CA2024018A1

CA2024018A1 - Method and apparatus for assembling labels for attachement to busky plants

Info

Publication number: CA2024018A1
Application number: CA002024018A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Peter Hoppe; Bernd Helms; Reiner Peters
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Kordes W Sohne Rosenschulen GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1989-02-10
Filing date: 1990-02-09
Publication date: 1990-08-11
Also published as: ES2030599T3; EP0382248B1; DE3904044A1; ATE75197T1; WO1990009319A1; HU901719D0; HU206295B; DE59000094D1; DD292190A5; EP0382248A1; DE3904044C2; GR3004831T3; HUT55690A; DK0382248T3; RU1838192C; JPH03504484A

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure Method of and apparatus for assigning binding labels to bushy plants A binding label (22) with a binding wire (26) attached to it for future fastening to a plant (lo) is affixed to a plant package (12) by means of an adhesive label (20) which covers the binding wire (26), the plant (10) being taken out of the package at the place of planting. That is accomplished by an apparatus which comprises at least one label reservoir (52) in which binding labels (22) are stacked and held ready in a position in which their binding wires (26) are disposed in the same direction. A stamp (72) including a suction cup is pro-vided for withdrawal of a binding label (22) from the label reservoir (52) and for pressing the binding label (22) against the plant package (12) to be labelled. An adhesive label dis-penser (48) of conventional kind serves for affixing an ad-hesive label (20) to the binding wire (26) and the plant package (12).
Fig. 3

Description

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Method of and ap~aratus for assi~ning bindin~ labels to bushy_plants The invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for as-signing binding labels to bushy plants.

Plants, among others rose~ and other bushy plants, are being distributed more and more frequently via supermarkets and other vending places which do not necessarily dispose of qua-lified gardening staff. For this reason it is important for the plants, which usually are packed individually for shipment and sale, to be provided in a conspicuous place of the package with a label containing, in written andlor pictorial form, all the indications necessary for the purchaser regarding the pro-perties and treatment of the respective plant. Regardless thereof, it may be desirable to have the plant accompanied by a binding label which will remain attached to it even aEter planting. Apart from the name of the plant, such binding la-bels may contain, for example, data that are relevant for the exercise o~ license agreements.

Fundamentally it is possible to put binding labels into the packages when packing plants. On the other hand, one could tie binding labels to the plants during or before packing already, and they would then stick out of the package. In both cases, however, it is cumbersome to verify on the occasion of a final check of the packed plants whether or not a binding label, and only one binding label, was added to each plant.

It is, therefore, the object of the invention to assign bind-ing label~ to plant packages-in-an unambiguous and labor saving manner.
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The object is met, in accordance with the invPntion, as re-gards the method of affixing labels, in that a binding label with a binding wire attached to it for future ~astening to a , .:
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plant is affixed by an adhesive label which covers the binding wire to a plant package from which the plant is removed at the place of planting.

In the simplest case, the fixing of the binding label by means of the adhesive label can be done manually by a person who ap-plies a binding label to the plant package by one hand and glues the adhesive label over the binding wire by the other hand. The binding wire in between does not impair the sticking of the adhesive label to the plant package. With adhesive la-bels of the usual size, there still is ample adherence even if the adhesive label is glued also over part of the binding la-bel to which the binding wire is attached. This gluing over part of the binding label has the advantage that both the binding label and the adhesive label are held flat against the package of the plant so that opto-electronic means of known kind, for instance, may be used for reliably checking in a packing station whether each plant package was provided not only with the adhesive ~a~l~ but also with a binding label and with only one binding label.

Inasmuch as the object described relates to an apparatus it is met, in accordance with the invention, by at least one label reservoir in which binding labels are stacked and held ready in a position in which the binding wires are disposed in the same direction, a stamp for withdrawing a binding label from the labsl reservoir and pressing the binding label against the plant package to be lahelled, and an adhesive label dispenser for pressing an adhesive label against the binding wire and the plant package.

