Tire labeling apparatus

A tire labeling apparatus feeds labels that are releasably adhered to a carrier web from a supply reel to a label dispensing station where the labels are transferred one at a time from the web to an application roller. At the dispensing station, the carrier web is tightly reversely bent to assist in sequentially "peeling" labels therefrom; spent web material is withdrawn from the dispensing station and collected on a collection reel; and, each newly "peeled" label is subjected to a jet of pressurized air that forces the indicia-carrying face of the label into engagement with a curved, label-receiving portion of the circumference of the application roller. Holes open through the label-receiving portion of the application roller, and ambient air is drawn through these holes to generate air pressure differential forces that releasably retain each newly dispensed label in place on the application roller. As the application roller is moved between the dispensing station and the application station, a resilient roller and a label reader move with it. At the application station, the application roller transfers the one label that it carries to a rotating bead portion of a tire; the resilient roller assures that each newly applied label conforms to the curved shape of the tire bead portion to which it is applied; and, the label reader reads the label's indicia.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for withdrawing 
labels that are releasably adhered to a carrier web for applying a 
separate label to each of a series of rotating articles such as tires. 
More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus for 
dispensing labels one-at-a-time from a supply reel of web-carried labels, 
with each sequential label being peeled from its carrier web and 
transferred to a curved, circumferentially extending surface portion of an 
application roller at a dispensing station, with the application roller 
being moved from the dispensing station to an application station to 
position and apply the label it carries to a rotating bead surface portion 
of a tire, with a resilient roller being provided adjacent the application 
roller to fully conform each newly applied label to the curved shape of 
the tire portion to which it is applied, and with a label reader checking 
proper application of each label before the application roller is 
permitted to be repositioned in the dispensing station to receive the 
next-to-be-applied label. 
2. Prior Art 
In the manufacture or "building" of tires, often it is desired to affix 
small indicia-carrying labels to tires at a relatively early stage while 
they are being "built." The unique identification label that each tire 
carries can be used, for example, to link each tire to certain records 
that are kept regarding tire model, size and/or other aspects of its 
manufacturing history. 
A preferred location for the positioning of an identification label on a 
tire is on a curved exterior surface of a bead of the tire. Such a 
location has the advantage of permitting the label to be conspicuous so as 
to be easily found and read during tire manufacture and at other times 
before the tire is put into service; and, it has the further advantage of 
causing the label to be concealed from view when the tire is put into 
service (i.e., the rim of a wheel onto which the tire is mounted will 
overlie and hide the label so that the label will not distract from the 
appearance of the tire when in service). Still another advantage that 
results from positioning the label on a curved bead surface of a tire is 
that the label can be put in place on the tire relatively early during the 
process of "building" the tire inasmuch as curved exterior bead surface 
portions of a tire tend to be finalformed ahead of other exterior surface 
portions of the tire. 
A preferred time to apply an identification label to a tire is promptly 
after the curved bead surface area that is to receive the label has been 
formed at a workstation of a "tire building machine" where the tire is 
being "built." One such time is immediately after opposed ends of a 
tubular ply-and-innerliner assembly (i.e., an assembly that is formed 
during initial steps that typically are employed during the building of a 
tire) have been "turned up" so as to extend about and encapsulate stranded 
bead members that cooperate with the "turned up" end regions to form the 
"beads" of the tire that is being built. If possible, a preferred time to 
apply an identification label is while some other step of the tire 
building process is underway, whereby productivity at a workstation of a 
tire building machine will not be caused to diminish due to delays that 
are introduced by labeling procedures. 
Previously proposed labeling apparatus typically has been characterized by 
one or more drawbacks that render such apparatus unsuitable for use in 
reliably effecting the application of labels to tires that are being built 
at a workstation of a tire building machine. Many prior proposals call for 
apparatus that is too large to access a curved rotating bead surface to 
apply a label thereto, and/or that operates in ways that are not 
acceptable if label applications are to be effected rapidly, reliably and 
safely. Many prior proposals provide apparatus that, if used to effect the 
application of a label to a rotating bead surface of a tire that is being 
built at a workstation of a tire building machine would necessitate that 
the tire manufacturing process be slowed, stopped or otherwise undesirably 
disturbed during label application. Many prior proposals provide apparatus 
that is not capable of working with a relatively stiff, wear-resistant 
label to properly conform the shape of the label to the complexly curved 
character of a rounded bead surface that is being rotated by the drum of a 
tire building machine. Most previously proposed labeling apparatus offers 
provides no capability to "read" a label substantially immediately after 
it has been put in place to confirm that a proper application of the label 
has been effected. 
Stated in another way, most prior proposals for labeling apparatus are 
found to be deficient in providing apparatus that satisfies one or more of 
the needs that are addressed by the present invention, namely the 
relatively specialized needs that are encountered in a tire building 
environment for effecting rapid, delay-free application of identification 
labels to tires that are being built, with relatively stiff labels being 
applied and conformed to the complexly curved configuration of an exterior 
bead surface that is rotating about a drum of a tire building machine, 
with each label being "read" substantially immediately after it is put in 
place to confirm that the label has been properly applied and positioned, 
with the application apparatus providing minimal intrusion into the 
vicinity of the workstation, and with prompt withdrawal of the application 
apparatus from the immediate vicinity of the workstation being effected 
after each use, whereby the application apparatus poses no obstacle to a 
continuation of production at a workstation where a tire is being built. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention addresses the foregoing and other needs and drawbacks 
and of the prior art by providing a novel and improved label applying 
apparatus that is particularly well suited for use at a workstation where 
tires are being manufactured or "built," such as the workstation of what 
is referred to as a "tire building machine." 
In accordance with the preferred practice of the present invention, a tire 
labeling apparatus is provided that 1) feeds a label-carrying web from a 
supply reel along a path of travel to a label dispensing station, 2) 
transfers labels one at a time from the web to an application roller at 
the dispensing station, 3) moves the application roller to an application 
station wherein the application roller engages a rotating bead portion of 
a tire that is being built at a workstation of a tire building machine to 
apply the label to the rotating bead portion, 4) conforms the 
newly-applied label to the complexly curved configuration of its 
underlying bead surface, 5) reads the newly applied label, 6) withdraws 
and repositions the application roller at the dispensing station to 
receive the next-dispensed label so that the process can be repeated when 
the next tire is being built, and 7) collects spent web material on a 
take-up reel. 
Apparatus that embodies the preferred practice of the present invention is 
particularly well suited for use with relatively stiff labels that are 
removably adhered to a carrier web, that are deliverable one-at-a-time to 
a label dispensing station by feeding the carrier web from a supply reel 
to the dispensing station, and that are easily "peeled" away from the 
carrier web as by reversely bending the carrier web about a blunt-nosed 
"peel bar" that is located at the dispensing station. Relatively stiff, 
wear-resistant indicia-carrying labels formed from polyester covered paper 
that is printed with a bar code preferably are employed, with the labels 
being arranged in abutting end-to-end engagement along a waxed-paper web 
for sequential delivery to the label dispensing station. 
A feature of apparatus that embodies the preferred practice of the 
invention is that only a relatively small carriage that mounts an 
application roller, a resilient roller and a label reader is moved into 
close proximity with portions of a tire that is being "built" at a 
workstation of a "tire building machine." By this arrangement, components 
that occupy only a minimum of space are brought into the immediate 
vicinity of a tire-building workstation. Moreover, the brief period of 
time that such components need to be present at the workstation can be 
coordinated with tire building operations that are being carried out at 
the workstation so that the application of an identification label does 
not necessitate that the building of the tire be stopped, slowed or 
otherwise undesirably interfered with. 
