Claims
- 1. An automatic motorless label applying system comprising a supply reel having a continuous carrier strip with a plurality of pressure sensitive labels each having at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge and being detachably mounted on said carrier strip, a linear indexing mechanism, said linear indexing mechanism comprising an upstream clamping device and a downstream clamping device, said upstream clamping device including an upper clamp member and a lower clamp member with said label carrying strip passing therebetween, means for relatively moving said upstream clamp members toward each other to clamp said label carrying strip therebetween, means for moving said upstream clamping device laterally along a distance toward said downstream clamping device when said upstream clamping device is in its clamped condition and for returning said upstream clamping device away from said downstream clamping device when said upstream clamping device is in its unclamped condition, said downstream clamping device being laterally fixed, said downstream clamping device including an upper clamp member and a lower clamp member with said label carrying strip passing therebetween, means for relatively moving said downstream clamp members toward each other to clamp said label carrying strip therebetween while said upstream clamping device is moved in its returning direction, means for sequentially peeling each label from said carrying strip at a detaching station, means for feeding objects one at a time to an applicating station, means for removing each label from said detaching station and applying said label to a respective object at said applicating station, means for sensing at least one leading edge and at least one of the trailing edge of the labels and for sending information when said sensed at least one leading edge and when said sensed at least one trailing edge of a label pass through the sensing means, and means for controlling the lateral movement of the upstream clamping device which receives the information from the sensing means to vary the distance the upstream clamping device is laterally moved so as to substantially maintain even spacing between adjacent labels.
- 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said linear indexing mechanism is air actuated, and each of said clamping devices comprising pneumatic solenoid actuating devices.
- 3. The system of claim 2 wherein said means for laterally moving said upstream clamp member is a piston--cylinder assembly.
- 4. The system of claim 2 including a spring loaded mechanism disposed upstream from said linear indexing mechanism, said strip passing through said spring loaded mechanism, said spring loaded mechanism including a clamping plate disposed for movement into clamping contact with said strip, a plurality of springs attached to said plate for urging said plate into clamping contact, and air actuated means for overcoming the force of said springs to maintain said plate out of contact with said strip whereby said plate is moved into clamping contact with said strip when the air pressure for said air actuated means drops below a minimal level.
- 5. The system of claim 4 wherein said detaching station includes a peeling member disposed downstream from said linear indexing mechanism, said peeling member having a first surface in line with said linear indexing mechanism and a second surface at an acute angle to said first surface whereby said strip bends at angle greater than 90.degree. when passing over said peeling member to detach each label from said strip, and a platform downstream from said peeling member for sequentially receiving each detached label.
- 6. The system of claim 5 wherein said platform has a roughened upper surface on which said label is received.
- 7. The system of claim 5 including a transfer device movable to and from said detaching station and said applicating station, said transferring device being movable vertically and laterally whereby said transfer device may be lowered to lift a detached label from said platform and then raised and shifted laterally to said applicating station for being lowered toward the object to press the label into attachment with the object.
- 8. The system of claim 7 wherein said transfer device includes vertically slidable side members, each of said side members having an applicator for pressing the edges of said label against opposite sides of the object while the remainder of said label is pressed against an intermediate side of the object.
- 9. The system of claim 8 wherein said applicators comprise squeegee members.
- 10. The system of claim 8 wherein said transfer device is a robot.
- 11. The system of claim 7 including an anti-drag mechanism for varying the tension of said strip, said anti-drag mechanism being operatively connected to said supply reel for controlling the direction of rotation of said supply reel.
- 12. The system of claim 11 wherein said anti-drag mechanism includes a roller mounted for vertical movement, said strip passing over said roller, said roller creating slack in said strip when said roller moves upwardly and eliminating slack when said roller moves downwardly, switch means at the ends of the path of travel said roller, a drive device actuated by said switch means, said drive device including a driveshaft having a threaded end for engagement with teeth on said supply reel to cause said supply reel to selectively rotate clockwise and counter-clockwise in accordance with the direction of movement of said shaft.
- 13. The system of claim 7 wherein said applicating station includes a starwheel having a plurality of spaced cavities disposed about its periphery, said starwheel being rotatably mounted for sequentially disposing each cavity toward said transfer device, a feed conveyor for conveying the objects to said starwheel before labels are applied to said objects, and a discharge conveyor for conveying the labeled objects away from said starwheel.
- 14. The system of claim 13 including guide bars disposed for contacting said objects on said feed conveyor before detecting any gap in the line of objects to sense a missing object.
- 15. The system of claim 14 wherein said objects are bottles having caps, and said guide bars detecting gaps resulting from missing bottles and missing caps.
- 16. The system of claim 14 including sensing means for sensing the absence of an object in said cavity disposed toward said transfer device for holding said transfer device in its position prior to the application of a label when an empty cavity is disposed toward said transfer device.
- 17. The system of claim 16, in combination therewith, a second system arranged in mirror image to said system with a separate discharge conveyor for each of said systems.
- 18. The system of claim 7 wherein said applicating station includes a rotatable wheel having a series of peripheral teeth, each of aid teeth including a flat radial side and a curved side extending from the base of said flat side, and said flat side comprising a support for the bottle during label application.
- 19. The system of claim 7 including a conveyor for moving the bottles near said applicating station, and a plurality of transfer devices for moving each bottle to said applicating station and back to said conveyor.
- 20. The system of claim 19 wherein said plurality of transfer devices comprises four piston cylinder assemblies.
