GB2276606A

GB2276606A - Applying labels to two or more surfaces of an article

Info

Publication number: GB2276606A
Application number: GB9306996A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Webster
Original assignee: LABELLING AND PACKAGING SERVIC
Current assignee: LABELLING AND PACKAGING SERVIC
Priority date: 1993-04-03
Filing date: 1993-04-03
Publication date: 1994-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 2013-04-03
Also published as: GB9306996D0; GB2276606B

Abstract

A machine for applying labels (10) to mare than one surface of an article, for example the lid and side surface of an egg box (8) includes a conveyor (1, Figure 2) for moving articles through the machine, a label applicator (7, Figure 1) for applying the labels to one surface of the article without applying the labels to another surface of the article, and a label fold dawn device for bringing the labels into adhesive engagement with at least one other surface of the article. The device folds dawn the labels in two stages, each stage using wheels (12 and 16) having flanges at different angles. <IMAGE>

Description

LABELLING MACHINES This invention concerns labelling machines and especially for applying single adhesive labels to more than one surface of an article.

Labelling machines have been proposed hitherto which can apply labels, and especially self-adhesive labels, to a single substantially flat surface of an article. In one such hitherto proposed machine, labels having a contact adhesive on one surface are applied to a substantially flat surface of 'an article from a continuous web, the web having a release surface, by passing the web around an edge which causes the label to be released from the release surface of the web, the label then being applied to the substantially flat surface of the article as the label is released from the web. Pressure can then be applied to the label to cause it to adhere to the article.Such labelling machines can be hand held, for example in the form of price labelling machines, which can be used to label articles in a supermarket, or they can be much larger for applying labels to articles.

The application of adhesive labels which extend over more than one surface of an article presents problems since although it is relatively easy to adhere the label to one surface of the article using hitherto proposed labelling machines, it is difficult to bring remaining portions of the label into proper adhesive engagement with other surfaces of the article by mechanical means. Indeed, such adhesion has hitherto been effected manually, which makes labelling using such labels an expensive operation, particularly when the articles are packages for relatively inexpensive commodities.

According to the present invention there is provided a labelling machine for applying a single label to more than one surface of an article, the machine comprising label applicator means for applying the label to one surface of the article without applying the label fully to another surface of the article and label fold down means for bringing the label fully into adhesive engagement with at least one other surface of the article.

Labelling machines in accordance with the present invention have been used successfully to apply self-adhesive labels to inexpensive packaging materials, for example egg boxes.

The label fold down means preferably brings the label fully into adhesive engagement with at least one other surface of the article in at least two stages, one stage in which an unadhered portion of the label is brought towards the surface of the article to which it is to be adhered and another stage in which the said unadhered portion of the label is brought into adhesive engagement with the article. The label fold down means preferably brings two portions of the label not adhered to the article by the label applicator means into adhesive engagement with two different surfaces of the article.

The label fold down means preferably includes a first flanged wheel, the flange of the flanged wheel engaging an unadhered portion of the label to move it towards a surface of the article to which it is to be adhered without complete adhesion to the article. A pair of first flanged wheels is preferred so that two unadhered portions of the label can be moved substantially simultaneously towards surfaces of the article without complete adhesion to the article.

The label fold down means preferably includes a second flanged wheel, the flange of the said second flanged wheel serving to bring an unadhered portion of the label into substantially complete adhesive engagement with the article.

A pair of second flanged wheels is preferred so that the two unadhered portions of the label can be substantially simultaneously moved into substantially complete adhesion with the article.

The said second flanged wheel or wheels can be of a resilient material whereby pressure can be applied to the label by the flanges of the said wheel or wheels as they bring the label into substantially complete adhesive engagement with the article. However, the said second flanged wheel or wheels can be of a substantially rigid material, pressure being applied to the label by the flanges of the said wheel or wheels to bring the label into substantially complete adhesive engagement with the article with resilient flexing of the surface of the article to which the label is being adhered.

A particularly preferred machine according to the present invention preferably includes a loading station where articles are loaded onto the machine, conveyor means for conveying articles from the loading station through the machine, label applicator means for applying a label to a surface of the articles as they are moved by the conveyor means through the machine, first label fold down means for moving an unadhered portion of the label applied to a surface of the article by the label applicator means towards a further surface of the article without complete adhesive contact with the article, second label fold down means for bringing portions of the label brought closer to the article by the first fold down means into substantially complete adhesive engagement with the article, and an unloading station from which articles are removed from the machine.

Labelling machines in accordance with the present invention are preferably used to apply self-adhesive labels to a portion of an article having a substantially uniform cross-section relative to the direction of movement of the articles with respect to the label applicator means, and especially to egg boxes.

An embodiment of labelling machine in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a side view of the machine; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine with its label applicator removed; Fig. 3 shows a label partially applied to an egg box; Fig. 4 shows a pair of first flanged wheels of the embodiment; and Fig. 5 shows a pair of second flanged wheels of the embodiment.

The labelling machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings is intended to be used to apply self-adhesive labels to egg boxes.

Referring to Fig. 2, the machine includes a loading station 2 for receiving egg boxes from a de-stacker (not shown), the boxes being placed on the loading station 2 flat with the box lid fully open and facing down, and with the lid near to a guide strip 3 for guiding the box into later parts of the machine.

Pusher bars 4 connected to conveyor chains 5 driven by an electric motor (not shown) serve to push egg boxes along the conveyor represented generally at 1. The bars 4 combined with the guide strip 3 and a further guide strip 6 serve to align the boxes so that they are moved along a constrained path through the machine and are correctly aligned for the application of self-adhesive labels from a label applicator 7 (Fig. 1).