A further feature of apparatus that embodies the preferred practice of the 
invention resides in the closely spaced positioning of a carriage-mounted 
application roller and a resilient roller that cooperate to carry out a 
desired type of plural-step label "affixing" function. The application 
roller "picks up" one label at a time at the dispensing station; the 
carriage on which the application roller and the resilient roller is 
mounted moves to bring the application roller into engagement with a 
rotating curved bead surface to which the label is to be applied; the 
application roller transfers the label to the rotating curved bead surface 
to begin affixing the label thereto; and, the resilient roller engages and 
firmly presses the label so as to conform its shape to that of the 
complexly curved bead surface to complete the affixing function. Thus, the 
"affixing" of the label to a curved bead surface is carried out in 
essentially a two-step, two-roller type of operation. 
Still another feature of apparatus that embodies the preferred practice of 
the invention resides in the provision and use that is made of a 
carriage-carried label reader that is moved toward and away from the 
application station together with the application roller and the resilient 
roller. The label reader is positioned quite close to the resilient roller 
to "read" a newly applied label almost the instant that the label has been 
final-pressed into place by the resilient roller. In normal operation, a 
quick "read" is successfully achieved of a newly applied label almost as 
soon as the label moves out of engagement with the resilient roller, 
whereupon a signal is generated to retract the carriage. However, if the 
reader does not successfully achieve a "read" of the newly applied label 
during the first revolution of the label-carrying tire portion, the 
application roller and the resilient roller are held in engagement with 
the rotating curved bead surface so that during one or more subsequent 
revolutions of the label, these rollers again attempt to press the label 
properly into position. If after a predetermined number of revolutions 
expire without a successful "read" of the newly applied label being 
obtained, a signal is given to an operator to check the automated 
operation that is underway at the workstation in question so that whatever 
is needed in the way of corrective action can be taken. 
A characteristic of preferred practice resides in the plural-step procedure 
that is utilized to reliably and precisely dispense a label at a label 
dispensing station. A further characteristic of preferred practice resides 
in the plural-step procedure that is utilized to position, apply, 
press-in-place and obtain a successful "read" of each label at an 
application station. Still another characteristic of preferred practice 
resides in the coordinated manner in which these two types of plural-step 
procedures are carried out by using an "application roller" 1) to receive 
a label at the dispensing station, 2) to transfer the label to the 
application station, and 3) to initiate the process of "affixing" the 
label at the application station. 
Other features and advantages of the most preferred practice of the present 
invention best can be understood by providing the reader with a summary of 
the manner in which apparatus that embodies the best mode and preferred 
practice of the invention preferably functions. Thus, in the paragraphs 
that follow within this section, selected features of preferred practice 
are described by summarizing the manner in which label dispensing and 
application preferably is effected. 
At the label dispensing station, a plural-step procedure is carried out to 
transfer labels one at a time to a circumferentially extending exterior 
surface of what is referred to as an "application roller." As the 
label-carrying web approaches the label dispensing station, it moves along 
a pair of straight guide surfaces that align a lengthy reach of the web 
for feeding along a path that extends into the dispensing station in an 
"entrance plane" that is oriented to tangentially engage the cylindrical 
circumferentially extending exterior surface of the application roller. As 
each successive label enters the dispensing station, its feeding is halted 
to precisely position the label's leading edge at a predetermined "known" 
position. 
When each new ready-to-dispense label has its feeding halted at the 
dispensing station, a number of things have taken place. While the entire 
length of the relatively stiff label has continued to move in the 
"entrance plane" described above, the carrier web portions that have 
transported the label to the dispensing station have begun executing a 
relatively tight "reverse bend" by beginning to move around a blunt-nosed 
formation (i.e., a "peel bar") that is positioned which at the dispensing 
station. However, only a very short length of the carrier web that has 
been in engagement with the new ready-to-dispense label has been separated 
or "peeled" from the leading edge portion of the label, whereby only about 
one sixteenth of an inch of leading edge region of the label is no longer 
adhered to the carrier web. It is the arrival at the predetermined "known" 
position of this leading edge portion of a ready-to-dispense label that is 
sensed by an optical sensing system, a signal from which is utilized to 
immediately halt the feeding of the web so that the leading edge of the 
ready-to-dispense label is caused to be stopped or "parked" at the 
predetermined "known" position. 
Just as proper positioning (i.e., "parking") of a leading edge of a 
ready-to-dispense label is a prerequisite to the continuation of 
"dispening" at the dispensing station, so is proper positioning (i.e., 
"parking") of a particular arcuate segment of the cylindrical peripheral 
surface of the application roller--a segment that will be referred to as 
defining a "label-receiving surface." The "special" nature of the curved 
segment that defines the label-receiving surface has to do with the fact 
that a plurality of regularly spaced holes open through this curved 
surface segment to provide a means for retaining a label on the 
label-receiving surface once it has been brought into engagement 
therewith--as will be explained shortly. 
Returning briefly to the positioning or parking of the application roller 
so that the label receiving surface is in a predetermined or "known" 
position, at least one "proximity sensor" depends alongside the 
application roller when the application roller is in the dispensing 
station (i.e., the application roller has not been moved out of the 
dispensing station by the carriage that supports the application roller). 
At least one "trigger" formation is carried on a side portion of the 
application roller and is configured to move closely into proximity with 
the proximity sensor when the orientation of the application roller about 
its axis of rotation is such that the label receiving surface has moved to 
a predetermined "known" position where it desirably is stationed when 
dispensing of a label onto the label-receiving surface is to proceed. 
Thus, a signal from the proximity sensor is used to halt the rotation of 
the application roller at an angular position wherein the label-receiving 
surface is ready to be advanced concurrently with the feeding of a label 
so as to position the label directly onto the label-receiving surface. 
During the building of tires, the steps that are carried out at a 
workstation of a tire building machine take time to implement. Thus, if 
the labeling apparatus of the present invention is being utilized to apply 
one label to each new tire being built at a workstation of a tire building 
machine, there will be intervals of time between occasions when the 
labeling apparatus is called upon to dispense and apply a label. During 
such intervals, the next-to-be-dispensed label is held at the 
aforedescribed predetermined or "known" position; and, the application 
roller is parked with its label-receiving surface in the aforedescribed 
predetermined or "known" position. 
Once the labeling apparatus is called upon to dispense and apply a label, a 
pair of substantially identical capstan rollers (i.e., rollers that have 
the same diameter) are driven at the same speed of rotation by 
concurrently operating a pair of electrical clutches that concurrently 
drivingly interconnect spindles (that carry the capstan rollers) with a 
single, common "source of rotary energy" (preferably a motor-driven roller 
chain). One of these capstan rollers is in direct driving engagement with 
"spent" portions of web material that are held taut after they pass around 
the peel bar at the dispensing station. The other of the capstan rollers 
directly drivingly engages the cylindrical outer surface of the 
application roller. Thus, with the next-to-be-fed label starting from a 
predetermined "known" position, and with the application roller starting 
with its label-receiving surface in a predetermined "known" position, the 
web that feeds the label and the label-receiving surface are put into 
motion at identical speeds of movement by identical drive units--with the 
result being that the label is delivered onto the label-receiving surface 
in a highly reliable manner that assures "registry" of the label with the 
underlying label-receiving surface. 
The holes that are formed through the label-receiving surface communicate 
through a hollow interior of the application roller with an evacuation 
passage that extends interiorally of a shaft that mounts the application 
roller for rotation. Ambient air is drawn through the holes and is 
evacuated through the hollow interior of the application roller and 
through the passage formed in the shaft so that, once a label portion has 
come into contact with the label-receiving surface, the label portion 
tends to be held in place on the label-receiving surface by differential 
air pressure forces. 
