US3923589A

US3923589A - Apparatus for coating labels with adhesive and applying them to objects such as bottles

Info

Publication number: US3923589A
Application number: US441966A
Authority: US
Inventors: Georges Antoine Tavernier
Original assignee: Societe Nouvelle Baele Gangloff SA
Current assignee: Societe Nouvelle Baele Gangloff SA
Priority date: 1973-02-14
Filing date: 1974-02-13
Publication date: 1975-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 1992-12-02
Also published as: ES422867A1; DE2364690A1; DE2364690C3; IT1004858B; DE2364690B2; FR2217953A5; BE810118A

Abstract

An apparatus for applying labels to bottles and the like has a pickup turntable provided with a plurality of pickup heads which are orbited successively past a coating station, a pickup station, and a transfer station. Each head has a pickup face formed as an involute, and each head is rotated about an axis in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the turntable. The coating station comprises an adhesive-coated drum over which the pickup face is rolled, by rotating it on the turntable at a periodically increasing rate so as to prevent relative sliding between the two elements. Thereafter the adhesive-coated pickup face is similarly rolled over the uppermost label in a magazine of labels. Thereafter the picked-up label is pressed against a transfer drum which grips one of its edges and the pickup head rolls again put of contact with the label. Thence the label is pressed against an object such as a bottle. The involute surface has a leading edge which is of larger radius of curvature than its trailing edge, this pickup face being tangential at the trailing edge to an imaginary cylinder centered on the respective center of rotation of the respective pickup head.

Description

United States Patent [191 Tavernier 1 1 Dec.2,1975

[75] Inventor: Georges Antoine Tavernier, Lyon.

France [73] Assignee: Societe Anonyme Societe Nouvelle Baele Gangloff, Villeurbanne, France 221 Filed: Feb. 13, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 441,966

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 14, 1973 France 73.05857 [52] US. Cl. 156/568; 156/571; l56/DIG. 32;

[51] Int. Cl.*.... B65C 9/16; B65C 9/22; B65H 3/20 [58] Field of Search 156/567, 568, 571, DIG. 29, 156/DIG. 30, DIG. 32; 271/33, 95

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,546,047 12/1970 Dullinger 156/571 3,567,559 3/1971 Dullinger 271/95 X 3,623,720 11/1971 Della Vite 271/95 3,736,213 5/1973 Jorss et al. 1. 156/570 Primary ExaminerCharles E. Van Horn Assistant Examiner-M. G. Wityshyn Attorney. Agent, or FirmKarl F. Ross; Herbert Dubno [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus for applying labels to bottles and the like has a pickup turntable provided with a plurality of pickup heads which are orbited successively past a coating station, a pickup station, and a transfer station. Each head has a pickup face formed as an involute, and each head is rotated about an axis in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the turntable. The coating station comprises an adhesive-coated drum over which the pickup face is rolled. by rotating it on the turntable at a periodically increasing rate so as to prevent relative sliding between the two elements. Thereafter the adhesive-coated pickup face is similarly rolled over the uppermost label in a magazine of labels. Thereafter the picked-up label is pressed against a transfer drum which grips one of its edges and the pickup head rolls again put of contact with the label. Thence the label is pressed against an object such as abottle. The involute surface has a leading edge which is of larger radius of curvature than its trailing edge, this pickup face being tangential at the trailing. edge to an imaginary cylinder centered on the respective center of rotation of the respective pickup head.

9 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures EOATING DRUM US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 10f5 3,923,589

Sheet 2 of 5 US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 US. Patent 13 2, 1975 Sheet 3 of5 3,923,589

FIG. 8

FIG. 7

FIG. 6

FIG. v 4 FIG 5 U.S. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet4 ofS 3,923,589

E W? v U.S. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 5 of5 3,923,589

FIG. IS.

APPARATUS FOR COATING LABELS WITH ADHESIVE AND APPLYING THEM TO OBJECTS SUCH AS BOTTLES 1 CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of an apparatus for coating the flexible sheet workpieces and displacing the coated sheet workpieces. More particularly this invention concerns a system for adhesive-coating label blanks and applying same to containers such as bottles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In a conventional labeling apparatus it is known to stack the labels back side up in a supply or magazine adjacent a turntable provided with a plurality of pickup heads. These heads are orbited about an axis spaced from the label magazine and are each first orbited through a coating station where a layer of adhesive is applied to the outward face of the pickup head, and then the head is pressed against the topmost sheet of the stack so as to pick up this sheet and thence transport it to a transfer element which takes the label off the pickup head and applies it to a container.

