Patent Application
20060144521
The purpose of this invention is to provide a means for applying labels to containers and a means for removing, reconciling, and verifying labels that are determined to be faulty from the labeling system prior to the label application point.
There are a number of labeling systems adapted to apply pressure-sensitive labels to articles or containers at a label-applying station. In a number of the earlier systems, labels are carried toward the site of label application by a web in which the adhesive side of the label is releasably adhered to the web, and holds the label there until the web passes over a peel plate, at which point the adhesive-bearing label is “peeled” from the web. In the earlier models of this type of labeling machine, the label was transferred directly from the label-bearing web to the bottle or container on which the label was to be affixed, and rollers or other means were utilized to press the label against the bottle or container. Typical examples of this type of direct label application will be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,294,644; 4,324,608; 4,427,484; 4,502,910; 4,585,506; and 4,610,753.
In later developed labelers, a label peel plate assembly was used to separate the labels from the web, but in this case, the labels were also applied to the rotating vacuum drum, adhesive side out. As the vacuum drum rotated, the adhesive surface of the label was brought into contact with a bottle or container to be labeled such that the adhesive affixed the label to the bottle or container, and the label was removed from the vacuum drum. Typical examples of this type of labeler will be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,687,535; 4,842,660; 5,256,239; and 5,405,482. A typical prior art system of this type is illustrated schematically in
The speed of advance of the articles to be labeled (3) and the speed of advance of the web (2) are sensed continuously by electronic means, and the speed of advance of the web (2) is adjusted as necessary to match the speed of advance of the articles to be labeled (3). In
The aforementioned patents, while describing effective labeling systems and equipment, are not perfect and, on occasion, “incorrect” or faulty labels may be applied to containers. Incorrect/faulty labels are wrong labels or labels with poor or illegible lot numbers or expiration dates and/or incorrect bar code or part numbers. This is a matter of particular concern to packagers of pharmaceuticals. An incorrectly labeled pharmaceutical container could lead to a costly product recall, and might result in serious injury or even death. The end user relies on the label to take medicine according to a doctor's instructions and could, in fact, be taking the wrong medicine or following wrong directions with adverse results. Accordingly, equipment and systems have been developed for detecting the presence of incorrect/faulty labels. This detection may occur both prior to labeling and subsequent to labeling, or both. U.S. Pat. No. 2,551,364 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,971 are examples of labeling equipment that provide error detection prior to application of the labels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,482 describes an advance over the aforementioned patents in that the scanning and removal of incorrect/faulty labels can be conducted without interrupting the essentially continuous operation of the labeling equipment. The label scanner (8) is positioned to “read” the labels while they are still positioned on the carrier web, just prior to the label pick-up station (5) and vacuum roll (7) which will remove the label from the web. A “bad” label-removal unit is positioned between the vacuum roll label pick-up point (5) and the point (4) at which the vacuum roll normally releases and applies a label to a container (3) and is controlled by information from the scanning unit (8) such that when an incorrect label is identified by the scanner, the information is transmitted to and actuates a label-removing device. It is only necessary that the rate and time of label travel be coordinated so that the label removed is the detected incorrect label and not one of the proper labels.
There are some serious drawbacks to the detection system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,482. As noted in the patent, the adhesive strength of the label coating overcomes the vacuum strength of the vacuum drum such that the incorrect label is wrapped around the removal roller of the label removal device. These removed labels accumulate on the removal roller and eventually must be removed from the roller by a machine operator. In this regard, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,482, column 3, lines 51-54, and column 4, lines 12-14. Because these labels are strongly adhered to each other, they are not readily separated from each other for individual reconciliation and one must depend on the weight of the accumulated, adhered block of labels relative to the weight of a single label for reconciliation purposes, a procedure that is inherently inaccurate and/or inefficient.
The deficiency in the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,482 and all the previously discussed patents is the absence of means for detecting, isolating, and reconciling incorrect/faulty labels prior to label application. In dealing with something as sensitive as pharmaceuticals, one must consider the serious dangers inherent in the fact that any mechanical system may go out of adjustment. Under such circumstances, it is possible that the label removed is not the label that the scanner detected as incorrect, with the result that a correct label is removed and the incorrect/faulty label continues on into the system. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,482, at column 4, lines 18-19, it is noted that “unlabeled bottles are easily thereafter identified by operating personnel and may even be reused.” While such detection procedures make identification of the skipped unlabeled container relatively easy, they do not provide an easy and efficient reconciliation between incorrect/faulty labels identified and incorrect/faulty labels removed. It is difficult to impossible for the operator to peel off individual labels from the adhered block of accumulated label faults on the label-remover roll and examine them individually for faults or for reconciliation. Further, by the time the roller has been cleared of the accumulated, adhered “incorrect” or faulty labels, and a reconciliation attempted, a container with an incorrect/faulty label, which through error in the detection process, may be far down the line, and mixed in with the large number of labeled containers coming off the labeling line.
