AU643535B2

AU643535B2 - Improvements in and relating to labelling apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU643535B2
Application number: AU80249/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Dennis William Chadwick; Paul James Fitzpatrick; Douglas Moreland Phillips
Original assignee: NEW ZEALAND MEAT IND RES INST
Current assignee: Meat Industry Research Institute Of New Zealand Incorporated
Priority date: 1990-07-10
Filing date: 1991-07-09
Publication date: 1993-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 2011-07-09
Also published as: NZ234442A; AU8024991A

Description

64 3 5 3 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952-69 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Class Int. C Application Number: Lodged: Form lass Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published:

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Priority Related Art oo• Name of Applicant THE MEAT INDUSTRY

(INCORPORATED)

RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF NEW ZEALAND Address of Applicant: e 0 Actual Inventor ddress for Service Address for Service East Street, Hamilton, New Zealand DOUGLAS MORELAND PHILLIPS, PAUL JAMES FITZPATRICK DENNIS WILLIAM CHADWICK and WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS.

LOCKED BAG NO. 5, HAWTHORN, VICTORIA 3122, AUSTRALIA Complete Specification for the invention entitled: IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO LABELLING APPARATUS The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us 2 This invention relates to labelling apparatus.

There is a wide variety of industries in which labels need to be applied to objects. For example labels are often carried by a supporting medium and thus need to be transferred from the supporting medium to the object being labelled. In this category fall self-adhesive labels which need to be removed from a backing tape, sheet or the like and applied to the object which can be anything from a container or package to an article of clothing or a piece of luggage. Generally the label needs to be removed from the supporting medium in a controlled manner and then readily positioned and applied to the object to be labelled. With large or elongate labels, especially of the self-adhesive type, it is often difficult to successfully transfer the label from the backing to the object to be labelled. This is .,especially the case when the label is only partially removed from the backing and the partially removed portion applied to the object so that relative movement o between the object and the backing causes the label to not only be transferred but also positioned on the 0object.

Accordingly the present invention aims to provide labelling apparatus whereby a label can be removed from O5 a supporting medium and then applied to an object to be So' labelled.

In the meat processing industry there is a requirement for labels to be applied to a meat product, animal carcass, pelt or the like to facilitate identification and thereby enable the grade of the individual carcass, part thereof or pelt to be attributed to the appropriate producer. With pelts for example the pelt quality is, assessed by a grading process after vigorous chemical and mechanical processing. Thus any identification system must provide a marking or label which remains viable from the slaughter floor through at least to the grading station.

The labelling apparatus according to the present invention can thus be provided in a form which enables a self-adhesive label to be transferred from a supporting medium and located with the carcass (or part thereof) or the pelt to provide a means of identifying same. In particular the invention is particularly useful with pelt identification as the self-adhesive label can be passed through a hole in the edge of the pelt and folded so that at least parts of the label bearing adhesive are brought together to form a tag or label which will maintain its integrity right through the various processing stages leading up to grading.

Labelling apparatus comprising a dispenser for a supporting medium on which removable labels are 20 positioned and an applicator for transferring a label removed from the supporting medium to an object to be labelled, said dispenser including means for positioning a label located on the supporting medium adjacent the St. applicator, said applicator including means for engaging with the said label while said label remains on the supporting medium, means for causing relative movement between said label engaged by said engaging means and o.9.

that part of the supporting medium on which said label is located whereby that part of the supporting medium is 30 removed from said label whereupon said label engaged by the engaging means can then be applied by said applicator to the object to be labelled.

Preferably the engaging means is formed by at least one vacuum pad. in one f orm of the invention the label is elongate and the engaging means comprises two vacuum pads so positioned as to engage in the vicinity of each end of the elongate label.

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0,* 0.i0 In a preferred form the dispenser includes locating means which correctly locate the applicator with the label.

To cause the label to be removed from the supporting medium there is provided, according to a preferred form of the invention, means for moving the supporting medium relative to the label after said label has been engaged by the applicator.

In one preferred form of the invention the applicator includes a knife or spear which in use forms an opening in the object to be labelled whereupon the label can be engaged through the thus formed opening. The applicator can also include means for folding the label so that at least parts of the adhesive surface of the label are see* moved into contact.

