Patent Publication Number: US-2005139323-A1

Title: Linerless label application assembly

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/745,157 filed Dec. 23, 2003 entitled “LINERLESS LABEL APPLICATION ASSEMBLY,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/461,992 filed Apr. 11, 2003 entitled “LINERLESS LABEL APPLICATION ASSEMBLY,” the disclosures of which are entirely incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present subject matter relates generally to a linerless label application assembly and a method of applying linerless labels to objects. More specifically, the subject matter relates to mail processing systems having a high speed, linerless label applicator for applying permanent and repositionable adhesive labels to objects such as newspapers, letters, flat mail pieces, parcels and other package mail.  
     BACKGROUND  
      Machines or devices are generally known to cut a label from a continuous roll of label material and to apply the cut label to an object. There are known devices that apply labels from lined label material and other known devices that apply labels utilizing linerless label material. Examples of both types of machines or devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,503,702, 5,922,169 and 5,783,032, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.  
      Known devices are designed for use with labels that are carried on a substrate, liner or other backing material. These lined labels have a removable adhesive applied to one side of the label. Lined labels must be “converted” before the labels may be used in the known devices. Converting includes combining the label material with a liner material, die cutting the labels from the blank label material and removing the excess label material from the liner material.  
      The “converting” steps may be eliminated by using linerless labels, i.e., labels that are not carried on a substrate. Eliminating the conversion steps reduces the cost of the labels by reducing the number of production steps involved in creating the labels, as well as reducing the waste material created by the labels through the elimination of the die cut waste and unnecessary liner material.  
      Known devices that apply linerless labels to objects are relatively slow and can only apply one size label. Therefore, the applications with which such machines are more limited than linerless label machines. For example, the maximum cycle rate of known devices that apply linerless labels to objects is limited by the vacuum paddle actuation and return time. Successive cycles can not begin until the previous cycle is completed and the paddle returns to the rest position. A need exists, therefore, for a device that can apply labels at high speeds. For example, a need exists for a system that can apply labels that contain either permanent adhesive or repositionable adhesive. Repositionable adhesive has the properties that enable the label to adhere to a document for a period of time, such as 10 days, and still be removed without damaging the document or label. Labels with repositionable adhesive can contain information such as advertisement or coupons, and can be removed from an object and placed onto another object for future use or reference. Additionally, there is a need to apply such labels to other objects, such as parcels, packages and newspapers.  
      In addition, it is desirable to custom print information on labels for specific individuals or groups that are to receive the labels. Thus when labels are placed on mail pieces, it is also desirable to create a label for a particular mail piece that is addressed to a specific individual. Customization of a label may also include customizing the size of the label that is created for a particular mail piece. The size may need to vary from label to label depending on the amount of information to be printed on a label.  
     SUMMARY  
      The present subject matter provides a linerless label application assembly. The assembly can create linerless labels from a continuous roll of material and apply the label to an object at high speeds. The assembly includes a label applicator with a cutting assembly having a moving blade and a fixed blade. The assembly can be incorporated into a mail processing system to provide high-speed, custom printed and sized labels that can be applied to various objects, such as mail pieces.  
      The present subject matter also provides a mail piece processing system including a label applicator for cutting a label from linerless label material and a controller. The label applicator includes a cutter assembly having a blade carrier, at least one registration pin on the blade carrier, a fixed blade mounted on the carrier via the registration pin, and a movable blade mounted to the blade carrier. The movable blade moves relative to the fixed blade to cut a label. A silicon based lubricate is automatically applied to the movable blade using a reservoir and wick assembly to prevent adhesive buildup on the blades and rollers. The controller is coupled to the label applicator and controls operation of the movable blade to cut a label.  
      Additional advantages and novel features of the examples will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The objects and advantages of the concepts may be realized and attained by means of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
      The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. FIGS.  1  thru  8  generally identify the labeler application system according to current teachings. FIGS.  9  thru  17  generally depict alternate examples to enable alternate application techniques and to incorporate label on demand printing.  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a linerless label application assembly according to the present teachings.  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the linerless label application assembly of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an unwind assembly according to the present teachings.  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a cutter assembly and applicator paddle of the label applicator according to the present teachings.  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a feed motor assembly with the label material vacuum guide assembly associated with the cutter assembly according to the present teachings.  
