Abstract:
Apparatus for orienting containers which have at least one ear on a side of the container is disclosed. Such apparatus is especially suited for use in combination with labeling equipment for applying a label to the oriented container so that at least one opening in a label registers with the at least one ear on the container. The apparatus comprises a star wheel with pockets which permit relatively free rotation of containers positioned within the pockets, an ear bump associated with each pocket in the star wheel and a releasable container hold down to prevent containers in the star wheel pockets from tilting while they are being oriented.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to the field of apparatus for orienting containers, especially prior to the application of labels to the containers. More specifically, the invention relates to an in-line apparatus for rotating a container and for stopping the container from rotating when an ear or other protrusion on the can reaches a specific, pre-selected angular orientation. This apparatus is especially useful in connection with labeling equipment for such containers where it is desired to orient the container relative to a label so that the ear or other protrusion registers with a corresponding opening in the label.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     The art of labeling equipment is highly developed and the patent literature includes many patents directed to virtually every facet of labeling apparatus and methods. In a patent search directed to the present invention, the following US patents were identified: U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,578 (Heisler &#39;578); U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,394 (Heisler &#39;394); U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,522 (Heisler &#39;522); U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,601 (Heisler &#39;601); U.S. Pat. No. 3,209,512 (Ferguson); U.S. Pat. No. 3,289,810 (Iannucci) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,912 (Anderson).  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention is concerned with apparatus for orienting containers which have at least one ear on a side of the container. In particular, the invention is concerned with such apparatus preferably in combination with labeling equipment for applying a label to the oriented container so that an opening in a label registers with the at least one ear on the container.  
         [0006]     Apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a star wheel with pockets which permit relatively free rotation of containers positioned within the pockets, an ear bump associated with each pocket in the star wheel and a releasable container hold down to prevent containers in the star wheel pockets from tilting while they are being oriented. The apparatus can further comprise a labeling station for applying labels to the containers when they have been oriented so that at least one opening in the label registers with the at least one ear on each container.  
         [0007]     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is capable of consistently orienting containers relative to at least one ear on each container, prior to the application thereto of a label.  
         [0008]     It is a further object of the invention to provide such an apparatus which can be incorporated into existing labeling stations with a minimum amount of disruption to the components of the labeler.  
         [0009]     It is yet another object of the invention to provide such an apparatus which is especially suited to containers with a pair of ears for supporting a bail handle, for example.  
         [0010]     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after having read this detailed description of the invention including the following description of the preferred embodiment which is illustrated by the various drawing figures. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a top view of container orienting and labeling apparatus according to the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a partial cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 , taken along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a view of the star wheel portion of the station showing portions of container retainer devices. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0014]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a container orienting label applicator station is indicated generally at  10 . Labels  12  from a roll (not shown) are supplied to a label cutter station, indicated generally at  14 , after passing through label guide rollers  16 . Cut labels  18  are transferred from a rotary cutter  20  in the cutter station  14  to a vacuum label drum  22 . Adhesive is applied to each label  18  by a glue roller  23 . Containers C are advanced, from left to right in  FIG. 1 , on a conveyor belt  24  or some other conveyance. First, individual containers C enter successive pockets  25  defined by an upper star wheel  26  and a lower star wheel  28  ( FIG. 2 ) which are rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow on the star wheel  26  ( FIG. 1 ). As each container C exits one of the pockets  25  of the star wheels  26  and  28 , it passes between the vacuum label drum  22  and a roll-on pad  30  where an individual label  18  is transferred from the label drum  22  to the container C. The labeled containers C then exit the label applicator station  10 . This much of the label applicator station  10  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is largely conventional and will not be described further, except in the context of the container orienting features of the present invention.  
         [0015]     The label applicator station  10  includes apparatus for orienting containers C. The containers C, as shown in the drawing, each have a pair of opposed ears E which may support a wire bail (not shown) in a known manner, as is the case with a conventional container known in some circles as a paint can. These containers typically have a one gallon capacity. The ears E on these containers C present some interesting challenges when it comes to applying a label to the containers. As is explained below, the present invention includes apparatus that will rotate an eared container to a predetermined angular orientation and deliver it into the labeling section of a label machine so that a label can be applied to the eared container. In one embodiment, the labels and the vacuum drum on which they are supported have openings that register with the ears when the label is applied to the container.  
         [0016]     The container orienting apparatus includes a stop  32  associated with each pocket  25  and a roll pad  34  that cooperates with one of the pockets  25 . The roll pad  34  has a surface  36  that is grippy in the sense that it is resilient and has a relatively high coefficient of friction. The grippy surface  36  is positioned so that a side wall of a container C carried in the pocket  25  that is closest to the roll pad  34  engages the surface  36  and, when the star wheels  26  and  28  are rotating, this engagement between the container C and the stationary grippy surface  36  causes the container C to rotate in the pocket  25  until such rotation brings an ear E of the container C into contact with the stop  32 . At this point, the stop  32  resists further rotation of the container C to the extent that static friction between the side wall of the container C and the surface  36  is overcome and the container C stops rotating relative to the star wheel pocket  25  and begins rotating relative to the surface  36 . The container C is now oriented for delivery to and engagement by and between the vacuum label drum  22  and the roll-on pad  30  so that the ears E will register with corresponding recesses in the face of the vacuum label drum and with corresponding recesses in the cut labels  18  supported on the vacuum label drum  22 .  