In a second broad aspect there is provided a method of labelling employing a plurality of individual elongate labels carried on a supporting medium the method oo o comprising the steps of locating an applicator adjacent .cOO a label, causing label engaging means of the applicator to engage with said label, causing mechanical means to strip the supporting medium from the label while said label is held by said engaging means, moving said applicator to an object to be identified, passing a portion of said applicator through said object such that a first part of said label also passes through said object and causing said engaging means to move a second part of said label into engagement with said first part.

The labelling apparatus according to the present invention has a variety of end uses, however, one particular use is for applying tags or labels to an animal pelt. Accordingly the following description of a preferred form of the invention will be directed primarily to apparatus for this end purpose. However, labelling apparatus made according to the present invention can be used for other end purposes such as for example the labelling of luggage, applying labels to the flat or angular surface of a container, package or other object or to objects having simple or complex curved labelling surfaces.

In the following description reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 shows the applicator in the initial stage of being located with the dispenser, S. Figure 2 is the apparatus of Figure 1 with the applicator moved into contact with a label, oo Figure 3 is a cut away view of the arrangement as shown in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a more detailed view of the applicator engaged with the label as shown in Figures 2 and 3, 20 Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the 995*O0 0 supporting medium having been partly removed from the .e69 •9 label, Figure 6 is a view showing the applicator and dispenser when the label has been removed from the supporting medium, Figure 7 is a schematic view of the applicator removed from the dispenser and part-way through its operating cycle, Figure 8 is a view of the applicator at the end of its operating cycle when two portions of the label have been engaged in face to face contact, Figures 9, 10 and 11 illustrate a label being forced through an opening in the edge of a pelt with portions of the label being brought into face to face contact to be fixed with the pelt, Figure 12 is a partial underside view of the spear of the applicator, and Figure 13 is a schematic side view of the dispenser according to a modified form of the invention.

Referring firstly to Figure 1 there is shown a dispenser and an applicator 11. The applicator 11 is shown in diagramatic form but basically comprises a body 12 a handle 13 and a lever 14. Projecting from body 12 is a knife or spear 15. Other features of construction of the applicator will become apparent from the following i' description.

5 The dispenser 10 includes a housing 16 which ha! a .1 locating arrangement formed by a pair of guide slots 17 (see Figure 3) into which the spear 15 of applicator 11 can be placed. Each slot 17 preferably has a mouth portion 18 to enable ready entry of the sharpened leading end of spear Housing 16 is supported by a pair of upwardly extending arms 19 which are pivotally mounted by axle 20 to a pair of uprights 21 extending from base 28. Thus once spear has been inserted into slots 17 by moving the applicator in the direction of thsa arrow in Figure 1, the applicator is then moved in a downward direction as S indicated by the curved arrow in Figure 2. This causes housing 16 to move from the position shown in Figure 1 to an operative position shown in Figures 2 and 3. This operative position corresponds with spear 15 of applicator 11 being located essentially parallel to the backing tape T on which the elongate labels L are located.

Projecting from one of arms 19 is a pressure pad 22 which engages with the arm 23 of a switching mechanism 24. Thi.s switching mechanism 24 is actuated when housing 16 is moved to its operative position. This switching mechanism initiates an operating cycle in which firstly a vacuum is drawn at a pair of vacuum pads located within body 12 of applicator 11. As shown the leading vacuum pad 25 is located with the spear while the trailing (relative to the sharpened leading end of spear 15) is located away from the spear and more within the body. To this end a line (not shown) couples the applicator to a vacuum source (not shown).

As more clearly shown in Figure 4 the vacuum pads locate in contact with the upper surfaces of panels P and P' of label L. Essentially labels L are of elongate o form thus each pad 25 locates at or in the vicinity of Cego 04an end of the panels P and The label over which 0' pads 25 are located is supported by a table 26a located beneath the backing tape T.