       FIG. 6  is another perspective view of the cutter assembly of  FIG. 4 , with the pneumatic control values and application paddle assembly removed.  
       FIG. 7  is another perspective view of the cutter assembly of  FIG. 6 , with the fixed blade also removed.  
       FIG. 8  is a top view of a locking mechanism according to the present teachings.  
       FIG. 9  is a side view of another cutter assembly according to the present teachings with a label direct application assembly added that can be used to apply repositionable labels to newspapers.  
       FIG. 10  is a front view of  FIG. 9  showing the direct application system.  
       FIG. 11  is a side view of the entire assembly used for direct repositionable label application to documents (newspapers) with integrated print on demand.  
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a cutter assembly with an integrated thermal printer.  
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of an alternate implementation of a cutter assembly with and integrated drop-on-demand printer (with print cartridges not shown). An alternate, independently controlled direct application assembly, is shown for applying print on demand address labels.  
       FIG. 14  is a schematic diagram of a system control for label application and print on demand that is incorporated into any of the alternate label application assemblies.  
       FIG. 15  is a back perspective view of a label application assembly, which can be used to apply repositionable notes onto a mail piece.  
       FIG. 16  is a front perspective view of the mail transport and label application assembly, which can be used to apply repositionable notes onto a mail piece.  
       FIG. 17  is a plan view of a cutter assembly and direct application assembly of the label application assembly shown in  FIGS. 15-16 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a label application assembly  10  has two pins  11  for holding a label roll  12 . The label application assembly  10  further includes an unwind assembly  14  and a label applicator  16 . The label application assembly  10  may be mounted on a frame  18  and may be used in a system for sorting and/or labeling objects, such as, for example, a system for addressing or sorting mail. The label application assembly  10  generally feeds linerless label material  20  from the label roll  12  to the label applicator  16 , wherein a on demand variable length of label material  20  is cut and applied to an object, such as, for example, an envelope or newspaper.  
      The label application assembly  10  may include a standard label roll  12  of label material  20  for forming adhesive labels. The standard label roll  12  may be up to 1,200 meters long and provide enough label material  20  to form approximately 100,000 ½-inch wide labels or about 16,000 3-inch wide labels. Examples of a standard label rolls  12  are manufactured or sold by Moore Label and Form under the trademark AdStix and by 3M Company under the trademark Post-it. Such label rolls  12  contain an acrylic adhesive on the back side of the label material  20 . The label material  20  may include a repositionable seven day removable adhesive or permanent adhesive for adhering to various material, such as, for example, polywrap, tyvek and porus materials. The label material  20  may additionally be opaque and ultraviolet light blocking. In addition, thermal sensitive repositionable label material maybe used when thermal printers are utilized. Alternatively, it is contemplated that the label application assembly  10  may incorporate or utilize other non-standard size label rolls  12 .  
      The unwind assembly  14  may be a conventional unwind assembly for unwinding the label material  20  from the label roll  12  such as ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,503,702, 5,922,169 and 5,783,032, each of which is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , an unwind motor  22  is provided to drive the unwind assembly  14  via a drive belt  24  and a first set of drive rolls  27  and  28 . The operation of the unwind motor  22  may be controlled by a controller (not shown) to advance the label material  20  from the label roll  12  at a predetermined rate. The unwind assembly  14  unwinds the label material  20  from the label roll  12 , feeds the label material  20  over an unwind roller  28 , through the bottom of the frame  18  and to the label applicator  16 . Preferably, the unwind assembly  14  unwinds a loop of label material  20  in excess of what is required to be fed directly to the label applicator  16 . As a result, a loop of excess label material  20  may be gathered between the unwind assembly  14  and the label applicator  16 . The loop of label material  20  allows the label applicator  16  to utilize label material  20  from the loop and not directly from the label roll  12 , eliminating the problems associated with controlling the inertia of the moving label roll  12 . A loop sensor  30  may be coupled to the controller to monitor the size of the loop of label material  20  and activate the motor  22  to unwind additional label material  20  when the loop becomes too small. The loop sensor  30  may be an infrared proximity sensor such as the sensor manufactured or sold by Banner Engineering, Corp. under the name T8 Diffuse-Mode Sensors.  