Advantageous further developments ma~ be gathered from the subclaims. -An embodiment of the invention will be described with furtherdetails below with reference to diagrammatic drawings of an assembly for packing and labelling baled plants in the form of bushes or shrubs, in particular rose plants. In the drawings:

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Fig. 1 is the top plan view of the assembly;
Fig. 2 is the side elevational view in the direction of arrow II of fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is the enlarged partial top plan vilew in the area of arrow III of fig. 2;
Fig~ 4 is the view in the direction of arrow IV of fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is the view in the direction of arrow V of fig. 3;
Fig. 6 is the enlarged part sectional view VI-VI of fig. 1.

The a~sembly illustrated serves for putting baled bushy plants 10 into a bag 12 each of shrinkable film and closing the bag by locally restricted shrinking in the area between shoots of the plant and the conglomerate of roots.

The bags 12, while still linked together, are formed in a tu-bular film web which is passed, in upright position in a ver-tical longitudinal plane, in horizontal direction through the assembly and is slit open at the top. The individual bags 12 are defined by vertical welding seams 14 whiah end below the bag upper edge zones 16 that are separated from each other by the slitting. Each bag 12 has a visible surface 18 which faces the onlooker of fig. 2 and on which an adhesive label 20 is tn be glued.

Furthermore, a binding label 22 is to be added to each bag 12.
It may be attached to the plant 10 when the latter is~taken out of the bag 12 at the place of planting. Each binding label 22 has an eye 24 to which a binding wire 26 is attached. The adhesive label 20 is to be glued over the binding wire 26 and, as a measure of precaution, also over the area of the eye 24 in order to fasten the binding label 22 to the bag 12. By shrinking, finally, the bag 12 is to form a neck 28; yet above and beIow the neck 28 the bag 12 is not to be affected by the shrinking ~r only relatively little.
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The assembly shown, includes an elongated machine frame 30 at the beginning of which - at the right in figs. 1 and 2 - a vertical pay-off reel 32 is supported for the film web in - , ~
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which the bags 12 are formed. Starting from the reel 32, the film web moves stepwise over a tensioning roller 34 and return rollers 36 and along a vertical support surface 38 toward a vertical tubular spreader 40 which is shaped like a ship's hull pointed at both ends, in the top plan view of fig. 1. The spreader 40 enters in between the bag upper edge zones 16 and, following each conveying step of the film web, spreads them apart to such an extent above each bag 12 that the respective bag 12 opens to receive a baled plant 10.

The bags 12, still interconnected but now each filled with a plant 10, subsequently pass between two groups of nozzles 42 for shrinking of their neck 28. Above the rear end of the ma-chine frame 30 - the left in figs. 1 and 2 - there is a take-up reel 44 to wind up the bag upper edge zones 16 which were torn off from the bags 12. A common motor 46 is provided for moving the film which constitutes the bags 12 through the as-sembly and for rotating the take-up reel 44.

At the beginning of the assembly - at the right in ~igs. 1 and 2 - there are an adhesive label dispenser 48 and above it a binding label dispenser 50. The adhesive label dispenser 48 as such is of known structure and, therefore, not shown in de-tail. The binding label dispenser 50, in the example shown, includes six label reservoirs 52 which are fixed to the end of an arm 56 each projecting radially away from a vertical shaft 54. The shaft 54 is adapted to be driven by a stepping motor SfiS 60 via a (géar 58 ~uch that one each of the label reservoirs 52 ' will be in a precisely fixed position for withdrawal until completely empty.
` ') S- :, Each of the label reservoirs 52 is formed at the narrow side remote from the corresponding arm 56 with a vertical slot 62 opening into a bottom aperture 64. When filled, each label reservoir 52 contains a plurality of binding label~ 22 lying flat on top of one another and having their binding wires 26 protrude to the outside through the 510t 62. Moreover, each label reservoir 52 contains a weight 66 of metal guided in its ,, : . . , , , , ,, :~ , ,, ; , , ,, : ~ ; :,.. ,.:, ,; .. : , - . .

2 ~ 8 vertical slot 62, loading the binding labels 22, and being in electrically conductive connectiont through the eyes 24 thereof which likewise are made of metal, with the associated binding wires 26 which also are metallic or metallized. The label reservoirs 52 themselves are electrically non-conduc- -tive.

Each of the weights 66 is connected by a flexible line 68 to one pole o~ an electric power source whose other pole is connected through a circuit (not shown) to a contact 70. The binding wire 26 of the lowermost binding label 22 in the label reservoir 52 which is in the position for removal lies on the contact 70, whereby an electric circuit is made.