The label applicator 7 is of hitherto proposed construction, and it is actuated in known manner by an egg box 8 breaking a light beam as the box 8 moves past a certain point in the machine. Once actuated, the applicator 7 dispenses a label 10 onto the upper surface of the box 8 passing the applicator 7 in synchronism with the movement of the box 8. A conventional pressure roller 9 serves to apply pressure to the label 10 to adhere it to the upper surface of the box 8.

As shown in Fig. 3, at this stage the label 10 is adhered to the upper surface of the box 8, with portions 11 of the label projecting laterally of the box 8.

The pusher bar 4 pushing the box 8 then moves the box 8 between a first pair of flanged wheels 12. The wheels 12 are carried on a shaft 13 which is driven by a drive chain 14 which is in turn driven by one of the conveyor chains 5, the shaft 13 being carried on pivoted arms 15 which allow the shaft 13 to move up and down. The gearing of the drive from the chain 5 to the shaft 13 is such that the portions of the wheels 12 which contact the upper surface of the box 8 and the label 10 adhered thereto are moving in the same direction as but faster than the box 8. The wheels 12 are not fast on the shaft 13 but in frictional contact therewith so that once the wheels 12 contact the box 8 the wheels 12 are slowed down by the box 8.

The flange angle of the wheels 12 is such that the portions 11 of the label 10 contacted by these flanges are moved downwardly but not into full adhesive contact with the sides 14 of the box lid.

After contacting the flanged wheels 12, the box 8 is pushed by the pusher bar 4 beneath a further pair of flanged wheels 16. The flanged wheels 16 are on a shaft 17 mounted on pivot arms 18 and driven by a chain drive 19. As with the flanged wheels 12, the flanged wheels 16 are only in frictional engagement with the shaft 17, and they are likewise driven to have a speed such that the surface of the wheels 16 contacted by the upper surface of the box 8 is higher than the speed of the box 8 through the machine.

As seen from Fig. 5, the flanges of the wheels 16 bring the portions 11 of the label 10 into full adhesive contact with the sides of the lid of the box 8.

The box 8 is then moved to an unloading station 20 from which labelled boxes are removed for storage or filling with eggs.

In this particular embodiment, the unloading station 20 is an egg box re-stacker. The re-stacker includes a sensor 21 for sensing the presence of a box 8 in the unloading station 20, and a pair of lift arms 22 which are actuated when the sensor 21 senses the presence of a box 8 in the unloading station 20. When actuated, the arms 22 rotate the box 8 upwardly out of the plane of the conveyor 1 and into engagement with receiving arms 23 which retain a succession of boxes 8 shown schematically at 24 as they are unloaded from the unloading station 20 by the arms 22.

Although the conveyor 1 can have a substantially flat bed along which the boxes 8 are pushed by the pusher bars 4 between the guides 3 and 4, it is preferred that the bases of the boxes 8 are allowed to rotate downwardly out of the plane of the conveyor 1. This is achieved in the present embodiment by the flat bed of the conveyor 1 being cut away, a ramp 25 serving to bring the base back into the general plane of the conveyor 1 after the boxes 8 have left the flanged wheels 16.

Claims

1. A labelling machine for applying a single label to more than one surface of an article, the machine comprising label applicator means for applying the label to one surface of the article without applying the label fully to another surface of the article and label fold down means for bringing the label fully into adhesive engagement with at least one other surface of the article.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the label fold down means brings the label fully into adhesive engagement with at least one other surface of the article in at least two stages, one stage in which an unadhered portion of the label is brought towards the surface of the article to which it is to be adhered and another stage in which the said unadhered portion of the label is brought into adhesive engagement with the article.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the label fold down means brings two portions of the label not adhered to the article by the label applicator means into adhesive engagement with two different surfaces of the article.

4. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the label fold down means comprises a first flanged wheel, the flange of the flanged wheel engaging an unadhered portion of the label to move it towards a surface of the article to which it is to be adhered without complete adhesion to the article.

5. A machine according to claim 4, wherein the label fold down means comprises a pair of first flanged wheels which substantially simultaneously move two unadhered portions of the label towards surfaces of the article without complete adhesion to the article.

6. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the label fold down means comprises a second flanged wheel, the flange of the said second flanged wheel serving to bring an unadhered portion of the label into substantially complete adhesive engagement with the article.

7. A machine according to claim 6, wherein the label fold down means comprises a pair of second flanged wheels which substantially simultaneously move the two unadhered portions of the label into substantially complete adhesion with the article.

8. A machine according to either of claims 6 and 7, wherein the said second flanged wheel or wheels are of a resilient material whereby pressure can be applied to the label by the flanges of the said wheel or wheels as they bring the label into substantially complete adhesive engagement with the article.

9. A machine according to either of claims 6 and 7, wherein the said second flanged wheel or wheels are of a substantially rigid material and pressure is applied to the label by the flanges of the said wheel or wheels to bring the label into substantially complete adhesive engagement with the article with resilient flexing of the surface of the article to which the label is being adhered.

10. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, comprising: (a) a loading station where articles are loaded onto the machine (b) conveyor means for conveying articles from the loading station through the machine; (c) label applicator means for applying a label to a surface of the articles as they are moved by the conveyor means through the machine; (d) first label fold down means for moving an unadhered portion of the label applied to a surface of the article by the label applicator means towards a further surface of the article without complete adhesive contact with the article; (e) second label fold down means for bringing portions of the label brought closer to the article by the first fold down means into substantially complete adhesive engagement with the article; and (f) an unloading station from which articles are removed from the machine.

11. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, for applying self-adhesive labels to a portion of an article having a substantially uniform cross-section relative to the direction of movement of the articles with respect to the label applicator means.

12. A machine according to any of the preceding claims, for applying labels to egg boxes.