Apparatus for assembling a continuous stream of composite labels

An apparatus for assembling a continuous stream of composite labels, comprising:

• means for supporting and conveying a substantially continuous web of backing material, said backing material supporting and conveying means having an upstream end portion and a downstream area;
• means for cutting a length of ribbon into ribbon segments and for depositing said ribbon segments into a substantially continuous stream of spaced ribbon segments, said ribbon segment depositing means includes pusher assembly means for engaging and moving each ribbon segment between said ribbon cutting means and toward a ribbon segment conveying assembly;
• said ribbon segment conveying assembly including means for supplying said substantially continuous stream of spaced ribbon segments toward said upstream end portion of the backing material supporting and conveying means, said ribbon segments supplying means having an off-feed end;
• means for supplying a substantially continuous stream of spaced labels toward said upstream end portion of the backing material supporting and conveying means, said labels supplying means having an off-feed end;
• and
• transfer means for operatively connecting together said off-feed end of the ribbon segments supplying means, said off-feed end of the labels supplying means and said upstream end portion of the backing web supporting and conveying means, said transfer means further being for positioning one of said ribbon segments below at least a portion of one of said labels while positioning said label onto said web of backing material in order to thereby form on said backing web a composite label product of ribbon segment at least partially under the label.