EP2012941B1 - Method and device for treating bottles or similar containers - Google Patents

Abstract

Label remover for removing labels from bottles. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

Description

The invention relates to a method according to the preamble patent claim 1 and to a device according to the preamble of claim 19.

In bottle cleaning machines is known ( DE 30 06 490 A1 ), a congestion and / or urging region of the bottles feeding conveyor at the bottle inlet of the cleaning machine form as a liquid bath, in which the bottles are taken over part of their height, so as to reduce the noise emission by the congestion and / or urging area together to reach pushing bottles. At the same time, spraying of the bottles with water takes place in this liquid bath via at least one spray or nozzle head arranged above the movement path of these bottles.

However, problems with the cleaning of bottles or similar containers in bottle or container cleaning machines are in particular those containers which are provided with self-adhesive labels of e.g. Paper, plastic or a composite material are provided. Such labels are very difficult to solve from the respective container and also have the great disadvantage that they usually come together when peeling or roll up. This not only hinders the detachment of these labels from the bottles accommodated in the bottle cells of the bottle baskets of a cleaning machine, especially if the cross section of these bottle cells is adapted relatively close to the outer cross section of the wrong ones, but also the discharging is detached, but completely or partially rolled up labels from the bottle cells difficult, by the tight spatial conditions in the bottle cells and also in that the self-adhesive properties are wholly or partially still present even with the detached labels. At least some of the labels are therefore carried away by the bottle cells within the cleaning machine.

In order to ensure a discharge of the labels from the bottle cells, it is often necessary to increase the dimensions of the bottle cells, which then at the same dimensions of a cleaning machine whose cleaning performance (purified bottles per unit time) is greatly reduced.

In addition, in order to achieve ever detachment of the self-adhesive labels, it is necessary to increase the performance of the usually existing in a cleaning machine and working with a volume label detachment, which requires at least an increased engine power and requires additional energy.

Also known are a method and a device for the pretreatment of reusable containers outside a cleaning machine performing the actual treatment, inter alia for detaching labels ( DE 24 60 175 A1 ). It is proposed to apply the reusable container briefly with water vapor and then with an obliquely directed to the lateral surface of the container air and / or liquid jet to detach the labels.

Also known is a method and a device for detecting and removing labels on KEGs (US Pat. DE 43 37 130 A1 In this known method, optoelectrical means are used to detect existing labels which are then removed in a mechanical manner, for example by rotating brushes or abrasive belts or else by means of pressure jets, in particular compressed air.

Finally, a method for cleaning and / or sterilizing surfaces, in particular container surfaces (US Pat. DE 197 20 159 A1 ). In this known method, the surfaces to be cleaned are first charged with a defined amount of a cleaning liquid and then with a microwave radiation, namely for the dielectric heating of the surfaces via the cleaning liquid.

The object of the invention is to provide a method with which such Nachtelle be avoided. To solve this problem, a method according to claim 1 is formed. An apparatus for carrying out the method is the subject of claim 19.

The invention provides, the container prior to introduction into the actual container cleaning machine - a bottle cleaning machine of known type to treat that at least the majority of the self-adhesive labels from the containers is removed. For this purpose, the containers and in particular the self-adhesive layer between the containers and the labels in a pretreatment phase are heated so that the self-adhesive layer of the respective label is converted by heating so far in a soft or at least viscous state that the labels in a subsequent Main treatment phase can be completely removed from the containers with the treatment medium used in this treatment phase.

In the main treatment phase, the containers are treated, for example, with a heated liquid treatment medium or walled off and / or sprayed with an exiting from nozzles under high pressure, for example, heated treatment medium, preferably so that the rays of the treatment medium tangentially or approximately tangentially or under make an acute angle to the container outer surface, so that with these high-pressure jets peeling off the labels.

