AU721939B3

AU721939B3 - Label applicator system

Info

Publication number: AU721939B3
Application number: AU51382/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Gregory Dunn; Branko Posnik; Douglas I. Welch
Original assignee: NATIONALPAK Pty Ltd
Current assignee: NATIONALPAK Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1998-10-28
Filing date: 1999-09-29
Publication date: 2000-07-20
Anticipated expiration: 2001-07-20

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A PETTY PATENT

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: NATIONALPAK PTY LTD Actual Inventors: DOUGLAS I. WELCH, GREGORY DUNN, BRANKO POSNIK Address for Service: CALLINAN LAWRIE, 711 High Street, Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia Invention Title: LABEL APPLICATOR SYSTEM The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 29/09/99,mpapp97.cs.

-2- This invention relates to a label applicator system for a moving web of sheet material and relates particularly, though not exclusively, to a label applicator system for applying end mark labels to predetermined lengths of sheet material.

In boxes of sheet material of predetermined lengths on rolls, eg aluminium foil, cling wrap, greaseproof paper and similar materials, it is not uncommon for a consumer to be unaware how much material is left on the roll. The material is enclosed by a box and has a slot in the box for the material to be dispensed therefrom. A cutter is provided along one side to allow the consumer to pull out the desired length and drag the width of the material from one edge along the cutter to obtain the desired severed length of material. As the material is fully enclosed the consumer has no knowledge of the length of material remaining inside the box without opening same. Unfortunately it is not uncommon to find that the consumer emptying the roll at the most inopportune time. In order to reduce the irritation for the consumer it has been a practice to apply a label on the sheet material just before the end of the roll is reached. Typically the label is placed at 2 metres from the end of the roll.

The labels are placed on the sheet material by label applicators attached to a rewind machine. The rewind machine has a large mother roll of sheet material, eg cling wrap, aluminium foil, etc which is fed onto smaller rolls for the consumer.

Such rewind machines are commercially available. Label applicator devices are available and are usually fixed in one position on the rewind machine. The sheet material is fed from the mother roll at 250 metres/minute and it is a very skilful operation to apply a label onto a moving web accurately and without causing tearing of the web. The label must be flat on the web without any lifting of the label. Any lifting will cause the label to act as a double sided tape and have the sheet material stuck together which would waste the last part of the roll.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a label applicator system which alleviates the abovementioned problems and provides a reliable operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a label applicator system that 29/09/99, mpapp97.spe,2 -3accurately places the label onto a fast moving web.

With these and other objects in view the present invention provides a label applicator system to intermittently apply labels to a continuously moving roll of sheet material being dispensed, said label applicator system including a vertically moveable head member adapted to stay in contact with said continuously moving roll of sheet material, said head member including a roller for maintaining said contact with said roll of sheet material and a label dispensing means to dispense a label from a continuously moving roll of labels, said label dispensing means adapted to be controlled to remove a label from said continuously moving roll of labels, holding means to hold said removed label and releasing means to force said removed label onto said continuously moving roll of sheet material.

Preferably said head member is coupled to an arm member which is slidably movable along a vertical axis to ensure said roller maintains contact with said roll of labels as the diameter of said roll of labels varies. In a preferred embodiment said label dispensing means includes a label lifting device to lift said label from a substrate or backing of said roll of labels and said holding means includes a swinging arm to hold said lifted label and is adapted to swing away from said label lifting device to place said lifted label on said roll of said sheet material. In a practical embodiment said label lifting device includes a vacuum device for holding said lifted label and said releasing means is an air blast device for removing said lifted label from said label lifting device onto said roll. It is preferred that said arm member is slidably movable along at least one vertically aligned guide rod.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:- 2. Fig. 1 is an end view of a label applicator system for a moving web of sheet material; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front view of Fig. 1 in the direction of arrow A of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial view of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view along and in the direction of arrows 5-5 of -4- Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is similar view to that of Fig. 5 but an enlarged view of the label applicator system holding a label; and Fig. 7 is a similar view to that of Fig. 6 with the label having been applied.

29/09/99, mpapp97.spe,4 In the drawings there is shown a label applicator system 10 which is attached to a rewind machine 12. The rewind machine 12 has a mother roll 14 of sheet material eg aluminium foil, paper, cling plastic or other similar materials. Roll 14 is locked to a shaft 16 which is rotated by a motor (not shown) at high speed to allow the sheet material to be dispensed from mother roll 14 to be wrapped around individual cores (not shown) to form rolls of aluminium foil, paper, cling plastic of a predetermined length for use by a consumer. The consumer rolls are typically placed in dispensing boxes which include a cutting edge to allow consumers to sever the sheet material of the required length. A label is attached to the consumer rolls at say 2 metres before the end to inform the consumer that a replacement roll should be purchased before the sheet material is exhausted. The rewind machine will continuously pull sheet material from the mother roll 14 to be wrapped around a core to form the consumer roll. The rewind machine 12 will sever the sheet material at the predetermined length and continue to wrap the sheet material around the next core. Rewind machines 12 are commercially available and do not form part of the invention.

The label applicator system 10 is supported on frame 18 of rewind machine 12. Frame 18 can be of any shape that is convenient. The preferred embodiment has a plurality of vertical guide rods 20,22 which are held between plates 26,28 of frame 18. A further guide rod 24 may also be provided for additional stability.

