Abstract: A moistening apparatus includes a moistening fluid supply means. A moistening means is connected to the moistening fluid supply means for applying the moistening fluid onto the glue line of an envelope flap or onto the glue area of a postage meter or parcel register tape. Excess moistening fluid collection means are positioned with respect to the moistening means such that excess moistening fluid collects in the excess moistening fluid collection means. The collected excess moistening fluid from the excess moistening fluid collection means is moved to the moistening fluid supply means. This recirculates excess moistening fluid back to the moistening fluid supply means.

Abstract: A roll-fed labelling machine that can be quickly changed to process containers and labels of different sizes does not require changed cutters to match different label sizes by engaging at least 50% of each label on the vacuum drum before it is cut from the web. Infeed guides and roll-on-pad assemblies, specific to individual container sizes can be installed swiftly by means of fixed alignment pins. The starwheel, having a diameter that is only five times the diameter of the mid-size container that the labelling machine is designed to process reduces abrasion and vibration. Starwheels that are aligned and with preset timing adjustment integral with the starwheel members for each container size are changed quickly to synchronize starwheel timing with that of the labelling machine.

Abstract: A method is disclosed whereby water is used to transfer labels onto containers in automatic high-speed labeling machines thereby leaving no glue residue on a container's surface, and making them amenable for recycling. The method further provides for adjustment of water's surface tension if necessary by surfactants to cause wettability of a variety of surfaces undergoing labeling, but said label is permanently attached to the container by friction, rather than by glue, after evaporation of the water.

Abstract: A system for dispensing labels for labelling goods which move in single file past a labelling position, using a strip of labelling material in which labels are pre-punched to leave adhesive bridges. The strip of labels is drawn from a supply to a dispenser. As a new label reaches the dispenser in a "ready" position, the preceding label arrives at the labelling position in a linear extension of its travel. At the dispenser, the label is separated from label skeleton of the strip of labels by deflecting the label skeleton. Individual labels are pre-punched in a paper strip across the entire area of the label, with the exception of narrow adhesive bridges. Adhesive bridges furthest forward are separated first, followed by adhesive bridges to the rear of the label, shortly before the label is separated from the label skeleton.

Abstract: A high speed labeling machine and method is provided for transferring labels to articles such as cans; the labeling machine includes a device for supplying articles to be labeled, a label transfer wheel provided with individual groups of closely spaced vacuum holddown ports to enable a succession of closely spaced labels to be supported by the transfer wheel and carried by the transfer wheel to the articles, and a pressure severing device for releasing the label from a carrier stock for subsequent transfer from a transfer wheel to the article to be labeled; sprocket holes are utilized to align very precisely a label; such labels may be die cut on the printing press and retained on the carrier by pinpoint attachments or they may be die cut as the label is advanced; in a preferred embodiment, single layer label tapes with release agent on one surface and a pressure sensitive adhesive on the other surface provide added advantages of smaller spool sizes and faster speeds; single layer label tapes also make tamper

Abstract: A method for attaching a label to an outer surface of a package. The label is printed by a printer onto a label web, the label is separated from the web, and tacked to the wrap of the package. The label printed is introduced onto a suction plate, which is arranged on an end of a pivoted swing arm, with a printed side of the label facing the suction plate so that an rim of the label web extends over a pressure roller. Vacuum is applied to the suction plate in order to hold the label, the label is separated from the label web by a shear device and an adhesive precoat is applied on an unprinted side of the label. The package is moved, and the pivoted swing arm is rotated against the package by an actuator (5) so that one edge of the label is brought into an adhering contact with the outer surface of the package by the line pressure exerted by the pressure roller.

Abstract: An apparatus for attaching a label to an outer surface of a package is disclosed. Label is printed by a printer onto a label web, the label is separated from the web, and tacked to the wrap of the package. The label printed according to the invention is introduced onto a suction plate, which is arranged on an end of a pivoted swing arm, with a printed side of the label facing the suction plate so that an rim of the label web extends over a pressure roller. Vacuum is applied to the suction plate in order to hold the label, the label is separated from the label web by a shear device and an adhesive precoat is applied on an unprinted side of the label.