There are two principal configurations in which the pickup heads are made. In a common arrangement each pickup head has a face with a uniform radius of curvature centered on the rotation axis for the pickup turntable. This formation is disadvantageous in that'it limits the number of labels which can be carried by the pickup arrangement at a single time since only a quan tity of labels having a collective length equal to the circumference of the pickup device can be held'on one revolution of the device. In addition when the faces of pickup heads are so formed the arrangement must be rotated at a relatively low speed in order to insure that picked up labels are not dropped.

In another known arrangement each pickup head has a radius of curvature which is substantially smaller than the overall radius of the pickup device, so that the labels are curled around these smaller pickup heads and a relatively large number of such labels can be held on the pickup device at one time. One of the principal disadvantages of this latter arrangement is that the labels must be curled around each head and, when relatively stiff or inflexible labels are used, this frequently results in the labels being shed by the pickup apparatus as it rotates. Furthermore it is necessary to rotate and drive each of these individual pickup heads separately so that vibration and wear is greatly increased, which is particularly disadvantageous in this arrangement where the labels are tightly curled since it further increases their tendency to fall off the pickup heads.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It-is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for coating and displacing sheet workpieces.

i 2 Anotherobject of this invention is the provision of an improved apparatus for coating labels with adhesive andapplying them to receptacles such bottles.

Yet another object isto provide unimproved apparatus which overcomes the above given disadvantages, that is which can operate at high speeds and rapidly coat and transfer alarge number of labels from a magazine to individual receptacles.

SUMMARY 011 THE INVENTION .These objects are: attained according to the present invention in an apparatus having a rotatable turntable carrying a plurality of pickup heads each having a pickup face formed as a curved surface having a radius of curvature which varies over its length. This surface has at one end a radius of curvature which is centered on the respective axis of rotation of the respective head, and has an increasing radius of curvature towards its other end, and each face has a rectified length which is at least as long as the label to be picked up from a stationary magazine adjacent the pickup turntable.

Accordingto yet another feature of the present invention the turntable orbits its plurality of pickup heads through three stations: an upstream coating station, a central pickup station having the magazine of labels, and a downstream transfer drum which takes the coated label and applies it to a receptacle such as a bottle.

The first station comprises a cylindrical drum positioned adjacent the pickup turntable and partially immersed in a bath of adhesive. This drum is rotated in the opposite sense as the pickup turntable and as the individual pickup heads are orbited past the drum they are rotated in the same direction as the drum, that is opposite to the turntable, such that they roll over and osculate the surface of the drum, thereby picking up a very uniform coating of adhesive from this drum. The term roll here means that the two contacting surfaces have the same peripheral speed.

The magazine according to the present invention is a simple openedbox fixed adjacent to the orbits of the pickup heads and holding a stack of labels such that the uppermost label in the stack is presented to the pickup heads as they orbit past and this uppermost label lies in a plane parallel to the rotation axis of the turntable and to the rotation axis of the pickup heads, and spaced from the cylindrical orbit defined by the pick-up heads by a distance equal to the smallest radius of curvature of the pickup heads. The pickup heads arerotated in a sense opposite to their direction of orbiting and are rotated in this opposite direction at a varying speed such that the pickup face rolls over the uppermost label in the magazine and adheres to it, due to the adhesive coating on this pickup face. The edge of the pickup face of larger diameter is the leading edge first brought into contact with the uppermost label, and is henceforth the edge which frees it from the stack in the magazine. Since this region of the label is only subjected to moderate bending, it adheres 'well to the pickup face and is removed readily from the magazine, the other edge of the label' being bent around a tighter radius once the label is mainly freed from the magazine.