• Es erfolgt eine sichere und zuverlässige Ablösung der Etiketten.
• Der überwiegende Teil der Etiketten gelangt somit nicht mehr in die Reinigungsmaschine. Hierdurch wird die Standzeit der in der Reinigungsmaschine verwendeten Reinigungsmedien, insbesondere Laugen, wesentlich erhöht und hierdurch der Verbrauch an Reinigungsmedium und Chemikalien erheblich gesenkt.
• Weiterhin wird auch die Abwasserbelastung entscheidend reduziert, und zwar bei gleichzeitiger senkung der Kosten für den Reinigungsprozess.
• Durch das erfindungsgemäße Verfahren können weiterhin auch die Leistung und der Platzbedarf der in einer Reinigungsmaschine vorzusehenden Mittel zur Etikettenentfernung sowie zum Austragen entfernter Etiketten erheblich reduziert werden.

The particular advantages of the method and device according to the invention include:

• There is a safe and reliable replacement of the labels.
• The majority of the labels thus no longer enters the cleaning machine. As a result, the service life of the cleaning media used in the cleaning machine, in particular alkalis, substantially increased, thereby significantly reducing the consumption of cleaning medium and chemicals.
• Furthermore, the wastewater load is significantly reduced, while reducing the cost of the cleaning process.
• The method according to the invention furthermore makes it possible to considerably reduce the performance and the space requirement of the means for removing labels and for removing removed labels to be provided in a cleaning machine.

Fig. 1

in vereinfachter schematischer Darstellung die Flaschenzelle einer Flaschenreinigungsmaschine zusammen mit einer in dieser Zelle angeordneten Flasche mit teilweise abgelöstem selbstklebenden Etikett;

Fig. 2

in vereinfachter Darstellung und in Draufsicht eine Anlage zum Reinigen von Flaschen oder dergleichen Behälter bestehend aus einer Flaschenwaschmaschine und einer vorgeschalteten Maschine oder Vorrichtung zum Ablösen der Etiketten;

Fig. 3

in vereinfachter schematischer Darstellung eine Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung;

Fig. 4

im Schnitt eine Station der Vorrichtung zum Ablösen der Etiketten;

Fig. 5

in einer Darstellung wie Figur 3 eine weitere Ausführungsform der Erfindung;

Fig. 6

in schematischer Darstellung und in Draufsicht eine Behandlungszone einer weiteren Ausführungsform der Erfindung;

Fig. 7

die Behandlungszone der Figur 6 in seitlicher Teilansicht.

Further developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims. The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the figures of exemplary embodiments. Show it:

Fig. 1

in a simplified schematic representation of the bottle cell of a bottle washing machine together with a arranged in this cell bottle with partially detached self-adhesive label;

Fig. 2

in a simplified representation and in plan view of a system for cleaning bottles or the like container consisting of a bottle washing machine and an upstream machine or device for removing the labels;

Fig. 3

in a simplified schematic representation of an embodiment of the device according to the invention;

Fig. 4

in section, a station of the device for detaching the labels;

Fig. 5

in a presentation like FIG. 3 another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 6

in schematic representation and in plan view of a treatment zone of another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7

the treatment zone of FIG. 6 in partial lateral view.

In the figures, 1 bottle or the like container, which are provided at a container area with a self-adhesive label 2 made of paper, plastic or a composite material.

The FIG. 1 shows a very simplified representation of a plurality of bottle cells 3 having bottle basket 4 a bottle or container cleaning machine 5, with which the transported via a transport path 6 bottles 1 are transported to clean a container inlet 5.1 through various cleaning zones to a container outlet 5.2, from which the cleaned bottles 1 are then supplied via a transport path 7 for further use ( Fig. 2 ).

Like in the FIG. 1 indicated, in particular, the self-adhesive labels 2 tend to dissolve in the cleaning machine 5 and in the local treatment zones by rolling the label edges of the bottles 1. As a result of this curling, the removal of the labels from the bottles 1 and from the bottle cells 3 is hindered, as mentioned above.