      The label application assembly  10  may include a printer for printing on the label material  20 . The printer may be integrated with the label application assembly  150  (as shown in  FIG. 12 ), using thermal printer  152  technology with a pressure roller  151  or drop-on-demand-printer  308  technology (as shown in  FIGS. 11, 13  and  FIG. 15 ). Additional printing technologies maybe utilized such as thermal transfer  152  ( FIG. 12 ). The integrated drop on-demand printer  308 ,  FIG. 13  uses the label application assembly  16  with a modified label transfer paddle  90  to affix the label to an intermediate belt  153  which may be a vacuum belt system. The intermediate belt  153  will transport the label in front of the drop on-demand printer  308  (print cartridges not shown) where the label will be printed. Following the printing operation, the label is transferred to the application belt  154  which will wipe the label on the item to be labeled. A variable velocity profile is used to drive the application belt  154  at a first velocity to transfer the label from belt  153 . The application belt  154  is next driven at a second higher velocity to match its speed with the velocity of the material to be labeled. Flexibility in the use of various printer solutions is possible due to the configuration of the label application assembly  10  where the transfer speed of the label material  20  is much slower than the speed of the item being labeled. This enables the use of thermal transfer and drop-on-demand printers to be operated at material transfer speeds consistent with their design limitations, while applying custom printed labels to material or documents moving at a much higher speed.  
      A remotely located printer may also be provided, as shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 . This configuration may be used when a significant amount of printing is required. In this configuration, synchronization tick marks can be printed on the label which can be identified by the control system  216  ( FIG. 14 ) so that the control system  216  can ensure that the correct label will be placed on the desired item. The printer may be a high-speed, on-demand printer such as the one manufactured or sold by Hewlett Packard under the trademark HP45 Drop On-Demand printer. The printer may be configured to print onto the label material  304  at speeds fast enough to enable the printer to be located between the unwind assembly  310  and the cutter assembly  44  ( FIG. 17 ) for printing onto the label material  304  as it is fed to the cutter assembly  44 . Alternatively, pre-printed labels may be used, limiting or eliminating the use of the printer.  
      As shown in  FIG. 4 , the label applicator  16  includes a pneumatic control assembly  80 , a feed motor assembly  42  (see  FIG. 5 ), and a cutter assembly  44  (see  FIGS. 6-7 ). The cutter assembly  44  has a guide plate  36  with a set of registration pins  31 ,  32 ,  33  and  34  thereon. The cutter assembly  44  also includes a first feed roller  38  and a second feed roller  39 . The first feed roller  38  and the second feed roller  39  are collectively referred to herein as the feed rollers  38  and  39 . The registration pins  31 ,  32 ,  33  and  34  assist in the alignment of the label material  20  along the guide plate  36 . As the label material  20  is fed to the label applicator  16  cutter assembly  44  from the label roll  12  by the unwind assembly  14  and feed motor assembly  42 , the label material  20  is positioned between the guide pins  31 ,  32 ,  33  and  34  along the guide plate  36 . The guide plate  36  shown in  FIG. 4  is a vented guide plate  36  with vent holes  37  and a fan  40  is provided for creating a light vacuum along the vents  37  of the guide plate  36 . The vacuum assists in positioning the label material  20  flat against the guide plate  36  as it is fed towards the feed rollers  38  and  39 .  
      The first feed roller  38  of the feed motor assembly  42  is driven by a feed motor  46  to advance the label material  20  towards the cutter assembly  44 . The label material  20  is advanced through the feed rollers  38  and  39  by the driven movement of the first feed roller  38 . The feed rollers  38  and  39  may be coated or treated with a material to prevent the label adhesive material  20  from sticking to the feed roller  38 . For example, the feed rollers  38  and  39  may be coated using the plasma coating process provided by Magneplate Company under the trademark Plazinadize 1401-04.  
       FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of the feed motor assembly  42  for use with the label applicator  16 . The feed motor assembly  42  shown in  FIG. 5  includes a feed motor  46 , a feed roller axle  50  and a feed motor drive belt  52 . The feed motor  46  shown in  FIG. 5  is a stepper motor and is controlled by a controller, which is an integral part of the feed motor  46 . The controller controls the speed and acceleration of the feed motor  46 , as well as the number of steps taken by the feed motor  46 . The controller may be a central control processor (as described below with reference to  FIG. 14 ) and may send signals to the assembly  10  such that the number of steps taken by the feed motor varies as needed between each consecutive label that is created to provide variable height labels. Alternatively, the controller may be preprogrammed and may be an integral part of the feed motor  46 .  
      The feed rollers  38  and  39  advance the label material  20  to the cutter assembly  44  wherein a predetermined length of label material  20  is cut to provide a label  56  (see  FIG. 9 ). The cutter assembly  44  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7 . The cutter assembly  44  has a fixed blade assembly  58 , including a fixed blade  60  and fixed blade registration pins  62  for attaching the fixed blade to the cutter assembly  44 ; a moving blade assembly  64 , including a moving blade  66  and a spring assembly  68 ; and a first registration ball  70  and a second registration ball  72  at the interface between the fixed blade assembly  58  and the moving blade assembly  64 . The first registration ball  70  and the second registration ball  72  are collectively referred to herein as the registration balls  70  and  72 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 6 , the moving blade  66  is attached to a moving blade carrier  74 . As shown, the moving blade carrier  74  interacts with the spring assembly  68  to control the movement of the moving blade  66  with respect to the fixed blade  60 . Alternatively, movement of the moving blade carrier  74  may be controlled by a voice coil which may allow faster cycle times.  
      The moving blade  66  may be mounted to the moving blade carrier  74  such that the edge of the moving blade  66  is angled upwards towards the fixed blade  60  to facilitate the moving blade  66  passing beneath the fixed blade  60  to cut the label material  20  as described further below. Further, one end of the cutting edge of the moving blade  66  may be positioned slightly closer to the fixed blade  60  than the opposite end of the cutting edge of the moving blade  66  as shown, for example, in  FIG. 6 . Such skewed alignments of the moving blade  66  may be used to facilitate cutting the label material  20 , as described further below. Further, the moving blade  66  may be moved using pneumatic vacuum control means  80  or may be electrically controlled with a device such as a voice coil.  
      The spring assembly  68  shown in  FIG. 6  includes springs  76  mounted to a spring housing  78 . The positioning of the springs  76  may be controlled via pneumatic controls  80 , which may be mounted to the label applicator  16  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The springs  76  are coupled to the moving blade carrier  74  and are used to bias the moving blade carrier  74  towards and away from the fixed blade assembly  58 . The moving blade carrier  74  may be biased away from the fixed blade assembly  58  to allow label material  20  to be fed between the fixed blade  60  and the moving blade  66 . Further, the springs  76  may bias the moving blade carrier  74  towards the fixed blade assembly  58  to cause the fixed blade  60  and the moving blade  66  to cut the label material  20  to form a label  56 . As further shown in  FIG. 6 , a stop  82  is provided to limit the motion of the moving blade carrier  74 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 7 , the moving blade carrier  74  includes a first socket  84  and a second socket  86  for receiving the registration balls  70  and  72 . The first socket  84  and the second socket  86  are collectively referred to herein as the sockets  84  and  86 . As shown with reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the fixed blade  60  mounts to the cutter assembly  44  via the fixed blade registration pins  62 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , a pair of spring plungers  88  may be used to secure the fixed blade  60  to the registration pins and provide a controlled downward force on the fixed blade  60 . In the fixed position, the bottom surface of the fixed blade  60  rests upon the registration balls  70  and  72 . As a result, the first and second sockets  84  and  86  and the registration balls  70  and  72  may be configured to position the fixed blade  60  at an angle with respect to the moving blade  66 . Further, because the registration pins  62  are mounted directly to the cutter assembly  44 , the fixed blade  60  may be positioned in a fixed position relative to the label material  20  that is fed through the label applicator  16 .  
