Label indexing and applicator apparatus

A label indexing and applicator appartus for bonding labels, in controlled index from a rolled strip of flexible and stretchable label stock having the labels longitudinally separated on the strip by detectable label divider indicia to a surface of a substrate stock, said apparatus comprising:

• an exteriorly disposed apparatus frame;
• strip label stock storage shaft means carried by said exterior frame for rotationally supporting a roll of the flexible and stretchable strip label stock and having a substantially horizontal axis of rotation sufficient for unrolling the labels tangentially of the roll and upstream in a first direction for traveling longitudinally of said frame;
• label strip stock straightening means carried by said exterior frame and disposed upstream said strip label stock shaft storage means for applying and maintaining a tension on the strip label stock sufficient to maintain said strip label stock in an essentially unwrinkled state;
• a first grip nip roller carried by said exterior frame and disposed upstream said label strip straightening means, said first grip nip roller engaging the strip label stock therearound;
• a second grip nip roller carried by said exterior frame and disposed adjacent said first grip nip roller, said second grip nip roller being engageable with said first grip nip roller to define a gripping nip through which the strip label stock is threadably disposed and engaged to exert a transverse grip by means of said gripping nip on the strip label stock sufficient to bind and firmly hold the strip label stock therein, whereby the strip label stock may pass therethrough only upon turning of said grip nip rollers;
• sensor means carried by said exterior frame and disposed upstream of said gripping nip and opposite thereof for detecting the presence and location at a selected time of the transparent label divider portions separating the labels on the strip label stock;
• a first heat nip roller carried by said exterior frame and disposed upstream of said sensor means;
• a second heat nip roller carried by said exterior frame and engageable with said first heat nip roller, at least one of said heat nip rollers being heated to define a heat nip for threadably engaging the strip label stock therethrough;
• heat nip engagement means carried by said exterior frame for engaging said heat nip rollers;
• substrate stock storage shaft means for rotationally supporting and paying out the substrate stock from a roll thereof;
• substrate stock directional roller means carried by said exterior frame for directing the substrate stock for disposition within and for threadable engagement by said heat nip and in contact therein with the strip label stock and the substrate stock are bonded together to form a laminate at and by the heat nip;
• cooling means carried by said exterior frame for cooling the bonded strip label stock and substrate laminate;
• stock pulling means disposed upstream said cooling means for exerting a pulling force on the bonded strip label stock and substrate laminate, and for thereby separately pulling the strip label stock and subtrate stock in an upstream direction through the label applicator apparatus at a selected speed;
• electric motor brake means carried by said exterior frame and connected to one of said nip rollers for turning said nip roller to permit the gripped strip label stock to pass therethrough at a controlled variable linear speed, and thereby to effect a differential stretch thereon corresponding to the speed of rotation of said nip roller;
• and
• control means connected to said sensor means and said electric motor brake means for controlling and varying the speed of said electric motor brake means in accordance with the presence and location at a selected time of the transparent label divider portions separating the labels on the strip label stock to differentially stretch the strip label stock to effect registration of the bonded labels on the substrate stock.