Patent GB-284117-A (GB)
Title: Can labelling machine
IPC: B65C3/12
Filed: 1927-05-02
Abstract: 284,117. Wild, C. H. May 2, 1927. Labelling.-In order to facilitate the labelling of cans of different diameters, a labelling machine of the type in which cans, spotted with adhesive and rolled through the machine by feed belts, pick up labels from a stack to wrap them round the cans, is provided with a single control for the adjustment of the feed belt and the feed-belt pulleys at opposite ends of the machine, vertically, and the lap-end pasting mechanism and the can-spotting mechanism, longitudinally, of the machine. The height of the label feed table is controlled by the position of a label curler which rests on the end of the top label in the stack, a continuously oscillated pawl being effective to raise the table to maintain the level of the stack. In order to position irregularly cut, printed labels on the cans, the label guides are adjustable relatively to each other, and the angle of the guides may be changed to suit the printing without changing their relative positions. The level of the adhesive in the reservoir is controlled and a reserve maintained, by a bath at the side of the machine having its top edges below the level of the paste roller shaft. Figs. 1 and 2 are elevations of the discharge, and feed ends, respectively, of the machine. The cans roll along ways between frames 1, being propelled by contact with feed belts 6 which run over pulleys 7, 8 carried by brackets 9, 10, respectively, adjustably secured to the frames 1. Each bracket 9, 10 is formed with a slide 15 carrying pulley shafts 17, 17<1>, and a rack 18 on each slide engages a pinion 19 on a transverse shaft 20, 20'. The shafts 20, 20' are operatively connected by short chains 24 and crossed tension rods 25, 26. A paste-pot and a lap-pasting belt 29 are mounted to slide longitudinally of the machine on carriers 30, 31, the pulley 38 which drives the belt 29 being keyed to slide on a horizontal shaft 39. The hub of the pulley 38 is hooked to an upright on the carrier 31, and the shaft 39 is driven by gearing from a belt-driven pulley 58. A rack 47 on the carrier is engaged by a gear 48 on the shaft 20 which is rotatable by a hand-wheel (not shown). The rack 47 is adjustable on the carrier by a feed screw 80. An adhesive reservoir 65 is slidably mounted on the frames 1, and carries an adjustable rack 67 which is engaged by a gear 68 on the shaft 20<1>. The paste-spotting rollers, in the reservoir 65, are belt-driven from a pulley 71, the tension of the belt being maintained, in the various positions of the apparatus, by idlers 74 mounted on a spring-controlled swinging arm 75. Fig. 5 is a side view of the label feeding mechanism. The label table is intermittently raised by a rack 87, on a sliding upright 86, which engages a pinion 88 on a shaft 89 carrying a ratchet wheel 90 engaged by pawls 91, 92. The pawl 91 normally locks the wheel 90 against backward rotation. and the pawl 92 oscillates on an arm 95 pivoted to swing about the shaft 89, and is rocked by an eccentric pin and roller. An arm 105 holds the pawl 92 normally out of engagement with the wheel 90, and an offset 109 on the arm 105 engages the tail 110 of the pawl 91 to disengage it from the wheel 90 when the arm 105 is swung over by hand, to permit lowering of the label table for re-charging. The tail of the pawl 92 is in continuous engagement with the arm 105 which is positioned from the curler bar through an arm 115 slotted in a radial arm of a shaft 119. The curler bar is formed with a pivoted depending arm connected to the shaft 119. In operation, the pawl 92, continuously oscillated, is swung, when the level of the label stack is lowered, by the curler bar and the arm 105 until the point of the pawl 92 enters the wheel 90 to feed the lable table upwards. In order to prevent feeding by the pawl 92 when the table is lowered for re-charging a dog 142 is adapted to engage a trigger 145 to hold the arm 105 in a position disengaging the pawl 92. An alarm to warn the operator that the label stack is nearly exhausted comprises an L-shaped dog 150 which engages a spring trigger 153 to actuate a clapper 156 and gong 157. The label curler may be formed with four, six, or eight gripping edges by grooving the face of a cylindrical bar. Fig. 18 shows the means for adjusting the label guides 162, 162'. The guides 162, 162<1> are mounted on supports 206, 207 having end lugs 208 apertured to form sockets 209 which receive cylindrical nuts 210 engaged by transverse adjusting screws 218, 225. The screws 218 engage the nuts 210 on one side of the machine, and are hollowed for the passage of the screws 225 which have an enlarged thread portion 229 to engage the remaining nuts 210. The screws 218, 225 are formed with knurled heads 219, 231, respectively, and may be looked together by sliding the head 231 along the shaft until a pin 233 on the head 231 enters a hole in the head 219. To move either end of either guide independently of the other guide, the head 231 is drawn back to the position shown in Fig. 18. When the heads 219, 231 are locked together, the label guides 162, 162<1> are moved, as to the end of the guides engaged by the screws, laterally of the machine without changing their relation to each other.