Labeling machine
AssigneeOliver Machinery Company
InventorsWilliam H. Solomon, John R. Davies, Carrel M. Forward
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A labeling machine, system, and method capable of accommodating offset printed label tapes or other label tapes having discontinuities between the individual labels of a repeat print pattern, with feeding and severing such in controlled fashion utilizing a printed indicia code and a two stage feeding and cutting cycle, while uniquely securing and advancing articles or containers to be labeled with novel equipment, both in a manner to allow extremely accurate and dependable label application and subsequent label verification on the article as well as label position checking, and with discharge means positively governing discharge of the labeled articles according to acceptability or non-acceptability.
Claims15
Labeling apparatus for elongated articles such as pharmaceutical containers, comprising:
- label feed means and label applying means;
- article advancing means comprising rotational wheel means having a plurality of spaced releaseable article gripping means circumferentially therearound, shiftable between an article receiving position, an article labeling position, a label checking position, and an article discharge position, as said wheel means rotates;
- each of said article gripping means having article-end engaging means shiftable axially, generally parallel to said wheel axis, between a contracted condition to engage articles on their ends and hold them with their axes parallel to said wheel axis and to each other, and an expanded cocked condition to receive or release articles;
- biasing means to bias said engaging means toward said contracted condition;
- releaseable latch means to retain said engaging means in cocked expanded condition;
- release means on said apparatus adjacent said article receiving position of said wheel means arranged to cause release of each of said engaging means for biased movement from cocked expanded condition to contracted condition;
- and cocking means on said apparatus adjacent said article discharge position to shift each said engaging means against the bias from the contracted condition to the expanded cocked condition for latching.
Labeling apparatus for elongated articles such as pharmaceutical bottles, comprising:
- label feed means and label applying means;
- article advancing means comprising rotational wheel means having a plurality of releasable article gripping means therearound spaced radially with respect to the wheel means rotational axis, said wheel means being rotationally shiftable to advance said gripping means between an article receiving position, an article labeling position, a label checking position, and an article discharge position as said wheel means rotates;
- each of said gripping means being so mounted to said rotational wheel means to continuously retain an article in a fixed given position relative to said wheel means while the article is advanced from said article receiving position through said article labeling position and said article checking position to said article discharge position;
- said wheel means having a pair of spaced rims forming article receiving space at each of said gripping means;
- said gripping means each including an article engaging saddle on one of said rims for engaging one end of an article, a spring biased plunger on the second rim, shiftable between a cocked article receiving or releasing position and an article engaging and clamping position, and restraining latch means for each spring biased plunger shiftable between a set position restraining its spring biased plunger in cocked position and a plunger releasing position for releasing its spring biased plunger into article engaging position;
- means to cock each of said plungers and set its restraining latch means at said article discharge position;
- and means at said article receiving position to controllably release said plunger from its latch means for gripping an article.
Apparatus for applying coded labels to articles and verifying such comprising:
- article advancing means having a plurality of releasable article gripping means movable through a series of stations;
- article loading means at the first station, article label applying means at a sugsequent station, label verification checking means at a subsequent station, and labeled article discharge means at a subsequent station, with said gripping means being advanced successively through such stations in the order noted, thereby enabling verification of coded labels after application thereof to the gripped article;
- and article discharge control means operably associated with said label verification checking means to differentiate between approved and unapproved labeled articles;
- said article gripping means comprising a plurality of independently actuable gripping mechanisms, and said article discharge control means including (a) a pre-settable control element for each gripping means, shiftable between a triggering position and a non-triggering position, (b) control element shifting means responsive to said verification checking means and (c) article disposition means including trigger means activated by a control element in the triggering position to controllably dispose of the article.
Apparatus for applying coded labels to articles and verifying such comprising:
- article advancing means having a plurality of releasable article gripping means movable through a series of stations;
- article loading means at the first station, article label applying means at a subsequent station, label verification checking means at a subsequent station, and labeled article discharge means at a subsequent station, with said gripping means being advanced successively through such stations in the order noted, thereby enabling verification of coded labels after application thereof to the gripped articles;
- and article discharge control means operably associated with said label verification checking means to differentiate between approved and unapproved labeled articles;
- said verification checking means comprising photosensitive detector means preset to be responsive only to a particular set of label code indicia for verification approval or disapproval.
Labeling apparatus for a label having a code indicia thereon, comprising:
- label advancing and applying means;
- article advancing means having a plurality of releasable article gripping means, movable between an article pick up position, a label applying position, a label registry checking position, and at least one discharge position;
- each of said gripping means being so mounted relative to said article advancing means to continuously retain an article in a fixed given position relative to said article advancing means while the article is advanced from said article pick up position through said label applying position and said label registry checking position to said discharge position;
- photosensitive label alignment and label verification checking means at said label registry checking position capable of scanning the label code and differentiating between acceptable articles with aligned properly coded labels and defective articles with non-aligned and/or improperly coded labels;
- camming means to actuate each of said article gripping means at said pick up station;
- camming means to release each of said article gripping means at a discharge station;
- defective article kick out means adjacent the discharge station;
- and actuator means for said kick out means operably associated with said label registry checking means to controllably actuate said kick out means in response to the detection of a defectively labeled article.
A labeling machine comprising:
- label tape feed means for intermittently feeding a continuous tape of repeat pattern labels and periodic scrap sections;
- powered label cut-off means forming a cut-off station to receive successive portions of a label tape from said feed means and shiftable to cut individual labels and scrap sections from the tape;
- said feed means including a one-way rotary drive clutch means operably connected to and driven from reciprocable gear sector means, said gear sector means being operably connected to a pitman which in turn is pivotally connected to an oscillatory pivotal link, said pivotal link having an elongated slot receiving an eccentric drive pin of a continuously rotating crank, for effecting shaped drive strokes.
Apparatus for applying labels to articles and verifying the labels on the articles, comprising a label applying station, means for feeding articles to and past said label applying station and through a second inspection station at which label inspection takes place after complete attachment of the labels to articles, said feeding means including retaining means for holding such articles in a fixed given position relative to said feeding means while in said label applying station during the application of labels thereto and while passing therefrom, and to and through said second inspection station, means for feeding labels to said label applying station and for applying the same to articles held at such label applying station, means at said second inspection station for inspecting the label bearing areas of articles that have been fed to said label applying station for application of labels thereto while said articles are being held in said given position by said article feeding and holding means, and means selectively controlled by said inspecting means and operative by the latter whenever the label of an inspected article does not pass such inspection, to exercise a supervisory action on the article not passing such label inspection.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.