.o.2 The operating system is such that vacuum is given time °to develop such that the upper surface of the panels (which are a non-glue surface) will latch onto the pads 25. After this vacuum has been established a stripping trolley 26 is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure

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o o so By virtue of the backing tape delivery means (not shown) tension is set up in the backing tape T such that as Sa stripping trolley 26 moves along track S*\of base 28 the backing tape is drawn away from the label leaving the label suspended on the vacuum pads 25 with the adhesive under surface exposed. As can be more readily seen in Figures 4 to 6 backing tape T extends over table 26a and around the end 26b (which forms a separation edge)thereof to return back and around a guide pin, roll etc.

pinned at 29. Thereafter the tape extends around a guide 27 to a take up spool (not shown). Thus backing tape T is drawn away from the label as table 26a 'and hence edge 26b moves with stripping trolley 26.

Once the stripping trolley 26 has reached the end of its travel (see Figure 6) the label L is clear of the backing tape T whereupon the applicator can now be withdrawn to clear the stripping mechanism and guide 17.

The applicator then can be carried to the pelt ready for the label to be applied thereto.

At the location where label insertion is to take place a clear edge of the pelt H (usually the non-woolly shank region) is stretched by the operator pulling the pelt away from the animal carcass to which it is still attached (pelting being incomplete at this stage). The triangular leading or sharpened end of spear 15 of applicator 11 is then located near the pelt edge and made to puncture e.g. slit the pelt so that the applicator nose end containing the leading panel P of the label L projects through the slit S made in pelt H.

In this position the waisted portion W of label L is located in slit S.

0 The applicator lever 14 is then operated which actuates a suitable mechanism (not shown) which rotates the rear SOS vacuum pad 25 towards the leading end of the spear and thus into a position opposing the other pad This causes the respective adhesive surfaces of panels P and P' to come into contact and thereby fix the label through slit S in pelt H. Once proper adhesion is assured the applicator trigger is released and the spear 15 is removed from the pelt. The applicator can then be returned to its position in the dispenser guide.

17 to uplift another label ready for the next pelt requiring a label.

The applicator 11 thus provides a means of holding a label in position while the pelt is pierced. This piercing action results in one panel of the label being located through the slit S formed in the pelt.

Controlled folding of the label can then take place so that at least the ends of panels P and P' are adhered together. This allows for rapid application of labels at a rate which is able to synchronize with the fastest chain speed of a meat processing works namely nine carcasses per minute.

0 Labelling apparatus are known wherein the label is slid onto a vacuum pad as the backing tape, sheet or the like is pulled around a separation edge. While this form of 0090 o apparatus is satisfactory for relatively short labels of O up to about 75mm length longer or elongate labels tend to buckle as the vacuum takes hold of the label leading edge.

With the present apparatus, however, the backing tape, O* 0 sheet or the like is stripped from the label only after the label has been held stationary by the vacuum pads.

Thus the present invention provides a means of readily engaging a label and stripping away the supporting medium to thereby enable the label to be applied either, as in the case of a pelt, by folding the label so that adhesive surfaces thereof come into contact or in other applications bringing the adhesive surface of the label into contact with the surface on which the label is to be engaged.

With curved or complex curved surfaces the vacuum pads can be moved so as to correctly engage the label with" the surface. With planer surfaces, however, movement of the vacuum pads would generally not be required. If the label needs to be engaged about an edge of say an angular object then the rear or inner vacuum pad would only need to be moved to a position at right angles to the stationary vacuum pad.

The form of the invention as illustrated and described herein is open to modification. For example a raised portion 30 can be provided along each edge of the undcride of the spear 15. Each raised edge 30 can be in the order of 2mm in height. The openeings of the leading vacuum pad 25 are thus situated between the raised edges 30 such that the label adhesive, when the label L is held in the applicator 11 against the 5 underside of spear 15) is held clear of the pelt during insertion of the spear through the pelt.

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According to another modification the peeling mechanism does not include uppermost platform 26 on which the backing tape T slides. Instead an extra guide roller 31 is provided. As shown in Figure 13 this guide roller e*e.o 31 is located in a spaced apart relationship with the o° end Gc the peeling tongue 26b but is located below the level of the extremity of tongue 26b.

This extra roller 31 alters the manner in which the peeling takes place so that a clearance can be e* maintained between the applicator 11 and the peeling tongue 26b. As a consequence label L peels up away from the backing tape T rather than downwardly as with the previously described embodiment. The upwards peeling is therefore directed onto the vacuum pads 25 rather than away and this reduces the likelihood of the label being peeled away from its contact with the vacuum pads therefore providing more effective operation due to the.

gap (with some tolerance) between the vacuum pads 25 and the peeler tongue 2Gb.

