Abstract: In a method for attaching labels to containers, the labels are removed from a stack by rolling contact with an adhesive surface coated with a cold glue. Prior to termination of the removing step, a localized hot glue coating is in addition applied to the foremost label in the stack. After the label has thus been coated with cold glue and hot glue, it is peeled of the adhesive surface and pressed into contact of its glue-coated backside with a container. The provision that the hot glue coating is applied to the label while it is still held in the magazine ensures that the shape and position of the hot glue coating is fully independent of the speed of the labelling operation.

Abstract: A splicing device for label webs mechanically holds the leading end of the new web and is rapidly transferred to splicing position and accelerated into the running speed of the web while the rotational speed of the web supply spool that is associated with the leading end of the replacement web is initially gradually adjusted to the running speed of the label web. The leading end of the replacement web and the trailing end of the expiring web are glued in an overlapping manner. The splicing device has two identically constructed multi-functional drums which are arranged to function alternately and are equipped with a gripper, cutter, free running deflector roller and pressure application device.

Abstract: Bottles which have a central conical recess and a radially extending groove in their bottom are transported on carriages with a rotary table which carries vertical circumferentially spaced apart shafts 7 through a closed orbital path. A mounting plate 37 fastens to each shaft 7 and has an upwardly extending journal 36 concentric to the shaft. A flange bushing 58 rotates on the journal and sleeve 57 is pressed concentrically on the bushing and roates thereon. The upper end of the sleeve 57 has a truncated conical centering element 22 fastened to it. A bottle support disk 23 has a central hole which is concentric to the conical centering element 22. A frictionally driven wheel 17 is fastened to sleeve 57. A ring plate underneath bottle support ring 23 is fastened to support plate 24 and carries a spring 22 which presses an alignment element 9 upwardly toward the bottom of a bottle on the support ring 23.

Abstract: Method and installation for converting multi-track flow of containers into a single track flow, wherein an infeed conveyor is slanted relative to the horizontal plane, an intermediate conveyor is slanted at the same angle and so is a discharge conveyor. The intermediate conveyor is at least as wide as the infeed conveyor and abuts onto it. The discharge conveyor is arranged parallel and lateral to the intermediate conveyor. There is a cross-over plate between the infeed and intermediate conveyors. The advanced containers are first pushed onto the cross-over plate by the containers coming in on the infeed conveyor and they remain abreast of each other as they are then pushed onto the intermediate conveyor, whereby they are gradually accelerated to a speed which is lower than the speed of the discharge conveyor.

Abstract: Apparatus for applying labels to spinning and translating containers has a rotating vacuum cylinder almost touching the containers. The printed sides of individual labels are deposited on the vacuum cylinder at which time fingers grip the leading end of the label to prevent the label from being attracted to an ensuing glue roller which has plural annular grooves and applies a strip of glue to the leading end of the label. The leading and trailing ends are also held by vacuum devices which are cam driven to extend by a small amount radially of the vacuum cylinder. The fingers register in the grooves of the roller so they do not interfere. The label on the cylinder is carried on the cylinder and secured at its trailing end by its own radially movable vacuum device. When the trailing end reaches a second glue roller the latter device moves radially outward of the cylinder to pick up a strip of glue on the trailing end.

Abstract: An apparatus for filling bottles or other containers under the influence of counterpressure by of a filling unit, pressurized gas is led into the bottle after terminating the inflow of liquid, with the pressurized gas valve and liquid valve being closed and with a bypass of the gas return tube, and the liquid that thereby remains above the lower open tip of the gas return tube is expelled into a space having a lower pressure than exists in the bottle.

