US 2004/0123955 A1Published application

Beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material and a labelling station for labelling filled bottles and other containers

AssigneeKHS Maschinen- und Anlagenbau AG

InventorsKlaus Kramer, Heinz-Michael Zwilling, Thomas Stienen

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Abstract

A bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material and a labelling station for labelling bottles, and like containers, with the labelling station processing single-sheet labels. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), “A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.” Therefore, the abstract is not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material, said beverage bottling plant comprising:

a filling machine configured to fill empty bottles with liquid beverage filling material;
said beverage filling machine comprising a plurality of beverage filling positions, each beverage filling position comprising a beverage filling device for filling bottles with liquid beverage filling material;
said filling devices comprising apparatus configured to introduce a predetermined flow of liquid beverage filling material into the interior of bottles to a substantially predetermined level of liquid beverage filling material;
said apparatus configured to introduce a predetermined flow of liquid beverage filling material comprising apparatus configured to terminate the filling of beverage bottles upon liquid beverage filling material reaching said substantially predetermined level in bottles;
a conveyer arrangement configured and disposed to move empty bottles to said filling machine;
a closing station configured to close filled bottles;
a conveyer arrangement configured and disposed to transfer filled bottles from said filling machine to said closing station;
a labelling station configured and disposed to label filled bottles with a label;
a conveyer arrangement configured and disposed to transfer closed bottles from said closing station to said labelling station;
said labelling station comprising:
a conveyer arrangement configured and disposed to move closed bottles within said labelling station;
a label storage magazine configured to hold a plurality of single-sheet labels in a stacked condition;
apparatus, with label grippers, configured and disposed to extract labels from said label storage magazine and to directly apply an extracted label on a filled, closed bottle to be labelled;
apparatus configured and disposed to directly heat a label, prior to finally applying the label on a filled, closed bottle, thus at least to assist in securing an applied label to a filled, closed bottle;
said label grippers being configured and disposed to grip an extracted label and to release a gripped label to thus permit a label to be applied to a filled, closed bottle;
apparatus configured and disposed to press and to smooth a label to a bottle;
and
a conveyer arrangement configured and disposed to remove labelled bottles from said labelling station.

15 more elements

A method of operating a labelling station for labelling a container, said labelling station comprising:

a moving arrangement configured and disposed to move containers by said labelling station;
a label storage magazine;
apparatus, with at least one label gripper, configured and disposed to extract a label from said label storage magazine and to apply a label on a container to be labelled;
and
apparatus configured and disposed to directly heat a label, prior to finally securing a label on a container, thus at least to assist in securing a label to a container;
said at least one label gripper being configured and disposed to grip a label and to release a gripped label to permit a label to be secured to a container;
said method comprising the steps of:
removing a label from said label storage magazine;
applying a removed label, with said apparatus configured and disposed to extract a label from said label storage magazine, on a container to be labelled;
gripping a label with said at least one label gripper;
heating a label with said heating apparatus, prior to finally securing a label on a container, thus at least to assist in securing a label to a container;
and
releasing a gripped label from said at least one label gripper to thus permit a label to be secured to a container.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.