In order to avoid these disadvantages mentioned above, the cleaning machine 5 is preceded by a device 8, which serves exclusively for detaching the labels 2 from the bottles 1. The device 8 consists essentially of two sections, namely a section 8.1 for separating the standing on a conveyor 9 upright, d. H. with its bottle axis oriented in the vertical direction bottles 1 and from a section 8.2, in which by heating and e.g. by overshooting and / or lateral spraying (also with high-pressure water and / or steam jets) a detachment of the labels 2 takes place, so that the liberated from the labels 2 bottles 1 then get over the transport path 6 to the container inlet 5.1 of the cleaning machine 5.

The FIGS. 3 and 4 show in more detail the device 8 and in particular its section 8.2. Reference numeral 10 designates a device-internal conveyor, with which the bottles 1 are moved upright by the section 8.1 and then in the bottle flow spaced apart by the section 8.2. The section 8.2 is composed of several subsections, in the illustrated embodiment of a total of four subsections or treatment zones 11-14.

In each of the treatment zones 11 and 12, preheating or warming up of the bottles 1 (pretreatment phase) is carried out, in particular also in the form that the adhesive layer of the labels 2 is converted by heating to a soft state for easier detachment by heating. For heating, the bottles 1 are treated in the treatment zones 11 and 12 from above, but also from the side with hot water. For this purpose, nozzle heads 15 and 16, each with a plurality of nozzle openings are provided in the treatment zones 11 and 12 above the trajectory of the bottles 1 and also laterally of this trajectory, from which the hot water is applied to the passing of the bottle 1.

Below the transporter 10 11 and 12, a water collecting tray 17 is provided with a corresponding sequence 18 in each treatment zone. Within the drip pan 17 is a sieve, for example, formed by a rotating sieve sieve 19, with which foreign substances or solid components, for example, already detached in the treatment zones 11 and 12 labels 2 are discharged. The water which has reached the discharge chamber 18 via the drain 18 is returned from this via a sieve 21, a pump 22 and a heater 23 to the nozzle heads 15 and 16. To supplement the discharge of foreign substances Via the sieve 19 entrained water a valve-controlled water supply 17.1 is provided.

The bottles 1 heated in the treatment zones 11 and 12 or in the pretreatment phase are then swamped with hot water in the subsequent treatment zones 13 and 14 (main treatment phase). For this purpose, the treatment zones 13 and 14 have in principle the same structure as has been described for the treatment zones 11 and 12, if necessary with the difference that the amount of water discharged to the bottles 1 during this overshoot is greater than that when the bottles 1 are heated the treatment zones 11 and 12 used amount of water and the nozzle heads 15 and 16 have enlarged nozzle openings. The water used in the overshoot has a temperature just below the boiling point, for example, a temperature of about 95 ° C. It has been found that at this water temperature the labels 2 usually in just a few seconds, d. H. e.g. detach in a maximum of 10 seconds from the bottles 1 and then over the provided in the treatment zones 12 and 13, preferably also formed by rotating sieve belts sieves 19 or the like discharge can be removed.

The device 8 and in particular also its section 8.2 are formed like a module, d. H. the individual treatment zones 11-14 are identical or largely identical in the manner described above and can be combined to the device 8 as required. In this case, in particular, the number of modules or treatment zones used for the pretreatment or preheating of the bottles 1 and / or for the removal of the labels 2 (main treatment) can also be selected according to the respective application.

It has been assumed above that the heating of the bottles 1 in the treatment zones 11 and 12 is effected by hot water. Other methods are possible. Thus, the bottles 1 or the self-adhesive layer of the labels 2 can also be heated by other hot gaseous, vaporous and / or liquid media, in particular by steam, warm air to subsequently achieve the detachment of the labels in the treatment zones 13 and 14 , Other ways of preheating the bottles 1 are conceivable, for example, by infrared radiation and / or by treatment with electromagnetic waves (microwaves), the latter in particular when the adhesive layer of the self-adhesive labels 2 contains an electrically conductive additive or filler, so in the preheating by the microwave radiation is heated substantially only this adhesive layer for liquefaction or softening of the adhesive.

