US2618397A - Label affixing machine for containers - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 18, 1952 J. KANTOR ETAL LABEL AFFIXING MACHINE FOR CONTAINERS 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17, 1948 INVENTOR.

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Nov. 18, 1952 J. KANTOR EIAL LABEL AFFIXING MACHINE FOR CONTAINERS 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 ilad March 17, 1948 INVENTOR.

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LABEL AFFIXING MACHINE FOR CONTAINERS Filed March 17, 1948 e Sheets-Sheet 9 fly. 9

INVENTOR.

James rfah tor- Edwara/ Eosehberg BY dbd Qdr/dh 5/1741 Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OF F'I CE.

(7.. Small, Chicago, 111., assignors to The Liquid Carbonic Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation' of Delaware Application March 17, 1948, Serial No. 15,358.

'9 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to apparatus, for applying labels to containers-and particularly to containers of the bottle and can type.

One of the objectsof the invention is. to pro vide .a labeling. apparatus capable of extremely high speed operation which will automatically, initially, apply to the back of alabel. a suitable adhesive and, then apply the label to the container, afterwards ironing the .label, on the container to smooth out any wrinkles. which may have occurred in the label during the-application thereof, andcausing thelabelto adhere closely to the container with suflicient adhesive to. secure; the label in position and to quickly dry after application.

Another object of the invention is that of pro.- viding. in a labeling machine... meansfor auto.- matically dating. or applying other :indiciato the label for. .identificationpurposes. Preferably the invention relates to means for applying, the identification. indicia to. the .back of, the label imamed-iately prior to the application of the label to the-container.

Another object of the invention .is; to provide an improved means iorreceiving the-.labelssingly from a magazine and positioning the same: to. be applied .tothe container.

Another objector thetinventionis to providean improved means for ironing the.- label on the container after the container has received the label from the positioningmeans.

Further objectsand advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereafter in the appended specification and claims.

For the purpose of disclosing the invention certain embodiments have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. Us a partial plan view, partially diagrammatic, of the rotating container supporting table and associated parts;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the drive mechanism, the container supporting table, and the operating means for'the container ipp Fig. 3 a side elevation of that portion of the machine embodying the glue applying means and the dating means;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, looking in the direction opposite of that inFig. 3, showing the means for operating the label pickers and associated parts;

Fig. 5 is a partial front elevation of the label picker means and associated parts;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic. view showing the travel of the container and the position :of label ironers;

Fig.7 is a detail plan of the label ironers'sh'own in Fig.6;

Fig. 8 is a. detail section on the line 8J8 of Fi 3;.

Fig. '9 is a sectional. view taken on the line 9-9 .of Fig. 5.;

Fig. 1.0 is aside elevation of a magazine label. holding finger;

Fig. 11 is aside elevation of the modification. of the neck label holding finger, illustrated in Fig. 10.;

Fig. .12 isa side elevationshowing morelin detail the dating mechanism;

Fig. .13 is a side elevation showing the. glue applying roller and the-dating roller;

Fig. 14 is. a detail view showing themeans for normally biasing the picker fingers toward another;

Fig. 15 .is a front elevation of a modified form of picker fingers and thesupport therefor;

Fig. 16 is a. side elevation of the structure illustrated inFig. 15;

Fig. 1'7 is a ,plan view of a modified form. ofaholding finger for the inieed star together with;

the bottle aligning block;

Fig. 18 is a front elevation thereof; and

Fig. 19 is a plan view of a modified .f-ormof holding finger for the-outi-feed star.

For the purpose of description, the containers to which the labels are to be applied. will be r-e-- ferred to as bottles, although. it is understood the. apparatus is adapted to apply labels to other types of containers.

In the apparatus illustrated we provide a rotary, table or support. carrying. a. plurality of. con:- tainer supporting platforms i- Each of these platforms, is, adapted to receive. a: bottle which is gripped atv its top by a top gripper 2 carried on a gripper arm. 3., supported on a gripper-support rod 4 (Fig. 2) As the bottleireceiving table and' platforms I rotate in a clockwise. direction each table receives. a. bottle from aninfeed star 5'. This star is provided with a plurality of pairs of gripper fingers. One of the pairs 5' is relatively stationary, on: the star, and the. other finger 1 is adapted to. move relatively to the first men, tioned finger positionafter the: finger Ghasenxgaged and removed .from the conveyor 2. bottle- With the bottle gripped between the fingers 6- and lthe bottle is; moved across :a table. dand wholly positioned on a. supporting. platform. .I beneath the top gripper 2 which, after the. bottle has been positioned, descends and engages the top of the bottle, maintaining the same substantially rigid on the supporting platform.

