Abstract:
An improved labeler includes a label base and a label cassette with the footprints of the labeler base housing and the label cassette frame being substantially the same size. An electronically-controlled drive mechanism is contained drive mechanism is contained within the labeler base housing and is operated intermittently to synchronously drive a mechanism for feeding labels to be picked up by a bellows wheel, and the bellows wheel.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/546,128, filed Apr. 10, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,916, which in turn is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/141,528, filed Aug. 27, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,755, which, in turn, is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/863,036 filed May 23, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,351 the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to labelers generally, and more particularly, to labelers for the application of vinyl labels to fruit and vegetables. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Labels are applied to fruit and vegetables in packing houses, where the speed at which the labels are applied, the accuracy of the label application, and the space required by the labeler, i.e. the labeler footprint, are important. Speed is important because the fruit must be packed and shipped quickly so that the shelf life in stores will be as long as possible and the speed of the labeler is the limiting constraint. This constraint of labeler speed also results in inefficient use of other equipment and personnel in the packing house, thus increasing the overall cost of operation. Accuracy, i.e. the successful application of the proper label to the fruit, is important because packing house profitability is adversely affected when a label that would have permitted a higher selling price is not applied to fruit otherwise capable of commanding such higher price. Space is important because of the physical configuration of any given packing house. The fruit is transported in a series of lanes, each lane conveying fruit on a plurality of cradles connected to an endless belt, each cradle supporting and locating an individual fruit. The fruit in each lane is sized by conventional sizing means and subsequently conveyed past a plurality of labelers arranged in series or banks, each of the labelers in the series of labelers being loaded with a different label, i.e. a label imprinted with indicia to identify the size of the fruit. The physical arrangement of the packing house often limits, without major reconstruction of the building, the number of banks of labelers it is possible to install. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses these important considerations, and provides a labeler which is compact, permitting the installation of three banks of labelers in the space normally required by only two banks of prior art labelers, which can be operated at higher speeds, which can apply labels with greater accuracy than prior art labelers even at higher speeds, which requires fewer parts, and which is relatively simple to manufacture and maintain. These and other attributes of the present invention, and many of the attendant advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent from a perusal of the following description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a labeler, with the label cassette installed, according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view, taken on line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partly in section with parts broken away and eliminated, of the drive train for the labeler of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view, partly in section, of the labeler shown in FIG. 1 with the label cassette removed; 
     FIG. 5 is an elevational end view of the labeler shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a portion of the labeler shown in FIG. 1 showing the bellows wheel; 
     FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the label cassette for the labeler of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the label cassette shown in FIG. 7; and 
     FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken on line  9 — 9  of FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a labeler, indicated generally at  10 , having a labeler base  11  with a label cassette  12  in engagement therewith, supported over a conveyor  14  having conventional cradles for holding and positioning individual fruit  16 . The means of such support is through attachment to a vacuum tube  18  by bolts  20  as can be seen in FIG.  3 . As best seen from FIGS. 4 and 6, a bellows wheel  22  includes a tubular portion  24  which is rotatable on and sealingly engageable on its ends with the vacuum tube  18 . Eight cylindrical projections  26  are provided around the periphery of the tubular member  24  and are positioned with their centers spaced 45 degrees from each other. Each of the cylindrical projections  26  is provided with slot  28  to permit communication with the tube  18 , which tube is provided with a plurality of equally spaced radial holes  30  and is connected with a vacuum source. For ease of manufacture, the vacuum tube  18  is composed of multiple sections joined together and suspended from a pressure tube  32  extending along the interior of the vacuum tube  18 . The suspension is by means of bolts  33  extending though the vacuum tube  18  and engaging tapped holes in the pressure tube  32 , with spacers  35  maintaining the proper distance between the two tubes  18  and  32 . The pressure tube  32  is connected to a source of air pressure, which may be a conventional blower. For convenience and economy, the source of vacuum for the tube  18  may be the inlet side of the blower supplying air pressure to the tube  32 . A cross tube  34  is connected, and communicates air pressure, between the pressure tube  32  and a slot  36  in the vacuum tube  18  at the six o&#39;clock position. The width of the slots  28  in the projections is wider than the space between the holes  30  so that vacuum is always available to each projection  26 , except when the projection is at the six o&#39;clock position. As the slot  28  for each projection  26  rotationally approaches that position, vacuum access is interrupted and communication with the pressure slot  36  is initiated. Similarly, as each projection rotationally leaves the 6 o&#39;clock position, pressure is cut-off just before access to vacuum is permitted. The purpose of this arrangement for vacuum and pressure is to control the timing for extension and retraction of a flexible bellows  38  provided for each of the projections  26 . 