Abstract: A gumming device for applying adhesive on to cardboard blanks on a packing machine, on which the blanks are fed crosswise in relation to their longer axis by a suction roller the surface of which presents transverse projections which cause the blanks to flex in such a manner as to expose only given portions requiring adhesive to the action of a gumming element substantially tangent to the aforementioned suction roller.

Abstract: In the application of a solvent to a plastic label carried on the surface of a vacuum drum, the solvent for the plastic label is transferred from a gravure roll to the label at finite areas on the label so that the label can adhere to the bottle to be labeled and to itself to form a complete sleeve label. The gravure roll is supplied from a fountain block with a part cylindrical face that engages the gravure roll in face to face contact. The fountain block is retained in a holder with spaced adjustment devices for adjusting the position of the fountain block in the holder.The fountain block holder is pivotally attached to each of a pair of spaced apart plates about a first axis and the pair of spaced apart plates are pivotally attached to a second pair of spaced apart plates about a second axis which is spaced from and extends parallel to the first axis.

Abstract: In the application of a solvent to a plastic label carried on the surface of a vacuum drum, the solvent for the plastic label is transferred from a gravure roll to the label at finite areas on the label so that the label can adhere to the bottle to be labeled and to itself to form a complete sleeve label. The gravure roll is supplied from a fountain block with a part cylindrical face that engages the gravure roll in face to face contact. The fountain block is retained in a holder with spaced adjustment devices for adjusting the position of the fountain block in the holder.

Abstract: We have disclosed a method of applying a plastic label to a container wherein a label is severed from the strip of polymer label material. A hot melt adhesive is applied to an area along the leading edge of the label and a solvent of the polymer is applied to an area along the trailing edge of said material to form a tacky solution. The label is then applied to a container so that when heat shrunk, the tacky solution solidifies and the hot melt adhesive crystalizes to release its grip on the container.

Abstract: A vacuum drum for carrying a label held to its surface by vacuum past an adhesive applying roll to a position where the label will touch a container and the container will be rolled along the drum surface to thereby apply the label about the container. The drum is provided with a circumferential series of vacuum ports that extend through its outer surface. The vacuum to the ports is fed through passages in a bottom support plate for the drum and the passages all communicate with a stationary vacuum chamber in a collector ring which is held against the inner surface of the drum supporting plate. The collector ring vacuum chamber extends about the axis of the ring for about 180.degree. and at one end thereof serves to close off the passages to the drum in radial succession as the label is transferred to the container. Each passage, after being shut off from the vacuum, is vented.

Abstract: There have been devices for storing and dispensing postage stamps. These devices have been very complex, bulky devices appropriate for offices where large volumes of mailings are made. There are also small simple devices consisting of a simple cylinder with a slot through which the stamps project for a later manual tearing and licking and placing on letters and parcels. This invention comprises a compact, simple and dependable device which not only stores a roll of stamps but also deploys the stamps individually, moistens the individually deployed stamps just prior to placement on a letter or parcel and severs the just moistened stamp for later pressing in an automatic and sequential fashion. The device includes features which permit each and every stamp to be deployed from the roll down to the very last stamp.

Abstract: A cylindrical vacuum drum for carrying a label held to its surface by vacuum past an adhesive applying roll to a position where the label will touch a container and the container will be rolled along the drum surface to thereby apply the label about the container. The drum is formed of metal and is mounted for rotation about its vertical axis. The drum has a rubberlike covering thereover with at least two raised areas in the cover, which underlie the leading and trailing edge of a label that is at a greater radius than the rest of the surface. These are the areas which serve to press the label against the adhesive roll or solvent applying gravure roll. These areas have very slightly depressed zones forming slight steps just in advance thereof with a row of vacuum ports extending through the cover at the base of said steps to effectively hold the leading edge of the label down and allow the trailing edge to bend upwardly away from the outer surface of the drum.

