Delabeling hollow articles
AssigneeMonsanto Company
InventorsJoseph F. Simon, William D. Wolf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of removing a label adhesively bonded to the surface of a hollow thermoplastic article disposed in a liquid which comprises effecting vigorous relative movement between the article surface and the liquid.
Claims20
A delabeling method which comprises disposing a hollow thermoplastic article having a label adhesively bonded to its surface in a liquid and vigorously moving the article so that relative movement between the article surface and the liquid is obtained.
A delabeling method which comprises tumbling a thermoplastic container having a label bonded thereto about in a moving containment chamber containing a liquid whereby the agitative action between liquid and labeled surface strips the label therefrom.
A method of delabeling which comprises advancing baffles rotating with a cylindrical delabeling chamber containing a liquid at elevated temperature in a direction circumferential to the longitudinal axis of said chamber into a batch of lightweight thermoplastic containers randomly, loosely packed therein and having adhesively secured labels thereon, thereby causing vigorous, tumbling, rubbing contact between containers and intimate soaking exposure to the liquid whereby such labels are loosened and stripped from the cntainer surfaces.
In a method of delabeling break-resistant, hollow, thermoplastic articles having surface-bonded labels thereon which involves soaking the labeled surfaces in a liquid to affect the bond,
- the improvement comprising, in combination, the step of:
- tumbling a plurality of such articles together within a moving containment chamber whereby the agitative action between the liquid and the articles dislodges the labels therefrom.
A method of removing labels from lightweight, resilient thermoplastic bottles which comprises:
- (a) charging a batch of such bottles having adhesively secured labels thereon to a generally horizontally disposed perforated drum having inwardly directed circumferentially spaced baffles and being mounted for rotation within a fixed housing, such that said labeled bottles are randomly, loosely packed within such drum;
- (b) partially filling such housing-enclosed drum with water at elevated temperature;
- (c) rotating the drum with the labeled containers therein to repeatedly cause the baffles to (i) move through the water, (ii) raise bottles adjacent the inner drum surface and then (iii) allow them to fall back into the drum as rotation continues, thereby causing vigorous bottle movement whereby rubbing, impacting contact and adhesive-softening exposure to the water strips the labels from the bottle surfaces;
- (d) removing the water and released labels from the drum;
- (e) continuing rotation of the drum after step (d) to drain water from the bottles within the drum;
- and then
- (f) tilting the drum upwardly to promote gravity discharge of the bottles through an exit port in the housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.