Abstract: In apparatus for filling cans with beverage the can is coupled to the filler valve and purged of atmospheric air with a mostly inert gas and air mixture derived from the space of the liquid in a storage tank. When the exhaust valve is closed, another valve opens to permit pure inert gas stored in a reservoir to flow into the can and pressurize it to slightly above atmospheric pressure but below the pressure in the storage tank. A pre-pressurization valve is then opened to let some of the inert gas and air mixture in the storage tank flow to the can which is occupied by the substantially pure inert gas so practically none of the downflowing gas and air mixture from the storage tank enters the can although it fills the chamber to which the can is connected and thereby pressurizes the can. When the can pressure and storage tank pressure become equal, a liquid control valve opens to drain liquid from the tank into the can.

Abstract: A container closing machine which includes bottle capping devices 2 that are raised and lowered, a starwheel 12 that revolves together with the capping devices and centers the containers, there is a stationary air flushing device 1 which is supplied with non-oxidizing gas and is arranged on the outside of the orbital path followed by bottles as they are held in the pockets of the starwheel. The flushing device 1 has a lateral jet opening 3 opposite of the orbital path of the bottles and at a small clearance with respect to the starwheel in which the open mouths of the bottles extend. Flow chambers conduct the gas emitted from the discharge jet of the flushing device directly past a plurality of the bottle mouths and then radially inwardly to the atmosphere.

Abstract: A splicing device for label webs mechanically holds the leading end of the new web and is rapidly transferred to splicing position and accelerated into the running speed of the web while the rotational speed of the web supply spool that is associated with the leading end of the replacement web is initially gradually adjusted to the running speed of the label web. The leading end of the replacement web and the trailing end of the expiring web are glued in an overlapping manner. The splicing device has two identically constructed multi-functional drums which are arranged to function alternately and are equipped with a gripper, cutter, free running deflector roller and pressure application device.

Abstract: The invention describes a labelling apparatus for containers to which the labels are supplied as a strip material. The apparatus comprises a controllable label strip feeding mechanism, followed by a cutting mechanism for separating individual labels from the label strip and a pallet rotor having adhesion surfaces for picking up the separated individual labels.

Abstract: A method for applying a shrink sleeve to the closure end of a conveyed container and apparatus for performing the method. Shrink sleeves supplied in the form of a hose are expanded over a mandrel which is disposed at an inclined position relative to the conveying direction of the containers such that the closure ends of the containers enter the lower open ends of the shrink sleeves as the containers are conveyed and before the respective shrink sleeves are cut off.

Abstract: In apparatus for filling cans with beverage the can is coupled to the filler valve and purged of atmospheric air with a mostly inert gas and air mixture derived from the space of the liquid in a storage tank. When the exhaust valve is closed, another valve opens to permit pure inert gas stored in a reservoir to flow into the can and pressurize it to slightly above atmospheric pressure but below the pressure in the storage tank. A pre-pressurization valve is then opened to let some of the inert gas and air mixture in the storage tank flow to the can which is occupied by the substantially pure inert gas so practically none of the downflowing gas and air mixture from the storage tank enters the can although it fills the chamber to which the can is connected and thereby pressurizes the can. When the can pressure and storage tank pressure become equal, a liquid control valve opens to drain liquid from the tank into the can.

Abstract: In a method for filling bottles or other containrs under the influence of counterpressure by means of a filling unit, pressurized gas is led into the bottle after terminating the inflow of liquid, with the pressurized gas valve and liquid valve being closed and with a bypass of the gas return tube, and the liquid that thereby remains above the lower open tip of the gas return tube is expelled into a space having a lower pressure than exists in the bottle.

Abstract: Apparatus for cutting labels from a ribbon on which the labels are printed. The ribbon is fed into the apparatus along a vertical plane, for instance. There are vertically spaced apart knives adjacent the ribbon for cutting the upper and lower contours of the labels from the ribbon. The knives are caused to pivot toward the ribbon and to rise and fall under the influence of a cam that is shaped correspondingly with the desired contours. After the upper and lower contours are formed the ribbon is caused to change direction around a roller while at the same time the trim margin is deflected in another direction and drawn away. The ribbon, with labels still connected endwise is fed over a vacuum cylinder which has cutters at its periphery for separating the labels from a waste portion between them. The labels are removed from the vacuum cylinder and led to a label applying machine, as an example.