     Each of the bellows  38  is retained by a outward projecting flange  40  on a relatively rigid cup  42  having a slotted end for insertion into a cylindrical projection  26 . A lip formed on the slotted end snaps into an internal groove in the projection  26  to releaseably retain the cup  42  in place. Holes in the outer end of the cup  42  communicate pressure or vacuum in the projection  26  to the associated bellows  38 . Holes in the end of the bellows are covered by a flexible flap to permit air flow into the bellows when vacuum is present in the projection  26  and to seal the bellows holes when air pressure is present. The cup  42  also functions to limit the amount of collapse for the associated bellows when subjected to vacuum. Thus, the bellows  38  are contracted throughout the rotation of the tubular member  24  except when in proximity to the six o&#39;clock position. It is in that position that each of the bellows is extended toward the fruit to effect the application of a label thereto. 
     The bellows wheel  22  is intermittently rotated by a gear  48  formed on one end of the tubular member  24 , which gear meshes with a bellows drive gear  50 . The labeler base  11  includes a drive assembly, indicated generally at  52 , within a housing  54 . A stepper motor  56  is mounted within the housing  54  and has an output shaft  58  with a drive gear  60  attached thereto, which gear  60  meshes with the bellows drive gear  50 . A second drive gear  62  is also attached to the output shaft  58  and meshes with an idler gear  64  rotatably mounted in the housing  54 . An idler sprocket  66  is attached to the idler gear  64  and meshes with a cassette drive sprocket  68 . The sprocket  68  is rotatably mounted in the housing  54  with its teeth projecting through and above a protective cover secured to the top of the housing to engage the sprocket  70  carried by the cassette  12 . In order to accommodate labels of different sizes, the sprocket  66  is removably secured to the gear  64  by bolts  72  so that a sprocket with the number of teeth necessary to advance the label carrier the proper distance may be installed. 
     The stepper motor  56  is mounted in the housing so that its output shaft  58  is between the rotational mountings of the bellows drive gear  50  and the idler gear  64  and idler sprocket  66 , and the rotational mounting of the cassette sprocket is above and between the output shaft and the rotational mountings of the idler gear  64  and idler sprocket  66 . This arrangement produces a compact footprint for the labeler  10 , with the footprints of the labeler base housing  54  and the cassette  12  being substantially the same. 
     As shown in FIGS.  1  and  7 - 9 , the cassette  12  has a frame  80  with a shaft  82  rotatably mounted therein. The cassette sprocket  70  is affixed to the shaft  82  as is a hub  84  which is centered on the frame. The hub  84  has a depressed center section with sinusoidal side walls  86  projecting toward and away from each other. The edges of the carrier  88  are formed with a shape complementary to and engageable with the sinusoidal side walls  86 . The carrier  88  is wound on a shaft  90  which is rotatably supported on handles  92  formed on and extending upward from the frame  80 . The carrier  88  is trained around a guide pulley  94  rotatably carried on a tension arm  96  which is loosely carried by the shaft  82 . A second roller  98  rotatably carried by the arm  96  assures the carrier  88  engages the side walls  86 . A stepped shaft  100  extends across and is non-rotationally secured to the frame  80 . A full diameter section  102  of the shaft  100  is engageable by the guide roller  94  to assure the carrier remains within the side walls thereof. The full diameter section  102  also limits the downward travel of the guide roller  94 , which is biased downward by gravity, to trap the carrier  88  therebetween and arrest the carrier&#39;s momentum and to maintain tension therein. 