A more recent labeler provides all of the advantages of the foregoing patented devices and, in addition, provides a means for accurate, rapid reconciliation between the incorrect/faulty labels scanned and the incorrect/faulty labels removed. This device and system further has the capability of being adapted to stop the system automatically in the rare event that an incorrect/faulty label is scanned in advance of application to a container but a correct label has, through inadvertence, been removed, rather than an incorrect/faulty label. This device is shown in detail in
Pressure sensitive labels are fed from a label pick-up station (5) onto a vacuum drum (7) as described above with regard to the prior art. The drum is servo-driven and in synchronization with a container that is traveling down a conveyor system toward label application site (4). The vacuum drum (7) applies the labels to containers (3). Each label is scanned one by one with a vision camera system (8) that detects various printed items on the label. If any of these items is incorrect, the label dispenser at label pick-up station (5) will still dispense the incorrect/faulty label onto the vacuum drum (7) but the incorrect/faulty label will be electronically tracked, even though dispensed along with good labels onto the vacuum drum (7). The tracked, incorrect/faulty label will be removed from the vacuum drum (7) by a suitable pick-off assembly (14) actuating against the label supply to picked-off incorrect/faulty label will be delivered and adhered to label supply web (9). The pick-off assembly may comprise an actuating arm terminating in a roller, as shown in
In the embodiment of
A detailed examination of all of the aforementioned prior art will show one common defect insofar as quality control is concerned. In every case just described, all labels, good or bad, are removed by the label peel plate from the label supply web. As indicated, in some of the prior art, the faulty labels are actually applied to the bottles or containers, which then must be removed from the system. In others, all of the labels are applied to a vacuum drum, and the identified faulty labels are picked off the vacuum drum just prior to application of the labels to the bottles or containers. One of the major purposes of the vacuum drum is to provide a transition between the label peel plate and the label application point so that faulty labels can be removed before being applied to a bottle or container. It is the object of this invention to eliminate the vacuum drum from the system, and to apply the labels directly from the peel plate onto the bottles or containers, but in which faulty labels are not removed from the supply web.
The present invention provides all of the advantages of the foregoing prior art devices and, in addition, provides for selectively retaining faulty labels on the label supply web, while permitting correct labels to be applied directly to bottles or containers. This is accomplished by utilizing a peel plate assembly that functions in a normal position of being extended for the purposes of peeling labels from the supply web, and directing them toward the bottles and containers, but which can be retracted selectively when a label is identified as incorrect or faulty, thereby leaving faulty or incorrect label on the label supply web at least until it is removed from the active site of label application.
The retractable peel plate assembly is a mechanical assembly that can be activated pneumatically, hydraulically, or electromagnetically, and replaces a standard “static” peel plate assembly. The retractable peel plate Assembly allows a rejected label to bypass the “peel and apply” point and remain on the web. While hereinafter the retractable peel plate is describe as being reciprocated into and out of actuation when needed, it can also be pivoted into and out of actuation. The term “retractable” is intended to encompass both of such actuation-deactuation embodiments.
When a label (117) traveling on the label supply web (116) is passed or rejected by the inspection system (118) it is tracked by the CPU (central processing unit, computer control) as it moves to the peel plate (101). If the label has passed inspection, it is applied to the product (120) as the product passes the peel plate (101). The label is applied by being fed between the product and a foam roller (133) and pressed onto the product. If the label is rejected by the inspection system, the peel plate (101) is retracted (
Retracting the peel plate creates excess slack that must be compensated for. Built into the peel plate block (111) is a two-part linear cam profile. As the peel plate block (111) moves, two cam followers (134) follow the profile. This motion is transferred via slack plates (106 and 107) to a pivoting roller (135). The roller (135) then moves out to take-up the appropriate amount of excess label supply web. The roller is held against the cam by the tension of the web.
With the peel plate edge retracted, the rejected label (122) remains on the label supply web and follows around a 1″ diameter roller (104). After the leading edge of the rejected label clears the peel plate, the peel plate moves back to the application position for the next label. The rejected label remains on the label supply web as the web is pulled back towards the push/pull assembly (123), on the pull side. Approximately half way to the push/pull assembly (123), the label reaches the second part of the system, the label reconciler (125).
At the label reconciler (125), the rejected label begins to dispense from the stationary peel plate (124). The label is detected by a label detection sensor (126). This sensor feeds back this information to the CPU which activates the take-up servo-motor (127). As the take-up servo-motor rotates it pulls the collection media (128) (e.g. a paper web) at a speed that matches the speed that the rejected label is traveling. The media supply (129) comes from a roll mounted on a magnetic clutch assembly (130). As the rejected label transfers, it is pressed onto the media by a foam roller (131). The motor (127) continues to pull the media (128) until the label reaches the label detection sensor (132). At this time the label has cleared the label detection sensor (126). The Label Reconciler is now ready for the next rejected label.
Once a faulty label has been removed, the operator has several options available, all of which can be controlled by appropriate programming of the CPU. The system can be permitted to operate with the container delivery line and the label-feeding line operating with no change of speed. In such case, the container which would have received the faulty label will continue through the system unlabeled; the unlabeled container can be recovered thereafter and returned to the container feed line for labeling.
In a second embodiment, the container feed line can be slowed sufficiently or even momentarily stopped to correspond to the time that it takes for a proper label to reach the label application point and thereby compensate for the absence of the faulty label, and avoid the occurrence of unlabeled containers. In the preferred embodiment, the speed of the container feed line is maintained and the speed of the label feed is momentarily increased sufficiently to compensate for the undelivered faulty label, thereby also avoiding the occurrence of unlabeled containers.
It is also possible, of course, to have the CPU direct a combination of container feed slowing and label feed speed-up. In general, however, it is far easier to adjust the label feed line on a moment-to-moment basis than it is to momentarily slow down the container feed line, coupled with a resumption of speed thereafter.
This patent application is based on Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/560,194 filed Apr. 7, 2004, the filing date of which is hereby claimed.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60560194 | Apr 2004 | US |