This circuit is broken as soon as the last binding label 22 in the respective label reservoir 52 has been used up. Hereby a signal is generated which lets the shaft 54 turn until a label reservoir 52 which has not yet been emptied reaches the posi-tion for withdrawal. The contact 70 is arranged at the end of a rail 71 made of electrically non-conductive material and curved in an arc around the axis A such that, upon rotation of the shaft 54, the binding wires 26 of this label reservoir 52 ~ !, not yet emptied run up on the rail 71 until they ~inally reach the contact 70. Hereby the circuit mentioned is made once more and consequently the rotation about the shaft A is inter-rupted.

The adhesive label dispenser 50 comprises a stamp 72 to with-draw a respective one of the binding labels 22 from the label reservoir 52 which is in the position for withdrawal and to , press this binding lable 22 against the visible sur~ace 18 of a bag 12 each. In the embodiment shown, the stamp is designed as a suction cup which is connected through a valve (not shown) to a source of vacuum. The ~tamp 72 is fixed to the end o~ an arm 74 which is displaceable along vertical guides 76 and horizontal guides 78 and is controlled by a connecting member 80 such that during each work cycle the stamp 72 ap-proaches the label reservoir 52 in the position ~or withdrawal . ,~ ..:
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from below and pulls out the lowermost binding label 22 through the bottom aperture 64, pivots it through 90 into an upright position and presses it against the visible surface 18 of the respective bag 12. Immediately afterwards the adhesive label dispenser 48 affixes an adhesive label 20 to the visible surface 18 so as to cover the binding wire 26 and the eye 24 of the binding label 22 which thus is securely attached to the bag 12.

The arm 74 is adapted to be driven by a motor 82 fixed to a column 84 which also carries the shaft 54 and its support. The motor 82 is controlled by light barriers or other sensors which make sure that both label dispensers 48 and 52 become active whenever a bag 12 has reached the working range of the stamp 72.
~ . , l A longitudinal conveyor 86, embodied for example by a conveyor belt is provided for feeding the plants 10 which are each to be put into a bag 12. The conveyor belt rises like a ramp to-ward a transverse conveyor 88 and lets the plants 10 drop down on the same in intervals one after the other. In the embodi-ment shown, the transverse conveyor 88 is an upwardly open channel in which one plant 10 each is displaceable radially in a direction toward the vertical axis B of an immersion tube 92 by a pusher member 90 which is movable back and forth for instance pneumatically.

The immersion tube 92 is arranged coaxially with the tubular apreader 40 and movable up and down by a drive means 94, such as a pneumatic piston and cylinder unit, between a takeover positio~ in which the immersion tube 92 projects from above only into the spreader 40 and a lower terminal position in which the immersion tube extends-far down into the bag 12 held open by the spreader 40, if desired, almost reaching the bot-tom of the bag.

In its upper region, the immersion tube 92 has a s~mi-tubular portion 96. A conveyor chute 98 likewise s~mi-tubular in shape ~, ' , ' ~ . '~ ' "; . . .

7 20?~'~0~8 is associated with it. At its lower edge, this conveyor chute 98 is connected to the immersion tube 92 by a hinge 100 having a horizontal pivot axis C. In the takeover position, shown in fig. 6~ the conveyor chute 98 opens obliquely into the immer-sion tube 98 so that the latter can take over a plant 10 from the transverse conveyor 88. The conveyor chute 98 is guided such that it supplements the semi-tubular portion 96 to form a fully closed tube section when the immersion tube 92 is lowered. The plant 10, therefore, is forcecl to accompany the downward movement of the immersion tube 92 and cannot but slide down in the same.

The downward sliding of the plant within the immersion tube 92 which has been closed laterally in the manner described is en- -hanced by ~orces of inertia when the downward movement of the immersion tube ends more or less abruptly. That may be suffi- ;;
cient to let the plant 10 slide down so far in the immersion tube g2 that the conglomerate of roots comes to rest on the bottom of the bag 12 into which the immersion tube has p}ung-ed. To make sure, however, a piston-like plunger 102 is coor-dinated with the immersion tube 92. It is normally held in a position of rest in the upper end region of the semi tubular ~;
portion 96 or even above the same. The plunger 102 is con-nected to a piston and cylinder unit 104 which moves it in downward direction during or immediately after each lowering of the immersion tube 92 so that the plunger 102 positively will push the plant 10 down until its conglomerate of roots rests on the bottom of the bag 12.