     A plate  104  having a V-shaped notch  106  is attached to the frame  80  to split the carrier  88 , which is weakened along its centerline for that purpose, and to separate the labels from the carrier as the carrier passes over the notch  106 . Each half of the separated carrier passes underneath the plate  104  and around guide rollers  108  rotatably mounted by shaft  109  on the frame  80 . Each half passes between the rollers  108  and pin wheels  110 , passing over the top of the pin wheels  110 , which are rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in FIG.  7 . The pin wheels  110  are provided with protruding sharp pins  111  which penetrate the associated half of the carrier, the penetration being aided by a groove  113  in the guide rollers  108 . Each of the pin wheels  110  is mounted by conventional roller clutches  112  on the shaft  82 . The clutches  112  permit the pin wheels to free-wheel in a counter-clock wise direction as viewed in FIG. 7, which is the direction the shaft  82  rotates when it is being driven, but do not permit rotation of the pin wheels in a clockwise direction so that tension is maintained on each half of the carrier  88  without causing separation thereof. A wedge  115  secured to the inside of each side of the frame  80  separates the halves of the carrier  88  from the pins  111  on the associated pin wheel  110 . 
     A bar  114  spans one end of the frame  80  and is engageable with a hook  116  formed in the bracket  118 . (See FIG. 3) The bracket  118  is secured to the housing  54  of the drive assembly  52 . The bar  114  has enlarged diameter ends, the transitions to which tends to center the bar  114  on the bracket  118  and the drive assembly  52  as the bar  114  is positioned under the hook  116 , as do the guides  120  formed on the top cover for the frame  54 . A spring-loaded detent  119  is mounted on each side of the cassette frame  80  and engages a recess on the frame  54  to releaseably retain the cassette in place on the drive assembly. (See FIGS. 6 &amp; 8) The cassettes are interchangeable so that one cassette can be loaded off-line with a reel of a carrier bearing labels while another cassette is operatively engaged with the labeler  10  to apply labels to the fruit. 
     The stepper motor  56  is activated or energized for rotation of its output shaft  58  by a fruit sensing switch  150  positioned beside the conveyor  14  to detect the approach of a fruit in a cradle on the conveyor. Once energized, the stepper motor  56  accelerates from standstill to a rotational speed which causes the velocity of the end of the bellows  38  to match that of the conveyor  14 , which may be determined by counting the rotations of an idler sprocket (not shown) engaging the conveyor, and then decelerates to standstill. The acceleration or ramp-up of the motor  56  from standstill, which is initiated by closing of sensing switch  150 , is a function of the speed of the conveyor  14 , the distance between the cradles thereon carrying the fruit, and the maximum tensile force to which the carrier  88  may be subjected. A proximity switch  152  mounted on the housing  54  detects the head of a plurality of small metal screw  154  secured to the bellows wheel  22 , with each screw  154  being positioned adjacent one of the projections  26 . The deceleration or ramp-down is initiated by the proximity switch  152  closing upon the approach of the next head of screw  154  and is a mirror image of the acceleration. 
     Activation of the motor  56  causes the gears  60  and  62  to be rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3, which results in both the bellows wheel  22  and the cassette drive sprocket  68  being driven in the same direction. Because there is a direct connection between the drive of both the bellows wheel and the cassette, a full bellows cycle, i.e. the full 45 degrees between individual bellows, is available to effect the transfer of a label from the carrier to the end of an individual bellows. As a consequence, lower velocities of tape speeds are required and the transfer of labels to the ends of the individual bellows is more reliable, with fewer labels missing and with greater accuracy of placement. Additionally, the labeler is capable of higher speeds, because each individual bellows need move through an arc of only 45 degrees, rather than 60 degrees as required by the prior art. 
     While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.