Label applying apparatus

Details Label applying apparatus Label applying apparatus

1998-04-14

1999-11-23

Mayes, Curtis

Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture

Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor

With work feeding or handling means

156541, 156542, B32B 3100, B44C 3100

Patent

active

059882514

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a label applying apparatus.
It is highly desirable to be able to identify an article such as a packaged article e.g. a box by applying labels to each of two different sides of the box. If a box is labelled on only one side, the label may be covered where a stack of boxes are supported on for example a pallet. This means that someone looking for a particular product will not be able immediately to identify the content of the box and will have to turn the boxes in order to have sight of the label.
Proposals have been advanced in the past for producing a single label which can be wrapped around the corner of a box so that one part of the label is visible on one part of the box and the other part of the label is visible on the adjacent side of the box. This approach works but is wasteful of label material and furthermore means that the label is located at a relatively vulnerable part of the box. It is preferable to provide separate labels on mutually perpendicular surfaces of a box and accordingly this has been achieved in the past by providing two label applicators one of which is dedicated to applying labels to the leading surface of a box which is being advanced along a conveyor and the other of which is dedicated to applying labels to a side wall of the box. This approach overcomes the problems associated with "wrap-around" label systems but at the expense of requiring two independent label applicators and the space adjacent a conveyor necessary to accommodate those two independent applicators. It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the problems outlined above.
According to a first aspect of the invention we provide a label applying apparatus for applying labels to each of two transverse surfaces of an article as the article moves relative to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising a movable member providing a label support station, means for delivering labels to the label support station, means, for selectively positioning the member in a first position in which a label located at the label support station is applied to a first surface of the article and for positioning the member in a second position in which a label located at the label support station is applied to a second surface of the article.
Thus by moving the movable member between its first and second positions and delivering a label to the label support station, labels may be applied conveniently to each of the two transverse surfaces of the article. The two transverse surfaces of the article will usually be generally perpendicular but need not be, depending on apparatus design.
In one embodiment the movable member comprises an arm which is pivotal relative a fixed arm between the first and second positions. The fixed arm may provide a label holding station from which labels are conveyed for delivery to the label support station of the relatively pivotal arm. Alternatively the movable member may comprise an arm having a pair of rigidly connected elements, one of the elements providing the label support station and the other of the elements providing a label holding station from which labels are conveyed for delivery to the label support station.
In each case, the means for delivering labels to the label support station may comprise a conveyor means having one or more belts although other conveying arrangements may be utilised if desired. If required, the conveyor means may include means for establishing a reduced pressure to retain the labels in contact with the conveyor belts as the labels are delivered to and retained at the label support station.
To facilitate application of the labels to the surfaces of the article, the label support station may comprise a convex surface and thus a label may be applied to the article as relative rolling type movement occurs between the convex surface of the label support station and the surface of the article. Thus the labels may be applied by means of pressure as the surfaces of the article to which the labels are to be applied c

REFERENCES:
patent: 3238080 (1966-03-01), Schluter
patent: 4321103 (1982-03-01), Lindstrom et al.
patent: 5421948 (1995-06-01), Crankshaw et al.
patent: 5540795 (1996-07-01), Franklin et al.

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