Below the spreader 40 there is a holding device 106 whose task it is to hold on to the bag 12 and the plant lO put inside it, preferably holding it by its conglomerate of roots, while the immersion tube 92 is moved up again into its takeover posi-tion. In the embodiment shown, the holding devi~e 106 has a pair of jaws 108 which are movable toward and away from each other pneumatically for instance.

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~s soon as the immersion tube 92 has been withdrawn from the bag 12 just filled, the entire film web in which the bags are formed is advanced one step. Hereby the left edge in figs. 1 and 2 of the bag that has just been filled gets in~o the range of influence of one each of the front nozzles 110 of the two groups of nozzles 42 so that the hot air emanating from them begins to cause the neck 28 to shrink. After the next con-veying step the bag 12 in question is located exactly between two pairs of central nozzles 112; the hot air flowing out of them continues the shrinking at the neck 28 more intensively.
After another conveying step the right edge area in figs. 1 and 2 of the neck 28 is positioned between rear nozzles 114 of the two groups of nozzles 42 so that the shrinking which is concentrated on the neck 28 is completed.

The two groups of nozzles 42 are supplied with hot air from a blower 116 each whenever a bag 12 has reached their range of influence. Careful thermal insulation of the nozzle groups 42 prevents undue cooling during the intervals when the blowers 116 are at standstill.

Downstream of the groups of nozzles 42 the bag edge zones 16 are torn off from the film web which has heen perforated or otherwise prepared accordingly and are wound up by the take-up reel 44. At the same time or immediately afterwards the bags which have been filled and shrunk at their necks 28 are se-parated from one another by a severing means 118 and moved on by a longitudinal conveyor 120 and finally by a transverse conveyor 122.

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Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method of assigning binding labels to bushy plants, characterized in that a binding label (22) with a binding wire (26) attached to it for future fastening to a plant (10) is affixed to a plant package (12) by an adhesive label (20) which covers the binding wire (26), the plant (10) being taken out of the package at the place of planting.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the binding label (22) together with its binding wire (26) are placed on the plant package (12) and then the adhesive label (20) is glued on the binding label and on the binding wire (26) before the plant (10) is put into the plant package (12).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the adhesive label (20) is glued also on part of the binding label (22) to which the binding wire (26) is attached.

4. An apparatus for carrying out the method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by - at least one label reservoir (52) in which binding labels (22) are stacked and held ready in a position in which their binding wires (26) are disposed in the same direction, - a stamp (72) for withdrawing a binding label (22) from the label reservoir (52) and pressing the binding label (22) against the plant package (12) to be labelled, and - an adhesive label dispenser (48) for pressing an adhesive label (20) against the binding wire (26) and the plant package (12).

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the label reservoir (52) includes a vertical slot (62) through which the binding wires (22) project to the outside.

6. The apparatus as claimed in calim 4, characterized in that - the label reservoir (52) has a bottom aperture (64) for withdrawal of the binding labels (22), and - a weight (66) for loading the binding labels (22) is guided in the slot (62).

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the label reservoir (52) is made of insulating material and the weight (66) is made of electrically conductive ma-terial and is connected to an electric cable (68) and, in the presence of at least one binding label (22), closes a control circuit together with the binding wire (26) thereof and with a contact (70) on which the wire lies.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that - a plurality of label reservoirs (52) form a binding label dispenser (50) which is rotatable in stepwise manner about a central axis (A), and - the contact (70) is arranged at the end of an otherwise electrically insulated rail (71) on to which the binding wires (26) slide as the binding label dispenser (50) rotates.

9. The apparatus as claimed in one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the stamp (72) carries a suction cup and is adapted to be evacuated respectively for withdrawing a binding label (22) and to be vented for discharging the bind-ing label (22).

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the stamp (72) is adapted to be swung from a vertical position in which it is movable up and down to withdraw a binding label (22) each into a horizontal position in which it is movable back and forth to press the binding label (22) against the plant package (12).