In the above, it was further assumed that the removal of the labels in the treatment zones 13 and 14 is done by swelling with hot water. Again, there are other possibilities, for example, the removal by lateral spraying or peeling off the labels 2 by means of high pressure water jets, for example by means of hot high pressure water jets, etc.

The FIG. 5 FIG. 2 shows a device 8a which differs from the device 8 essentially in that the pretreatment or preheating of the bottles 1, which in turn are moved with the transporter 10 through the treatment zones 24-27 and are spaced from each other in the treatment zones 24 and 25, and also the removal of the labels 2 is controlled by overshooting and / or lateral spraying in the treatment zones 26 and 27, ie by controlled delivery of the respective treatment medium. For this purpose, a sensor unit 28 is provided at the outlet of the treatment zone 25, ie at the transition of this treatment zone to the treatment zone 26, for example a sensor unit which detects the temperature of the passing bottles 1, thus via a control unit 29 assigned to the sensor unit 28 by actuation of valves 30 and 31 the quantity of hot water discharged via the nozzle heads 15 is achieved in order to achieve the best possible preheating of the bottles 1 with optimized energy consumption.

If the preheating of the bottles 1 in the treatment zones 24 and 25 not with hot water, but, as described above, with another medium, such as steam, warm air, infrared or microwave energy, etc., which is via this medium the bottles. 1 supplied amount of energy via the sensor unit 28 and the controller 29 is controlled accordingly. The sensor unit 28 further comprises, for example, a camera system, which is part of an image processing and / or evaluation 32, with which determines the ratio of the bottles 1 with and without label 2 and accordingly via the controller 29 and valves 33, the amount of the nozzles 34 is controlled when the bottles 1 swirling discharged hot water.

Another sensor unit 35 is provided at the transition between the treatment zones 26 and 27. This sensor unit is likewise a camera system of image processing or image evaluation 36, with which in turn the proportion of bottles 1 with and without label 2 is determined. By means of the control 29, the swelling of the bottles 1 and the actuation of the valves 39 via the nozzles 40 then take place by corresponding activation of valves 37 via nozzles 38 the bottles 1 and / or the peeling of the labels 2, in each case controlled according to the ratio of the number of bottles 1 with and without label. 2

The functions of the central control unit 29 and the image processing and / or image evaluation 32 and 36 are preferably in a common control, e.g. summarized in a common at least partially formed by a computer control.

The FIGS. 6 and 7 show as a further embodiment, a treatment zone 41, which can be combined according to the treatment zones 11-14 and 24-27 together with other treatment zones to a device for detaching the labels 2 from the bottles 1. The treatment zone 41 in turn comprises the device-internal transporter 10, on which the bottles 1 are moved upright through the treatment zone 41, on the transport path 42 formed inter alia by this conveyor 10. On both sides of the transport path 42, two jaw conveyors 33 and 44 are provided , Which are each formed by two endlessly driven belts or belt 45, which define the transport path 42 laterally with their inner lengths 45.1 and, laterally abut against the bottles 1, on the peripheral surface outside of the peel-off labels 2. In the illustrated Embodiment is the lower band 45 of each jaw conveyor 43 and 44 with its length 45.1 against the bottle 1 in the region of the bottom of the bottle or slightly above the bottom of the bottle and the upper band 45 with its length 45.1 against the bottle 1 on the bottle body at about the transition to the tapered bottle breast.

Each band 45 forms a closed loop which is arranged with its loop plane in a horizontal or substantially horizontal plane. Furthermore, each band 45 is guided over at least two rollers 46 and 47 and not shown sliding rollers or guides. Of the rollers at least the rollers 47 of each jaw conveyor 43 and 44 are arranged on a common shaft driven by a drive 48. The distance between the two jaw conveyors 43 and 44 and the inner lengths 45.1 is chosen so that the treatment zone 41 passing, spaced-apart bottles 1 between the jaw conveyors 43 and 44 are clamped.