The supporting rod 4 (Fig. 2) is raised to nongripping and lowered to gripping position through the medium of a cam 9 on which rides a roller 58, carried in an arm pivoted on the supporting platform I and biased in a downward direction by a coiled spring l2. The free end of this arm II is connected by a link |3 with a collar M on the rod 4. Accordingly as the platforms rotate each of the grip operating rods 4 will be raised to open position to permit the gripper to receive a bottle and after receiving the bottle will be moved downwardly, under the influence of the coiled spring I2, to grip the bottle and maintain the same in position.

After the bottle has been gripped on its supporting platform it moves to a position to receive a label carried on the picker fingers I5. These picker fingers may be in pairs, as illustrated in Fig. 5, one pair for the body label and the other pair for the neck label. The picker fingers l5 are disposed in spaced relation on a pair of carrying arms l6. These arms l5 are pivotally mounted on a support so that they may move toward and away from one another and are biased toward one another by a coiled spring I 8 interposed between a pair of lugs l9, one on each arm. Adjustable stops are provided for limiting the throw of the arms. The picker fingers |5 may be of plastic material having their inner edges inclined to provide cam surfaces. These cams are engaged by the bottles to spread the arms as the bottles pass therebetween.

The support H is reoiprocably mounted on a shaft 2| which is supported in a head 22 at the top of the frame 23. The arms are oscillatingly supported on the shaft 2|. For reciprocating the support IT on the shaft 2|, to initially position the picker fingers beneath the label magazine, we provide an oscillating arm 24 pivoted at its lower end at 25 to an extension of the frame 23 which extension projects through an opening in the base 26 of the-machine. This arm is-provided with a roller 21 operating in a cam slot 28 on a rotating cam 29. This cam 29 is rotated through a suitable bevel gear drive 30 from the driving mechanism of the machine.

The magazine 3| for the labels is supported to one side of the path of travel of the platform I and supports the labels in stacked relation. To remove the labels, one at a time, from the magazine the picker fingers move transversely on the shaft 2| to a position in front of the magazine (Fig. 4) and are then oscillated on the shaft to engage with the picker fingers of the stack. The bottom label having previously been covered with a film of adhesive, the label will stick to the picker fingers and be removed therewith as the picker fingers oscillate to their initial position. After having been oscillated to their initial positionthey are then moved transversely on the shaft 2| to a position in the path of travel of the bottles.

The oscillating movement of the picker sup.- port I1 is accomplished by an oscillating rod 32 which has sliding engagement in a groove in the support I! such as is illustrated at H in Fig. 16. This rod is supported at its opposite ends in arms 33 rotatably mounted on the shaft 2| and the oscillating movement is imparted to these arms through the medium of reciprocating rod 34 connected to one of the arms 33 by a link 35. Reciprocating movement is imparted to the rod 4 34 by a cam roller 35 operating in a cam slot 31 formed in a cam wheel 38. The roller 36 is carried on the free end of an arm 39 pivoted at 40 to a frame 23 and is connected to a collar 4| surrounding the lower end of the rod 34. This collar slidably operates on the rod 34 but moves the rod upwardly through a medium of coiled spring 42 interposed between the collar 4| and a fixed collar 43 on the rod. Mention should be made of the fact the rod 34 is formed in two sections held together by a threaded joint member 44 to permit vertical adjustment of the rod.

There are occasions when the star wheel 5 fails to deliver a bottle to one of the supporting platforms Also there are occasions when through accident a bottle is broken. Under these circumstances it would be undesirable for the picker fingers to continue to oscillate to receive a label from the magazine. This would result in the piling up of the labels on the picker fingers. To avoid this contingency, the gripper rod 4, unless a bottle is located beneath the same, will move downwardly until the enlarged portion 45 is in the path of the trip lever 46. The trip lever will be rocked on its pivot, in turn rocking a lever 47 (Fig. 3) which engages a rod 48 projecting the free end 49 of this rod into the path of and above, an arm 50 on the lower end of the rod 34. Accordingly rod 34 will be locked in its lower-most position and although the collar 4| moves upwardly under the operation of the cam wheel 38 the spring 42 will be compressed without in any way affecting a movement of the rod 34.

