Automatic motorless label applying system
AssigneePfizer Inc.
InventorSabrie B. Soloman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic motorless label applying system includes a supply reel having a continuous carrier strip with a plurality of labels detachably mounted thereon. The strip is directed through an air actuated linear indexing mechanism which includes an upstream solenoid and a downstream solenoid. The upstream solenoid has clamp members which clamp the strip and then move it in a down-stream direction by the upstream solenoid itself moving laterally. The downstream solenoid clamps the strip when the upstream solenoid returns towards its original position. The labels are sequentially detached from the strip and each label is applied to a respective container.
Claims31
An automatic motorless label applying system comprising a supply reel having a continuous carrier strip with a plurality of pressure sensitive labels each having at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge and being detachably mounted on said carrier strip, a linear indexing mechanism, said linear indexing mechanism comprising an upstream clamping device and a downstream clamping device, said upstream clamping device including an upper clamp member and a lower clamp member with said label carrying strip passing therebetween, means for relatively moving said upstream clamp members toward each other to clamp said label carrying strip therebetween, means for moving said upstream clamping device laterally along a distance toward said downstream clamping device when said upstream clamping device is in its clamped condition and for returning said upstream clamping device away from said downstream clamping device when said upstream clamping device is in its unclamped condition, said downstream clamping device being laterally fixed, said downstream clamping device including an upper clamp member and a lower clamp member with said label carrying strip passing therebetween, means for relatively moving said downstream clamp members toward each other to clamp said label carrying strip therebetween while said upstream clamping device is moved in its returning direction, means for sequentially peeling each label from said carrying strip at a detaching station, means for feeding objects one at a time to an applicating station, means for removing each label from said detaching station and applying said label to a respective object at said applicating station, means for sensing at least one leading edge and at least one of the trailing edge of the labels and for sending information when said sensed at least one leading edge and when said sensed at least one trailing edge of a label pass through the sensing means, and means for controlling the lateral movement of the upstream clamping device which receives the information from the sensing means to vary the distance the upstream clamping device is laterally moved so as to substantially maintain even spacing between adjacent labels.
A method of applying labels to objects with the use of an automatic motorless label applying system including the steps of mounting a continuous carrier strip having a plurality of pressure sensitive labels having at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge and detachably mounted thereon to a supply reel, threading the strip over a series of rollers and through a linear clamping mechanism having an upstream clamping device and a downstream clamping device, conveying the strip to a detaching station, mounting the strip on a take-up reel, closing the upstream clamping device to clamp against the label carrying strip, moving the upstream clamping device and clamped strip along a distance toward the downstream clamping device to pull an additional segment of strip from the supply reel and to feed a corresponding length of segment of strip to the take-up reel, sensing at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge of the labels during the moving step and varying the distance the upstream clamping device and clamped strip is moved so as to substantially maintain even spacing between adjacent labels, passing the strip over the acute angle of a peeling member in the detaching station to move the strip in a bend greater than 90.degree., peeling each label from the strip as the strip moves in the bend, sequentially lifting each peeled label from the detaching station, transferring the peeled strip to an applicating station, and pressing each peeled label against a respective object in the applicating station to attach the label to the object.
An automatic motorless label applying system comprising a supply reel having a continuous carrier strip with a plurality of pressure sensitive labels each having at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge and being detachably mounted on said carrier strip, a linear indexing mechanism, said linear indexing mechanism comprising an upstream clamping device and a downstream clamping device, said upstream clamping device including an upper clamp member and a lower clamp member with said label carrying strip passing therebetween, means for relatively moving said upstream clamp members toward each other to clamp said label carrying strip therebetween, means for moving said upstream clamping device laterally along a distance toward said downstream clamping device when said upstream clamping device is in its clamped condition and for returning said upstream clamping device away from said downstream clamping device when said upstream clamping device is in its unclamped condition, said downstream clamping device being laterally fixed, said downstream clamping device including an upper clamp member and a lower clamp member with said label carrying strip passing therebetween, means for relatively moving said downstream clamp members toward each other to clamp said label carrying strip therebetween while said upstream clamping device is moved in its returning direction, means for sequentially peeling each label from said carrying strip at a detaching station, means for feeding objects one at a time to an applicating station, means for removing each label from said detaching station and applying said label to a respective object at said applicating station, means for sensing at least one leading edge and at least one of the trailing edge of the labels and for sending information when said sensed at least one leading edge and when said sensed at least one trailing edge of a label pass through the sensing means, and means for controlling the lateral movement of the upstream clamping device which receives the information from the sensing means to vary the distance the upstream clamping device is laterally moved so as to substantially correct for uneven spacing between adjacent labels on the continuous carrier strip.
A method of applying labels to objects with the use of an automatic motorless label applying system including the steps of mounting a continuous carrier strip having a plurality of pressure sensitive labels having at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge and detachably mounted thereon to a supply reel, threading the strip over a series of rollers and through a linear clamping mechanism having an upstream clamping device and a downstream clamping device, conveying the strip to a detaching station, mounting the strip on a take-up reel, closing the upstream clamping device to clamp against the label carrying strip, moving the upstream clamping device and clamped strip along a distance toward the downstream clamping device to pull an additional segment of strip from the supply reel and to feed a corresponding length of segment of strip to the take-up reel, sensing at least one leading edge and at least one trailing edge of the labels during the moving step and varying the distance the upstream clamping device and clamped strip is moved so as to substantially correct for uneven spacing between adjacent labels on the continuous carrier strip, passing the strip over the acute angle of a peeling member in the detaching station to move the strip in a bend greater than 90.degree., peeling each label from the strip as the strip moves in the bend, sequentially lifting each peeled label from the detaching station, transferring the peeled strip to an applicating station, and pressing each peeled label against a respective object in the applicating station to attach the label to the object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.