The belts 45 of the jaw conveyor 43 and the belts 45 of the jaw conveyor 44 are preferably driven at different speeds, as shown in FIG FIG. 6 is indicated with the arrows B and C, so that the bottles 1 are rotated when passing the transport path 42 about its vertical axis of the bottle.

Above the transport path 42 are again nozzle heads, e.g. Spray tubes 49 provided with nozzles 49.1 for discharging the respective treatment medium, d. H. when using the pre-treatment phase treatment zone 41 for discharging the pre-treatment medium warming the bottles 1 or when using the main treatment phase treatment zone 41 for discharging the liquid treatment medium (eg, hot water) to finally remove the labels 2. On the transport path 42 Furthermore, spray pipes 50 with nozzles 50.1 are arranged laterally with which the bottles 1 moved past are treated laterally. In particular, when using the transport zone 41 for the main treatment phase, the spray nozzles 50.1 are oriented such that the jets emerging from them (for example fan-shaped jets) of the liquid treatment medium are oriented tangentially or approximately tangentially to the circumference of the bottles 1 being moved past. Another spray tube 51 with a plurality of nozzles 51.1 is provided below the transport path 42 or the movement path of the bottles 1.

By using the jaw conveyor 43 and 44, it is also possible, in particular, to carry out the transport path 42 at least over part of the length without the carrier 1 forming the base for the bottles 1, so that the nozzles 51.1 provided under the transport path 42 are fully effective.

The invention has been described above by means of exemplary embodiments. It is understood that changes and modifications are possible without thereby departing from the inventive idea underlying the invention.

Thus, for example, it is also possible, depending on the signals supplied by the sensor units 28 and 35, not to control the individual treatment zones 24-27 but the entire system, in which case instead of two sensor units 28 and 35 only one sensor unit at the container outlet of the device 8a is provided.

Furthermore, it is possible, for example, to provide suitable sensors or sensor units in front of each treatment zone in such a way that it is checked individually for each bottle 1 whether one or more labels 2 still adhere to the bottle. Depending on this check, the performance of the subsequent treatment zone as a whole and / or the performance of only individual functional elements, for example nozzles, is controlled or regulated. This regulation could then be carried out in an advantageous manner so that the respective treatment medium only is discharged from such nozzles, in whose sphere of influence is the container in question.

The invention has been described above for devices for treating bottles. It is understood that these devices are equally suitable for other containers for removing self-adhesive labels. Furthermore, the device according to the invention is not only suitable for detaching labels, but in principle also for detaching labels which have been applied to the respective bottle or to the respective container, for example, with another adhesive or glue application.

In the embodiments described above, the containers or bottles 1 were moved as a single-lane container stream through the various treatment zones 11-14, 24-27 and 41, respectively. Of course, it is also possible to form the device so that the containers or bottles 1 are moved in each case a multi-lane container or bottle stream through the device, then formed for example by appropriate guide railing several parallel lanes for each container stream and the individual nozzles in appropriate distribution above and / or laterally and / or are provided below these streets.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

bottle

2

label

3

bottle cell

4

bottle basket

5

cleaner

5.1

container infeed

5.2

container discharge

6, 7

transport distance

8, 8a

contraption

8.1, 8.2

Section of the device

9

transport distance

10

device internal conveyor

11, 12, 13, 14

treatment zone

15, 16

nozzle head

17

drip tray

17.1

Water supply to drip pan 17

18

procedure

19

scree

20

plenum

21

scree

22

pump

23

heater

24, 25, 26, 27

treatment zone

28

sensor unit

29

control unit

30.31

control valve

32

image processing

33

control valve

34

jet

35

sensor unit

36

image processing

37

control valve

38

jet

39

control valve

40

jet

41

treatment zone

42

transport distance

43, 44

Jaw conveyor

45

tape

45.1

length

46, 47

role

48

drive

49

Nozzle head or spray tube

49.1

jet

50

spray wand

50.1

jet

51

spray wand

51.1

jet

A

Transport direction of the bottles 1 through the device 8 or 8a

B, C

Circulation direction of the bands of the jaw conveyor 43 and 44th

Claims (33)