The adhesive or glue is applied to the surface of the picker fingers, to be eventually transferred from the picker fingers to the rear face of the label, through the medium of a glue applying roller 5| which is adapted to roll across the face of the picker fingers when they are in their retracted position. This roller 5| receives the glue from a feeder roll 52 dipping into a glue pot 53. A dater roller 54 moves with the glue applying roller for the purpose of applying a date or other indicia to the back of the label immediately prior to its being placed upon the bottle. This glue applying roller 5| is supported on a shaft 55 carried in a guide head 56 which travels between a pair of guide members 51 and 58 suitably supported on a bracket carried on the frame 23. The guide head 56 is reciprocated to move the glue roller 5|, across the faces of the picker fingers by operating rod 59 connected at its lower end to the free end of a lever 60 pivoted at 6| to the supporting frame. This lever carries a cam roller 52 operating in a cam slot 63 in a cam wheel 64 driven from the driving mechanism of the apparatus. The dating roller 54 is carried on a bracket 65 (Figs. 12 and 13) which is secured upon an arm 66 swingably mounted on the shaft 55. This arm, at its lower end, carries roller 67 which operates between a pair of tracks 6868 formed on the inner face of track plate 69. The plate 69 is pivotedly mount ed at ll) on guide rail 58 and is substantially L shaped, the track 'slot between the tracks 68 having substantially the same conformation. The

short leg of the L plate is biased upwardly'by' glue roller this guide roller '61 will move between the tracks 68. In the horizontal portion of the tracks the dater roller is forced against the bottom face of the inking pad 13. As the roller 61 passes out of the track it moves downwardly beneath the bottom edge of the plate 69 and the finger 12. As the glue roller moves upwardly the roller 67 will move rearwardly, carrying with it the dating roller '54, and then upwardly, on the rear edge of the plate 69. During the upward movement of the roller 6i this roller will ride along the back edge of the plate 69 and out of contact with the labels supported in the label holder. After the roller 6! commences to descend it moves between the tracks 68 andby these tracks is guided in such a manner as to cause the printing roller 54 to ride across the rear face of the first label of the label stack.

During this reciprocating movement the glue roller 5| will ride across the face of the picker fingers l5 applying a film of glue to these picker fingers. It is to be noted that due to the shape of the cam 64, the picker fingers will be swung forward, part way, for a period long enough for the glue roller to ride across the faces of the picker fingers and by the time the glue roller has moved down to its bottommost limit of its stroke, the continued movement of the picker fingers will move them into engagement with the first label of the stack to thereby pick the label from the stack.

It should be mentioned that the application of the date to the rear face of the label is not affected by the application of glue thereto, and this is particularly so where, as is frequently the case, the glue is applied to the edges of the label only. While in the drawing, we illustrate a glue roller suficiently wide to cover the faces of the picker fingers IE it is obvious that a modified roller could be used which would apply glue only to the outer edges of the picker fingers.

Immediately after the label is taken by the picker fingers from the magazine, the picker fingers are moved transversely on the shaft 2i into the path of travel of the bottle. Accordingly as the bottle moves it passes between the picker fingers I5 picking up the label in its passage. The label is held on the bottle by adhesive on the back of the label, but to insure the retaining of the label in position until the label moves to the ironers, a holder finger 74 mounted on an arm 15 is moved into engagement with the label through the instrumentality of a lever arm 76 cooperating with a cam El and biased into engagement by the spring l8.

As the bottle continues in its rotary path it passes between a pair of ironers i9, i9 (Figs. 6 and 7) disposed on opposite sides of the path of travel and between which the bottle passes to the discharge end of the labeler. Each of these ironers comprises a flat plate 80 mounted on studs 8| extending through a mounting plate 82 and having bolt heads 83 on the ends thereof. This plate 88 is biased toward the path of travel of the bottle by coiled springs 84 surrounding the studs 8|. Over the face of the plate 80 is secured a flexible ironer 85 which is secured at its ends to the downturned ends 85 of the plate 80. The ironer 85 may be formed of leather or other suitable material and is of sufiicient length so that when the two ends are secured to the plate 80 the ironers will be bowed outwardly to form resilient pressure members adapted to 62. bearon thebottle as it passesbetween-the ironers. As a result as the bottle passes between the ironers the label on the body of the bottle is pressed intointimate contact with the bottle and any wrinkles which may occur are thoroughly smoothed out Thestructure of the holder finger 15 is more fully illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11, Fig. 10 showing one form of presser arm and Fig. 11 showing another form. The structure illustrated in Fig. 10 is not only constructed to engage. a.

