Method and apparatus for successively applying thermoshrinkable tubular labels to containers

• US 4,806,187 A
• Filed: 02/11/1988
• Issued: 02/21/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujiyama Giken Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujiyama Giken Company Limited
• Inventors: Fujisawa, Shotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ball, Michael W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Maki, Steven D.
• Application Number:
  US07/176,648
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 156/86, 156/521, 53/291, 53/295, 53/296, 53/442, 53/567, 53/585, 53/297, 53/292, 53/298
• US Class Current: 156/86
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 9/14 Devices for distending tubes supplied in the flattened state
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 3/065 by placing tubular labels around the container applying preformed tubular sheathings of plastics in general B29C63/18; applying protective covers to closures B67B5/03
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1339 Delivering cut part in sequence to serially conveyed articles

Abstract

This invention provides a method and apparatus for automatically and successively applying thermoshrinkable tubular labels, cap seals or the like to the outer circumferential surfaces of bottles and other containers.

A thermoshrinkable web 1in a flat condition is fed by feed rollers 11, 11 intermittently a predetermined length, and after the pleats 3, 3 at the opposite lateral edges of the web have been smoothed out and spaces 4, 4 have been formed in the web along the lateral edges, the web is fed onto the wedge-shaped upper portion 15 of an insertion guide 14 and cut by cutting means into a required length. The cut tubular label 1 is intermittently fed by feed belts 21, 21 from the wedge-shaped portion 15 of the insertion guide 14 onto the lower portion thereof having substantially the same shape in transverse section as a container 20, and after having been reformed into substantially the same shape in transverse section as the container 20, the tubular label is applied to the container 20.

The insertion guide 14 is supported alternately at an upper and a lower position by a guide supporting mechanism provided with upper support pins 26, 26 and lower support pins 29, 29 which can be inserted into the upper support holes 18a, 18a and the lower support holes 18b, 18b, respectively, formed on each of the opposite side surfaces of the insertion guide, and in timed relation to the alternate supporting operation the feed rollers 11, 11, the cutting means, the feed belts 21, 21, etc. are operated.

Claims

1. A method of successively applying thermoshrinkable tubular labels to containers, comprising:

a step of feeding a thermoshrinkable tubular web which has been paid out in a flat condition;

a step of smoothing out the pleats at the opposite lateral edges of the web that has been fed and simultaneously forming spaces at opposite lateral edges thereof;

a step of placing the thermoshrinkable tubular web having said spaces formed therein on a wedge-shaped upper portion of an insertion guide shaped to correspond to the shape of said spaces and having a lower portion of substantially the same shape in transverse section as that of a container;

a step of cutting the thermoshrinkable tubular web covering the upper portion of the insertion guide into a tubular label of a predetermined length;

a step of moving the thermoshrinkable tubular label cut to the predetermined length from the upper to the lower portion of the insertion guide by a pair of feed belts pressed against the side surfaces of the insertion guide;

a step of feeding a container to a predetermined position below the insertion guide; and

a step of moving by the feed belts the thermoshrinkable tubular label that has been moved to the lower portion of the insertion guide downwardly of the insertion guide and applying the tubular label to a predetermined position on the outer circumferential surface of the container that has been fed to the predetermined position below the insertion guide while simultaneously reforming the tubular label to substantially the same shape in transverse section as the container.

2. An apparatus for successively applying thermoshrinkable tubular labels to containers, comprising:

feed rollers for intermittently feeding a thermoshrinkable tubular web which has been paid out a predetermined length in a flat condition;

space forming means arranged above or below the feed rollers for smoothing out the pleats at the opposite lateral edges of at least the lower portion of the thermoshrinkable tubular web and simultaneously forming spaces at the opposite lateral edges thereof;

cutting means arranged below the space forming means for cutting the thermoshrinkable tubular web into a tubular label of a predetermined length;

an insertion guide arranged below the cutting means for guiding the thermoshrinkable tubular label onto a container and comprising a wedge-shaped upper portion and a lower portion of substantially the same shape in transverse section as that of the container, with a pair of horns at the opposite lateral ends of the upper edge of the insertion guide and an upper and a lower pair of support holes in each side surface of the insertion guide;

guide supporting means arranged along each side surface of the insertion guide and provided with an upper and a lower pair of support pins arranged for alternate insertion into the upper and the lower pair of support holes thereby to support the insertion guide alternately at an upper and a lower position thereof;

feed belts extending in a vertical direction along the opposite side surfaces of the insertion guide and urged into contact therewith for intermittently feeding the thermoshrinkable tubular label from the upper portion of the insertion guide to the container in timed relation to the alternate supporting of the insertion guide by the upper and lower support pins; and

container feeding means for feeding a container to a predetermined position below the insertion guide.

3. The apparatus for successively applying thermoshrinkable tubular labels to containers as described in claim 2, wherein at least the lower end portion of the lower part of the insertion guide is separable.