As the tensioned carrier web moves a label into registry with the 
label-receiving surface, the label-receiving surface moves at the same 
speed alongside the indicia-carrying surface of the label so that, as the 
label is brought into registry with the label-receiving surface, the 
adhesive-carrying back surface of the label faces away from the 
application roller. During the process of dispensing a label onto the 
label-receiving surface, a jet-like flow of pressurized air is aimed at 
the adhesive-carrying side of the label to assist in bringing the 
indicia-carrying face of the label into firm seated engagement with the 
label-receiving surface. 
Continued feeding of the label-carrying web is halted when enough of the 
web has been fed to assure that a "break line" or line of juncture between 
the presently-being-dispensed and next-to-be-dispensed labels should have 
separated from the carrier web; and, rotation of the application roller is 
continued to assure that a label that is presently being dispensed 
successfully pulls free from (i.e., separates from) the 
next-to-be-dispensed label. As rotation of the application roller 
continues (to position the label that it carries in a desired position for 
transfer to an application station--as will be discussed shortly), the 
feeding of the web preferably is resumed to position the leading edge of 
the next-to-be-dispensed label at the aforedescribed "known" position. 
Feeding of the label-carrying web preferably is halted quite promptly and 
effectively, when desired, in a manner that maintains a desired tautness 
in the web in the vicinity of the dispensing station. Preferably, web 
feeding is halted by both stopping the rotation of the capstan roller that 
tensions spent portions of the web that have passed through the dispensing 
station, and by utilizing a fluid operated cylinder to clamp a 
label-carrying portion of the web between a resilient "bumper" and a guide 
surface that is used to direct the label-carrying web toward the 
dispensing station. A pinch roller is provided at the location of the web 
feeding capstan roller to clamp spent web material into firm contact with 
the web-feeding capstan roller. By this arrangement, portions of the 
carrier web located along web feed path portions on both sides of the 
dispensing station are stopped and held in place. 
The capstan roller that engages the periphery of the application roller to 
"drive" the application roller while it is positioned at the dispensing 
station is used to move a newly dispensed label for about a third of a 
revolution beyond the angular position of the application roller wherein 
label separation from a next-to-be-fed label has taken place. The position 
to which the label that is carried by the application roller is moved is 
selected such that, when the carriage on which the application roller is 
mounted is moved to translate the application roller to the application 
station (where the application roller brings the label into contact with 
article surface portions that are to receive the label), the label will 
not be caused to immediately engage the article onto which it is to be 
applied. Stated in another way, the application roller positions the label 
it carries so that, when the application roller engages surfaces of the 
article that is to be labeled and quickly is "brought up to speed" 
therewith by virtue of such engagement, the label will have about 
three-fourths of a revolution to travel before it is pressed into 
engagement with rotating surface portions of the article. 
While the application roller is positioned at the dispensing station, its 
rotary positioning is controlled by means of its engagement with an 
intermittently operated capstan that is clutched into and out of driving 
engagement with a roller chain that drives various web positioning 
components of the labeling apparatus. However, once the application roller 
moves away from the dispensing station, it withdraws from engagement with 
its positioning capstan and becomes "free rolling" so that, when it comes 
into engagement with a rotating tire bead at the application station, the 
application roller can, within less than a revolution, be brought quickly 
"up to speed." By this arrangement, when the label that is carried by the 
application roller comes into engagement with the rotating bead surface, 
the velocity of the label substantially matches the velocity of the bead 
surface--and, as a result, "affixing" of the label to the bead surface is 
initiated as portions of the adhesive-carrying side of the label are 
brought into engagement with the curved bead surface by the relatively 
rigid application roller. 
To complete the "affixing" of the label to the complexly curved bead 
surface, a resilient roller that is positioned quite near to but spaced 
from the application roller engages the indicia-carrying surface of the 
label almost immediately after the label is disengaged by the application 
roller. Like the application roller, the resilient roller is caused to 
rotate while at the application station by virtue of its drivingly 
engaging the rotating bead surface. Unlike the application roller which is 
relatively rigid, however, the resilient roller deforms so as to conform 
to the shape of the complexly curved surface of the rotating bead; and, as 
the label passes between the "conformed" surface of the resilient roller 
and the complexly curved surface of the bead, the label is securely 
clamped and forced into conformance with the complexly curved surface of 
the rotating bead. As the adhesive that is carried by the label is pressed 
into engagement with the curved bead surface, the "affixing" of the label 
to the curved bead surface is completed. 
Located near the resilient roller is the viewing window of a label reader. 
The label reader is supported on the same carriage that moves the 
application roller between the dispensing and application stations, and 
has its window aimed to enable it to effect a "read" of a newly affixed 
label almost immediately once such identification indicia as is carried by 
the label has moved away from the location of the resilient roller. As 
soon as a valid "read" of a newly applied label has been obtained, a 
signal is generated to retract the application roller, the resilient 
roller and the label reader from the application station so that the 
application roller can re-engage the positioning capstan at the dispensing 
station, and so that the application roller can be rotated by the capstan 
to position the label-receiving surface to underlie and receive the 
next-to-be-dispensed label as the next-to-be-dispensed label is peeled 
from the carrier web at the dispensing station. 
Those who are skilled in the art will understand that the aforedescribed 
preferred form of carrying out the practice of the present invention need 
not be complied with in its entirety in order for a number of significant 
features of the invention to be used advantageously. It will therefore be 
understood that the foregoing description of certain features of preferred 
practice is not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the 
accompanying claims, or as indicating that modifications of or deviations 
from the described practice necessarily signal the presence of significant 
departures from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a tire labeling apparatus that embodies the 
preferred practice of the present invention is indicated generally by the 
numeral 100. While the apparatus 100 is depicted in FIGS. 1-3 (and in 
others of the views of the accompanying drawings) with selected components 
extending substantially horizontally or substantially vertically, it 
should be kept in mind that the apparatus 100 can be mounted for use in a 
variety of other orientations. While such terms as "horizontally 
extending," "vertically extending," "left," "right," "front" and "rear" 
are utilized in the description that follows, it will be understood that 
such terms are used merely to aid the reader in referring to features that 
are depicted in the accompanying drawings. A variety of orientations in 
which the tire labeling apparatus 100 typically can be mounted for use are 
discussed later herein, particularly in conjunction with the depictions of 
FIGS. 23-28. 
In the top view of FIG. 3, what will be referred to as the "front" of the 
apparatus 100 is depicted toward the left; what will be referred to as the 
"rear" of the apparatus 100 is depicted toward the right; what will be 
referred to as the "left side" of the apparatus 100 is depicted in 
approximately the upper half of FIG. 3; and, what will be referred to as 
the "right side" of the apparatus 100 is depicted in approximately the 
lower half of FIG. 3. Thus, what is depicted in FIG. 1 will be referred to 
as the "left side" of the apparatus 100; and, what is depicted in FIG. 2 
will be referred to as the "right side" of the tire labeling apparatus 
100. 
Before turning to a discussion of features of the tire labeling apparatus 
100, reference is made first to FIGS. 19 and 20 which depict features of 
web-carried labels of the type that typically are applied to tire bead 
portions by the apparatus 100, second to FIGS. 21 and 22 which show labels 
in place on tire bead portions, and third to FIGS. 23-24 and 27-28 which 
illustrate selected components of first and second types of tire building 
machines with which the apparatus 100 can be utilized. 
Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, a length of carrier web material is indicated 
generally by the numeral 502. Labels 504 that are removably adhesively 
carried by the web 502 and are arranged in an end-to-end array along the 
web 502. Typically the material from which the web is formed is waxed 
paper that can be tensioned as needed to feed the label-carrying web from 
a supply reel to a dispensing station where the labels 504 are "peeled" 
from the web 502 one at a time so that each of the labels 504 can be 
applied to a bead surface portion of a tire that is being built at a 
workstation of a tire building machine. A strong but pliable waxed paper 
typically is used to form the web 502. Typically the labels 504 are formed 
from polyester covered paper that is printed with a bar code (and perhaps 
also with other indicia such as Arabic numerals), with the material of the 
labels 504 being selected to provide good heat resistance to assure that 
they will withstand the high temperature "cure" process to which a newly 
built tire is subjected. Also, the material from which the label is formed 
is selected to provide a good capability to retain printed indicia (such 
as the bar code indicia that is indicated in FIG. 19 by the numeral 506 as 
being applied to front surface portions of the labels 504), and a 
capability to be securely adhered to a tire bead portion utilizing a 
suitable adhesive that also can be used to removably adhere the labels 504 
to the web 502 (some of the adhesive coating that is applied to back 
surface portions of one of the labels 504 is indicated in FIG. 20 by the 
numeral 508). 
Typically the web has a width of about 9/16 inch, each label has a 
corresponding width of about 9/16 inch, and each label has a length of 
about 11/4 inch. However, as those who are skilled in the art readily will 
understand, features of the present invention are not restricted to 
working with labels or webs of any particular dimension. Likewise, while 
the labels 504 are depicted as being of substantially rectangular shape, 
features of the present invention can be utilized with labels that have 
shapes other than rectangular. 
Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, a label 504 is shown duly applied to a curved 
bead surface portion 50 of a substantially tubular-shaped assembly 52 of 
an innerliner and tire plys that has advanced to the tire building stage 
wherein cord-like materials 54 (see FIG. 21) have been encapsulated within 
"turned up" end regions of the innerliner-and-ply assembly 52. In FIG. 21, 
portions of the innerliner-and-ply assembly 52 are shown in cross section 
positioned about portions of a drum 60 of a tire building machine of the 
type that is depicted in FIG. 24. Also shown in FIG. 21 is an application 
roller 400 that is rotatably supported by portions of a movable carriage 
300 (features of which will be described shortly in conjunction with a 
discussion of FIGS. 1-4). Arrows 70 indicate a direction of movement that 
typically is followed by the application roller 400 in withdrawing from 
the vicinity of a tire bead 56 after a label 504 has been applied to a 
curved surface 50 of the tire bead 56. 
The complexly curved nature of the tire bead surface portion 50 is 
partially illustrated in FIG. 21, and is depicted more fully in FIG. 22. 
The complex nature of the curvature of the surface 50 of the bead 56 is 
derived not only from the fact that the surface portion 50 is "rounded" 
(as viewed in cross section in FIG. 21), but also from the fact that the 
surface portion 50 is arcuately curved to form the ring-like bead 56 that 
extends substantially concentrically about a central axis 62 of the 
partially completed tire assembly 52. 
Referring to FIGS. 23 and 24, portions of one form of a tire building 
machine (with which the labeling apparatus 100 typically can be used) are 
indicated generally by the numeral 80. The machine 80 has a tire building 
drum 60 that rotates about an axis 62 (it is the same "axis 62" that has 
been referred to previously in conjunction with a discussion of what is 
shown in FIG. 22). The drum 60 has an enlarged central portion 64 that is 
situated substantially centrally within a region that will be referred to 
as being a tire-building "workstation" of the machine 80. In FIGS. 23 and 
24, the workstation of the machine 80 is indicated generally by the 
numeral 75. 
Among portions of the machine 80 that extend about the workstation 75 is a 
movable carriage assembly 82. The carriage assembly 82 includes a plate 84 
that underlies and supports the tire labeling apparatus 100. In FIG. 23, 
the tire labeling apparatus 100 is shown extending substantially 
vertically at a location above the workstation 75. In FIG. 24, the tire 
labeling apparatus 100 is shown moved by the carriage assembly 82 to near 
a right end region of the drum 60, with the tire labeling apparatus 100 
being shown in an attitude that is inclined relative to the vertical, and 
with the angle of inclination being indicated by the arrow 68. 
Referring to FIGS. 27 and 28, portions of another form of a tire building 
machine (with which the tire labeling apparatus 100 also can be used) are 
indicated generally by the numeral 90. The machine 90 has a tire building 
drum that also is indicated by the numeral 60 (see FIG. 27) which rotates 
about an axis 62 in the same manner as the drum 60 that is shown in FIG. 
24 rotates about its axis 62 (see FIG. 24). The machine 90 has a 
workstation that is indicated generally by the numeral 75 in FIG. 27. 
Among portions of the machine 90 that extend about the workstation 75 is a 
movable carriage assembly 92 that has a plate 94 (see FIG. 28) that 
underlies and supports the tire labeling apparatus 100. In FIG. 27, the 
tire labeling apparatus 100 is shown supported at a forwardly inclined 
attitude for being moved toward and away from the workstation 75 by 
movements of portions of the carriage 92 in directions indicated by an 
arrow 98. While the apparatus 100 is shown in FIG. 27 as being 
substantially aligned with the path 98 along which the carriage 92 moves 
in extending toward and retracting from the workstation 75, in FIG. 28 the 
apparatus 28 is shown inclined with respect to the travel path 98, with 
the angle of inclination being indicated by the arrow 68. 
The positioning of the tire labeling apparatus 100 in "inclined" positions 
(such as is depicted in FIGS. 24 and 28) and in "centered" positions (such 
as is depicted in FIGS. 23, 25 and 27) preferably is attended to simply by 
pivoting the apparatus 100 about a pivotal mount that is provided between 
the apparatus 100 and such supporting carriage assemblies as are indicated 
generally by the numerals 82 and 92 in FIGS. 23-26 and 27-28, 
respectively. Referring, for example to FIGS. 25 and 26, a pivotal mount 
is provided between the backing plate 84 of the carriage 82 and a base 
plate 210 of the apparatus 100 by means of a headed stub shaft 21 that 
extends into aligned holes 23, 25 that are formed in the plates 84, 210, 
respectively. 
Locking of the apparatus 100 in a particular angular position relative to 
the plate 84 is effected by utilizing a plurality of knurled thumb screws 
27 that extend through holes or slots 31 (see FIG. 25) that are formed in 
one or the other of the plates 84, 210 and are threaded into threaded 
holes 33 that are formed in the other of the plates 84, 210. Referring to 
FIG. 25, it will be seen that two knurled thumb screws 27 extend through 
curved slots 31 formed in the plate 84 and are threaded into holes 33 (see 
FIG. 26) that are formed in the base plate 210. Also, as is seen in FIG. 
25 (and in side view in FIGS. 1 and 2), a third knurled thumb screw 27a is 
positioned in aligned holes 33a that are provided in the plates 210, 84 to 
secure the positioning of the labeling apparatus 100 relative to the 
carriage plate 84. Other positioning holes 33b are provided at spaced 
locations in the plate 84 to facilitate positioning the labeling apparatus 
at predetermined angles of inclination relative to the carriage plate 84. 
Returning now to a description of the tire labeling apparatus 100, and 
referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, many of the operating components of 
the tire labeling apparatus 100 are connected to and supported by a frame 
structure that is indicated generally by the numeral 200. The frame 
structure 200 includes lower and upper horizontally extending base plates 
210, 220, and a main plate 250 that extends vertically upwardly from the 
upper base plate 220. Interposed between the lower and upper base plates 
210, 220 are a spacer block 230 and a pair of ball bushing assemblies 240. 