body label but also to engage a top neck label or foil while the structure illustrated in Fig. 1-1 is adapted to engage a body label, a top neck label, and an intermediate neck labell Referring. to the structure illustrated in Fig. 10 the presser arm M comprises an upright 81 which is vertically, adjustably secured to the arm 15 and has at its upper end an inwardly projecting neck 88. This neck is provided on its tip with a preferably soft rubber pad .89, which when the arm 75 is moved into engaging position, will bear upon a label or foil which is positioned at the top of the neck of the bottle. On the vertical portion of the upright 8'! there is provided .a bearing pad 98 which is secured in a block 9| held on the upright 81 by bolts 92 surrounded :by coiled springs which bias the pad block 9| outwardly while permitting the block to move rela tively to the upright 8'! to accommodate different sized or different shaped bottles.

In the structure illustrated in Fig. vll in addition to the neck label pad Y89 and the body label pad 90, there is provided a supplemental pad-93 seated in a pad holder 94 on the inclined portion 88. This pad holder like the pad holder 9| is secured in position by bolts 95 surrounded by coiled springs which bias the pad holder outwardly away from the inclined portion 88 and towards the bottle. This pad is arranged to engage a label which might be applied to the neck of the bottle between the body label and the top neck label or foil.

After the bottle with its attached label has passed between the ironers it is picked up by the out-feed star 9'3 and delivered to the conveyor for transfer away from the machine. This star is provided with a plurality of pairs of fingers. One finger of each pair is curved and faced with a pad of sponge rubber 91 and the other finger 9B of the pair is movable to open to receive the bottle and then closed to grip the bottle during its transfer from the supporting table to the conveyor. The gripper arms on the star arev curved to conform to the face of the bottle with the sponge rubber pad 91 being on that arm which engages that portion of the bottle having the label. This pad will further tend to force the label into intimate contact with the bottle.

In applying the label to the bottle it sometimes happens that the glue squeezes out from beneath the label and as a result it is not unusual for the front face of the label to receive a certain amount of the glue. This glue during the movement of the bottle through the machine isapt to become tacky and as a result the label might stick to the pad 9?. To avoid this contingency the pad is provided with one or more perforations 99 extending through the pad from the rear face. These perforations are connected by a feeder pipe lfill'with a tank Illl mounted on the top of the shaft of the out-feed star 96 so that a constant drip of water from the tank Hll may be fed to the front faceof the pad, moistening the same and preventing any glue which may be on the front face of the label from becomingso tacky as to cause the label to adhere to the pad. The drip of the water may be controlled by suitable valve I02, one for each of the pipes I00.

In Figs. 15 and 16 we have illustrated a modified construction of the support for the picker finger arms I6 and a modification of the picker fingers themselves. As has been heretofore'explained as the bottles pass between the picker finger arms these picker finger arms are adapted to spread laterally to accommodate the passage of the bottle. In some instances it has been found desirable to provide for a swinging movement of the picker finger arms in the direction of travel of the bottles.

As illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16 the support II which reciprocates on the shaft 2I is provided with a pair of downwardly extending ears I03 through which extend pivot pins IIM having heads I65. As the picker finger arm supports are the same a description of one will be sufficient. The head I 95 has bolted thereto a bracket I06 provided with rearwardly extending ears I07 and bolted to the head I85 by a securing bolt I98. To prevent relative rotation between the head I05 and the bracket the bracket is provided with a lug I09, on its face, which coincides with a slot on the rear face of the head I95. A supporting bracket III] is swung on a shaft or pin III supported in the ears IN. This supporting bracket,

in side elevation, is substantially L-shaped and is provided with a downwardly extending leg I I2 to which is bolted the picker finger arms I63. The inner face of this leg I I2 is provided with a recess to receive a cooperating lug H4 on the picker finger arm, the picker finger arm being secured in position by a suitable bolt I I5. To bias the picker finger arm to normal position a bolt H6 is secured in the head I06 and extends through an opening in the bracket IIfl, a coiled spring III is interposed between the bracket and the head of the bolt.

To bias the picker finger arms toward one another each of the heads I65 has secured thereon an arm I I 8 which extends upwardly and between the two arms II8 is interposed a coiled spring IIB setting over suitable pegs I2!) on the inner faces of the arms H8. To secure proper spacing of the picker finger arms adjustable stops I2I are provided for the arms IIB.