Abstract: The present invention provides, without the drawbacks accompanied by the use of hot melt adhesives, an attractive, easily recycled labelled container, the solid polymer label, on its underside that is adjacent the container when applied, being provided with a finite area on its leading edge and a finite area on its trailing edge, by applying thereto a solvent for the polymer in each of the finite areas, the finite areas comprising a viscous tacky solution of the polymer in the solvent, the solidifying solution being sufficient to tack and bond the label to container during wrapping.

Abstract: An improvement in labeling machines of the type disclosed in Wesley U.S. Pat. No.

Abstract: A machine design is taught for automatically applying adhesive coated labels to folded cartons at a precisely adjusted location on a carton. Both labels and cartons are supplied singularly from bottom feed magazines. A cam oscillated vacuum picker curls one end of a label out of the magazine to be vacuum gripped to the peripheral surface of a rotating transfer drum. Continued rotation of the drum withdraws the remainder of the label from the magazine stack bottom and lays it to the drum periphery surface. A singular carton is slidably removed from the bottom of a respective magazine stack by a lugged conveyor belt and pushed into a timed nip proximity with the label carrying transfer drum. Between the label receiving and delivery positions, the label is carried past a fountain roll for surface coating of water or adhesive.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for a high speed production line in which a container is wrapped with a plastic label comprising a foam polystyrene layer, there being means to move a leading edge of the label to the periphery of a rotating vacuum drum, means to apply methylene chloride to the underside of the foam layer to form finite areas on the leading label edge and a finite area on the trailing edge. The finite areas have therein a rapidly solidifying tacky solution of the foam polymer in methylene chloride, the tacky viscous solutions rapidly solidifying to form an adhesive bond. The solvent-applied label is quickly moved to a label wrapping station where it is wrapped around a container, the finite areas on the leading edge tacking the label to the container, and the finite area on the trailing edge forming a cohesive bond on the seam formed by the overlapped label ends.

Abstract: Stamps, labels and the like are affixed to moving packages, for example cigarette packages, by a process which includes the withdrawal of individual stamps or labels from a magazine, the application of an adhesive to spaced points along laterally separated linear regions thereof and the transfer of the stamps or labels with the adhesive applied thereto to a fork-like mechanism which conveys the stamps or labels into registration with the path of movement of the articles to which they are to be affixed, the articles contacting the side of the stamps or labels having the adhesive thereon and passing between the tines of the fork-like mechanism. Adhesive is applied to the stamps or labels by a roller defined by a plurality of spacially separated discs, some of the discs functioning as vacum-assisted holders for the stamps and the other discs having surface depressions for receiving the adhesive which is subsequently transferred to the stamps or labels.

Abstract: In the cleaning and keeping ready for use the labeling station of a labeling machine comprising a label box, a glue roll and a gripper cylinder as well as label pickup members rolling along the glue roll, wherein the glue is removed from the surface of the glue roll after the supply of glue to the glue roll has been shut off and with the machine idling, the improvement which comprises moisturizing the glue roll after the supply of glue has been shut off.An apparatus thereof is provided comprising a spray head associated with the glue roll or a pickup member. It may be used in conjunction with a bottle filling machine provided with sensors to actuate the spray head in response to the absence or backup of bottles to be filled.

Abstract: A machine for automatically applying stamps onto successive envelopes at a precise location and without distorting or marring the stamps or envelopes comprises vacuum devices for picking off the stamps and envelopes from respective magazines, feeding each envelope into an exact position below a backing pad, and concurrently feeding a respective stamp past a moistening device into an exact position below the envelope, then pressing the envelope against the backing pad and concurrently pressing the stamp upwardly against the envelope, and thereupon releasing the vacuum devices and knocking out the stamped envelope into a receptacle as the machine is returned to a start position for another application cycle.