, operation


93


assumes control.




In operation


93


, the rotary solenoid


46


is activated causing the chuck pins


34


to engage the interior surface of the vial. In the current embodiment, the rotary solenoid rotates drive shaft


16


having drive shaft spur gear


18


that is meshed with one or more cam shaft spur gears


28


. Each of the cam shaft spur gears


28


causes its respective cam shaft


26


to rotate, which in turn causes its associated chuck pin


34


attached at the end of the cam shaft


26


to move from the first radius


38


to the second radius


39


relative to the point


17


. After the rotary solenoid is activated by operation


93


, operation


94


assumes control.




Operation


94


engages the hub brake


50


when the rotary solenoid


46


begins to “torque out”. In the current embodiment, the rotary solenoid begins to torque out when the chuck pins


34


come into contact with the inner walls of the vial. The hub release


52


is deactivated causing the hub brake


50


to engage the drive shaft


16


. When engaged, the hub brake


50


prevents the drive shaft


16


from rotating. After operation


94


engages the hub brake, operation


95


assumes control.




Operation


95


deactivates the rotary solenoid


46


. When the rotary solenoid is deactivated, the chuck pins


34


remain in the engaged position because the drive shaft


16


is locked in place by the hub brake


50


. The vial remains engaged until the hub brake


50


is released. The vial is now ready to be transported. Transportation in this case means to bring the vial into engagement with a source of labels. In other contexts, the vial might be transported to other types of workstations, e.g., a capping station. After the vial has been labeled, i.e., the work station has performed its function, the vial is transported back to the vial exchange position. In the embodiment shown, transporting the vial is accomplished by the stepper motor


62


, although other means of transport may be provided.




After the vial returns to the vial exchange position, operation


96


releases the hub brake


50


and allows the chuck pins


34


to return to the disengaged position. In the current embodiment, the brake release


52


is activated to release the hub brake


50


and the chuck pins


34


automatically disengage the vial (for example, through the use of springs, the built-in tensioning of the cam shafts, etc.).




Operation


97


terminates operational process


90


. After the vial is disengaged by operation


96


, the vial may be removed and operational process


90


repeated with another vial.





FIGS. 10 and 11

illustrates the alignment of a label


80


relative to vials


82


,


83


, respectively, secured by the chuck assembly


10


of

FIG. 1

according to an embodiment of the present invention. In

FIG. 10

, vial


82


has a length “Y.” In

FIG. 11

, vial


83


has a length “Z,” where length Z is greater than length Y. Vials


82


,


83


each have a set of threads


84


for securing a cap (not shown) to the vials. As illustrated in

FIGS. 10 and 11

, the distance (denoted “X”) from the first end


13


of chuck body


12


to an upper edge of label


80


is constant. Thus as long as the threaded ends of vials


82


,


83


are touching the first end


13


of chuck assembly


12


when the chuck pins


34


secure the vial, the alignment of the label


80


will be constant regardless of the length of the vial


82


,


83


.




The above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative only. Numerous alternative embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the following claims. For example in an alternative embodiment, a gripping mechanism employing one or more stationary chuck pins


34


in combination with at least one movable chuck pin


34


is used.



Claims
  • 1. A method for labeling a container, comprising:placing a container on a gripping mechanism, said gripping mechanism having a plurality of movable gripping pins each with a movable contact surface for inserting into said container; activating said gripping mechanism to engage said container with said gripping pins; rotating said container relative to said gripping mechanism; applying a label to said container; and de-activating said gripping mechanism to disengage said gripping pins from said container.
  • 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing said container from said gripping mechanism.
  • 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said applying a label to said container further comprises:printing information on said label; aligning said label and said container; and placing said label on said container.
  • 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said placing a container on a gripping mechanism further comprises placing a container having an opening defined by inner walls over said plurality of gripping pins, said opening having a radius greater than a first radius of an outer surface of each of said plurality of gripping pins relative to a longitudinal axis of said gripping mechanism, wherein said outer surface of each of said plurality of gripping pins includes said movable contact surface.
  • 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said activating said gripping mechanism further comprises moving at least one of said gripping pins radially outward from said longitudinal axis to a second radius, said second radius being substantially equal to the radius of said container opening.
  • 6. The method of claim 5 wherein said de-activating said gripping mechanism further comprises moving said at least one of said gripping pins radially to said first radius.
  • 7. The method of claim 1 wherein said movable contact surface includes a roller sleeve.
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Number Name Date Kind
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5421948 Crankshaw et al. Jun 1995 A
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Number Date Country
26 21 985 Dec 1977 DE
40 39 167 Jun 1992 DE
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Entry
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