The transfer drum in accordance with further features of this invention comprises an upright drum rotatable in the same direction as the pickup turntable and about an axis parallel to the pickup table. This transfer drum is provided on it periphery with a plurality of regularly equispaced clamps which are operated so as to grip the edges of labels adhered to the pickup faces as these pickup heads are orbited past the transfer drum. The transfer drum is covered with a cushioning, resilient material so that the labels may be readily pressed onto articles such as bottles. The pickup heads are again rotated in a direction opposite to their direction of orbiting as the labels are peeled off them by the clamps on the transfer drum. This leaves the labels with their adhesive side out.

Thus the apparatus functions as follows: the pickup turntable rotates at a constant speed and the individual pickup heads are first each rolled over a coating drum to coat their pickup faces with adhesive. Then each coated pickup face is rolled over the top of a stack of labels, to pick up the uppermost label in the stack. Thereafter the pickup face, which is carrying a label, is rolled over the surface of a transfer drum provided with clamps which grip the leading edge of the label and the label is transported, adhesive side out, to a station where it is pressed onto the surface of a bottle.

The shape of the pickup faces is generally of an involute, that is, it is a curved surface ofincreasing radius of curvature from a leading edge to a trailing edge. The leading edge has a center of curvature which corresponds to the center .of rotation of the respective pickup head. This surface has a formula which is defined by the equation:

where r radius between a predetermined point on the pickup face and the center of rotation for the respective pickup head;

A the shortest distance between the center of rotation of the pickup table and the uppermost label in the magazine;

R the distance between the center of rotation of the respective pickup head and the center of rotation of the turntable, and

O the angle between the radius r and the starting radius r, of the involute surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The above and other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a horizontal section, partly in diagrammatic form, showing the apparatus according to the present invention; 7

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through a portion of the pickup turntable shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line IIIIIl of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 through 8 show consecutive positions of a pickup head as it rolls over the coating drum;

FIGS. 9 through 13 show consecutive positions of a pickup head as it rolls over the label magazine;

FIGS. 14 through 17 show consecutive positions of a pickup head as it rolls over the transfer drum;

FIG. 18 is a graph illustrating principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 19 is an enlarged-scale view of a pickup head according to the present invention and illustrating its shape. I

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 shows aturntable 2 rotatable about an axis h and carrying four annularly equispaced pickup heads 13 each rotatable on the turntable 2 about a respective pickup axis a parallel to the axis b. A motor 36 rotates this turntable 2 so that the heads 13 orbit in a direction 12 first past a coating drum 3, then past a magazine 4 carrying a stack of labels 5, and then past a transfer drum 6. The drum 3 is rotated about an upright axis e by a motor 37 and the drum 6 is rotated about an axis d by a motor 38. The labels 5 are then applied to bottles 7 carried on another turntable 39 rotatable about an axis prallel to the axes a, b, d, and e.

More specifically as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the turntable 2 is comprises of a pair of parallel plates 9 and 10 carried on a shaft 8 defining the axis b. Each of the pickup heads 13 is carried on respective shaft 14 defining the respective axis a and journaled in the upper plate 10 and lower plate 9. The shaft 14 carries below plate 9 a sun gear 17 meshing with two planet gears 18 mounted on a planet carrier 19 freely rotatable on an extension of the shaft 8 and formed with an arm 28 carrying a roller 29 received in a slave-cam groove 30 formed in a base plate 40 of the apparatus. Also rotatably-mounted on the shaft 8 is a ring gear 20 meshing with the two planet carriers 19 and formed with external teeth 22 meshing with similar teeth 23 of a gear 24 centered on the axle 8 and fixed'to the plate 40. Thus,

with reference to FIG. 1 as the turntable 2 rotates in direction 12 about axis b, that is counterclockwise, the gear 20 will turn counterclockwise, the planet gear 18 with similarly turn counterclockwise, and the gear 17 and the shaft 14 will turn clockwise so as to rotate the head 13 in a direction indicated in FIG. 1 by arrow 32 opposite to the direction 12. The cam groove 30 is endless but is not circular in shape. .It has a noncircular shape in the region of coating drum 3, magazine 4, and transfer drum 6 so as to vary the rotation direction 32 of the heads in a manner described below Each of the pickup heads 13 has an involute-shaped pickup face 15 having a leading edge 13a of relatively large radius of curvature and a trailing edge 13b of relatively small radius of curvature and having at edge 13b a center of curvature corresponding to axis a. The axis a lies on an orbit 0 which is spaced by a distance r,, from the closest portion of the closest label 5 and from the surface of drum 3.

