Literature applying mechanism

• US 4,502,910 A
• Filed: 10/17/1983
• Issued: 03/05/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JM, Inc., New Jersey Machine Inc, NJM Incorporated
• Original Assignee: NJM Incorporated
• Inventors: Schwenzer, Alfred F., Mazur, Edward J., Voltmer, Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): SIMMONS, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US06/542,731
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 156/344, 156/584, 156/247-249, 156/235, 156/238, 156/240, 156/540-542, 156/566-568, 156/361-363, 156/552, 156/562, 156/564, 156/561, 156/573, 221/70-74
• US Class Current: 156/361
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 1/021 Making adhesive labels having a multilayered structure, e.g. provided on carrier webs
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/202 for attaching articles to the outside of a container B65B61/205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 1/025 the label being picked up by the article to be labelled, i.e. the labelling head remaining stationary
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/12 Removing separate labels from stacks for printing B41F; separating articles from piles in general B65Hmulti-step processes for making labels or tags B31D1/02; for printing B41F
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/14 by vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/1869 and being transferred directly from the backing strip onto the article
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/20 Gluing the labels or articles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/171 Means serially presenting discrete base articles or separate portions of a single article
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1734 Means bringing articles into association with web
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1763 Magazine stack directly contacting separate work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1768 Means simultaneously conveying plural articles from a single source and serially presenting them to an assembly station
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1906 Delaminating means responsive to feed or shape at delamination

Abstract

A system for the dispensing of literature to objects, such as containers carried by a conveyor, includes a tape for the application of adhesive to literature, and a device for the separation of the literature from the tape to permit the securing of the literature, adhesively, to the containers. A drive mechanism is provided for advancing the tape through successive increments of distance, each incremental distance being equal to the size of one piece of literature. A hopper dispenses the literature to the tape, one piece at a time. Application of the pieces of literature to the objects is accomplished by a roller or brush. The literature separation device includes a bar having an edge about which the tape is bent to free the literature from the tape as the tape advances around the edge. The adhesive is retained by the literature during the separation from the tape so as to permit the adhesive attachment of the pieces of literature to the containers.

Claims

1. A system for applying single and multi-folded sheets of literature to an object having a side wall for receiving the literature comprising:

a hopper having an exit gate positioned for dispensing a piece of the literature;

means for pressing a piece of the literature against the side wall of the object;

means for guiding the object past said pressing means;

a tape having an adhesive coating on a front side thereof for carrying pieces of the literature to said pressing means;

means for guiding said tape past an opening in said hopper through which the literature is dispensed, said guiding means including a pick-up bar disposed at said opening and being in contact with a back side of said tape, said bar guiding said tape past a terminal piece of literature in said hopper and past said gate, said hopper including means for urging literaure toward said bar resulting in a pressing of the terminal piece of literature against the adhesive coating on said tape, said terminal piece of literature adhering to said tape to move therewith;

means responsive to the position of said object at said pressing means for moving said tape to deliver a piece of the literature to said pressing means, a movement of said tape past said hopper opening withdrawing a piece of literature adhering to said tape, withdrawn literature being metered by said gate;

means responsive to the movement of said tape for transferring a piece of the literature from the tape to the pressing means, adhesive of the tape being retained upon the piece of literature, thereby to press the literature against the object and secure the piece of literature to the object.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said tape moving means comprises:

means for sensing the position of said object;

means for sensing the position of literature on said tape; and

means responsive to signals of each of said sensing means for advancing said tape past said transferring means by an amount sufficient to deliver one piece of the literature to said pressing means.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said tape moving means further comprises:

means coupled to said advancing means for unwinding fresh tape;

means for winding up spent tape; and

wherein said winding means is located downstream of said transferring means for receiving the spent tape from the transferring means, adhesive retained by a piece of the literature securing the piece of literature to the side wall of the object under pressure of said pressing means.

4. A mechanism for applying single and multi-folded sheets of literature to objects carried by a conveyor and having literature-receiving surfaces comprising:

means for supplying adhesively coated tape;

means for dispensing literature one piece at a time to the tape, adhesive on the tape securing the pieces of literature to the tape;

said dispensing means including an opening through which literature is applied to said tape, a pick-up bar located at said opening, said tape passing between said bar and said opening with an adhesive coating facing said opening, and means for urging literature toward said bar, thereby to bring a terminal piece of said literature in adhering contact with said tape, movement of said tape withdrawing a piece of literature from said dispensing means;

means for moving the tape from said dispensing means toward an object which is to receive a piece of the literature, pieces of literature being carried by the moving tape;

means for transferring a piece of the literature from the tape to the object; and

means for receiving the tape after removal of literature therefrom by said transferring means.

5. A mechanism according to claim 4 wherein said transferring means comprises:

a bar with an edge;

means for directing the tape around said edge for separating a piece of literature from the tape; and

means for pressing a piece of literature, separated from said tape, against the object.

6. A mechanism according to claim 5 wherein adhesive on the surface of the tape is retained by a piece of the literature upon separation of the literature from the tape by said transferring means, said directing means including idler rollers for positioning the tape relative to said bar, and wherein said pressing means includes a roller which rotates upon movement of the object for pressing a piece of literature against the object so as to make adhesive contact between the literature and the object.

7. A mechanism according to claim 5 wherein said moving means comprises means for sensing pieces of literature carried by the tape for advancement of the tape by the distance of one piece of the literature.

8. A mechanism according to claim 7 wherein the sensing means includes a reverse-arc plate about which the tape is bent to separate successive pieces of the literature by an amount sufficient to permit the passage of light between successive pieces of literature for operation of said sensing means.

9. A mechanism according to claim 8 wherein said dispensing means includes gate means at said opening and adjacent said bar for limiting the amount of literature dispensed to one piece at a time.