Claims
- 1. In a method of labeling utilizing a semi-automatic labeling machine for consecutively applying discrete labels of the same predetermined size to each container of a run of round containers each of which is of the same predetermined size including external diameter, with the labeling machine including a label supply hopper having a downwardly sloping floor plate, a glue applying station, a labeling station including a pair of rotatable support rollers each having its longitudinal axis disposed normally of the path of movement of the individual labels from the supply hopper therefor through the stations, upon which machine support rollers round containers of a container run to be consecutively labeled may be manually consecutively applied on the side thereof to be supported and rotated about the longitudinal axis thereof by the machine support rollers when the latter are rotating, with the glue applying station including means for applying glue to the underside of the respective labels when received from the label supply station, and means for consecutively feeding the discrete labels londitudinally thereof along the feed path including one of said support rollers being in overlying relation to said feed path and a label feed guide mounted below the one support roller and including guide surfacing concentric with the periphery of the one support roller and disposed to direct the leading end of a label to be applied to the run container external side wall surfacing at a predetermined outfeed angle, with the one support roller being rotatable about a stationary axis and the other support roller being mounted for adjustment toward and away from the one support roller, to support and rotate containers of runs of such containers of variant diameters for label application run purposes and accommodate labeling containers of container runs made up of containers of all the same but variant container run sizes, and with the means for individually feeding the discrete labels for a run of such containers including means for individually feeding the label from the hopper through the glue applying station along the path of movement for application of glue thereto and then to label applying relation at the labeling station, and after one of the labels has been applied to consecutive of the run containers, the labeled container is manually removed from the support rollers to be manually replaced by the next run container to be labeled,
- the method of operating the labeling machine to consecutively supply discrete labels from the supply hopper through the stations and consecutively apply such labels to cylindric objects of a run of such cylindrical objects each of which is of the same predetermined size including diameter, and each of wich is consecutively manually applied to the support rollers to disposed same in labeling position, and to effect automatic removal of the consecutive labeled cylindric objects from their labeling position on the support rollers by the manually placing of the next cylindric object to be labeled on the support rollers in the labeling position thereof, with the labels to be so applied to the cylindric objects of such run being each of the same predetermined size,
- said method comprising:
- establishing a feed path beginning at the labeling position and leading to a gravity discharge position remote from the labeling position,
- rotating the machine support rollers and labelling the first run object with one of the labels in the labeling position of the object,
- manually displacing the first object from the labeling position with the second object to be labeled by pressing the second object to be labeled against the said first object and thence into the labeling position and displacing the first object thereby into the feed path,
- conveying the first object along the feed path while labeling the second object,
- and thereafter, for the run of the cylindric objects to be labeled, consecutively manually displacing consecutively the cylindric objects that are labeled at the labeling position with the next consecutive object to be labeled by pressing the said next consecutive object to be labeled into the labeling position and thereby displacing the freshly labeled object into the feed path, and continuously conveying the consecutive freshly labeled objects along the feed path and gravity discharging same therefrom one by one while continuing to label at the labeling position the objects of the run of same to be consecutively labeled.
- 2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein:
- the machine support rollers are continuously rotated during the labeling of the run cylindric objects to be labeled.
Parent Case Info
This application is a division of the applicant's patent application Ser. No. 657,980, filed Oct. 5, 1984 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,314.
This invention relates to semi-automatic labeling machines, and more particularly, to a labeling device or mechanism arranged for application as an attachment to the basic semi-automatic glue labeling machine of Wesley U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,359, granted Oct. 11, 1966, to adapt labeling machines of that type to stack exit from the labeling station for gravity discharge from the machine, small round objects that are cylindrical in nature, such as paperboard tubes or bottles, that are being labeled as a run of such items being labeled as a result of a specific setting up of the basic machine involved for that purpose.
The labeling machine of the above identified patent provides an arrangement for conveniently applying discrete labels to round containers employing glue labeling procedures in which the containers are one by one manually laid sidewise on a pair of rotating support rollers forming the support cradle or crib for the container being labeled, and the label for the container that is being processed is mechanically separated from a supply of such labels in the machine label hopper, brought past a glue station where glue is applied thereto, and guided into cooperation with the container in timed sequence to the rotation of the container, so that the label becomes affixed to the round side wall of the container in the manner disclosed in accordance with the invention of said patent. As disclosed in said patent, the glue labeling procedures and apparatus there contemplate that the labels to be processed are placed, adhesive-free, in a stack in the label supply hopper that includes a downwardly sloping floor plate. The labels are fed one at a time from the hopper to a register station, and when the container to be labeled is applied to the labeling machine support rollers, the label for the container is passed through the glue station and is guided into cooperation with the container, in the manner already indicated.
Among the numerous advantages of the machine of said patent is that the machine can be set up or adjusted for labeling round containers of varying sizes, and also can handle labels for application to such containers that are of different lengths and widths. Once the machine in question has been so set to label a particular sized container with a particular shaped label, any desired number of such containers may be effectively and efficiently labeled semi-automatically with the particular shaped label involved, with the worker manually and by hand applying the container to be labeled to the machine constantly rotating support rollers, and removing the labeled container therefrom by hand to manually replace same with the next container, of the labeling run involved, to be labeled.