- 21. The system of claim 1 wherein said detaching station includes a peeling member disposed downstream from said linear indexing mechanism, said peeling member having a first surface in line with said linear indexing mechanism and a second surface at an acute angle to said first surface whereby said strip bends at an angle greater than 90.degree. when passing over said peeling member to detach each label from said strip, and a platform downstream from said peeling member for sequentially receiving each detached label.
- 22. The system of claim 1 including a transfer device movable to and from said detaching station and said applicating station, said transfer device being movable vertically and laterally whereby said transfer device may be lowered to lift a detached label from said platform and then raised and shifted laterally to said applicating station for being lowered toward the object to press the label into attachment with the object.
- 23. The system of claim 22 wherein said applicating station includes a starwheel having a plurality of spaced cavities disposed about its periphery, said starwheel being rotatably mounted for sequentially disposing each cavity toward said transfer device, a feed conveyor for conveying the objects to said starwheel before labels are applied to said objects, and a discharge conveyor for conveying the labeled objects away from said starwheel.
- 24. The system of claim 23, in combination therewith, a second system arranged in mirror image to said system with a separate discharge conveyor for each of said systems.
- 25. The system of claim 1, in combination therewith, a second system arranged in mirror image to said system with a separate discharge conveyor for each of said systems.
- 26. A method of applying labels to objects with the use of an automatic motorless label applying system including the steps of mounting a continuous carrier strip having a plurality of pressure sensitive labels having at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge and detachably mounted thereon to a supply reel, threading the strip over a series of rollers and through a linear clamping mechanism having an upstream clamping device and a downstream clamping device, conveying the strip to a detaching station, mounting the strip on a take-up reel, closing the upstream clamping device to clamp against the label carrying strip, moving the upstream clamping device and clamped strip along a distance toward the downstream clamping device to pull an additional segment of strip from the supply reel and to feed a corresponding length of segment of strip to the take-up reel, sensing at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge of the labels during the moving step and varying the distance the upstream clamping device and clamped strip is moved so as to substantially maintain even spacing between adjacent labels, passing the strip over the acute angle of a peeling member in the detaching station to move the strip in a bend greater than 90.degree., peeling each label from the strip as the strip moves in the bend, sequentially lifting each peeled label from the detaching station, transferring the peeled strip to an applicating station, and pressing each peeled label against a respective object in the applicating station to attach the label to the object.
- 27. The method of claim 26 wherein said clamping devices are air actuated solenoids, and including the step of passing the strip through a spring loaded mechanism which is actuated for holding the strip when the applied air pressure drops to a minimum level.
- 28. The system of claim 27 wherein the objects are bottles having caps, and applying each label to a side of each bottle.
- 29. The system of claim 28 including sensing missing bottles and missing caps prior to the step of applying the label to a bottle.
- 30. An automatic motorless label applying system comprising a supply reel having a continuous carrier strip with a plurality of pressure sensitive labels each having at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge and being detachably mounted on said carrier strip, a linear indexing mechanism, said linear indexing mechanism comprising an upstream clamping device and a downstream clamping device, said upstream clamping device including an upper clamp member and a lower clamp member with said label carrying strip passing therebetween, means for relatively moving said upstream clamp members toward each other to clamp said label carrying strip therebetween, means for moving said upstream clamping device laterally along a distance toward said downstream clamping device when said upstream clamping device is in its clamped condition and for returning said upstream clamping device away from said downstream clamping device when said upstream clamping device is in its unclamped condition, said downstream clamping device being laterally fixed, said downstream clamping device including an upper clamp member and a lower clamp member with said label carrying strip passing therebetween, means for relatively moving said downstream clamp members toward each other to clamp said label carrying strip therebetween while said upstream clamping device is moved in its returning direction, means for sequentially peeling each label from said carrying strip at a detaching station, means for feeding objects one at a time to an applicating station, means for removing each label from said detaching station and applying said label to a respective object at said applicating station, means for sensing at least one leading edge and at least one of the trailing edge of the labels and for sending information when said sensed at least one leading edge and when said sensed at least one trailing edge of a label pass through the sensing means, and means for controlling the lateral movement of the upstream clamping device which receives the information from the sensing means to vary the distance the upstream clamping device is laterally moved so as to substantially correct for uneven spacing between adjacent labels on the continuous carrier strip.
- 31. A method of applying labels to objects with the use of an automatic motorless label applying system including the steps of mounting a continuous carrier strip having a plurality of pressure sensitive labels having at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge and detachably mounted thereon to a supply reel, threading the strip over a series of rollers and through a linear clamping mechanism having an upstream clamping device and a downstream clamping device, conveying the strip to a detaching station, mounting the strip on a take-up reel, closing the upstream clamping device to clamp against the label carrying strip, moving the upstream clamping device and clamped strip along a distance toward the downstream clamping device to pull an additional segment of strip from the supply reel and to feed a corresponding length of segment of strip to the take-up reel, sensing at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge of the labels during the moving step and varying the distance the upstream clamping device and clamped strip is moved so as to substantially correct for uneven spacing between adjacent labels on the continuous carrier strip, passing the strip over the acute angle of a peeling member in the detaching station to move the strip in a bend greater than 90.degree., peeling each label from the strip as the strip moves in the bend, sequentially lifting each peeled label from the detaching station, transferring the peeled strip to an applicating station, and pressing each peeled label against a respective object in the applicating station to attach the label to the object.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 07/722,055, filed on Jun. 27, 1991, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
722055 |
Jun 1991 |
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