Apparatus for applying labels to containers

Can labeling apparatus comprising a rotary mounted container drum having can gripping means at circumferentially spaced locations about the periphery for holding cans against rotation about the axes thereof, means rotating said container drum to thus move cans on the drum in a circular arc, a vacuum drum mounted for driven rotation about the axis thereof and disposed with the periphery thereof substantially tangent to the side of cans on said container drum as they move past the vacuum drum, said vacuum drum having peripheral openings controllably connected to a vacuum source for releasably holding can labels on the drum periphery as the vacuum drum rotates and also having a plurality of radial ridges thereacross spaced apart a predetermined distance circumferentially about the periphery of the drum to displace at least a portion of each label radially outward of the drum, such spacing being slightly greater than the length of the individual labels, an adhesive wheel for coating adhesive on each label while on a ridge, means for continuously feeding a parent strip of label material onto the periphery of the vacuum drum with its leading edge held by the vacuum drum and the portion of the parent strip which is to form the trailing edge of the label unsevered from the strip, means operable while said leading edge is held by the vacuum drum for cutting successive labels from the strip at a location ahead of said vacuum drum, means for rotating the vacuum drum to effect movement of individual labels cut from said strip to engage the adhesive wheel at said ridges and then to engage a can at the leading edge of the label, and means releasing successive cans from the container drum at a discharge station and rotating the released cans for wrapping a label about each can to secure the label about the can.