Abstract: A lid loading and conveying assembly includes a carousel having an indexing plate with a plurality of pairs of tubes connected therearound for holding a plurality of stacks of lids therein; a rotatable support for rotationally supporting the carousel plate so that the stacks of lids can be sequentially indexed to a removal position; a plurality of spin rods for holding at least one stack of lids removed from the carousel tubes; an optical sensor which senses when the amount of lids on the spin rods is below a predetermined level; and a pusher assembly for conveying a stack of lids from the tubes at the removal position to the spin rods in response to the optical sesnor, the pusher assembly including a constrainment assembly at opposite ends of each stack of lids at the removal position for holding the stack of lids together as a unit in a slightly compressed form during the pushing operation from the carousel tubes to the spin rods, the constrainment assembly including an actuable gate at the lower end of the

Abstract: Apparatus for supplying rows of stacked frusto-conical cups to a feeding assembly of a cup printing apparatus includes a rotatable, hollow, crossed turret comprised of an outer turret section formed by four radially and equiangularly oriented connected tubes, and a central tubular section positioned centrally within the outer turret section, the crossed turret supplying a first row of stacked cups to the feeding assembly and automatically supplying a subsequent row of stacked cups in stacked relation on the first row after a level of the first row has decreased to a lower predetermined level and before a last cup of the first row has been supplied on a respective mandrel assembly of the cup printing apparatus; a rotary actuator which rotates the central tubular section; a motor driven assembly which rotates the outer turret section; a first sensor which senses when the level of the first row has decreased to the lower predetermined level to actuate the motor driven assembly to cause the outer turret section a

Abstract: A tube transfer assembly for a tube printer includes a rotatable mandrel wheel which successively moves the tubes to be printed to different stations of the tube printer; a plurality of mandrels mounted along the circumferential periphery of the mandrel wheel for holding the tubes thereon; a rotatable star wheel assembly including a plurality of pockets for successively supplying the tubes to a position at the free end of the mandrel at the 11:00 position of the mandrel wheel; a guide disc rotatable with the star wheel and having a plurality of circular apertures positioned about the periphery thereof in alignment with the pockets; a first pusher rod which successively pushes one end of each tube within one of the apertures at a first rotatable position of the star wheel to correctly configure such end of the tube in a circular configuration; a second pusher rod simultaneously moveable with the first pusher rod which successively pushes each tube onto the mandrel at the subsequent 11:00 position of the mandre

Abstract: A tube printing apparatus includes a rotatable mandrel wheel which successively moves tubes to be printed to different stations of the apparatus; a plurality of mandrels which hold the tubes on the mandrel wheel; a printing station including a printing blanket which prints the tubes successively moved to the printing station in contact with the printing blanket; a tube orienting head which circumferentially orients the tubes which are moved to the printing station so as to always provide printing on the tubes at the same circumferential position thereof; a reciprocating control assembly which intermittently reciprocates the tube orienting into engagement with the tubes at the printing station; a rotating control assembly which intermittently rotationally orients the tubes for printing to a desired circumferential position; and a common drive connected to the reciprocating control assembly, rotating control assembly and printing blanket to synchronously drive each of the same, thereby eliminating any complex e

Abstract: An intermittently operated apparatus for decorating cylindrical cans, each can having a cylindrical surface and a rim, includes a rotatable mandrel wheel; a plurality of mandrel assemblies mounted on the mandrel wheel which hold the cans on the mandrel wheel; a surface applicator roll having a length which extends past the bottom of each can and which applies a coating of varnish to the cylindrical surface of each can; a supply assembly for supplying the varnish to the surface applicator roll; a freely rotatable rim applicator roller having a tapered surface positioned in contact with the bottom rim of each can and with that portion of the surface of the surface applicator roll that extends past the bottom of each can, such that the rim applicator roller is driven by the surface applicator roll and varnish is transferred from the surface applicator roll to the tapered surface of the rim applicator roller and then to the bottom rim of each can at the same time that varnish is applied by the surface applicator