US2517263A

US2517263A - Label moistening and/or gumming device

Info

Publication number: US2517263A
Application number: US72690A
Authority: US
Inventors: Austin I Voorhies
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-01-25
Filing date: 1949-01-25
Publication date: 1950-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 1967-08-01

Description

Aug. 1, 1950 A. 1. VOORHIES LABEL MOISTENING AND/0R GUMMING DEVICE 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Jan. 25, 1949 2a' INVENTOR. AusTm LVOORHIEs,

1950 A. 1. vooRHlEs 2,517,263

LABEL MOISTENING AND/0R GUMMING DEVICE Filed Jan. 25, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V INVENTOR. Au STIN LVODRHIES,

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points throughout the major portion of its length with circumferentially arranged knife-edged ribs 29 of equal diameter and jointly bearing upon the surface of the roller l4. Hub ends 30 havin a diameter equal to the ribs 29 and likewise bearing upon the surface of the roller [4 serve to limit the endwise movement of the roller 21. The

diameter of the shaft 28 is substantially the same as the shaft l3. The roller 21 serves as a pressure roll for maintaining a label or the like in full contact with the surface of the roller l4 as a moistener for pre-gummed labels, the roller" 20 is shifted to the dotted line position of Figure 3. The axial center of the roller 20 is slightly above the axis of the roller I4, for maintaining contact of the rollers.

A receiving bed for the moistened or gummed labels is indicated generally by the numerals 3| and comprises a plurality of equidistantly spaced bars 32, all fixed upon a rock shaft 33 at their rear ends and a spacer bar 34 serves to keep the several bars 32 in parallelism. The forward or free ends of the bars 32 are tapered to a point 35 and, inuse the points 35 rest within the grooves 26 and thus offer no obstacle to the free and unobstructed passage of the label that has passed over the roller 14 to be projected upon the bed 31. As clearly shown, the spacing of the bars 32 is identical with the spacing of the grooves 26. The bars 32 are normally positioned above the table and. their upper edges are parallel with and flush withthe upper edges of the side walls 6. For purposes of cleaning and dis-assembling the machine the bed 3| may be swung upwardly upon its rock shaft 33 as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3, or may be bodily removed, since the shaft 33 is journalled in notches 33 in the side walls 6.

A cover plate 36 is arranged over the forward,

end of the machine and is held against displacement at its forward end by a downturn-ed lip 31, engaging beneath a portion of the end wall 1.

The forward end of the plate 36 is slotted upon opposite sides at 38 providing upwardly curved tongues 33 of a width equal to the thickness of the side wall 6 and held in direct contact with the side walls by a cap plateto be presentl de-- y scribed. That portion of the plate 35 lying between the slots 38 is bent slightly downward to provide a label guide 40. The guide 4|] extends transversely of the machine and partly overlies, but is spaced from the roller [4,

A cap plate 4! extends transversely of the machine to overlie the pressure roller 21 with its terminal ends flush with the outer surfaces of the side walls 3. The plate 41 is held in fixed position against displacement by knurled set screws 42 having engagement in threaded recesses formed in the extensions 10. The forward portion of the plate 4| is bent upon itself for providing an inwardly and downwardly extending lip 43, substantially co-extensive with the guide 40. Thus the guide 43 and lip 43 jointly provide a label directing channel that serves to direct a label over the roller I4 and beneath the roller 21. The cap plate 41 serves to prevent movement of the plate 35 by contact with the tongues 39, while the plate 36 overlies the notches l1 to prevent displacement of the roller 20. The cap plate 4| further serves to close the open end of the slots [2. Pads 44 may be employed upon the bottoms of the machine.

In the use of the device, water or adhesive is placed in the reservoir to a level below the lower ends of the slots l2. In the use of water for moistening the pre-gummed side of labels, the roller 20 is shifted to the rear of the notches l1, out of contact with the roller 14, since water will naturally form an even film. A label is then placed upon the cover plate 36, with the gummed side down and moved forwardl by the hand of the operator passing through the channel formed by the guide and the lip 43. The roller 14 is revolved by the crank 25 in a clock-wise direction for picking up a film of water from the reservoir l6 and the label is movedforward until it engages between the roller [4 and the roller 21. Continued rotation of the roller 14 will carry the label thereover with its gummed side held in full contact therewith by the ribs 29 of the roller 21,-- imparting an even film of moisture to the back:-

side of the label. As the label passes from be-' tween the rollers l4 and 21 it is fed outwardly upon the bed 3!, where it can be conveniently removed by the operator. The sharpened ribs 29 prevent the label from adhering to and tending to follow the roller 21, as is the case with solid pres sure rollers. The engagement of the pointed ends 35 of the bed in the grooves 25, presents no obstacles upon which the label might catch.

