WO2014014360A2

WO2014014360A2 - A labelling machine

Info

Publication number: WO2014014360A2
Application number: PCT/NZ2013/000008
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anthony William Costello
Original assignee: A & J Costello Limited
Priority date: 2012-02-07
Filing date: 2013-02-07
Publication date: 2014-01-23
Also published as: WO2014014360A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a labelling machine comprising a main housing, a drive roller assembly including at least one drive roller, a label stripping assembly including a stripping plate, a drive means, and a carriage assembly including an item location housing adapted to locate an item to be labelled. At least a portion of the item location housing is in communication with at least a portion of the drive assembly so that, in use, the item to be labelled travels at the same speed as a label coming off the stripping plate.

Description

A LABELLING MACHINE

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a labelling machine, and in particular to a labelling machine that enables accurate placement of labels on bottles and containers of different shapes, such as square section and round section bottles. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many different types of labelling machines are available. These range from large full-automated machines used in mass production to small hand-operated machines used in small volume production.

Labelling machines are used in many different situations, and currently available machines differ in design and construction, depending on their intended end use.

In some countries, such as New Zealand and Australia, there are many small scale producers of food products, such as oil olive. Producers of these types of products generally require a hand-operated or semi-automatic labelling machine, in line with the volume of product produced. Some of these producers have experienced difficulty with the operation of currently available labelling machines. This is particularly the case with square glass bottles, which are popular containers used to bottle olive oil.

Generally speaking, currently available hand-operated or semi-automatic labelling machines are able to place labels on to round bottles and containers without any difficulty. However, these currently available machines are often difficult to operate in a manner that allows for accurate placement of labels on to bottles or containers of other shapes, such as tapered, square or triangular shaped bottles or containers.

A need therefore exists to provide a cost effective and practical labelling machine, particularly a hand-operated labelling machine, which can place labels on to different shaped containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a labelling machine comprising

a main housing;

a drive roller assembly including at least one drive roller;

a label stripping assembly including a stripping plate;

a drive means;

a carriage assembly including an item location housing adapted to locate an item to be labelled;

wherein at least a portion of the item location housing is in communication with a portion of the drive assembly so that, in use, the item to be labelled travels at the same speed as a label coming off the stripping plate.

Preferably, the carriage assembly is removable.

Preferably, the carriage assembly further comprises a slide pivot which allows for a pivoting action that ensures that, in use, the carriage assembly engages sufficiently with the drive roller assembly while at the same time allowing substantially free movement of the carriage assembly when the carriage does not house an item to be labelled. Preferably, the slide pivot is engaged in the housing of the machine and the rest of the carriage assembly is movable relative to the machine and the slide pivot.

Preferably, the drive roller assembly comprises one drive roller, with an O-ring at each end.

Alternatively, the drive roller assembly comprises one drive roller, with a flat topped belt at each end. Preferably, the drive roller assembly further comprises a pinch roller.

Preferably, the label stripping assembly further comprises a soft roller located adjacent an end of the stripping plate. In one embodiment, the soft roller is made of rubber.

Preferably, the drive means is a rotatable handle.

Preferably, the item location housing comprises at least two substantially L-shaped members, movable along an adjustor rod.

In one embodiment, the labelling machine further comprises a plurality of adjustment means adapted to allow the travel of the machine to be adjusted. Preferably, the adjustment means comprises a plurality of stopping assemblies.

Preferably, the labelling machine further comprises a label locating and positioning means.

In one embodiment, the labelling machine also further comprises a label position pointer.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of placing a label on to an item, comprising the steps of

locating a roll of labels comprising labels on a backing paper within a labelling machine;

activating a drive means of the labelling machine so until a label from the roll of labels moves over an edge of a stripping plate of the labelling machine and starts to come off the backing paper;

placing an item to be labelled on an item location housing of a labelling machine;

activating the drive means so that at least a portion of the item location housing is in communication with at least a portion of a drive assembly of the labelling machine, so that the item to be labelled travels at the same speed as a label coming off the stripping plate as the label is applied to the item. Preferably the method further comprising the steps of

adjusting adjustment means of the labelling machine for the size of the item to be labelled and the size of the label;

activating the drive means to move a carriage assembly that includes the item location housing until a first of the adjustment means is engaged; and activating the drive means again to move the carriage assembly until a second of the adjustment means is engaged;

optionally removing the labelled item and activating the drive means to position next label into correct position.

This brief summary of the invention broadly describes the features and advantages of certain embodiments of the invention. Further features and advantages will be described in the detailed description of the invention that follows. Novel features that are believed to be characteristic of the invention will be better understood from this detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings are intended to help illustrate the invention or assist with understanding the invention, and are not intended to define the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 : shows a schematic perspective view of the labelling machine according to one aspect of the present invention, without the carriage.

Figure 2: shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of the labelling machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3: shows a schematic partial view of the labelling machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4: shows a schematic top view of the labelling machine shown in Figure 1. Figure 5: shows a schematic perspective view of a carriage assembly adapted for use with the labelling machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 6: shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of the carriage assembly shown in Figure 5 engaged with the labelling machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 7: shows a schematic perspective view of the arrangement shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8: shows a further view of the arrangement shown in Figure 7, with a roll of labels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a labelling machine, and in particular a hand- operated labelling machine, that enables accurate placement of labels on both square section and round section bottles or containers made of other materials. The labelling machine of the present invention has particular application to placement of self-adhesive labels on to bottles or other types of containers. There are many hand operated and semi-automatic labelling machines currently available that apply labels to round bottles and containers. In many instances these machines house a roll of self-adhesive labels attached to a backing paper, which are stripped off as they are ran over a stripping plate. The labelling machine of the present invention operates on a similar principle, but is provided with a removable carriage that enables labels to be accurately placed on bottles and containers of other shapes. The labelling machine of the present invention therefore has the advantage that it allows the machine easily to convert from round section bottles (without the carriage) to square or other shaped bottles (with carriage).

The labelling machine of the present invention is first described without the carriage. Referring to Figure 1 , in one embodiment of the present invention there is provided a labelling machine 1 comprising a housing formed by side walls 2 and connecting bars 3. The labelling machine 1 is preferably provided with adjustable feet 4 to allow the machine to be levelled and to sit in a stable position on a surface during use.

The labelling machine 1 is also provided with label rollers 5a and 5b and a pinch roller 5c. Also provided is a drive roller assembly 6, comprising O-rings 6a and paper driving roller 6b. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a flat topped belt such a small, flat topped, toothed belt may be utilised in place of the O-rings.

Referring now to Figure 2, the labelling machine 1 is also provided with a label stripping assembly 7, which comprises a soft rubber roller 7a, a stripping plate 7b and a removable roller 7c. The stripping plate 7b is preferably formed of stainless steel and is approximately 1 mm in width.

The labelling machine 1 is further provided with a handle 8, located on one side of the housing. The handle 8 is connected to the drive roller assembly 6.

Also provided are label roll supports 10. The label roll supports 10 are preferably kept in place by one of the connecting bars 3 and sit on the label roller 5b.

Referring now to Figure 3, in use a roll of labels 11 comprising a plurality of preferably self-adhesive labels 12 on paper 13 is placed on label rollers 5a and 5b, so that when the roll 11 is unrolled the labels 12 face up. The paper 13 with the labels 12 is fed under roller 5a and along the machine 1 until it passes through a space between the soft rubber roller 7a and the stripping plate 7b. The paper 13 is then fed through a space between the stripping plate 7b and the removable roller 7c (not shown in Figure 3), and further along the machine 1 until it reaches the drive roller assembly 6, where it is fed between paper driving roller 6b and pinch roller 5c.

The position of the roll of labels 11 is adjusted using the label roll supports 10 which also act as label roll locating guides, as shown in Figure 4. To ensure the labels are placed accurately on to the bottle or container, the label roll supports 10 may be adjusted in the direction indicated at A, so that the label is lined up on the correct position for placement on to the bottle or container.

In use, the bottle or container 9 is placed adjacent the label stripping assembly 7, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that it rests on the soft rubber roller 7a and the removable roller 7c. The stripping plate 7b is located just below a downwardly facing surface of the bottle or container 9, as is best seen in Figure 2.

An operator turns the handle 8, which drives the drive roller 6b. This in turn moves the paper 13 through the labelling machine 1. At the point when the paper 13 passes over the edge of the stripping plate 7b, the label is stripped from the paper 13 and is applied to a bottle or container 9. The action of the paper 13 moving as a tight angle over the edge of the stripping plate causes the label 2 to peel off the paper 13.

As shown in Figure 4, the labelling machine 1 may be provided with a label position pointer 14. The label position pointer 14 fits in a slot on the side wall 2 and gives an operator an indication of when to stop turning the handle, so that only one label is peeled off at a time. In other words, when setting up the labelling machine 1 to apply a label to a round bottle, the operator winds handle 8 until a label just starts to come off the stripping plate 7b. The operator set the label position pointer 14 so it is at the edge of the label, as shown in Figure 4. The operator then places the bottle or container 9 and turns the handle 8 until the next label lines up to the original position indicated by the label position pointer 14. In this way, the operator only winds off one label.

When placing a label 11 on to a round bottle 9 using the labelling machine shown in Figures 1 to 4, the speed of the label 1 coming off the paper 13 as it moves over the stripper plate 7b and the speed of the outside of the bottle 9 is the same because the rubber roller 7a is being driven by the label backing paper 13 which is in turn driven by the paper driving roller 6b. The removable roller 7c merely supports the bottle or container 9 and is driven by the bottle or container 9.

In one embodiment of the invention, the rubber roller 7c may be provided with an additional portion 7d, which is shown in Figure 4. This allows for longer bottles and/or labels to be accommodated. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the soft rubber roller 7a is formed by assembling two or more components, a solid roller and an outer flexible tube. The outer flexible tube can be made in sections, which can move along the inner solid roller.

The labelling machine with a carriage is now described.

Accurately placing a self-adhesive label on a square section bottle can be a slow and inaccurate process when done by hand. The labelling machine with carriage provided by the present invention allows for quicker and more accurate placement of the label.

In general terms, in the case of a square bottle, the outside of the square bottle should travel at the same speed as the label as it is being stripped off the stripping plate. Failure to do this could cause the label to either slip on the bottle or to pucker.

The carriage assembly of the present invention achieves this by using the drive of the pinch roller 5c and the paper driving roller 6a. These rollers 5c and 6b pull the label backing paper 13 through the machine and also drive all the rollers in contact with it. This means that circumference of every roller is traveling at the same speed.

This same principle is used to drive the carriage. Roller 6b drives the O-rings 6a that drive the carriage and therefore the travel of the carriage, when driven, is the same speed as the label as it is being stripped off the stripping plate.

More specifically, and as shown in Figure 5, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the labelling machine of the present invention is provided with a carriage assembly 15.

The carriage assembly 15 comprises a bottle slider and support assembly in the form of substantially L-shaped members 16 connected together by an adjuster rod 17. The substantially L-shaped members comprise 2 outer members 16a and a removable bottle support member 16b. The position of the support member 6b can be adjusted by moving it along the adjustor rod 17, in the direction indicated at B.

Extending in a substantially opposite direction from the substantially L-shaped members are two rods 18 which extend through a slide pivot 19. The slide pivot 19 is provided with a pivot pin 20.

The carriage assembly 15 is also provided with a plurality of stops 21 , which are connected to the rods 18 by means of collar assemblies 22.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the carriage assembly 5 may be placed on to the labelling machine 1 and held in position by locating the bottom portion of the slide pivot 19 into the slots 23 located in each of the side walls 2 (slots 23 are shown more clearly in Figure 2). This first requires removal of the removable roller 7c.

The carriage assembly 5 is positioned so that the L-shaped members 16 extend towards the drive roller assembly 6. Lower surfaces of the L-shaped members 16 rest on the top of the drive roller assembly 6. When the carriage assembly 15 is positioned on the labelling machine 1 , the slide pivot 19 is held in place by the slots 23. The remainder of the carriage assembly 15 is able to move back and forward relative to the slide pivot 19 and labelling machine 1 , in the direction indicated at C. Prior to placing a bottle or container 24 on the labelling machine, the machine must be correctly set up with the roll of labels. This is explained in more detail with reference to Figure 8.

As with the set-up for round bottles, the roll of labels 11 is placed on label rollers 5a and 5b, so that when the roll 11 is unrolled the labels 12 face up. The paper 13 with the labels 12 is fed under roller 5a and along the machine 1 until it passes through a space between the soft rubber roller 7a and the stripping plate 7b. The paper 13 is then fed over the stripping plate 7b, and further along the machine 1 until it reaches the drive roller assembly 6, where it is fed between paper driving roller 6b and pinch roller 5c.

In use, a bottle or container 24 is located on a location housing defined by the substantially L-shaped members 16a. The location housing is preferably defined by the upper surfaces of the horizontally-extending and vertically-extending portions of the substantially L-shaped members 16a. Preferably, the bottle or container 24 is placed directly up against these surfaces. This provides a secure placement for the bottle or container 24 so that any movement will be minimised about while the label is being applied.

The bottle illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 is square, but it should be appreciated that with appropriate adjustments such as packing bottles or containers of other shapes (for example, triangular or tapered bottles or containers) may also be accurately labelled using the labelling machine according to the present invention.

The bottle support 16b is used to support short bottles and should be set to support the bottle but not so it interferes with the label. When taller bottles are being used this support 16b can be moved or removed.

The outer tube of roller 7a needs to support the label 12 as it is applied to the bottle and therefore the additional portion 7d needs to be moved and or cut to the correct length so it does this. Once the roll of labels 11 is inserted and the bottle or container 24 placed correctly on to the labelling machine 1 , the machine needs to be adjusted to ensure correct positioning of each label on to the bottle or container.

The handle 8 is wound so the edge of the label just starts to come off the stripping plate 7b. The amount of label showing should be about 1 mm.

The back stops 21 b are then set in the following manner. The square bottle or container 24 is located on the substantially L-shaped members 16a, as described above. The carriage assembly 15 and the bottle or container 24 are then pulled back towards the stripping plate 7b, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, until the bottle or container 24 is located at the correct position relative to the label coming off the stripping plate 7b. At that position, the back stops 21 b are set in the position shown, up against the slide pivot 19. This sets the distance from the edge of the bottle or container 24 to the stripping plate 7b.

The front stops 21a are set so the bottle or container 24 and carriage 15 only travel far enough to strip off one label only but not far enough to expose the next label over the stripping plate. For a wider label, the front stops 21a will be set further away from the slide pivot 19, and for a narrower label, the front stops 21a will be set closer to the slide pivot 19.

The reason for setting the starting position and using the stops to limit the travel so it is shorter than required is to ensure that any accumulated effect of incorrectly setting the travel length cannot compound and cause the label position to change.

Once the correct position is set, the travel of the carriage assembly 15 should be such that it is enough for the label to peal completely off the stripping plate 7b but not enough for the next label to start appearing.

To label the bottle or container 24, the operator turns the handle 8 so the label 12 just starts to appear above the stripping plate 7 as shown in Figure 8.

The carriage assembly 15 is pulled back towards the slide pivot until the back stops 21b are engaged.

Now a slight downward pressure may be applied to the bottle or container 24 and the carriage assembly 15 and the handle 8 is turned so the carriage assembly 15 moves to the front stops 21a. The slight downward pressure helps to stabilise the bottle or container 24 and assists the frictional drive between the lower surfaces of the substantially L-shaped members 16a and the O-rings 6a.

The bottle or container 24 is then lifted and the handle 8 is turned until the next label 12 just starts to appear above the stripping plate 7b as described above. If necessary, the bottle or container 24 may be turned over (ready for the back label, if there are front and back labels on the same roll). Otherwise, the bottle or container is simply removed from the machine. The carriage assembly 15 is then returned to the original start position ready for the next label application.

When the carriage assembly 15 is placed into the labelling machine 1 , it can pivot around the pivot pin 20. This pivoting action allows enough weight to be placed on the drive O-rings 6a to allow carriage assembly 5 to move with the label 12. The weight of the bottle or container 24 and the carriage assembly 15 applies enough pressure on the outer supports 16a to cause sufficient friction between the carriage and the O-rings to drive the carriage forward. However, this pivoting action also allows the bottle slider and support assembly 15 to be moved back into the starting position without disturbing the position of the roll of labels.

This machine can be used for putting both the front and back labels in any bottle.

The present invention is not limited to bottles as any container including cardboard boxes can be labelled using this invention.

The present invention and its embodiments have been described in detail. However, the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment described in the specification. Modifications and variations may be made to the disclosed embodiment without departing from the scope or essential characteristics of the present invention.

Claims

A labelling machine comprising

a main housing;

a drive roller assembly including at least one drive roller;

a label stripping assembly including a stripping plate;

a drive means;

wherein at least a portion of the item location housing is in communication with at least a portion of the drive assembly so that, in use, the item to be labelled travels at the same speed as a label coming off the stripping plate.

A labelling machine of claim 1 , wherein the carriage assembly is removable.

A labelling machine of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the carriage assembly further comprises a slide pivot which allows for a pivoting action that ensures that, in use, the carriage assembly engages sufficiently with the drive roller assembly while at the same time allowing substantially free movement of the carriage assembly when the carriage does not house an item to be labelled.

A labelling machine of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the slide pivot is engaged in the housing of the machine and the rest of the carriage assembly is movable relative to the machine and the slide pivot.

A labelling machine of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the drive roller assembly comprises one drive roller, with an O-ring at each end.

A labelling machine of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the drive roller assembly comprises one drive roller, with a flat topped belt at each end.

A labelling machine of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the drive roller assembly further comprises a pinch roller.

8. A labelling machine of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the label stripping assembly further comprises a soft roller located adjacent an end of the stripping plate. 9. A labelling machine of claim 8, wherein the soft roller is made of rubber.

10. A labelling machine of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the drive means is a rotatable handle. 1. A labelling machine of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the item location housing comprises at least two substantially L-shaped members, movable along an adjustor rod.

12. A labelling machine of any one claims 1 to 11 , further comprising a plurality of adjustment means adapted to allow the travel of the machine to be adjusted.

13. A labelling machine of clam 12, wherein the adjustment means comprises a plurality of stopping assemblies. 14. A labelling machine of any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a label locating and positioning means.

15. A labelling machine of any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising a label position pointer.

16. A method of placing a label on to an item, comprising the steps of

placing an item to be labelled on an item location housing of a labelling machine; activating the drive means so that at least a portion of the item location housing is in communication with at least a portion of a drive assembly of the labelling machine, so that the item to be labelled travels at the same speed as a label coming off the stripping plate as the label is applied to the item.

17. A method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of

activating the drive means to move a carriage assembly that includes the item location housing until a first of the adjustment means is engaged;

activating the drive means again to move the carriage assembly until a second of the adjustment means is engaged;