The spacer block 230 extends transversely at a location that is near the 
rear end regions of the lower and upper base plates 210, 220, and is 
rigidly secured to the base plates 210, 220 by suitable fasteners (not 
shown). 
Referring briefly to FIGS. 25 and 26, the ball bushing assemblies 240 
extend in spaced parallel relationship along left and right overlying side 
portions of the lower and upper base plates 210, 220, with a fluid 
operated cylinder 350 extending therebetween. As is depicted by hidden 
lines in FIG. 25, the cylinder 350 has an elongate housing 352 which has 
opposed end regions 354, 356. A cylinder rod 358 extends from the front 
end region 354. A mounting block 360 connects the opposite end region 356 
of the housing 352 to the lower base plate 210 by means of suitable 
fasteners (not shown). 
Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, the main plate 250 of the frame structure 200 
has a front end region that extends for a short distance forwardly from 
the front end region of the upper base plate 220, and has a rear end 
region that extends upwardly and rearwardly for a relatively greater 
distance from the rear end region of the upper base plate 220. A plurality 
of right angle brackets 252 (two are shown in FIG. 1 and one is shown in 
FIG. 2) cooperate with threaded fasteners 254 to rigidly connect bottom 
portions of the main plate 250 to the upper base plate 220. 
While a majority of the operating components of the apparatus 100 are 
connected to and supported by the aforedescribed frame structure 200, some 
of the operating components of the apparatus 100 are connected to and 
supported by a carriage 300 that is movable relative to the frame 
structure 200 in forwardly and rearwardly extending directions of travel 
between "retracted" and "extended" positions. The "retracted" position of 
the carriage 300 is depicted in FIGS. 1-3 and 13-16, while the "extended" 
position of the carriage 300 is depicted in FIGS. 17 and 18. The extension 
direction of movement of the carriage 300 is indicated by an arrow 69 in 
FIG. 17. The retraction or withdrawal direction of movement of the 
carriage 300 relative to the frame structure 200 is indicated by arrows 70 
in FIGS. 22 and 25. 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 25 and 26, a pair of spaced, parallel extending 
guide rods 242 extend through and are movably supported by the ball 
bushing assemblies 240. The ball bushing assemblies 240 are commercially 
available units that are commonly utilized connect components that are to 
translate relative to each other and that need to be smoothly movable in a 
relatively friction free manner with minimal side-to-side play. In the 
apparatus 100, the ball bushing assemblies 240 are used to mount the guide 
rods 242 for axial movement relative to the frame structure 200. 
Inasmuch as front end regions 244 of the guide rods 242 are rigidly 
connected by suitable fasteners (not shown) to a transversely extending, 
bar-like portion 308 of the carriage 300, the ball bushing assemblies 240 
cooperate with the guide rods 242 to mount the carriage 300 for smooth 
linear movement relative to the frame structure 200. Positioning of the 
carriage 300 relative to the frame structure 200 is controlled by 
operating the fluid operated cylinder 350 to position the cylinder rod 
358, the front end region of which is drivingly connected to the 
transversely extending portion 308 of the carriage 300 by means of a 
self-aligning coupler that is indicated by the numeral 362 in FIG. 25. 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the carriage 300 includes spaced sets of 
mounting bracket formations that are indicated generally by the numeral 
310. Referring to FIG. 4, the mounting bracket formations 310 rigidly 
connect with and support opposite end regions of a pair of shafts 320, 
330. The shaft 320 is located above the shaft 330. Both of the shafts 320, 
330 extend substantially horizontally and have center axes (not shown) 
that extend in directions that are transverse to the directions of 
movement followed by the carriage 300 in extending and retracting relative 
to the frame structure 200. 
A pair of rollers 400, 470 are supported by the shafts 320, 330 for 
rotation about the spaced parallel axes 321, 331 (see FIG. 4) of the 
shafts 320, 330, respectively. Also supported by one of the mounting 
bracket formations 310 is a label reader 490 that has a "window" or "eye" 
494 (see FIG. 4) that is aimed along a path that extends beneath the 
roller 470 along a path that is indicated by an arrow 492 in FIGS. 17 and 
18. 
The roller 400 will be referred to as the "application roller" inasmuch as 
it serves the function of initiating the application of the labels 504 one 
at a time to curved tire bead surfaces 50. The roller 470 is positioned 
near to but spaced beneath the application roller 400, and will be 
referred to by the term "resilient roller" 1) inasmuch as it is relatively 
more resilient than is the application roller 400, and 2) inasmuch as the 
resilient character of the circumferentially extending surface 472 of the 
roller 470 is utilized to assist the application roller 400 by completing 
the application of labels 504 to tire bead surfaces 50 as by resilient 
deforming so as to conform to the shape of the bead surfaces 50 so that 
the resilient roller 470 can, in a highly effective manner, firmly press 
the labels 504 into conforming engagement with the complexly curved bead 
surfaces 50 that are to receive the labels 504. 
Referring to FIG. 4, while the application roller 400, the resilient roller 
470 and the label reader 490 have portions thereof that extend in vertical 
alignment, there nonetheless are spaces between the rollers 400, 470 and 
between the roller 470 and the reader 490 that permit each of these 
components to perform its function substantially independent of (and free 
from being disturbed by) the functioning of the other of these carriage 
mounted components. In operation, the rollers 400, 470 and the label 
reader 490 function rapidly in sequence 1) to initiate the application or 
"affixing" of one of the labels 504 to a curved bead surface 50, 2) to 
complete the application or "affixing" of the label to the bead surface, 
and 3) to check for proper completion of the application by effecting a 
"read" of indicia that is printed on the label. 
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 14, the shaft 320 that supports the application 
roller 400 has a vacuum evacuation passage 410 that extends internally 
within a portion of the shaft 320. The passage 410 has a left end region 
that is enlarged and provided with threads, as is indicated by the numeral 
412 in FIG. 4. A suitable vacuum hose fitting (not shown) preferably is 
installed in the passage end region 412 for connecting the passage 410 
through a vacuum hose (not shown) to a vacuum pump. 
Referring to FIG. 4, the passage 410 extends from the left end region 412 
to a right end region 414 located within the right half of the length of 
the shaft 320. At a location that is mid-way along the length of the shaft 
320, a plurality of radially extending holes 416 are formed through a 
tubular wall portion 418 of the shaft 410 that surrounds the passage 410. 
Each of the holes 416 serves to communicate the passage 410 with a vacuum 
chamber 420 that is defined within the interior of the application roller 
400. The vacuum chamber 420 is annular in configuration, has an inner 
diameter surface 422 (defined principally by exterior surface portions of 
the shaft 320), and has an outer diameter surface 424. The holes 416 open 
through the inner diameter surface 422. Other radially extending holes 426 
have inner end regions that open through the outer diameter surface 424 of 
the chamber 410, and through a short segment 430 of the circumferentially 
extending outer surface 432 of the application roller 400. 
The holes 426 open through the short surface segment 430 in a regular array 
(typically an array of rows and columns) that causes the holes 426 to be 
substantially equally spaced along the length of the segment. What the 
segment 430 (and the rows and columns of holes 426 that open through it) 
define will be referred to hereinafter as defining a "label-receiving 
surface 430"--i.e., a specially configured portion of the 
circumferentially extending surface 432 of the application roller 400. 
Ambient air is drawn through the holes 426 and evacuated from the chamber 
420 through the passage 410 for enabling the application roller 400 to 
utilize air pressure differential forces to assist in retaining the 
indicia-carrying front face of a label 504 in firm contact with the 
label-receiving surface 430. 