One way the labeling machine of said patent is frequently employed is for labeling small round objects of cylindric configuration, such as paperboard tubes, or small glass or plastic bottles. For these purposes, it is presumed that quite a number of a particular run of the same size of such an object is to be labeled, as, for instance, 10,000 paperboard tubes of the same diameter and length, that may be of, for instance, one inch nominal dimension in outside diameter, or 10,000 glass or plastic bottles of the same exemplary O.D. (and having the same length). By appropriately setting the movable support roller of the machine labeling station relative to the labeling station fixed axis support roller, the cylindric objects involved may be rotatably supported on the labeling station rollers with the desired operating relation to the machinery controls, which may also be set or adjusted to achieve this end, as needed. Similarly, the label hopper and label feed controls are adjusted or set to accommodate the specific size, thickness and stiffness of the labels to be employed for the particular labeling run involved. With the labeling machine in question set to label cylindric objects of the same size, shape and length, with identical labels, any number of such cylindric objects may be semi-automatically labeled, and for reasons of economy of operation the larger the number of such objects to be labeled in a particular labeling run, the more efficient the labeling operation becomes as the machine does not have to be shut down and re-set to handle different size or shaped objects and/or labels of different size, shape, etc.
However, the relative small size of many of the cylindric objects that can be labeled employing the machine of said patent can result that the actual labeling time per unit being relatively small relative to the time per unit required to manually pick it up, put it into the machine, before labeling, and manually remove it from the machine after labeling for replacement by the next unit to the labeled. Further, the repetitious handling of such objects that is required by the machine operator is tiring, with the result that the labeling procedure may take a good deal more time and may be a good deal more fatiguing than good business practice would expect.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for the machine of said patent which adapts said machine so that the operator does not have to contend with manual handling of the objects after they have been labeled, with such objects being exited from the labeling station by the manual application thereto of a replacement object to be similarly labeled, and the labeled objects being rolled away from the machine labeling station and gravity discharged from the machine for subsequent handling as needed.
Another principal object of the invention is to provide an attachment for the labeling machine of said patent which adapts said machine so that the operator in placing an unlabeled round object of the labeling run in question in labeling position at the labeling station displaces the previously labeled object therefrom and into a conveying arrangement that mechanically rolls the freshly labeled object away from the labeling station to a point of gravity discharge from the machine, as into a collection bin, or onto a collection conveyor, or the like, for further handling purposes.
Another principal object of the invention is to provide an attachment for the labeling machine of said patent that, while being compatible with the arrangement and operation of said machine, adapts said machine to handle labels of miscellaneous objects of cylindric configuration with increased speed, efficiency, and general facility.
Yet another principal object of the invention is to provide an attachment for said machine of said patent and adapts it to handling of small cylindric objects with increased facility and less manual handling, that is economical of manufacture, that is convenient to install and use, and that is long lived in operation.
In accordance with the invention, the attachment comprises a conveyor frame having intake and discharge ends, with the frame intake end being articulated to the basic labeling machine in question in alignment with the axis of the labeling station stationary axis support roller, with the conveyor frame discharge end being propped against the upper end of the labeling machine floor plate to dispose the conveyor frame in overlying relation to the labeling machine floor plate. The conveyor frame includes an endless conveyor arrangement in the form of spaced apart ribbons or bands that extend between and define in the operation thereof the conveyor frame intake and discharge ends, with the endless bands or ribbons each including an upper conveying run and a lower return run.
The attachment further comprises a panel structure mounted on said conveyor frame in overlying relation to the conveyor runs, which panel structure includes a planar frictional rolling surface defined by a suitable foam or the like that opposes and is spaced from the conveying band upper conveying runs. The panel structure is mounted on the conveyor frame to set the panel structure with respect to the conveyor frame to space the panel structure roller surface from the conveyor upper runs, along the length of the latter, for defining a roller way for the objects that have been freshly labeled, for rolling friction engagement relation thereof with both the conveyor upper conveying runs and the panel structure rolling surface. The panel structure may be adjusted both toward and away from the conveyor frame and longitudinally thereof to properly set same relative to the conveyor station in light of the specific cylindric objects to be labeled as part of a labeling run, and the panel structure is equipped with adjustable side guides extending longitudinally thereof that are set to the length of the object being labeled, so as to define the sides of the roller way that is to be formed by the practice of the invention. The attachment conveyors are adapted to be driven by the roller shaft of the machine fixed axis roller, and thus the attachment conveyor frame conveyor ribbons are continuously operating, when the device has been applied to the machine in question. The components involved are proportioned such that as the individual objects are applied to the machine labeling station to be labeled, they displace the previously labeled object which passes into the attachment roller way for rolling up the roller way for gravity discharge from the upper end of the conveyor frame over the upper end of the machine labels supply hopper floor plate. Thus, manual handling of the objects to be labeled is confined to applying them to the machine to be labeled, which action brings into play mechanical exiting of the freshly labeled objects, in a sequential, stack-like manner, away from the labeling station and into gravity discharge from the machine, free of manual action by the machine operator as to removal of the labeled objects from the machine is concerned.
Other objects, uses and advantages will become obvious or be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the application drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
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657980 |
Oct 1984 |
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Patent Grant
4693774
