Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor – With work feeding or handling means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-25
2001-05-29
Gray, Linda (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor
With work feeding or handling means
C156S387000, C156S541000, C156S579000, C492S030000, C492S031000, C492S033000, C492S035000, C492S036000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237664
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a labeling apparatus for paying out and applying self-adhesive labels. The labeling apparatus has an applicator roll having a sleeve with a cylindrical jacket via which sleeve the applicator roll is rotatably mounted on a hub. With each operating cycle of the labeling apparatus one self-adhesive label is moved into a dispensing position underneath the applicator roll.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A labeling apparatus of this type is known from German patent DE 30 30 153 A. It possesses an applicator roll having a cylinder with a profiled envelope surface and a sleeve via which the applicator roll is rotatably mounted on a rigid hub. A relatively soft plastic is used as the material for the cylinder in order to guarantee a certain adaptation of the applicator roll to the surface of the object needing to be marked.
The label is printed with data directly before it is applied. The ink used for the printing does not dry by evaporation but by penetrating the label material. On account of the fast sequence of operations when labeling articles it can happen that the profiled envelope surface comes into contact with printed data which are not yet dry. The soft plastic material tends to pick up ink but without absorbing it. Consequently, when that part of the envelope surface wetted with ink next comes into contact with a label or the surface of an article needing to be marked, it leaves the ink there. The results are rather unattractive streaks on the printed labels.
The use of relatively hard plastic material to manufacture the cylinders is known from German patent DE 32 07 053 A. This material being severely ink-repelling, it largely prevents the above described streaking. To enable the applicator roll to display the requisite flexibility it is carried in a central area of its longitudinal dimension on an elastically deformable hub. Similar applicator rolls are disclosed in German patent DE 35 15 594 A and German patent DE 35 15 610 A, where profiled rolls are spring-mounted singly and jointly, respectively. A disadvantage in these arrangements is considered to be the high outlay needed to produce the bearing structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,006 discloses a labeling apparatus in which the applicator roll is comprised of small individual wheels made of a rubber-like material and having a corrugated outer circumference and the form of a truncated cone. By turning the wheels they can be positioned on their bearing axle so that, as a result of their conical shape, there is no fear of any contact with the printed data and hence no fear of smearing. This again requires a relatively high production outlay.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to further develop a prior-art labeling apparatus so as to eliminate the risk of smearing of the printed data in spite of the low level of outlay.
According to the present invention this object is accomplished with a prior-art labeling apparatus by having the sleeve equipped with at least one profiled ring projecting radially outwardly beyond the cylindrical jacket.
One proposal involves equipping the sleeve mounted on the hub with a profiled ring that projects radially outwardly to perform the pressing-on function. Since the profiled ring and the sleeve are made preferably of a material which is harder than the cylindrical jacket, and therefore—as in German patent DE 32 07 053—likewise ink-repelling, the printed data on the label are not smeared by the profiled ring.
Hence the advantage of the present invention is that there is no fear of smearing the label in spite of the low outlay involved in the manufacture of the applicator roll.
The cylindrical jacket can equally be equipped with profiled rings projecting radially outwardly, which conveniently are fitted to points that have no contact as a rule with the printed parts of the label, meaning that they are positioned (in the longitudinal direction of the sleeve) at the outer ends of the cylindrical jacket, for example.
The profiled ring of the sleeve is arranged preferably in a roughly central position in the longitudinal direction of the sleeve, thus resulting in a symmetrical arrangement of the projecting profiled rings (of the sleeve and the cylindrical jacket) and hence in an optimum pressing of the label onto the article needing to be marked. Even when the labeling apparatus is slightly tilted to the side, the dispensed label can still be applied correctly to the article thanks to the elasticity of the cylindrical jacket's profiled ring.
As an alternative to positioning the profiled ring of the sleeve centrally on the sleeve, it can be shifted sideways away from the center of the sleeve. The reason for this arrangement is to position the profiled ring of the sleeve advantageously at a point (in the axial direction of the sleeve) where the printing mechanism does not print any data on the label, because then no printed data will be smeared. With a printing mechanism having an even number of digits (e.g., six or eight), such a position is at the exact center of the sleeve, meaning that a profiled ring set in exactly the central position is advantageous. With a printing mechanism having an odd number of digits such as seven digits, it makes sense to shift the profiled ring somewhat out of center in the axial direction of the sleeve so that its position coincides with a space between two printing bands. The labeling apparatuses can then be supplied with applicator rolls specially adapted to the particular printing mechanism, or the applicator rolls can be interchangeable.
To simplify production it is preferred to have the profiled ring integrally formed with the sleeve.
Possible materials for the sleeve and the profiled ring are in particular relatively hard plastics such as Teflon, whereas the preferred choice for the cylindrical jacket is a relatively soft material, particularly rubber or plastic.
Further details, advantages and features of the present invention will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3715262 (1973-02-01), Kelly
patent: 4267006 (1981-05-01), Karn et al.
patent: 4737223 (1988-04-01), Koch
patent: 4787955 (1988-11-01), Nagel et al.
patent: 1 155 390 (1971-07-01), None
patent: 3207053A1 (1983-09-01), None
patent: 3515594C1 (1986-10-01), None
patent: 3515610C1 (1986-10-01), None
patent: 4139808C1 (1993-02-01), None
Gray Linda
Jones Tullar & Cooper P.C.
Meto International GmbH
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