By the above arrangement it is apparent that the picker finger arms may move laterally, relatively to one another, on the pivot pins I I36. At the same time the picker finger arms may swing longitudinally of the path of travel of the bottle on the pivot pins III. In each instance however, the finger arms are biased in their normal position through the means of suitable springs.

The picker finger arms when they are positioned above the travelling platform and in a position to permit the passage therethrough of a bottle, to pick up its label, would normally extend at an angle to the vertical axis of the bottle and and 16 the lower end I22 of each of the picker finger arms is bent at an angle with respect to the body of the finger arm, this angle being such as to lie parallel with the axis of the bottle thus maintaining the label in parallel relation with the body of the bottle so that the whole surface,

from top to bottom, of the label will be engaged at the same instant.

In certain types of bottles, particularly in that type of bottle having an octagonal body portion, it is extremely important that the bottle be presented to the picker finger arms in an exact position. Therefore, it is important that the bottle be placed on the table supports I in an exact position. Accordingly we have illustrated in Figs. 17 and 18 a receiving gripper corresponding to the gripper 6 illustrated heretofore, so arranged that the bottle will be properly positioned. In these figures the gripper 6 is provided on its gripping face with upper and lower fiat projections I23, I24, the flat surface of the projection I23 being so disposed that when the bottle is properly positioned one of the flat surfaces of the bottle will rest against the flat surface of the projection I 23. Cooperating with the finger 6 of the type 11- lustrated in Fig. 17 is a positioning pad or block 530 which is secured on the top face of each of the tables or platforms I by suitable bolts I3I. This pad is provided with an opening I32 to accommodate the gripper support rod 4 and is provided with a plurality of flat faces I33, I34 and 35, so disposed as to form a pocket having one elongated side I36 into which the bottle is moved by the transfer finger 6 and its associated gripping finger 8 on the infeed star 5. As a result of this arrangement, bearing in mind that the table I and the infeed star are rotating tangentially, by the time the gripper finger S, with the bottle pressed against the flat surface I23 by the movable finger I, has reached a position to deposit a bottle in the positioning pad I30 the movable finger I will have moved out of engagement with the bottle and the spring fingers or plunger-s I25, biased in a projected position by the coiled springs I26, will force the bottle into the pocket formed by the faces I33, I34 and i35 and the bottle will be properly positioned to receive a label as it passes between the picker fingers.

It is to be understood of course that the positioning pad or block I33 is comparatively fiat and extends no great distance above the top of the table I.

In Fig. 1 and the associated figures we have illustrated the presser pad 91 as arcuate in shape and in most instances this presser pad has been extremely satisfactory. In some instances however, particularly with the octagonal body shaped bottle, we have found it more advantageous to provide means for exerting pressure on the fiat surfaces of the bottle. Accordingly in Fig. 19, we have illustrated a modification of the pad 91 which consists of a plurality of sponge rubber. or other satisfactory material, blocks I21, I28 and I29 which are maintained in an angle relation to one another by a bracket I36 secured on the supporting finger I31. Accordingly when the bottle is deposited in position and pressed by the movable finger 98 against these pads, the label will be pressed and ironed smoothly in position. It is obvious that, if desired, the front faces of these pads could be moistened in the same manner as are the pads 97.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a labeling machine, in combination, a rotary table, a container support mounted upon said table, a label picker disposed adjacent to path of travel of said support and movable into and out of the path of said container support and comprising a supporting member, a pair of spaced apart picker finger arms pivotally mounted at their upper ends on said supporting member, on axes extending in the direction of the path of travel of the container support to permit the lateral separation of said arms by .thezengagement of a container therewith to ac- 'commodate the passage of the container therebetween and on axes extending longitudinally of said path, a pair of ears secured to said picker finger arms and extending above the pivot point of said arms, a spring interposed between said ears to urge the lower end of said arms toward one another and spring means effective to permit limited longitudinal movement of said arms.

2. In a labeling machine, in combination, a rotary table, a container support mounted upon said table, a label picker disposed adjacent said table, and comprising an oscillating supporting member, a pair of spaced apart picker finger arms pivotally mounted at their upper ends on said supporting member on horizontal axes extending transversely of the path of said supporting member to permit said arms to swing in the direction of the path of travel of said supporting member, means for limiting the movement of said arms in the opposite direction and means for urging said arms toward said limiting means.