Guide rods 20,22,24 are preferably formed of smooth polished stainless steel to reduce frictional interaction with guide support 30. Guide support 30 is a shaped body having linear bearings 32 inserted in bores of guide support 30. The linear bearings 32 cooperate with guide rods 20,22,24 to provide a relatively frictionless movement of guide support 30 therealong. For ease of maintenance it is preferred that frame 18 can be pivoted away from rewind machine 12. The preferred embodiment shows an L-shaped support bracket 34 which is pivoted at pivot point 38 to a base 36 of rewind machine 12. A pneumatic ram 40 is pivoted at pivot point 42 to bracket 34 at one end and to a further pivot point 44 at the other end.

29/09/99, mpapp97.spe.,5 -6- Fig. 3 shows in phantom lines the pivoting action of frame 18 when ram 40 is extended. This pivoting action allows easy access to the label applicator system when required. An arm member 46 supports a head member 48 over the mother roll 14. A brace 50 may strengthen the connection of arm member 46 to frame 18 if required.

Head member 48 has a storage roll 52 containing self-adhesive labels on a continuous substrate 54 which is threaded into label applicator system 10. Storage roll 52 is rotatably supported by arm 56. A reeler roll 58 is supported by arm and provides a take up for the waste substrate 54 when the labels have been removed. Substrate 54 is threaded sequentially over a dancer bar 62, looped over a first set of rollers 64, curved over a separating knife 66, looped over a substrate advancement clutch 68, looped over a second set of rollers 70 and returned to reeler roll over roller 72. The substrate path can be varied to suit conditions and is not limited to the path or components illustrated to control its course through the label applicator system 10. The substrate advancement clutch 68 will control the movement of the substrate through the system and a substrate brake 74 will cooperate with one of the rollers 70 to control the tension in the substrate 54.

Synchronisation of operation of the system will be under the supervision of a programmable logic controller, microprocessor or other form of electronic control (not shown). Head member 48 "floats" or rests on mother roll 14 through a lay-on roller 76 supported by a U-shaped bracket 78. Label sensors 80 will assist in the timing for the electronic control.

An applicator arm 82 is pivotally movable about pivot point 84 by rotary actuator 86. Applicator arm 82 has both a vacuum pick up 88 to hold a label and a jet 90 for issuing a blast of air to displace the label from the vacuum pick up onto the mother roll 14. To ensure that the label is applied flat to mother roll 14 a pressure roller 92 is maintained in constant contact with mother roll 14. A pressure regulator 94 will apply the desired pressure of roller 92 on mother roll 14.

Operation of the label applicator system 10 will now be described. The 29/09/99. mpapp97.spe.6 -7substrate 54 containing the labels is threaded from storage roll 52 to reeler roll 58.

Head member 48 will rest on mother roll 14 through lay-on roller 76. As the diameter of mother roll 14 decreases head member 48 will stay in contact with mother roll 14 as shown in phantom lines in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. This will result in a constant gap between head member 48 and mother roll 14 allowing more accurate label placement at high speed. Smooth and constant downward movement of head member 48 is made possible by the action of guide rods 20,22,24 with linear bearings 32 of guide support 30. No motors are needed to provide the constant gap. Substrate 54 passes along separating knife 66 and will peel off substrate 54 adjacent the free end of separating knife 66 in view of the sharp directional change.

Applicator arm 82 will pick up and hold the lifted label through vacuum pick up 88.

Rotary actuator 86 will swing actuator arm 82 away from separating knife 66 as shown in phantom lines on Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 7. Jet 90 will send a blast of air to displace the label from the vacuum pick up 88 to apply the label to mother roll 14. Pressure roller 92 will then ensure that the label is rolled flat to prevent any curling of the label. The system can run at high speed and has proved very reliable compared with prior systems.

Modifications may be made to the system to suit requirements. The feed mechanism for indexing the substrate can be substituted by other mechanisms that are commercially available.

The invention will be understood to embrace many further modifications as will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art and which will be deemed to reside within the broad scope and ambit of the invention, there having been set forth herein only the broad nature of the invention and a certain specific embodiment by way of example.

29/09/99, mpapp97.spc.7

Claims

1. A label applicator system to intermittently apply labels to a continuously moving roll of sheet material being dispensed, said label applicator system including a vertically moveable head member adapted to stay in contact with said continuously moving roll of sheet material, said head member including a roller for maintaining said contact with said roll of sheet material and a label dispensing means to dispense a label from a continuously moving roll of labels, said label dispensing means adapted to be controlled to remove a label from said continuously moving roll of labels, holding means to hold said removed label and releasing means to force said removed label onto said continuously moving roll of sheet material.

2. The label applicator system of claim 1, wherein said head member is coupled to an arm member which is slidably movable along a vertical axis to ensure said roller maintains contact with said roll of labels as the diameter of said roll of labels varies.

3. The label applicator of claim 1 or 2, wherein said label dispensing means includes a label lifting device to lift said label from a substrate or backing of said roll of labels and said holding means includes a swinging arm to hold said lifted label and is adapted to swing away from said label lifting device to place said lifted label on said roll of said sheet material. Dated this 24th day of May, 2000. NATIONALPAK PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys: CALLINAN LAWRIE 24/05/00,tdapp.97spec.doc,8