# US 2013/0239393 A1 · Article Selection and Placement Assembly and Method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0239393 A1 - Document ID: US20130239393A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/890,537 - Filed: 2013-05-09 - Published: 2013-09-19 - Earliest claimed: 2009-06-09 - Assignees: Graphic Packaging International, Inc. - Applicants: Graphic Packaging International, Inc. - Inventors: Kelly Ziegler - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130239393A1 ## CPC - B23P 19/001: {Article feeders for assembling machines (screws or nuts being carried by a disposable strip or disc B25B23/045)} - B65C 7/00: Affixing tags (in combination with filling of tea bags B65B29/04 {; multi-step processes for making labels or tags B31D1/02}) - B65H 19/10: in unwinding mechanisms or in connection with unwinding operations - B65H 19/22: in winding mechanisms or in connection with winding operations - B65H 20/22: to effect step-by-step advancement of web - B65H 2701/1942: Web supporting regularly spaced non-adhesive articles - Y10T 29/49826: Assembling or joining - Y10T 29/49863: with prestressing of part - Y10T 29/4987: Elastic joining of parts - Y10T 29/53539: including work conveyor - Y10T 29/53657: to apply or remove a resilient article [e.g., tube, sleeve, etc.] - Y10T 74/2107: Follower - Y10T 156/1033: Flexible sheet to cylinder lamina - B23P: METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS (arrangements for copying or controlling B23Q) - B65C: LABELLING OR TAGGING MACHINES, APPARATUS, OR PROCESSES (nailing or stapling in general B25C, B27F; applying labels for packaging purposes B65B; labels, name-plates G09F ){(series-printing machines B41L; containers for the storage or transport of packages B65D)} - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract An apparatus is disclosed for applying tags with attached elastic anchor bands onto the tops of objects such as bottles in a high speed packaging application. The apparatus includes an infeed assembly for feeding a web, a conveyor assembly that receives a web and conveys it along a path in an upstream direction, a rotating selector wheel, a placement assembly, a pair of rotating jaw assembles, a vacuum cup of the selector wheel, and stretched elastic bands over the tops of respective bottles being conveyed along a path below the placing assembly. The elastic bands then snap onto the tops of their respective bottles to secure the tags to the bottles. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An article selection and placement assembly comprising: an infeed assembly for continuously feeding a supply of articles to be placed on objects; a conveyor assembly receiving the supply of articles from the infeed assembly and moving the articles in an upstream direction; a selector assembly at an upstream end of the conveyor assembly configured to select individual articles from the supply of articles moving on the conveyor assembly; and a placing assembly configured to receive selected articles, to prepare the selected articles for placement onto objects, and to place the prepared articles on the objects. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The article selection and placement assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the infeed assembly is configured to carry at least two supplies of articles. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The article selection and placement assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the conveyor assembly comprises an endless belt. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The article selection and placement assembly as claimed in claim 3 further comprising an array of spaced bars on the endless belt configured to receive and carry the supply of articles. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The article selection and placement assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein the spaced bars extend transversely from an edge of the endless belt to free end portions and wherein the free end portions are configured to receive and carry the supply of articles. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The article selection and placement assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the selector assembly comprises a rotating wheel carrying spaced selectors about its periphery. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The article selection and placement assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein the spaced selectors are configured to engage and select individual articles from the supply of articles on the conveyor assembly. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The article selection and placement assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the selectors comprise vacuum cups. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The article selection and placement assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the placing assembly receives a selected article prior to its selection by the selector assembly. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The article selection and placement assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein the placing assembly comprises an array of rotating jaw assemblies. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The article selection and placement assembly as claimed in claim 10 wherein the jaw assemblies are configured to grasp a selected article and carry the grasped article to an object to receive the article. ### Claim 12 A method of placing elastic bands onto objects moving along a path in an article selection and placement assembly, the method comprising the steps of: continuously feeding a supply of articles to be placed on objects by operating an infeed assembly; receiving the supply of articles from the infeed assembly and moving the articles in an upstream direction on a conveyor assembly; selecting individual articles from the supply of articles moving on the conveyor assembly by operating a selector assembly at an upstream end of the conveyor assembly; and receiving selected articles, preparing the selected articles for placement onto objects, and placing the prepared articles on the objects by operating a placing assembly. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the continuously feeding a supply of articles comprises feeding at least two supplies of articles. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the conveyor assembly comprises an endless belt. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 wherein the conveyor assembly comprises an array of spaced bars on the endless belt configured to receive and carry the supply of articles. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein the spaced bars extend transversely from an edge of the endless belt to free end portions and wherein the free end portions are configured to receive and carry the supply of articles. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the selection assembly comprises a rotating wheel carrying spaced selectors about its periphery. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the spaced selectors are configured to engage and select individual articles from the supply of articles on the conveyor assembly. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18 wherein the selectors comprise vacuum cups. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the receiving selected articles by operating a placing assembly occurs prior to selecting individual articles by operating the selector assembly. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20 wherein the placing assembly comprises an array of rotating jaw assemblies. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21 wherein the receiving selected articles comprises grasping the selected articles with the jaw assemblies and carrying the grasped articles to a respective object. ### Claim 23 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the supply of articles comprises a web comprising a plurality of elastic bands that are detachable from the web, the selecting individual articles comprises detaching a respective elastic band of the plurality of elastic bands from the web. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23 wherein the receiving selected articles comprises stretching a respective elastic band to a size sufficient to extend around at least a portion of a respective object of the objects moving along a path. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24 wherein placing the prepared articles comprises sequentially placing the respective stretched elastic band around a respective object and releasing the respective elastic band so that they snap onto a respective object. ### Claim 26 A method of placing elastic bands onto objects moving along a path, the method comprising the steps of: (a) conveying a web comprising a multitude of detachable elastic bands in an upstream direction; (b) sequentially capturing each elastic band as it moves in the upstream direction; (c) detaching captured elastic bands from the web; (d) stretching the elastic bands to a size sufficient to extend around at least a portion of objects moving along the path; (e) sequentially moving the stretched elastic bands around respective objects; and (f) releasing the elastic bands so that they snap onto the respective objects. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method of claim 26 wherein step (b) comprises inserting a set of pins through the elastic band. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27 wherein step (d) comprises spreading the set of pins apart. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The method of claim 28 wherein step (e) comprises moving the spread apart set of pins around respective objects. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The method of claim 29 wherein step (f) comprises retracting the set of pins from the elastic band. ### Claim 31 (depends on 26) The method of claim 26 wherein the elastic bands are attached to tags that are defined in and detachable from the web, and wherein step (c) comprises engaging and pressing on the tags to detach them and the attached elastic bands from the web. ### Claim 32 An infeed assembly for feeding a web to a continuously operating machine comprising a first reel carrying a first web and a second reel carrying a second web, a first guide assembly associated with the first reel and a second guide assembly associated with the second reel, each guide assembly comprising a queuing member configured to queue the end portion of a respective web in position to be loaded into the machine while the other web is being used by the machine. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) The infeed assembly of claim 32 wherein the queuing member is a roller block cooperating with pins that hold the web in a predetermine position. ### Claim 34 An apparatus comprising: a rotatable hub; an array of elongated members attached at one end to the rotatable hub, each elongated member having a cam follower projecting therefrom. a rotatable wheel disposed adjacent the rotatable hub and being axially offset with respect thereto; an array of slots formed in the rotatable wheel and having distal ends adjacent the periphery of the wheel that are spaced further apart than opposite proximal ends of the slots; the cam follower of each elongated member extending slidably into a respective one of the slots; rotation of the hub and the wheel rotating the elongated members and moving their cam followers between proximal and distal ends of their respective slots to cause the elongated members to spread apart and bunch together as they are rotated by the hub. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the elongated members comprise openable and closable jaw assemblies, the assembly further comprising a cam disc located adjacent to the jaw assemblies and having a cam track formed therein, a cam follower of each jaw assembly riding in the cam track and the cam track being configured to act on the cam follower to open and close the jaw assemblies as they rotate about the hub. ### Claim 36 (depends on 35) The apparatus of claim 35 further comprising at least one pin on each jaw assembly having an extended position and a retracted position and being movable between the extended and retracted positions by manipulation of a second cam follower on the jaw assembly, the cam disc further comprising a second cam track acting on the second cam follower to extend and retract the at least one pin as the jaw assemblies rotate about the hub.