         [0017]     When an ear E on a container C in a pocket  25  strikes the stop  32  and the container begins to slide along the grippy surface  36  of the roll pad  34 , the container will be subjected to a number of forces that will try to lift it out of and/or skew it within the pocket  25 . To prevent this, a container retainer  38  ( FIG. 2 ) is associated with each pocket  25 . The retainer  38 , preferably, is supported for reciprocating movement between an extended position as shown in  FIG. 2  where it is operable to hold a container C against the conveyor  24  and a retracted position (not shown) in which it is inoperable to hold the container C against the conveyor  24 . Each of the retainers  38  is preferably supported for reciprocating movement with a piston rod of a compressed air piston assembly associated with each pocket  25 . An air switch operated, for example, by cam can be used to move the retainer  38  to the extended position and back again, in a desired timed sequence. It is preferred that the retainer  38  for a given pocket be extended into a first position just as, or immediately after, a container C enters the given pocket. It is also preferred that the retainer  38  remain in that position until and after the time that an ear E on the container C engages the stop  32  and until the container C moves past the grippy surface  36  of the roll pad  34  to a slippy surface  40  ( FIG. 1 ) of the roll pad  34 . At this instant, the retainer  38  is retracted and the container slides along the slippy surface  40 , with an ear E abutted against the stop  32  until the container passes the slippy surface  40  and the container C is delivered to and engaged by and between the vacuum label drum  22  and the roll-on pad  30  so that the ears E will register with corresponding recesses  42  in the face of the vacuum label drum  22  and with corresponding recesses (not shown) in the cut labels  18  supported on the vacuum label drum  22 .  
         [0018]     It will be appreciated that the star wheels  26  and  28  are synchronized with the other components of the container orienting label applicator station  10  and, specifically, with the vacuum drum  22  and the label cutter  14 . As a consequence, the leading edge of each pre-cut label  18  is applied to each container C at the same angular position relative to the star wheels  26  and  28  and to one of the ears E on the container C. The container orienting apparatus described above is operable to rotate each container C to position the ear E at a predetermined angular orientation relative to the star wheel pockets  25  and to maintain that orientation while the container C is delivered to the vacuum label drum  22 .  
         [0019]     During set-up of the apparatus  40 , it may be determined that the containers C are being consistently rotated to the same angular orientation which is not the predetermined or desired angular orientation. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the stop  32  is mounted for sliding movement in a slot indicated at  44  in  FIG. 3 . A fastener  46  is operable to lock the stop  32  into a desired location along the slot  44  and, by varying the position of the stop  32 , one can fine tune the angular orientation of the ear E elative to one of the star wheel pockets  25 .  
         [0020]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , some details of the actuator for the container retainer  38  are shown. A linear actuator  48  (one for each star wheel pocket  25 ) is mounted on top of a lower, outer, actuator support ring  50  which is partially broken away. The container retainers  38  are mounted below the support ring  50 , between it and the upper star wheel  26 . Good results have been achieved with a linear actuator  48  that is retracted or extended under the influence of compressed air delivered through a hose  52  or a hose  54 , respectively. Compressed air is selectively delivered to the actuator  48  through hose  52  or hose  54 , according to the condition of an air valve  56  which is mounted on an inner, upper support ring  58 . The support rings  50  and  58  are mounted together with the star wheels  26  and  28  for rotation together therewith about the central axis of the star wheels  26  and  28  and the support rings  50  and  58 . The air valve  56  receives compressed air through a hose  62  which gets compressed air from a central post (not shown) through a rotating connector (not shown) and, when the valve  56  is in a first condition, it delivers compressed air through hose  52 , causing the actuator  48  and the container retainer  38  to retract away from a container C in the corresponding pocket  25  of the star wheels  26  and  28 . When the valve  56  is in a second condition, it delivers compressed air through hose  54 , causing the actuator  48  and the container retainer  38  to extend towards a container C in the corresponding pocket  25  of the star wheels  26  and  28 , to retain the container C in the star wheel pocket  25  and on the conveyor  24 .  
         [0021]     The condition of the valve  56  is determined by the angular position of the support ring  58  relative to a fixed cam plate  60  that is supported on a center cam support  62 . A cam follower  64  is supported on a valve lever  66  which is pivotally mounted, as at  68 , for movement between a first position, shown in  FIG. 3 , where it causes the valve  56  to deliver compressed air through the hose  52  to retract the associated container retainer  38  and a second position (not shown) in which the valve lever  66  has rotated counter clockwise about the pivot mount  68  from the position shown in  FIG. 3  to a second position (not shown) in which it has depressed valve button  70 . With the valve button  70  depressed, the valve  56  will direct compressed air to hose  54  causing the associated container retainer  38  to extend to a position where it will be operable to hold the associated container against the conveyor  24  and keep it in the pocket  25  of the star wheels  26  and  28 . The cam follower  64  cooperates with the cam plate  60  and, specifically, a cam bump  72 , to move the valve lever  66  from the first position to the second position. A spring (not shown) associated with the valve button  70  returns the valve lever  66  to the first position when the cam follower  64  clears the cam bump  72  as the support ring  58  rotates around the fixed, non-rotating cam plate  60 .  
         [0022]     Although the present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments, it is anticipated that alterations and modifications thereof will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as covering all such alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.