The label-receiving surface portion that is occupied by the array of holes 
426 preferably has a length (as measured along the circumference of the 
circle that is defined by the outer surface 432) that is selected to be 
slightly less than the length of one of the labels 504 that is to be 
dispensed onto the application roller 400 for being transferred by the 
application roller 400 to the tire bead surface 50. Likewise, the width of 
the label-receiving surface portion that is occupied by the holes 426 is 
slightly less than the width of one of the labels 504. This confinement of 
the location of the array of holes 426 to dimensions that are slightly 
smaller than those of the labels 504 that are to be dispensed is possible 
due at least in part to the very accurate positioning that is achieved at 
the dispensing station of labels 504 onto the label-receiving surface 
portion 430. 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the application roller 400 has left and 
right disc-like members 440, 442 that are of annular configuration and 
define the majority of the side structure of the application roller 400. A 
plurality of threaded fasteners, one of which is shown in FIG. 4 and is 
indicated by the numeral 444), extend through holes 446 that are formed at 
locations spaced about the shaft 320 (one being shown in FIG. 4) and are 
threaded into aligned holes 448 that are formed in the right disc member 
442 (one being shown in FIG. 4) for connecting the disk members 440, 442 
and for preventing relative rotation thereof. 
At positions that can be described generally as being "within the vicinity" 
of the label-receiving surface 430, short, arcuate left and right 
"trigger" members 450, 452 are connected to outer surface portions of the 
left and right disc members 440, 442, respectively. Threaded fasteners 444 
(two of which are shown in FIG. 4) extend through arcuate slots 448 that 
are formed through the trigger members 450, 452, and thread into 
underlying holes 454 that are formed in the disc members 440, 442 
The arcuate slots 448 (they appear like "holes" in FIG. 4 inasmuch as they 
are shown in cross-section at their narrowest width in this view, but will 
be understood to extend in arcs that have as their center of radius the 
axis of the shaft 320) permit the angular adjustments of the left and 
right trigger members 450, 452 relative to the positions of their 
associated left and right disk-like members 440, 442 (and relative to the 
label-receiving surface 430 of the application roller 400). By this 
arrangement, the angular positions of leading and trailing edge portions 
450L, 450T (see FIG. 1) and 452L, 452T (see FIG. 2) of the left and right 
trigger members 450, 452 can be sensed to provide meaningful information 
regarding the angular position of the application roller 400 (and, more 
specifically about the angular position of the label-receiving surface 430 
of the application roller 400). 
Among the frame-structure-supported operating components are left and right 
proximity sensors 950, 952 that (as is best seen in FIG. 4) depend into 
close proximity with the left and right trigger members 450, 452 when the 
application roller 400 is situated at what will be referred to as a "label 
dispensing station 900" (see FIGS. 13-16). Because, when the application 
roller 400 is situated at the dispensing station 900, proper operation of 
the apparatus 100 necessitates that the label-receiving surface 430 be 
properly positioned if it is to receive and transport a freshly dispensed 
label 504; thus, the angular position-sensing capability that is provided 
by the left and right proximity sensors 950, 952 working in conjunction 
with the left and right trigger members 450, 452 is of importance. 
Returning now to a discussion of operating components that are carried by 
the frame structure 200, by noting the significant differences in what is 
shown in the left side view that comprises FIG. 1 and right side view that 
comprises FIG. 2, it will be observed that very different types of 
operating components tend to be provided on the left and right sides of 
the main plate 250. The left side components shown in FIG. 1 primarily 
tend to be associated with the feeding of the carrier web 502 to and 
through the dispensing station 900. The right side components shown in 
FIG. 2 primarily tend to be associated with transmitting rotational energy 
among an array of shaft-supported and spindle-supported sprockets. 
Beginning with what is depicted in FIG. 1, it will be seen that many of the 
left side components cooperate to define a path of travel (indicated by a 
series of arrows 500) for moving the carrier web 502 from a "supply 
station" that is defined by a supply reel 510 through the dispensing 
station 900 to a "collection station" that is defined by a collection reel 
520. As will be explained in greater detail, at the dispensing station 
900, the carrier web 502 is reeved around a blunt-nosed formation 912 of a 
"peel bar" 910 to effect the kind of reverse bend that is depicted in FIG. 
20 to "peel" labels 504 from the carrier web 502. After the carrier web 
502 is tightly reversely bent at the dispensing station 900, "spent" 
carrier web material 502 is tensioned and fed to the collection reel 520. 
In directing the carrier web 502 from the supply reel 520 to and through 
the dispensing station 900 to the collection reel 520, a series of 
main-plate-mounted components are utilized. These components include a 
first pair of flanged guide rollers 530, a second set of flanged guide 
rollers 540, a first capstan 550, a pinch roller assembly 560, and a pair 
of guide structures 570, 580--with the guide structure 580 also serving to 
define the aforementioned peel bar 910 and blunt-nosed formation 912. 
Inasmuch as the flanged guide rollers 530 are identical one to the other 
and are identically mounted on the main plate 250, only one of the flanged 
guide rollers 530 is depicted in the drawings (see FIG. 11). Inasmuch as 
the flanged guide rollers 540 are identical one to the other and are 
identically mounted on the main plate 250, only one of the flanged guide 
rollers 540 is depicted in the drawings (see FIG. 12). 
Referring to FIG. 5, the supply reel 510 is mounted on the left end region 
of a spindle 511. The spindle 511 is journaled by a bearing block assembly 
512 that is installed in an opening 513 that is formed through the main 
plate 250. A drag brake assembly 642 (i.e., a commercially available 
mechanical assembly that functions to slightly inhibit the rotation of the 
spindle 511 so as to permit the unreeling of the label-carrying web 502 
from the supply reel 510 only in the event that a suitable degree of 
tension is applied to the web 502) is installed on the right end region of 
the spindle 511. The drag brake 642 engages a bracket assembly 640 that is 
mounted on the right side of the main plate 250. The engagement of the 
drag brake 642 with the bracket assembly 640 occurs as a standard part of 
the operation of the drag brake 642 in serving to slightly inhibit the 
rotation of the spindle 511. 
Referring to FIG. 1, a feature of the supply reel 510 is that it has a 
disc-like front face 514 that normally is held in place by a pair of 
knurled thumb screws 515 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 5, but both 
of which are shown in FIG. 1). When the thumb screws 515 are loosened, the 
front face 514 of the reel 510 can be rotated slightly in a 
counterclockwise direction to align the relatively large head portions of 
the thumbscrews 515 with even larger holes 515a that are formed through 
the front face 514, whereupon the front face 514 can be removed from the 
hub 516 of the reel 510 to permit the supply of label-carrying web 
material 502 to be replenished. 
Referring to FIG. 7, the collection reel 520 is mounted on the left end 
region of a spindle 521. The spindle 521 is journaled by a bearing block 
assembly 522 that is installed in an opening 523 that is formed through 
the main plate 250. A slip clutch assembly 622 (i.e., a commercially 
available mechanical assembly that functions to permit slippage to take 
place between a drive sprocket 620 that is driven by the roller chain 602 
and the spindle 521 so as to permit the reeling of spent web material 502 
onto the collection reel 520 at a pace that corresponds to the pace at 
which spent web material 502 is made available to the collection reel 520) 
is installed on the right end region of the spindle 521. 
Referring to FIG. 1, a feature of the collection reel 520 is that it has a 
disc-like front face 524 that normally is held in place by a pair of 
knurled thumb screws 525 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 7, but both 
of which are shown in FIG. 1). When the thumb screws 525 are loosened, the 
front face 524 of the reel 520 can be rotated slightly in a 
counterclockwise direction to align the relatively large head portions of 
the thumbscrews 525 with even larger holes 525a that are formed through 
the front face 524, whereupon the front face 524 can be removed from the 
hub 526 of the reel 520 to permit the rolled-up collection of spent web 
material 502 to be discarded. 
