Systems and methods for orienting containers in a labeling system

A method of labeling and orienting a container in a labeling system, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of containers on a conveyor wherein the containers and the conveyor are moving at a constant velocity VC;
• receiving a given container of the plurality of containers between a first moving belt with velocity VA and a second moving belt with velocity VB, said first and second moving belts capturing opposing sides of the given container while the given container remains on the conveyor, wherein at the time of capture the velocities VA and VB are substantially oriented in a common direction and are substantially equal to the constant velocity VC;
• feeding a label toward an area between the first and second moving belts such that an exposed adhesive side of the label may be applied to the given container captured between the first and second moving belts;
• applying the label to the given container using at least one of the first and second moving belts;
• adjusting the orientation of the given container by changing one of the velocities VA and VB to be opposite in direction to the other of the velocities VA and VB while the given container continues to move along a path of the conveyor;
• and
• releasing the given container from the first and second moving belts, wherein at the time of releasing the given container, both velocities VA and VB are again substantially oriented in the common direction are again substantially equal to the constant velocity VC.

A method of labeling and orienting a container in a labeling system, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of containers on a conveyor wherein the containers and the conveyor are moving at a constant velocity VC;
• receiving a captured one container of the plurality of containers between a first moving belt with velocity VA and a second moving belt with velocity VB, said first and second moving belts capturing opposing sides of the one container while the one container remains on the conveyor, wherein at the time of capture the velocities VA and VB are substantially equal to the constant velocity VC, and wherein said first and second moving belts each travel along a distance of the conveyor Y that is less than a pitch P of the containers on the conveyor;
• adjusting the orientation of the one container by varying one or both of the velocities VA and VB such that the velocities VA and VB are not substantially equal to each other, and
• releasing the one container from the first and second moving belts, wherein at the time of releasing the one container, both velocities VA and VB are again substantially equal to the constant velocity VC.

A method of orienting a container in a labeling system, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of containers on a conveyor wherein the containers and the conveyor are moving at a constant velocity VC;
• receiving a given container of the plurality of containers between a first moving belt with velocity VA and a second moving belt with velocity VB, said first and second moving belts capturing opposing sides of the given container while the given container remains on the conveyor, wherein at the time of capturing the given container between the first and second moving belts, the velocities VA and VB are substantially equal to constant velocity VC;
• applying a label to the given container using at least one of the first and second moving belts;
• adjusting the orientation of the given container by varying an acceleration rate associated with one or both of the first and second moving belts while constant velocity VC remains constant and while the given container continues to move along a path of the conveyor, and the varying results in at least one of velocity VA or velocity VB no longer being substantially equal to constant velocity VC;
• and
• releasing the given container from the first and second moving belts at the velocity VC on the conveyor, wherein at the time of releasing the given container from between the first and second moving belts, both velocities VA and VB are again substantially equal to the constant velocity VC.