Container decorating machine having a plurality of independent print workstations

A container decorator, comprising:

• a. a rotatable turret assembly holding a plurality of circumferentially disposed media carriages for holding container media during a decorating process, said turret assembly arranged to rotate about a central axis in a controlled manner such that each media carriage advances along a circular path from one index point to another index point along the circumference of said turret assembly;
• b. a plurality of printing workstations positioned around the periphery of said rotatable turret, wherein each said media carriage travels through said printing workstations to complete a decorating step on said container media as each container media passes therethrough;
• c. wherein said media carriages include a pair of opposing end stocks for rotatably clamping said media into said media carriages;
• d. wherein at least one of said end stocks is coupled to a rotational actuator supported by said media carriage for causing said end stock and said media to rotate within said media carriage;
• and,
• e. wherein each said rotational actuator is independently controllable from a control means such that each said container media may rotate at a rotation speed different from any other rotating media in said decorator during operation
• f. wherein said turret assembly includes a plurality of pie sections sized to support a separate media carriage within each, wherein each said media carriage is releasable held by said pie sections such that said held media carriages may be readily interchanged with other media carriages within each pie section.

A container decorator, comprising:

• a. a rotatable turret assembly holding a plurality of circumferentially disposed means for holding container media during a decorating process, said turret assembly arranged to rotate about a central axis in a controlled manner such that each said media holding means advances along a circular path from one index point to another index point along the circumference of said turret assembly;
• b. a plurality of workstation means positioned around the periphery of said rotatable turret for accomplishing a decorating step to said container media as said media travels from workstation means to workstation means;
• c. wherein said media holding means includes a pair of opposing end stocks for rotatably clamping said media into said media holding means, and wherein said media holding means further includes a carriage assembly supported at a distal end of said media holding means by a pair of rails and extendable along said pair of rails toward and away from the center of said turret assembly in order to accommodate various sizes of media, said media holding means including means for electronically moving said carriage assembly along said pair of rails responsive to an operator induced action;
• d. wherein at least one of said end stocks is coupled to a means for rotating said media in a controllable manner, and wherein said rotating means is supported by said media holding means for causing said end stocks and said media to rotate within said media holding means;
• and,
• e. wherein each said rotating means is independently controllable from a control means supported by said decorator such that each said container media may rotate at a rotation speed different from any other rotating media in said decorator during a decorating job.

A container decorator, comprising:

• a. a rotatable turret assembly holding a plurality of circumferentially disposed means for holding container media during a decorating process, said turret assembly arranged to rotate about a central axis in a controlled manner such that each said media holding means advances along a circular path from one index point to another index point along the circumference of said turret assembly;
• b. a plurality of workstation means positioned around the periphery of said rotatable turret for accomplishing a decorating step to said container media as said media travels from workstation means to workstation means;
• c. wherein said media holding means includes a pair of opposing end stocks for rotatably clamping said media into said media holding means;
• d. wherein at least one of said end stocks is coupled to a means for rotating said media in a controllable manner, and wherein said rotating means is supported by said media holding means for causing said end stocks and said media to rotate within said media holding means;
• e. wherein each said rotating means is independently controllable from a control means supported by said decorator such that each said container media may rotate at a rotation speed different from any other rotating media in said decorator during a decorating job;
• and,
• f. wherein said turret assembly includes a plurality of pie sections sized to support a separate media holding means within each, wherein each said media holding means is releasably held by said pie sections such that said held media holding means may be readily interchanged with other media holding means within each pie section.

A container decorator, comprising:

• a. a rotatable turret assembly holding a plurality of circumferentially disposed means for holding container media during a decorating process, said turret assembly arranged to rotate about a central axis in a controlled manner such that each said media holding means advances along a circular path from one index point to another index point along the circumference of said turret assembly;
• b. a plurality of workstation means positioned around the periphery of said rotatable turret for accomplishing a decorating step to said container media as said media travels from workstation means to workstation means;
• c. wherein said media holding means includes a pair of opposing end stocks for rotatably clamping said media into said media holding means;
• d. wherein at least one of said end stocks is coupled to a means for rotating said media in a controllable manner, and wherein said rotating means is supported by said media holding means for causing said end stocks and said media to rotate within said media holding means;
• and,
• e. wherein each said rotating means is independently controllable from a control means supported by said decorator such that each said container media may rotate at a rotation speed different from any other rotating media in said decorator during a decorating job;
• and
• f. wherein each said media holding means comprises:
• i. a frame having an interior deck defining an interior open area spanned by said container media once locked into said media holding means, said frame detachably supported by said turret assembly at a distal end and a proximal end of said frame relative to the hub of said turret assembly;
• ii. a carriage assembly supported at a distal end of said frame and extendable along a pair of rails toward said proximal end of said frame, said carriage assembly rotatably supporting a distal end stock for holding said media at its distal end;
• and,
• iii. wherein said carriage assembly is lockable against said media at its distal end thereby locking said media against a proximal end stock connected to said rotating means.

A decorating machine for decorating the exterior of a media object, comprising:

• a. a rotatable turret assembly holding a plurality of circumferentially disposed media carriages for holding pieces of media objects during a decorating process in said machine, said turret assembly arranged to rotate about a central axis in a controlled manner such that each media carriage advances along a circular path from one index point to another index point along the circumference of said turret assembly;
• b. wherein the rotation of said turret assembly with said plurality of circumferentially disposed media carriages forms a non-intersecting plane with the plane of a manufacturing floor supporting said decorating machine;
• c. a plurality of decorating compartments disposed around the periphery of said rotatable turret assembly at predetermined index points, each compartment capable of applying ink downward onto said piece of media held in said media carriage as said media carriage traverses through each compartment;
• d. wherein each media carriage includes means for continuously rotating a loaded piece of media within said media carriage as said loaded piece of media passes from one decorating compartment to another decorating compartment in said machine, and wherein said decorating machine is adapted to rotate each piece of media at a rate different from every other piece of media being decorated within said decorator in order to optimize printing speed of each piece of media passing through each said compartment, wherein said media carriage further includes a carriage assembly supported at a distal end of said media carriage by a pair of rails and extendable along said pair of rails toward and away from the center of said turret assembly in order to accommodate various sizes of media, said media carriage including means for electronically moving said carriage assembly along said pair of rails responsive to an operator induced action;
• and,
• e. said decorating machine including curing means for curing ink applied to each said piece of media.