Referring to FIG. 6, a first capstan 550 is mounted on the left end region 
of a spindle 551. The spindle 551 is journaled by a bearing block assembly 
552 that is installed in an opening 553 that is formed through the main 
plate 250. An electrically operated clutch and brake assembly 652 (i.e., a 
commercially available electro-mechanical assembly that functions to 
selectively drivingly interconnect and disconnect a drive sprocket 650 
that is driven by the roller chain 602 with the spindle 551 so as to 
permit the first capstan 550 to be driven only when it is desired to do 
so, with the unit including a brake to bring the spindle 551 to a prompt 
halt in the event that the clutch disengages) is mounted on the right end 
region of the spindle 551 and is positioned to engage a brake stop bracket 
654 that is mounted on the right side of the main plate 250. 
Referring to FIG. 1, a second capstan 590 that is identical in all respects 
to the first capstan 550 is mounted on the left end region of a spindle 
591 at a location where the capstan 590 will drivingly engage the 
application roller 400 when the carriage 300 positions the application 
roller 400 in the dispensing station 900. The bearing block assembly that 
supports the spindle 591 (and other aspects of the second capstan 590 that 
would be illustrated if the sectional view of FIG. 6 were duplicated) is 
not shown in the drawings. However, referring to FIG. 2, portions of an 
electro-magnetic clutch brake assembly 692 that functions to selectively 
drivingly interconnect and disconnect a drive sprocket 690 (that is driven 
by the roller chain 602) from the spindle 591 are shown. 
Referring to FIG. 11, the flanged guide roller 530 includes a generally 
cylindrically roller 531 that is bearing-mounted on a shoulder bolt 532 
for rotation relative thereto. The shoulder bolt 532 is threaded into a 
hole 533 that is formed through the main plate 250. A pair of collars 534 
extend in spaced relationship about the periphery of the cylindrical 
roller 531 and are held in place by set screws 535 to serve as raised, 
spaced flanges that define a web guide channel therebetween. 
Referring to FIG. 12, the flanged guide roller 540 includes a generally 
cylindrically roller 541 that is bearing-mounted on a shoulder bolt 542 
for rotation relative thereto. The shoulder bolt 542 is threaded into a 
hole 543 that is formed through the main plate 250. A pair of collars 544 
extend in spaced relationship about the periphery of the cylindrical 
roller 541 and are held in place by set screws 545 to serve as raised, 
spaced flanges that define a web guide channel therebetween. 
Referring to FIGS. 8-10, the pinch roller assembly 560 includes a pinch 
roller 561 that is bearing mounted on a cap screw 562. The cap screw 562 
extends through aligned holes 563 that are formed in spaced parts of a 
yoke arm 564. The yoke arm 564 extends substantially horizontally from a 
right end region where the roller 561 is mounted, to a left end region 
that mounts an operator-engageable knob 565. A mid portion 566 of the yoke 
arm 564 extends between spaced projections 567 that are formed on an 
L-shaped bracket 568. A cap screw 569 is threaded through aligned holes 
(not shown) that are formed through the projections 567 and through the 
mid portion 566, and is threaded into a hole 547 that is formed in the 
main plate 250. A spring plunger assembly 548 ((i.e., a commercially 
available assembly that has a threaded outer housing portion 537 that is 
insertable into a threaded hole (not shown) that is formed through the 
left end region of the L-shaped bracket 568, and that carries a spring 
(not shown) for biasing a depending plunger 538 downwardly into engagement 
with the left end region of the yoke arm 564 to thereby bias the right end 
region of the yoke arm 564 upwardly)) is carried by the L-shaped bracket 
568 and tends to bias the roller 561 toward engagement with the capstan 
550 (see FIG. 1). 
Referring to FIG. 1, the guides 570, 580 are arranged in series and in-line 
one with another to align a substantial length of label-carrying web 
material 502 for feeding horizontally forwardly from the forwardmost one 
of the flanged guide rollers 530 to the dispensing station 900. The guide 
570 is several inches in length, has rounded end regions 572, underlies a 
significant portion of the travel path 500 that is followed by the web 
502, and is connected to the right side of the main plate 250 by fasteners 
574. The forwardmost one of the flanged guide rollers 530 directs the 
label-carrying web 502 straight along a top surface 576 of the guide 570 
(i.e., the top surface 576 of the guide 570 extends in a horizontal plane 
that substantially tangentially intercepts the bottom surface of the 
roller 531 of the forwardmost one of the flanged guide rollers 530). 
Whereas the guide 570 underlies the label-carrying web 502, the guide 580 
overlies the label-carrying web 502 by providing a downwardly facing, 
horizontally extending guide surface 582. While the guide 570 does little, 
if anything, to assist in maintaining the travel path 500 that is followed 
by the label-carrying web 502 parallel to the main plate 250, the guide 
580 has depending guide portions 584 that assist in assuring that, as the 
label-carrying web 502 enters the dispensing station 900, the travel path 
500 that is followed by the web 502 is desirably spaced from and extends 
parallel to the main plate 250. 
Positioned beneath the downwardly facing guide surface 582 relatively near 
to the rear end region thereof is a fluid operated cylinder assembly 700. 
The cylinder assembly 700 has a housing 701 that is secured by suitable 
fasteners (not shown) to the main plate 250, and has an upwardly 
extensible ram 702 (see FIG. 15) that carries a resilient "bumper" 710. 
Normally, the ram 702 is not extended and the resilient bumper 710 is 
positioned by the ram 702 at a distance spaced sufficiently below the 
guide surface 582 so that the bumper 710 makes no contact with the 
label-carrying web 502 that is being fed to the dispensing station 900. 
However, when the cylinder assembly 700 is operated to extend the ram 702, 
the label-carrying web 502 is firmly clamped between the guide surface 582 
and the resilient bumper 710. 
Referring to FIGS. 13-18, the guide 580 is connected by fasteners 586 to 
the main plate 250, and has its blunt-nosed forward end 912 positioned 
substantially centrally within what is referred to as the "dispensing 
station 900." Referring to FIG. 13, the process of dispensing a label 504 
at the dispensing station 900 typically begins with a tiny leading edge 
portion 504L of an about-to-be-dispensed label 504 already having been 
slightly separated from the reversely turned web 502 that is reeved around 
the blunt end region 912 of the guide 580. 
In preferred practice, each "dispensing operation" (i.e., each new 
encounter of a label 504 with the application roller 400) is begun by 
bringing the leading edge 504L of each new label 504 to a predetermined, 
precisely detected position. For this purpose, a viewing window 820 (i.e., 
the end of a fiber optic cable 822 that connects with an optical detection 
system, as will be explained later herein) is positioned above and 
slightly forwardly with respect to the blunt-nosed end formation 912 about 
which the carrier web is reversely turned in order to effect "peeling" of 
the labels 504 from the web 502. The downwardly facing window 820 is 
centered over the application roller 400 and "looks" for the contrast that 
is provided by the leading edge of a typically white label 504 which is 
moving along the typically black background of the circumferentially 
extending surface 432 of the application roller 400. 
By starting each dispensing operation with a label 504 positioned precisely 
at the same "known" location, one knows precisely how much rotation of the 
application roller 400 is required to move to a position where full 
separation of the label 504 from the web 502 and from a next-to-be-fed 
label will take place. Likewise, by knowing the position of the leading 
edge of a label 504 that is engaged by the label-receiving surface 430, 
and by knowing the length of the label 504, the extent to which the 
application roller 400 must rotate clockwise before a next-to-be-dispensed 
label will have its leading edge positioned adjacent the blunt-nosed 
formation 912 is automatically determined so that it is known precisely 
when to terminate the feeding of the web 502 and when to clamp the 
label-carrying web 502 between the bumper 710 and the guide surface 582 
(i.e., it is known quite precisely when label "separation" from the 
carrier web 502 and from a next-to-be-dispensed label will be effected). 
