Abstract: A compact portable unit incorporating a noxious gas concentration alarm system and method adapted to setting off an alarm to warn of the presence of a dangerously high level concentration of carbon monoxide in an environment and when lower levels of concentration are present for time periods which are predetermined to be hazardous to an individual in the environment. A specific embodiment is disclosed in which two or more timed levels of carbon monoxide concentration are arranged to set off an alarm and/or automatic shutdown of the CO producing mechanism when the measured time of presence of each concentration level is hazardous to an individual in the environment.

Abstract: An infrared heat tunnel with hot air circulation for heat shrinking wraparound labels on containers which are moved through the tunnel in an upright attitude on an open weave conveyor belt. The infrared heating is by electrical strip heaters along the sides of the tunnel and air is blown by blowers across these heaters to impinge on the sides of the containers. The air is drawn down through the conveyor belt since the inlet to the blowers is from beneath the conveyor. A vertical air curtain along each side of the first half of the tunnel is adjustable in length to effectively delay the skin shrinkage of the film-foam material of the labels in order to get wrinkle-free shrinkage of the film and underlying foam about the container wall and heel areas without bottle rotation.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to apparatus for forming tubular sleeves of heat-shrinkable cellular polymeric material from a predecorated web or roll. Predecorated body labels having precisely presized dimensions are formed from a web or roll on a turret type machine by serially winding rectangular thin sheet blanks of such material on cylindrical mandrels and overlapping the ends of each blank prior to seaming the same to make a presized tubular sleeve. The sleeve seam is formed by thermal fusion using an improved heated sealing bar which is heated during its retraction into contact with an improved annular metallic support ring having a series of internal cartridge type heaters therein. The ring is adapted to rapidly heat up and accurately control the heating of the sealing bars to a precise uniform temperature for improved sleeve making. The sleeves are then applied serially to either glass or plastic containers.

Abstract: The present invention relates to method and apparatus for applying a tubular plastic sleeve or label to a rigid base article or container, such as a glass or plastic bottle. The sleeve may be formed immediately prior to its application and be comprised of oriented, heat-shrinkable, thermoplastic material which is telescopically assembled over the container while both are conveyed through a coincidental aligned path. The container preferably consists of a hollow glass or plastic bottle held upright by its neck or finish portion. The tubular sleeve is made slightly larger in diameter than the container body portion. The sleeve is telescoped upwardly over the container body portion and held in aligned relation during its transport through a heat-shrinking tunnel oven. Electrical heat energy having a high level of infra-red energy is employed to heat-shrink the sleeves in a thermoconstrictive operation during such transport, the sleeve being contracted into snug engagement with the container body portion.

Abstract: The present invention relates to improved apparatus for forming a tubular plastic sleeve immediately prior to its application to a rigid base article, such as a glass or plastic bottle. A rectangular blank of plastic material is wrapped around a cylindrical mandrel and seamed lengthwise thereon to form the tubular sleeve. The mandrel has a plurality of spline-shaped grooves in its curved peripheral surface and a stripper ring mounted to closely surround such peripheral surface to be slidable thereon. The ring has a plurality of internal lugs which slidably fit within the spline-shaped grooves. The mandrel has a lineal array of vacuum ports for retaining the leading and trailing edges of the plastic blank on the mandrel for its wrapping thereon, and an axial resilient strip mounted in the curved peripheral surface of the mandrel for operation of a movable, axially-extending sealing bar thereagainst.