Apparatus for applying labels to blow molded articles

In an apparatus for forming articles by blow molding parisons into conformity with cavities of an array of mold sections wherein an extruder extrudes parisons in the form of tubes into an array of neck molds on a head, means for moving the head axially away from the extruder to define the parisons, said array of mold sections being closeable about the parisons, means for blowing the parisons outwardly, and a take out mechanism having grasping means for grasping blown articles and means for reciprocating movement of said mechanism generally horizontally in a first direction away from and a second direction toward said molds after the mold sections are opened, the improvement for applying labels to the hollow blown plastic articles comprising

• a label carrier mounted adjacent said molds for reciprocating movement generally horizontally in said first direction toward and between the open mold sections and in said second direction generally horizontally away from said molds,
• an array of spaced vacuum pick up devices movably supported on said carrier,
• means for mounting and moving said carrier for reciprocating movement in said first direction between the longitudinally spaced array of mold sections substantially at the same time as the take out mechanism is moved in said second direction adjacent the mold sections to grasp the blown containers so that the labels are delivered with substantially no delay in cycle time such that the vacuum devices can be actuated to deliver the array of labels to the cavities of the array of open mold sections.