Medicine vial labeler

• US 5,798,020 A
• Filed: 06/23/1997
• Issued: 08/25/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ScriptPro LLC
• Original Assignee: ScriptPro LLC
• Inventors: Guerra, Lawrence E., Leonard, Ronald A., Coughlin, Michael E., Kudera, Keith W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGEL, JAMES J
• Application Number:
  US08/880,893
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 156/86, 156/446, 156/447, 156/350, 156/361, 156/358, 156/542, 156/DIG. 26, 156/DIG. 13, 156/184
• US Class Current: 156/542
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 3/16 by rolling the labels onto cylindrical containers, e.g. bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/1865 the labels adhering on a backing strip
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/30 Rollers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/171 Means serially presenting discrete base articles or separate portions of a single article

Abstract

A medicine vial labeler includes a dispenser for printing and dispensing pressure sensitive labels and a label applicator assembly including a rotary drum and a pair of positioning arms. The positioning arms are shiftable from a release position to a holding position for positioning a vial in rotary contact with the drum in order to receive a label in the nip therebetween applying the label to the vial upon rotation of the drum. The positioning arms include a plurality of rollers of different diameters configured and spaced for holding and positioning vials of different diameters in rotary contact with the drum.

Claims

1. A labeler apparatus for applying a label to a cylindrically shaped object, the label presenting a label face and an opposed adhesive face with adhesive thereon, said apparatus comprising:

label dispensing means for dispensing a label from a source thereof and including a selectively actuatable rotatable drum positioned for receiving dispensed labels, the label presenting a leading edge and a trailing edge as dispensed; and

holding means for holding an object to be labeled in rotary contact with said drum for receiving the leading edge of the label in the nip between the object and said drum with the adhesive face in contact with the object in order to apply the label to the object upon rotation of said drum and rotation the object in response,

said holding means including

first and second holding arms having respective inboard and outboard ends and being pivotally coupled adjacent said respective inboard ends,

first pivot means pivotally coupling said first arm between said ends thereof with a support base, and second pivot means, spaced from said first pivot means, pivotally coupling said second arm between said ends thereof with said support base,

a plurality of rollers coupled with said arms, and

actuator means coupled with said arms adjacent said inboard ends thereof for selectively pivoting said arms about said respective first and second pivot means between a release position in which said arms are pivoted away from one another, and a holding position in which said arms are pivoted toward one another and toward said drum,

said rollers being configured and positioned for holding objects of different diameters in rotary contact with said drum when in said holding position.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said label dispensing means including means for dispensing a plurality of labels in sequence.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said labels being pressure sensitive labels supplied on a carrier sheet, said dispensing means including means for dispensing the labels in sequence from the carrier sheet.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2 further including a printer for printing each label before dispensing.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including a conveyor between said holding means and drum configured for presenting an object therebetween for labeling and for carrying away an object after labeling.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said arms presenting a substantially linear configuration when in said release position.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said first and second pivot means presenting an axis therebetween, said actuator means including means for shifting said inboard ends transverse to said axis.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said first arm presenting a pair of said rollers spaced from one another and presenting different diameters, said second arm presenting one of said rollers.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said actuator means including a solenoid.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, the object being a medicine vial.

11. A labeler apparatus for applying a label to a cylindrically shaped medicine vial, the label presenting a label face and an opposed adhesive face with adhesive thereon, said apparatus comprising:

label dispensing means for receiving a label from a source thereof, printing the label with the prescription associated with the contents of a vial to be labeled, and dispensing the label for application to the vial, the label presenting a leading edge and a trailing edge as dispensed; and

label applicator means, including a selectively actuatable rotatable drum and holding means spaced therefrom for holding a vial in rotary contact with said drum for labeling and subsequent release, for positioning the label in the nip between the vial and said drum and then actuating said drum to rotate and thereby to rotate the vial until the label has been applied to the vial,

said holding means including

first and second holding arms having respective inboard and outboard ends and being pivotally coupled adjacent said respective inboard ends,

first pivot means pivotally coupling said first arm between said ends thereof with a support base, and second pivot means, spaced from said first pivot means, pivotally coupling said second arm between said ends thereof with said support base,

first and second, spaced rollers presenting different diameters coupled with said first arm outboard of said first pivot means and a third roller coupled with said second arm outboard of said second pivot means, and

actuator means coupled with said arms adjacent said inboard ends thereof for selectively shifting said inboard ends in a direction transverse to the axis between said first and second pivot means for pivoting said arms about said respective first and second pivot means between a release position in which said arms are pivoted away from one another, and a holding position in which said arms are pivoted toward one another and toward said drum,

said rollers being configured and positioned for holding vials of different diameters in rotary contact with said drum for labeling when in said holding position; and

conveyor means for conveying a vial to be labeled into a labeling position between said arms and said drum and for conveying the vial after labeling from said labeling position.