FIGS. 4 through 8 indicate how a pickup head 13 rolls over the surface of the drum 3 as it is rotated continuously in a direction 33 identical to the direction 12 of rotation of the turntable 2. Starting from the position in FIG. 4 where edge 13a engages the surface of adhesive-coated drum 33 the rotation speed of the individual head 13 in direction 32 on the turntable 2 increases by inward deflection of the roller 29 in cam groove 30. This means that for each rotation of the turntable 2 through an anglefthe head 13 turns through an angle h, h h and h, which increases as the face 15 rolls over the surface of the drum 33.until the edge 13b of the face 15 leaves contact with this drum. Thus angle h is bigger than h which is bigger than angle h,, and so on, for a light angle fof rotation of the turntable 2.

FIGS. 9 through 13 indicate how the face 15 rolls over the uppermost label 5 in the stack in the magazine 4, once again, rotating through the ever increasing angle K K K and K while the turntable 2 rotates through like angles m. It can be seen that just before the head 13 leaves contact with the magazine 4 its axis lies in a plane P perpendicular to. the surface of the uppermost label 5, and parallel to a central axis x-x passing through the center of the magazine 4.

FIGS. 14 through 17 indicate how the head 13 rolls over the surface of the drum 6 rotated in direction 34 opposite to that of direction 12. The drum 6 is provided on its periphery with a plurality of an -gularly equispacedclamping fingers 41 which are actuated in steps with the drive of the turntable 2 so as to grip the projecting upper edge of a label at edge 13a of the face 15, and hold it as the head 13 rolls off and deposits the label on the drum 6. In this case also for each rotation of the turntable 2 through an angle 0 the head 13 rotates about its axis a in an opposite direction through an ever increasing angle n ri and n once again effected by inward deflection of the cam follower 29 in groove It should be noted that the adhesive coating 43 originally applied to the head 13 is transferred to the labels 5 where this adhesive coating 43 remains. Thereafter the labels 5 are pressed against receptacle 7 carried past the drum 6 in a direction 44 on the turntable 39. The surface of drum 6 is made of a resilient, cushioning material so that once the clamps 41 release the edges of 25 the label and these labels are pressed against the bottle 7 they attach themselves securely thereto. Thereafter they may be more tightly secured to the bottles by means of a pair of cushioning rollers as described in my above cited copending application.

FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate the exact shape of a pickup head 13. It can be seen that if a plurality of radii r,,r, are drawn between the center a and points c spaced apart by a distance s on the surface of the uppermost label 5 that the orbit 0 of radius R will intersect all of these radii r-r along points corresponding to the path of travel of the axis a of the pickup head. Assuming that the surface 15 has a radius of curvature r,, centered on the respective axis a at its leading edge 13b, then the following formula can be derived for the length of the other radii r r,,, as follows:

Thus the surface 15 is formed by a family of parallel lines lying on an involute, having a plurality of surface points I, t,- t the latter lying at edge 13a, which lie along the surface of an involute and which are spaced apart by a distance equal to s. In reality of course the surface 15 is tangent to an imaginary cylinder centered on the axis a at the leading edge 13b and is of increasing radius of curvature all the way to the end 13a, however here the reference to an original region having a center of curvature lying on axis a is made for ease of description.

The use of an involute-shaped face 15 as described above has the advantage that the labels 5 are not bent excessively just as they are being pulled from the magazine 4, since it has been found that trying to bend these labels around too tight a radius as they are pulled from the magazine 4 causes either subsequent falling of the labels off the pickup head, or an inability to pick up a label, thereby spreading adhesive over the transfer drum and requiring the machine to be shut down and cleaned. The apparatus according to the present invention can be operated at relatively high speed and is quite simple to set up and use.