1. Method for treating bottles or similar containers (1) in a system having a bottle cleaning machine, wherein the containers, before the treatment in the bottle cleaning machine, are subjected, in its preceding device for removing labels adhering to the containers (1), to a preceding treatment and, for this purpose, are initially heated in a pre-treatment phase and then treated in a main treatment phase for removing the labels with a liquid heated treatment medium, characterised in that, for self-adhesive labels adhering to the containers (1), the containers (1) in the pre-treatment phase are heated by applying a hot liquid treatment medium to the containers (1) or by radiation energy such that the self-adhesive glue layer of the labels is converted to a soft or at least viscous state, and that the containers (1) thus heated are treated, in the main treatment phase, with the heated liquid treatment medium.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the treatment medium of the pre-treatment phase and/or of the main treatment phase is hot water.
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the heated treatment medium of the pre-treatment phase and/or of the main treatment phase has a temperature in the range between 90 and 100°C, for example a temperature of about 95°C.
4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the pre-warming of the containers (1) is performed in the pre-treatment phase, in a temperature-controlled manner.
5. Method according to claim 4, characterised in that, following a treatment zone (24, 25) for the pre-treatment phase, at least one sensor (28) capturing the temperature of the containers (1) is provided for the temperature regulation of the pre-treatment.
6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the quantity of treatment medium used in the pre-treatment phase and/or in the main treatment phase is controlled depending on the ratio containers (1) with labels (2) / containers (1) without labels (2)".
7. Method according to claim 6, characterised in that, in transport direction (A) of the containers (1), before the at least one treatment zone (26, 27) for the main treatment phase, at least one sensor unit is provided, for example at least one camera of an image processing or recognition system (32, 36), in order to determine the ratio "containers (1) with labels (2) / containers (1) without labels (2)".
8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the containers (1) in the main treatment phase are treated by splashing with the heated liquid treatment medium.
9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the containers in the main treatment phase are treated by high-pressure spraying with the liquid treatment medium, for example water.
10. Method according to claim 9, characterised in that the high-pressure spraying is performed with the heated liquid treatment medium, for example with heated water.
11. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the containers (1) in the pre-treatment phase and main treatment phase are treated standing upright from above and/or from the side with the treatment medium.
12. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the treatment medium is applied at least partly tangentially or at an acute angle to the outer container surface for peeling off the labels (2).
13. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the containers (1) in the pre-treatment phase are heated by a liquid heated medium, for example by hot water.
14. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the heating of the containers in the pre-treatment phase is performed by infrared or electromagnetic radiation, especially in the microwave range.
15. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the containers (1) are moved using a transport element (10) trough treatment zones (11-14; 24-27; 41) of the pre-treatment phase and of the main treatment phase.
16. Method according to claim 15, characterised in that at least two treatment zones (11, 12, 24, 25; 13, 14, 26, 27; 41) are used for the pre-treatment phase and/or the main treatment phase.
17. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the containers (1) delivered via a transport route (9) in a single- or multi-lane container flow in one section of the transport route (9) or of the device preceding the at least one treatment zone (11, 24) for the pre-treatment phase are distanced from one another such that, during the pre-treatment phase and the main treatment phase, each container (1) is at a distance to neighbouring containers.
18. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the containers (1) in the treatment zone for the pre-treatment phase and/or in the treatment zone for the main treatment phase are held between at least two clamping jaw conveyors (43, 44), especially for a treatment with the treatment medium from below.
19. Device for treating bottles or similar containers (1) in a system having a bottle cleaning machine, wherein the containers, before the treatment in the bottle cleaning machine, are subjected, in its preceding device for removing labels adhering to the containers (1), to a preceding treatment for removing the labels,
