Patent ID: 6517661
Filing Date: 2003-02-11
Classification: B65C,Y10T

Abstract:
A continuous method of applying individual, stacked plastic labels to containers including the sequential steps of:maintaining a stack of individual plastic labels in a dispensing magazine; applying a radiation curable adhesive to a transfer member, said adhesive being in a minimally tacky state; causing said transfer member with the adhesive thereon to engage an exposed, lower surface of a lowermost label in the stack to apply said minimally tacky adhesive to said lower surface at a sufficient thickness to permit the adhesive to flow after the label is applied to a container to fill in visual defects in the adhesive between the label and the container, and also to remove the lowermost label from the stack and releasably adhesively secure said lowermost label to said transfer member for subsequent transport of the lowermost label through a radiation cure station; directing the lowermost label with the radiation curable adhesive thereon through an irradiating station for irradiating the adhesive to render said minimally tacky radiation curable adhesive sufficiently tacky to effectively adhere said lowermost label to the container without preventing the adhesive from flowing between the label and the container to fill in visual defects in the adhesive, and thereafter; effectively adhering the lowermost label to the outer surface of said container through the sufficiently tacky adhesive component while permitting the sufficiently tacky adhesive to flow and fill in visual defects in the adhesive between the label and the container.