I claim: i 1. An apparatus for picking up a flat flexible sheet,

5 said apparatus comprising:

a turntable;

means for rotating said turntable about a turntable axis;

a stationary magazine holding a stack of sheets adjacent said turntable;

at least one pickup head on said turntable rotatable about a pickup axis spaced from said turntable axis and having a pickup face engageable with said stack of sheets and formed generally as a curved surface of varying radius of curvature;

means for rotating said head on said support about said pickup axis as same passes said magazine and for rolling said face over said stack without sliding of said face on said stack; and means for adhering the top sheet of said stack to said face whereby on rolling of said face thereover said sheet adheres to said face and is picked up by said head, said surface being defined by a family of parallel lines having a radius of curvature decreasing from a leading edge to a trailing edge.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said means for rotating said head about said pickup axis includes drive means for rotating said head about said pickup axis in a rotational sense opposite to that of said turntable about said turntable axis.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein said means for adhering includes means for coating said pickup face with adhesive prior to engagement of same with said sheet.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein said means for coating includes an adhesive-coated roller adjacent said turntable upstream of said magazine relative to the rotation sense of said turntable and engageable with said pickup face.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein said drive means includes:

a sun gear connected to said pickup head and centered on said pickup axis;

a planet carrier pivotal on said pickup axis and having a cam follower and at least one planet gear meshing with said sun gear;

a ring gear rotatable about said pickup axis meshing with said planet gear and formed with external teeth;

a nonrotatable gear centered on said turntable axis and meshing with said external teeth of said ring gear; and

a noncircular stationary cam engaging said cam follower.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 5, further comprising means for transferring said sheet from said turntable to an object.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein said turntable is provided with a plurality of such pickup heads having respective pickup axes equispaced from said turntable axis and connected to said means for rotating said head for operation thereby.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 7 wherein the radius of curvature of each pickup face increases from a value equal to the radial distance between the respective trailing edge and the respective pickup axis to a value such that the rectified length of said surface be- 7 s tween said edges is at least equal to the width of said where sheets. r radius between a predetermined point on the 9. The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein said fampickup f and the respective pickup axis; Y of lines has the cquationl S A shortest distance between the turntable axis and i the stack; .4 R distance between the pickup and turntable axis; r A CO 'V R2 R angle between the radius R and a starting radius A at the leading edge.

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS FOR PICKING UP A FLAT FLEXIBLE SHEET, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A TURNTABLE; MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID TURNTABLE ABOUT A TURNTABLE AXIS; A STATIONARY MAGAZINE HOLDING A STACK OF SHEETS ADJACENT SAID TURNTABLE; AT LEAST ONE PICKUP HEAD ON SAID TURNTABLE ROTATABLE ABOUT A PICKUP AXIS SPACED FROM SAID TURNTABLE AXIS AND HAVING A PICKUP FACE ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID STACK OF SHEETS AND FORMED GENERALLY AS A CURVED SURFSACE OF VARYING RADIUS OF CURVATURE; MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID HEAT ON SAID SUPORT ABOUT SAID PICKUP AXIS AS SAME PASSES SAID MAGAZINE AND FOR ROLLING SAID FACE OVER SAID STACK WITHOUT SLIDING OF SAID FACE ON SAID STACK; AND MEANS FOR ADHERING THE TOP SHEET OF SAID STACK TO SAID FACE WHEREBY ON ROLLING OF SAID FACE THEREOVER SAID SHEET ADHERES TO SAID FACE AND IS PICKED UP BY SAID HEAT, SAID SURFACE BEING DEFINED BY A FAMILY OF PARALLEL LINES HAVING A RADIUS OF CURVATURE DECREASING FROM A LEADING EDGE TO A TRAILING EDGE.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4 wherein said drive means includes: a sun gear connected to said pickup head and centered on said pickup axis; a planet carrier pivotal on said pickup axis and having a cam follower and at least one planet gear meshing with said sun gear; a ring gear rotatable about said pickup axis meshing with said planet gear and formed with external teeth; a nonrotatable gear centered on said turntable axis and meshing with said external teeth of said ring gear; and a noncircular stationary cam engaging said cam follower.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 7 wherein the radius of curvature of each pickup face increases from a value equal to the radial distance between the respective trailing edge and the respective pickup axis to a value such that the rectified length of said surface between said edges is at least equal to the width of said sheets.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein said family of lines has the equation: