B&h Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Elum Inc.

S-con, Inc.

Shibuya America Corporation

Kris-tech Corporation

Svatoboj Otruba

Ranbir Singh Claire

Lyn E Bright

Gary G Gomes

Wolfgang W Hoffmann

Joseph C Parker

Ranbir S Clair

A glue delivery system and method for providing precise application of glue on a substrate. A bead of glue is extruded from a first glue chamber to a leading edge of the substrate. A trailing edge of the substrate is blown off and over to the nozzle to receive a smear of glue from a second glue chamber. A gear pump is controlled by a servo drive that is connected to a servomotor utilizing a gear reducer. The pump regulates the extrusion of the glue onto the substrate that is programmed with empirical data of gear reducer ratio at which the glue flows within a constant speed, torque, current, speed and position of the glue. The empirical data is provided to a programmable logic circuit to achieve a precise pressure related to volume of a glue deposition and speed of the substrate onto which the glue is applied.

Glue delivery system

A glue delivery system and method for providing precise application of glue on a substrate. A bead of glue is extruded from a first glue chamber through a gun to a leading edge of the substrate. A trailing edge of the substrate is blown off and over to the nozzle to receive a smear of glue from a second glue chamber. A gear pump is controlled by a servo drive that is connected to a servomotor utilizing a gear reducer. The pump regulates the extrusion of the glue onto the substrate that is programmed with empirical data of gear reducer ratio at which the glue flows within a constant speed, torque, current, speed and position of the glue. The empirical data is provided to a programmable logic circuit to achieve a precise pressure related to volume of a glue deposition and speed of the substrate onto which the glue is applied.

A machine and a method of applying a non-Newtonian liquid composition onto a surface in a controlled manner. The composition is held in a chamber at a controlled variable pressure and is dispensed through a slit die nozzle as controlled by a valve. Characteristics of the composition are empirically developed and provided to a logic control circuit to assure that the composition is dispensed on either the entire surface or in one or more precise locations.

Extrusion application system

A linear stream of articles is conveyed to a processing station, a first one of said articles positioned in front of and in physical contact with a second one of said articles and the second one of said articles positioned in front of and in physical contact with a third one of said articles. A motor-driven rotary star wheel moves one-by-one said articles from a conveyor to a downstream processing station and is assisted in separating adjacent articles by a passive star wheel with a plurality of contoured arms separated by concave pockets. The passive star wheel receives one-by-one said articles in adjacent pockets and the contoured arms of the passive star wheel separate each article from the next following article. A guide section causes each article being separated to more along a generally tangential path relative to both star wheels as they rotate.

Star wheel system with passive star wheel and method for separating containers being processed

A computer controlled labeling apparatus having a label applying mechanism for applying labels to containers. The labeling apparatus has a motor for driving a container transport and a sensor for providing transport status information to a controlling computer. The apparatus contains at least one labeling station. Each labeling station also has a motor and a sensor, the motor drives the labeling station and the sensor provides labeling station status information to the controlling computer. The computer is programmed to process status information in conjunction with prestored information relating to the characteristics of the labeling apparatus, containers, and desired labeling and generated suitable control signals for labeling apparatus operation. Computer control for the application of stretch type label material from a continuous web of material is described. The computer controlled application of liquid material, such as a settable viscous adhesive to label material during application of the label to form a tactilely sensible indica, such as braille marking is also provided.

Computer controlled labeling machine for applying labels including stretch labels and tactilely sensible indicia on articles

A labeling apparatus and method utilize a fluid dispenser in connection with an adhesive applicator to improve the reliability of label feed by a label transport mechanism during the application of adhesive to a label. The fluid dispenser is configured to direct a flow of fluid toward a nip formed between an adhesive roller on the applicator and the label transport mechanism, and from a position upstream from the nip. A labeling apparatus and method also utilize a starwheel including a rotatable hub and an engagement surface defining a pocket configured to engage an article. The engagement surface is resiliently coupled to the rotatable hub to move between first and second positions to vary a rotational position of the pocket relative to the hub. A labeling apparatus and method further utilize a discharge starwheel to transfer articles from the discharge end of an arcuate guide that opposes a label transfer drum. The drum and arcuate guide adhere a label to an article by cooperatively wrapping the label around the article as the article rolls between the drum and arcuate guide.

Labeling apparatus and methods thereof

An apparatus and method utilize a rotatable drum implementing both an attraction mechanism and a cutter mechanism to controllably sever segments of material from a web. The drum is rotated at a rate greater than the rate at which the web of material is advanced so that the attraction mechanism supplies the sole source of tension in the web. Moreover, the cutter mechanism severs segments of material while at least a portion of the web of material engages the outer surface of the drum. In addition, an apparatus and method dynamically control the relative rates of advancement of a web of material and an outer surface of a drum such that a predetermined length of material is advanced forward of a predetermined rotational position of the drum so that the predetermined length of material is severed from the web of material while at least a portion of the web of material engages the outer surface of the drum. Moreover, an apparatus and method may utilize a carrier mechanism having at least one article carrier pivotably coupled to a rotatable hub and controlled via a camming mechanism that varies the angular velocity of the article carrier relative to that of the hub. The hub rotates about a first axis, and the pivotal coupling between the article carrier and the hub defines a second axis that is substantially parallel to and separated from the first axis. The camming mechanism is operatively coupled between the article carrier and the hub and configured to pivot the article carrier about the second axis in response to rotation of the hub about the first axis to thereby vary the angular velocity of the article carrier relative to that of the hub.

Labeling apparatus with web registration, web cutting and carrier mechanisms, and methods thereof

Labels or other segments or sheet material are wrapped around containers or other articles and adhered thereto by adhesive at the ends of the label. At each end pressure is applied by a vacuum drum acting on the end of the label to adhere it to the container. In between the container is caused to spin end is moved about the axis of the vacuum drum by direct contact of the drum with the container.

Labeling machine and method

A label to be wrapped around and adhered to a container by adhesive in the vicinity of its ends, and which is perforated in the vicinity of its ends to allow access of solvent to dissolve or loosen the adhesive and facilitate removal of the label; also a method of so labeling a container and the container so labeled.

Readily removable labels

A machine and method for handling a plurality of articles, and a feed apparatus for transporting the article between a first station and a second station. The machine generally includes a conveyor which supplies a stream articles to an infeed station and a feed apparatus for indexing the articles. The feed apparatus includes at least one pocket shaped to at least partially receive one of the articles for transport the article from the first station to the second station and a guide section configured to separate the first one of the articles from the second one of the articles for movement of the first one of the articles into the pocket, to control movement of the second one of the articles during separation of the first one of the articles from the second one of the articles, and to move the second one of the articles into the pocket upon further rotation of the feed apparatus. The method includes the steps of moving a plurality of articles to the first station in a substantially continuous stream and rotating the feed wheel to separate adjacent articles and individually move the articles from the infeed station to the exit station.

Star wheel system

A method of labeling containers utilizing a labeler having multiple port vacuum drum is disclosed. The multiple port vacuum drum has a first cavity which is supplied with one level of vacuum suitable for picking up label segments from a cutter with limited tension. The vacuum drum has a second cavity which is supplied with another, higher level of vacuum suitable for firmly griping the label segments as an adhesive of the like is applied to the label segment. The second cavity may be further divided into a label application segment with lower vacuum pressure. The cutter drum has an arcuate cavity to which vacuum is supplied at the end first contacting the labeling material web with reduced vacuum being provided at the label cut off point and label release point.

Method of labeling containers

A computer controlled turret type labeling apparatus having a label applying mechanism for applying labels to containers. The labeling apparatus has a turret having a motor for driving the turret and a sensor for providing turret status information to a controlling computer. The turret apparatus contains at least one labeling station. Each labeling station also has a motor and a sensor, the motor drives the labeling station and the sensor provides labeling station status information to the controlling computer. The computer is programmed to process status information in conjunction with prestored information relating to the characteristics of the labeling apparatus, containers, and desired labeling and generate suitable control signals for labeling apparatus operation. The computer is coupled to the turret motor and sensor and to each labeling station motor and sensor for processing status information received from the turret sensor and each labeling station sensor, and generating control signals to drive the turret motor and each labeling station motor, based on the received, processed information, to effect labeling of containers.

Computer controlled turret type labeling machine

A universal label cutter apparatus and method for feeding labels from a roll of label material and cutting labels of various lengths and materials. The label cutter apparatus including a microprocessor controlled drive system employing separate and independent servomotors for driving a feed roller, a cutter drum, and a vacuum drum at different speeds. The microprocessor being programmable to vary the rotational speed of the cutter drum during each label cutting cycle in order to optimize control of the label during cut off and transfer to the vacuum drum.

Universal roll-fed label cutter

In accordance with the invention, the label feed roller, the cutter drum, and the vacuum drum are each provided with a drive motor and an encoder which encodes the speed and position of each element. The outputs of the encoders are supplied to a computer. The computer provides appropriate control signals for modulating the speeds of the drive motors. In particular, the drive motor for the cutter drum is accelerated prior to transferring a label onto the vacuum drum. Transfer of a label onto the vacuum drum is completed at a constant cutter drum speed corresponding to the speed of the vacuum drum. Thereafter, the drive motor for the cutter drum is decelerated and set to a constant speed corresponding to the speed of the incoming web of labels. A label from the feed roller is preferably cut at the constant speed.

Labeling machine with variable speed cutting head

Machine and method for labeling cylindrical containers wherein a rotary vacuum drum transports the labels from a pick up station to a release station, containers are moved, in sequence, to said release station and into tangent contact with the leading end of a label on the vacuum drum, each container is held in contact with the label While the vacuum drum continues to rotate and meanwhile spinning the container oppositely to the rotation of the vacuum drum.

Growing community of inventors

Ceres, CA, United States of America

Svatoboj Otruba