3. In a labeling machine, in combination, a rotary table, a container support mounted thereon, a label picker disposed adjacent said tabe, and movable into and out of the path of said container support and comprising a, supporting member, a pair of spaced apart picker arms pivotally mounted at their upper ends on axes disposed in the direction of the path of travel of the container support to permit said arms to separate to accommodat the passage therebetween of a container, means for urging said arms toward one another, horizontally disposed pivots for said arms extending transversely of the path of the container support to permit said arms to swing in the direction of the path of travel of said container support, and means for urging said arms in a direction opposite to the d rection of travel of the container support.

4. In a labeling machine, in combination, a rotary table, a container support mounted on said table, a label picker disposed adjacent said table and movable into and out of the path of said container support comprising a supporting member, a pair of spaced apart picker finger arms pivotally mounted at their upper ends on said supporting member on axes extending in the direction of the path of travel of said container support, means for urging said picker arms toward one another, adjustable means for limiting the movement of said picker finger arms toward one another, a second set of horizontally disposed pivotal supports for said picker finger arms having their axes extending transversely of the path of said container support, means for limiting the movement of said picker finger arms on said second set of pivots in one direction and means for urging said picker finger arms in the opposite direction.

5. In a labeling machine, in combination, a rotary table, a container clamp mounted thereon and including a vertically movable clamping rod, a label picker disposed adjacent said table and reciprocating laterally along an oscillating shaft, a vertically reciprocating rod for driving said oscillating shaft, a stop on said reciprocating driving rod, a sleeve surrounding said reciprocating driving rod, a coiled spring surrounding said reciprocating driving rod and disposed between said sleeve and said stop, means 10 for reciprocating said sleeve, a dog on said reciprocating rod below said sleeve and a latch movable in the path of and above said dog by said clamping rod.

6. In a labeling machine, in combination, a rotary table, a container support mounted upon said table, a label picker disposed adjacent said table and reciprocally movable transversely of the path of travel into and out of the path of said container support and comprising an oscillating yoke having integrally thereon a pair of downwardly extending spaced apart ears, universally movable pivot means mounted on each of said ears, and picker fingers secured to each of said pivot means, said pivot means permitting the fingers to be separated and swung longitudinally of said path by the engagement of said fingers by a container carried in said support.

7. In a labeling machine, in combination, a rotary table, a container support mounted upon said table, a label picker disposed adjacent said table and reciprocally movable transversely of the path of travel into and out of the path of said container support and comprising an oscillating yoke having spaced apart ears extending downwardly, a first pivot pin extending through each of said ears in the direction of movement of the container support, a second pivot pin rotatably mounted on said first pivot pin transversely thereof; a picker finger secured to each of said second pivot pins, upwardly extending arms rigidly secured to said fingers, a coiled sprin interposed between said arms to urge said picker fingers toward one another and spring means connected to said fingers for urging them in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of said container support.

8. In a labeling machine, in combination, a rotary table, a container support mounted upon said table, a label picker disposed adjacent said table and reciprocally movable transversely of the path of travel into and out of the path of said container support and comprising an oscillating yoke having a pair of downwardly extending spaced apart ears, a universally movable pivot means mounted on each of said ears, a picker finger secured to each of said pivot means, spring means connected to said arms for yieldably positioning them, and means for limiting the universal movement of said fingers.

9. In a labeling machine, in combination, a rotary table, a container support mounted upon said table, a label picker disposed adjacent said table and reciprocally movable transversely of the path of travel into and out of the path of said container support and comprising an oscillating yoke having a pair of downwardly extending spaced apart ears, a pivot pin mounted in each of said ears and extending in the direction of travel of the container support, a pivot pin carried by each of said first mentioned pivot pins and extending at right angles to said first mentioned pivot pins and a picker arm pivotally mounted on each of said last mentioned pivot pins and yieldable means for positioning said arms in predetermined positions relative to one another and relative to said path of travel.

JAMES KANTOR. EDWARD ROSENBERG. ADRIAN C. SMALL.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Number Name Date 647,043 Strasburger Apr. 10, 1900 1,166,452 Gardner Jan. 4, 1916 1,178,608 Weiss Apr. 11, 1916 1,202,466 Woodland Oct. 24, 1916 10 1,238,713 Johnson et a1 Aug. 28, 1917 Calleson July 15, 1919 Number 12 Name Date Johnson et a1 Dec. 30, 1919 Stripe Jan. 15, 1924 Oslund et a1. Aug. 17, 1926 Ermold Oct. 9, 1928 Oslund May 6, 1930 Schmutzer June 7, 1938 Oslund Oct, 14, 1941 Kantor et a1. Sept. 28, 1943 Fedorchak Mar. 20, 1945 Clark, Jr June 13, 1950

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