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Claims

2. Labelling apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the engaging means is formed by at least one label engaging area connected with a vacuum source. 9*
3. )Labelling apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 wherein there are two engaging means, the arrangement being such that relative movement therebetween can take place once said label has been removed from the supporting medium.
4. Labelling apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the dispenser includes locating means for 'correctly locating the applicator with said label on the supporting medium. 999* S: 5. Labelling apparatus as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the locating means is movable between first and second positions whereby the applicator can be placed in engagement with the locating means when said locating means is in said first position and moved by said locating means moving to said second position whereupon the engaging means is/are located immediately adjacent to or in contact with said label on the supporting medium.
6. Labelling apparatus as claimed in Claim 5 further including actuating means which causes, as the locating means reaches or moves toward said second position, the engaging means :o be operative such that said label is caused to become engaged therewith.
7. Labelling apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims wherein the dispenser farther includes stripping means so arranged that relative movement between the stripping means and the applicator can occur to cause said label engaged by said engaging means to be stripped from said supporting imedium.
8. Labelling apparatus as claimed in Claim 7 wherein *S f* the stripping means is formed by a trolley which is mounted for movement, said dispenser including means 20 which tensions said supporting medium such that as the trolley moves relative to said label engaged with said 6 6 engaging means the supporting medium is stripped from said label.
9. Labelling apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 25 1 to 9 wherein the applicator includes a knife or spear which is adapted to in use form an opening in the object to be labelled whereupon the label can be engaged o**e through the thus formed opening. Labelling apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, 5 or 6 wherein the applicator includes a knife or spear which is adapted to in use form an opening in the object to be labelled, said locating means of the dispenser including a slotted opening into which the knife or spear can locate.
11. Labelling apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the engaging means is formed by a pair of vacuum pads which are movable relative to one another upon a label being removed from said supporting medium to cause a part of the label to engage with an, ;her part of the label,
12. Labelling apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
13. A method of labelling employing a plurality of individual elongate labels car'ried on a supporting medium the method comprising the steps of locating an applicator adjacent a label, causing label engaging means of the applicator to engage with said label, causing mechanical means to strip the supporting medium from the label while said label is held by said engaging Smeans, moving said applicator to an object to be 20 identified, passing a portion of said applicator through said object such that a first part of said label also passes through said object and causin9 saiA engaging means to move a second part of said label into engagement with said first part. a
14. The method according to Claim 13 wherein the object is a pelt of an animal. The method according to Claim 13 or 14 wherein said portion of said applicator is elongate and has a sharpened leading end.
16. A method of labelling employing a plurality of individual elongate labels carried on a supporting medium the method comprising the steps of locating an applicator adjacent a label, causing label engaging means of the applicator to engage with said label, causing mechanical means to strip the supporting medium from the label while said label is held by said engaging means and transferring said label from said applicator to an object to be identified.
17. The method according to Claim 16 wherein the supporting medium is held static while the mechanical means causes movement of that part of the supporting medium in the vicinity of said label as engaged by the engaging means to separate said label from the supporting medium.
18. The method according to Claim 17 wherein the supporting medium is moved following said label being separated therefrom such as to position a further label as supported by the supporting medium for engagement by said engaging means. DATED THIS 6TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 1993 THE MEAT INDUSTRY RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF NEW ZEALAND (INCORPORATED) WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS THE ATRIUM 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN VICTORIA 3122 AUSTRALIA ABSTRACT Labelling apparatus comprising a dispenser 10 for a supporting medium T on which removable labels L are positioned and an applicator 11 for transferring a label from the supporting medium to an object to be labelled. The applicator 11 includes engaging means 25 for engaging with a label L. Relative movement between applicator 11 and the supporting medium can take place as a result of a trolley 26 of the dispenser moving. This causes the supporting medium T to be stripped from "label held by the applicator. The applicator can then be removed from the dispenser and be used to apply the label to the object to be labelled. Figure 0S0