When it is desired to apply an adhesive upon ungummed labels, an adhesive solution is placed in the reservoir and the squeegee roller 20 is shifted forwardly to contact the roller 14. Since the roller I4 will tend to pick up an adhesive in uneven quantities, the roller 2! will smooth out the uneven mass and spread the adhesive in an even film over the surface of the roller 14, thus' insuring of an even application of adhesive to the label. The use of the roller 29 is particularly desirable when a paste composition is employed.

The multiplicity of sharpened ribs 29 is sufficient to hold the label in contact with the roller !4 throughout its travel. The

rollers

29 and 21 are obviously frictionally driven from the roller [4.

The use of a pressure roller having the sharpened ribs will avoid any tendency of th label to adhere to this roller after moistening or gumming.

When it is desired to clean the machine, the cap plate 4| is removed by first removing the screws 42, after which it may be lifted off. The plate 36 may then be removed by lifting the free endand disengaging the lip 31. The bed 3| is then swung upward or entirely removed, as is desirable,

since its shaft 33 is journalled in open slots formed in the side walls 6. The rollers I4, 20 and 21 may then be bodily lifted from the machine for washing or otherwise cleaning. The assembly is obviously the reverse.

While the machine has been shown and described for use in moistening or gumming labels,

- it will be apparent that, by the use of suitable brackets, a roll of gummed or ungummed paper may be fed through the machine where large scale sealing operations are desired. In certain conditions requiring a heavy and continuous moistening or gumming operation, it may be found desirable to substitute a pulley for the hand crank 25 and drive the machine by power means.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a very simple and efiicient machine has been designed for the moistening or gumming of labels or the like. The parts are all simple and easily assembled and disassembled, will receive and facture. are strong, durable and highly convenient in use.

It is to be understood, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown, but that it includes within its purview, whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

A device of the character described for moistening gurnmed labels or gumming ungummed labels, comprising a rectangular housing open at its top and having side and end walls, the said housing provided with a fluid reservoir extending transversely and integral with the side walls, the side walls provided with vertical slots open at their tops, an applicator roller having shaft ends journalled in the slots, with the roller extending into the reservoir, a hand crank fixed upon one shaft end exteriorly of the housing, said roller extending transversely of the housing and having its cylindrical surface provided with a plurality of equidistantly spaced grooves, a pressure roller positioned transversely of the housing and parallel with the applicator roller, the pressure roller comprising a shaft having ends extending into the slots, said shaft provided with a plurality of equidistantly spaced and sharpened circumferential ribs, staggered with respect to the grooves and adapted to contact the surface of the applicator roller, a squeegee roller arranged transversely of the housing and parallel with the applicator moisten um a label without curling or ad-- roller and having shaft ends shiftably journalled in notches formed in the side walls at diametrically opposite points and in advance of the applicator roller, with the shaft ends extending beyond the side walls, said squeegee roller when in operativ position adapted to contact the side of the applicator roller by gravity for its full width and along a line slightly above the axis, the said notches extending laterally to form supports for the shaft ends when the squeegee roller is shifted to inoperative position, a cover plate and a cap plate for the housing, means carried by the plates for providing a label directing channel, a receiving bed for the moistened or gummed labels, comprising a plurality of flat bars arranged with their edges uppermost, the said bars at their rear ends fixed upon a common shaft, with the said shaft journalled in the side walls, the uppermost edges of the bars parallel with each other and with the upper edges of the side walls, the bars being equal in number and spacing to the said grooves, the forward ends of the bars being bevelled upward to a point and adapted to normally rest in the grooves with the points being below the outer surface of the applicator roller,

AUSTIN I. VOORHIES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 350,899 Spitznagel Oct. 12, 1886 1,144,717 McMackin June 29, 1915 1,260,446 Prior Mar. 6, 1918 1,618,631 Becker Feb. 22, 1927 1,804,365 Price May 5,1931 2,162,854 Minkow June 20, 1939