    with at least one a pre-treatment zone (11, 12; 24, 25; 41) for heating the containers (1) in a pre-treatment phase,
    with at least one main treatment zone (13, 14; 26, 27; 41) for removing the labels with a liquid treatment medium and
    with a transporter on which the containers (1), in a transport direction (A), are initially moved through the at least one pre-treatment zone (11, 12; 24, 25; 41) and then through the at least one main treatment zone (13, 14; 26, 27; 41),
    characterised in,
    that, for self-adhesive labels adhereing to the containers (1), the at least one pre-treatment zone (11, 12; 24, 25; 41) has means for heating the containers (1) by applying a hot liquid treatment medium, for example water, to the containers (1) or by radiation energy such that the self-adhesive glue layer of the labels is converted to a soft or at least viscous state and that the at least one main treatment zone (13,14; 26, 27; 41) is designed for treating the heated containers (1) with the heated liquid treatment medium.
20. Device according to claim 19, characterised by a temperature control for the temperature-controlled heating of the containers in the at least one pre-treatment zone (11, 12; 24, 25).
21. Device according to claim 20, characterised in that, following the at least one pre-treatment zone (24, 25), at least one sensor (28) capturing the temperature of the containers (1) is provided for the temperature regulation of the pre-treatment.
22. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 19-21, characterised by means for controlling the quantity of treatment medium applied in the at least one pre-treatment zone (11,12, 24, 25) and/or in the at least one main treatment zone (13, 14; 26, 27) to the containers (1) depending on the ratio "containers (1) with labels (2) / containers (1) without labels (2)".
23. Device according to claim 22, characterised in that, in transport direction (A) of the containers (1), before the at least one main treatment zone (26, 27), at least one sensor unit, for example at least one camera of an image processing or recognition system (32, 36) is provided in order to determine the ratio "containers (1) with labels (2) / containers (1) without labels (2)".
24. Device according to claim 23, characterised in that the at least one main treatment zone (13, 14; 26, 27; 41) has means (15, 16, 34, 40) for applying a heated liquid treatment medium to the containers (1), for example for applying heated water.
25. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 19-24, characterised in that, in the at least one main treatment zone (13, 14; 26, 27, 41), nozzles (15, 16; 34, 40; 49.1. 50.1, 51.1) are provided for high-pressure spraying of the containers (1) with a liquid treatment medium, for example with water, preferably with heated treatment medium or water.
26. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 19-25, characterised in that, in the at least one main treatment zone, nozzles (16, 40, 50.1) are provided for applying the liquid treatment medium tangentially or approximately tangentially or at an acute angle to the outer container surface for peeling the labels (2) off the containers (1).
27. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 19-26, characterised in that the at least one pre-treatment zone (11, 12; 24, 25; 41) has means for heating the containers (1) by infrared and/or electromagnetic waves, especially in the microwave range.
28. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 19-27, characterised by at least two pre-treatment zones (11,12; 24, 25) and/or at least two main treatment zones (13, 14; 26, 27).
29. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 19-28, characterised in that the transport route formed by the at least one transporter (10, 43, 44) is designed for a single-lane container flow.
30. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 19-29, characterised in that the transport route formed by the at least one transporter is designed for a multi-lane container flow.
31. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 19-30, characterised in that, in transport direction (A) of the containers (1), before the at least one pre-treatment zone (11, 12; 24, 25), means are provided for distancing the containers (1) in transport direction (A) from one another.
32. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 19-31, characterised in that, below the transport route (42) for the containers (1) in the at least one pre-treatment zone and/or in the at least one main treatment zone, means (51, 51.1) are provided for applying a treatment medium to the containers (1).
33. Device according to any one of the preceding claims 19-32, characterised in that the transport route (42) for the containers (1) at least on a part length of the at least one pre-treatment zone and/or of the at least one main treatment zone is formed by clamping jaw conveyors (43, 44).

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