766,836. Labelling machines. WEISS, J. Aug. 17, 1954 [Aug. 18, 1953], No. 23941/54. Class 73. [Also in Group XVI] A labelling machine of the kind which takes a label by suction from a reciprocating label box and delivers it to an article, comprises a stationary plate 10 concentric with the delivery drum 4, and a ring 15 which is connected to the drum and which rotates in sealing engagement with the ring. The plate 10 has an arcuate groove 11 connected to a source of suction air, and the ring has valves for connecting the grooves to suction surfaces on the drum, the valve being opened and closed respectively as the drum rotates, by the reciprocating label box and by a fixed cam element 16. As shown in Fig. 1, articles 3 on a conveyer 2 are spaced by a worm 9 and then fed past the label delivery drum 4 which rotates about a vertical post 5 and which, by openings in segments 8, receives by suction a label 7 from a box 6 and feeds it to the article. The segments 8 are held in place by releasable latches 47, Fig. 4, between rims 24, 25, carried by a sleeve 20 which, by rotation of a handwheel 23, is vertically adjustable with respect to the post 5. From each segment extends a flexible pipe 26 leading to a slide valve 1511 and beneath each valve is a port 15<SP>1</SP> which, during the rotation of the valve with the drum about the post 5, communicates in turn with the arcuate port 11 in the fixed plate 10 and a second arcuate port (not shown) also in the plate. These two ports communicate respectively with a source of suction air and air under pressure. The valves are moved as the drum rotates firstly by the fixed cam 16, see also Fig. 7, and secondly by the label box 6 which is given an oscillatory motion by linkages driven by cams 32, 33, on a shaft 29 which is geared to a tooth wheel 17 fast with the drum. Operation. After a label has been blown on to an article 3 the valve of the associated segment is closed, on continued rotation of the drum, until the position shown in Fig. 7 is reached, in which position the box 6 is disposed as shown. A roller 37, at the end of a spring-controlled lever 36 pivoted at 34 to the box, then drops into a recess of cam 33 causing the spring to move the box towards the drum, such movement causing the box to move the valve inwards to establish communication between the groove 11 and the openings in the segment 8. The box is then rocked further to the right, to travel with the drum, by lever 39 which is moved by the cam 32, and-a label is thereby transferred to the drum. Subsequently the label, which may have its outer surface gummed whilst on the drum or moistened if already coated with an adhesive, is transferred by a blowing action on to the article 3 when the opening 15<SP>1</SP> meets the other groove in the plate 10. To prevent movement of the label box towards the drum if no article is present, a feeler device 41, Fig. 10, is provided. With no article present this device moves clockwise to enable a rod 42 to move into a slot 43, such movement serving by way of a lever 44 to move a rod 46 to the position shown by the broken lines where it prevents movement of the box towards the drum. In a modification more than one label box is provided, the boxes having such a phase displacement that one label is extracted by the drum in succession from each box. In another modification, Fig. 11 (not shown), the drum has two sets of suction surfaces arranged one above the other for applying body and neck labels simultaneously to a bottle. In this construction pivoted resilient fingers help to transfer the labels from the drum to the necks of the bottles. Printing. The labels may be printed whilst on the drum by the mechanism shown in Fig. 15. A printing roller 60 with two type beds 61, 61<SP>1</SP>, receive ink from a roller 62, and both rollers are carried by a spring-controlled lever 58 pivoted at 59. The spring 63 combines with a cam 64 to move the arm towards and away from the drum. In normal operation the arm is temporarily held away from the drum, between each printing movement by a spring-controlled lever 70 which hooks over a stop 73 on the lever 58, but which is moved to a release position by a stop 71 on the label box as the latter oscillates. When, however, no article is present, and therefore the label box has not been moved towards the drum, no release of the lever 70 takes place and the printing roller is thereby held clear of the drum.