Just as the proper positioning of a leading edge 504L of a 
next-to-be-dispensed label 504 is a "prerequisite" to dispensing of the 
label 504, so is the proper positioning of the label-receiving surface 430 
of the application roller 400. To assure that proper positioning of the 
application roller 400 is achieved, one or both of the proximity sensors 
950, 952 are utilized to sense the position of leading edge portions 450L, 
452L of the trigger members 450, 452; and, once the application roller 400 
has been rotated to properly position the label receiving surface 430 (as 
is depicted in FIG. 13), one or both of the sensors 950, 952 provides a 
signal of readiness for label dispensing to proceed. 
As a dispensing operation is begun, a jet of air (indicated by the numeral 
800 in FIG. 13) is discharged from a nozzle 802 that is located above the 
blunt-nosed formation 912; and, the capstan 590 begins to rotate in a 
counterclockwise direction (indicated by the arrows 808) to rotate the 
application roller 400 in a clockwise direction (indicated by an arrow 
810) to move the label-receiving surface 430 into position directly under 
a label 504 that is being peeled from its backing web 502. 
Referring to FIG. 14, as dispensing of the label 504 proceeds, the effect 
of the jet of air 800 combined with the effect of ambient air being drawn 
through the holes 426 that are formed in the label-receiving surface 430 
conforms the label 504 to the curved shape of the label-receiving surface 
430; and, as the dispensing of the label 504 continues, the grip that is 
provided by air pressure differential forces acting on the label 504 is 
adequately secure to enable continued clockwise rotation of the 
application roller 400 to pull the label 504 free from the web 502 and 
free from the next-to-be-dispensed label. 
Referring to FIG. 15, once "separation" of a newly dispensed label 504 has 
been achieved (at which moment the label-receiving surface 430 of the 
application roller 400 is oriented at about the one o'clock position that 
is shown in FIG. 15), smooth, continued operation of the capstan 590 is 
maintained until, as is shown in FIG. 16, the label is at about a five 
o'clock position. 
Referring to FIG. 17, when the carriage 300 is translated to move the 
application roller 400 out of the dispensing station 900 and into the 
application station 1000, the label 504 that is carried by the application 
roller 400 preferably is at about a five o'clock position so that even its 
trailing edge is assured of not touching the rotating bead surface 50 that 
is drivingly engaged by the application roller 400 when it enters the 
application station 1000. By so positioning the label 504, the application 
roller 400 has at least about 3/4 of a revolution during which to "get up 
to speed" with the velocity of the bead surface 50 so that, when the label 
504 initially is affixed to the bead surface 50 by the action of the 
relatively hard application roller 400 pressing the label 504 against a 
portion of the curved bead surface 50, it will be assured that the speed 
at which the label 504 is moving substantially matches the speed of the 
bead surface 50. 
Referring to FIG. 18, once the label 504 has been preliminarily affixed to 
the bead surface 50 by the application roller 400, it travels with the 
bead surface 50 and quickly is engaged by the resilient roller 470. In 
preferred practice, the position of the resilient roller 470 relative to 
the structure of the carriage 300 that mounts the roller 470 is adjusted 
to enable the peripheral surface 472 of the roller 470 to "deform" 
adequately to assure that, when the roller 470 travels across the label 
504, the roller will securely press the label 504 into conforming 
engagement with the curved bead surface 50. 
Another leftwardly projecting main-plate-mounted operating component is a 
drive motor 610. The motor 610 has an output shaft (not shown) that 
extends through a hole (not shown) that is formed through the main plate 
250 for connection with a right-side-mounted gear reducer unit that is 
indicated in FIG. 2 by the numeral 612. 
Referring to FIG. 2, many of the operating components that are positioned 
on the right side of the upstanding main plate 250 cooperate to suitably 
drive operating components that are positioned on the left side of the 
upstanding main plate 250. For example, a number of the right-side 
operating components carry roller chain sprockets that are drivingly 
interconnected by a roller chain 602 that moves along a path of travel 
that is indicated generally by arrows 600. The sprockets 650 and 690 are 
connected by the clutches 652, 692 for selectively transferring rotary 
motion to the spindles 651, 691 that drivingly connect with the first and 
second capstans 550, 590, respectively. Similarly, the sprocket 620 
connects with the slip clutch 622 that transfers rotary motion to the 
spindle 621 to rotate the collection reel 520. 
The sprocket 614 connects with an output shaft 616 of the gear reducer unit 
612 to effect movement of the chain 602 along the travel path 600 when the 
motor 610 is operated. A main-plate-mounted tensioner assembly 630 carries 
a sprocket 632 that engages the roller chain 602 to maintain proper chain 
tension. 
Another right-side main-plate-mounted component is an optical detector unit 
850 that is capable of "viewing" through a "window" that is located 
remotely, namely a window that is defined by a fiber optic cable connects 
with the unit 850. A Y-type cable 852 extends from "input" and "output" 
ports 854, 856 of the unit 850 to permit the unit 850 to output light from 
a light emitting diode (not shown) through the fiber optic cable 852 to 
illuminate the remote viewing area, and to input information regarding 
changes that are noted in monitoring the remote viewing area. The unit 850 
and its cable 852 are commercially available from a variety of sources. 
The remote viewing area monitored by the unit 850 is defined by the 
aforedescribed fiber optic cable end 820 that is positioned atop the label 
dispensing station 900. 
Still another right-side-mounted component is a guard 880 that extends 
about (so as to protectively enclose) the right-side drive system 
components, including the roller chain 602 and the various sprockets 614, 
620, 632, 650 and 690 that are drivingly connected by the roller chain 
602). Brackets 882 and associated fasteners 884 are used to mount the 
guard 880 on the right side of the main plate 250. 
At a number of locations on the tire labeling apparatus, what are commonly 
referred to as "proximity sensors" are used to detect the presence or 
absence from particular locations of relatively movable components. 
Referring to FIG. 4, for example, left and right proximity sensors 950, 
952 that are positioned to relatively closely overlie the left and right 
trigger members 450, 452 that are carried by left and right side portions 
of the application roller 400. By adjusting the positions of the trigger 
members 450, 452 so that passage by the sensors 950, 952 of the leading 
and/or trailing edges of the trigger members will cause the generation of 
signals, the capstan 590 can be switched into and out of operation to 
adjust the rotary position of the application roller 400. 
While label "decoders" (e.g., bar code detector and reader units) of the 
type indicated generally by the numeral 490 are available from a variety 
of sources, a rapidly operating unit that has been found to exhibit 
reliable operation is sold by Skan-A-Matic Corp. of Elbridge, N.Y. 13060 
under the model designations S-25 (for a fixed beam scanner) and D-2 (for 
a bar code reader). 
Operation of the tire labeling apparatus 100 preferably is carried out in 
accordance with the relatively lengthy operational summary that is 
provided earlier herein, namely toward the close of the section that 
summarizes features of the preferred practice of the invention. However, 
as those who are skilled in the art readily will understand, the present 
invention provides a plurality of combinations of features that are 
believed to be patentable, as is evidenced by the claims that follow. 
Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of 
particularity, it will be understood that the present disclosure of the 
preferred embodiment has been made only by way of example, and that 
numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and 
arrangement of elements can be resorted to without departing from the true 
spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. It is intended 
that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended 
claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention 
disclosed.