Abstract: In apparatus for the signaling of a back-up in a container conveyor, the actual translation speed of all containers passing a measuring zone is determined separately with the aid of the measuring of the transit time and compared with the simultaneously measured momentary travel velocity of a hinge-belt-chain conveyor. If the translation speed of the containers is smaller by a determined amount than the travel velocity, or in a predetermined relationship, a jam or back-up signal is produced. The device has two photodetectors arranged at the same level with a fixed spacing in the direction of bottle transportation. A sensor registers the presence of a bottle in the measuring zone. A tachometer generator is attached to the drive shaft of the conveyor and provides an analog signal to a processor indicative of conveyor speed.

Abstract: Empty bottles are checked for foreign bodies and other contamination by passing the bottles successively through two inspection zones in which they are optoelectronically scanned while they are on rotating disks that are mounted on a rotating table. When in one inspection zone a bottle is held stable on the disk by a rotatable socket that grips the bottle mouth to allow a clear view for inspecting down to the bottom. When in the other inspection zone the bottle is engaged by a ring at about shoulder height so there is a clear view for inspection of the bottle portion from the shoulder to the mouth. In transition regions between inspection zones the ring and socket both engage the bottle for a moment and then one gripper is withdrawn while the other remains to hold the bottle in the forthcoming inspection zone.

Abstract: Apparatus for supplying tape from a roll with two alternately driven tape feed rollers and a motor driven drive system which produces a rotational movement has overrunning clutches arranged between the motor drive system and the tape feed rollers, respectively, said clutches making a continuous change of materials removed from a supply roll to another roll possible with a reversal in the rotational direction of the drive motor, whereby in one direction of motor rotation only one overrunning clutch makes a connection with its feed roller and in the other direction of motor rotation only the other overrunning clutch provides a rotational connection to its feed roller.

Abstract: A flattened tubular plastic tube having one pair of edge creases is withdrawn from a vertical axis reel and passed through horizontal axis rollers to impart a pair of intermediate creases. Cooperating rotating and stationary blades cut the plastic tube into short sleeves which are immediately gripped between actuator shoes on a pair of translating chains and a pair of translating frictional belts. The compressively interfaced actuator shoes and belts advance the sleeves to the inlet of a channel defined by laterally spaced apart slide members which have v-grooves into which opposite creased edges are inserted at the inlet whereupon hooks on another chain loop push the sleeves through the channel. The channel width converges so the sleeves open as they are pushed along the channel to be engageable by the head of a passing bottle.

Abstract: At the upper side of the star wheel bottle feeder of a bottle capping machine, a chamber which encompasses the bottle neck is attached at each pocket in the periphery of the star wheel in which the bottle neck is registered as it is transported in a circular orbit. At the top side, the chamber has an opening for a reciprocating sealing element which revolves with the star wheel. The chamber has a circular internal bore and an opening on its radially outermost side that allows bottles to be passed through it and into a pocket on the star wheel. There is a nozzle slot at the radial inside of the chamber diametrically opposite from the outside gas exit opening. The gas input slot has an elbow connected to it and the elbow is connected to a gas distributor valve which is, in turn, connected to a source of carbon dioxide.

Abstract: Containers such as bottles, which are to be filled with liquid from a tank pressurized with non-oxidizing gas, are coupled to a filling device and evacuated of air that is discharged to the atmosphere. Next gas from the tank is fed to the bottles. When gas pressure in the tank and bottle equalize, the liquid flows by gravity into the bottle to displace the gas and return it to the tank. After filling with liquid is cut off a charge of pure non-oxidizing gas is injected in the bottle to fill it to the top with pure gas. Excess pure gas is fed back into the tank to make up for the dilution of the gas that results from the evacuation of air from the bottles being necessarily imperfect. The bottles are uncoupled from the device after they are filled with pure gas and they are then sealed.