      For example, when using identically sized registration balls  70  and  72 , the first socket  84  may be configured to position the first registration ball  70  deeper within the moving blade carrier  74  than the second registration ball  72 , thereby positioning the first registration ball  70  lower than the second registration ball  72  and enabling the fixed blade  60  to be mounted to the fixed blade assembly  58  at an angle relative to the moving blade  66 . Additionally, the fixed blade  60  may be positioned with its cutting edge tilted slightly downward towards the edge of the moving blade  66 . Tilting the fixed blade  60  may further facilitate cutting the label material  20  to form a label  56 , as described further below. Alternatively, the size and/or configuration of the registration balls  70  and  72  and the sockets  84  and  86  may be varied to otherwise position the fixed blade  60  with respect to the moving blade carrier  74 .  
      The cutter assembly  44  is used to cut the label  56  from the continuous feed of label material  20 . When activated to cut the label  56 , the moving blade assembly  64  moves towards the fixed blade assembly  58  to create a scissors-like effect along the edge of the fixed blade  60  and the moving blade  66  to cut the label material  20  and form the label  56 . The fixed blade  60  and the moving blade  66  may be positioned at skewed angles with respect to each other, as described further above, to facilitate cutting the label  56 . The movement of the moving blade assembly  64  may be controlled by one or more controllers (such as ones described below with respect to  FIG. 14 ) that activates the pneumatic controls  80  to operate the spring assembly  68  or voice coil coupled to the moving blade assembly  64 .  
      The controller may be preprogrammed to activate the moving blade assembly  64  based on a timing mechanism, such as, for example, based on the movement of the feed motor assembly  42 . Alternatively, a detector (not shown) may be provided for sensing a pre-printed registration-type mark on the label material  20  and sending a signal to the controller to activate the moving blade assembly  64 . Further, the label applicator  16  is capable of creating labels  56  of different sizes on demand by varying the length of label material  20  fed through the cutter assembly  44  before activating the moving blade assembly  64 . The controller processor selects the length of the label to match the size required to hold the printed material. The data printed on the label may include, without limitation, endorsement data, key line data, addressee, firm name, address, PLANET code, address block POSTNET barcode, mail piece identification mark or code and a customer message. The size of the label may vary and may be determined at least in part by the number of items or lines required for printing, the font size and print format.  
      After the label  56  is cut from the continuous roll of label material  20 , the label  56  is temporarily positioned directly above the fixed blade  60  and the moving blade  66 . Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a paddle assembly  90  is provided to apply the label  56  to an object, such as, for example, an envelope. The paddle assembly  90  shown in  FIG. 4  includes a paddle  92  and an actuator  93 , which may be pneumatically or electronically activated. The actuator  93  shown in  FIG. 4  is a rotary air cylinder. However, the actuator  93  may be an alternative design, such as, for example, a rotary solenoid, a stepper motor, or a servo. The operation of the paddle assembly  90  may be controlled by a controller (as described below with reference to  FIG. 14 ), similar to the controller described above with respect to the moving blade assembly  64 . The label applicator  16  shown in  FIG. 4  can apply at least ten, three-inch wide labels  56  per second.  
      In one contemplated embodiment, envelopes are brought to the label applicator  16  along a belt and conveyor system  327   FIG. 15  such as mail sorting machine. The envelopes move along the conveyor system such that each envelope arrives at the label applicator  16  and is positioned adjacent to the label  56  as the cutter assembly  44  severs the label  56  from the label material  20 . The label  56  is thereby positioned between the envelope and the paddle assembly  90 . The controller then activates the paddle assembly  90  causing the paddle  92  to extend toward the envelope to place the label  56  on the envelope. The relative positions of the label applicator  16  and the conveyor system, as well as the timing of the actuator  93 , may be adjusted to control the position the label  56  is applied to the envelope. Similarly, if the assembly  10  has an integrated printer or print head (see  FIGS. 12, 16  and  17 ), print functions can also be controlled and performed prior to the label being severed.  
      The paddle  92  shown in  FIG. 4  is constructed from a light material, such as aluminum. The paddle assembly  90  may also include vacuum chambers (not shown) connected to vacuum holes on the face of the paddle  92  to hold the non-adhesive side of the label  56  as it is applied to the envelope. The size of the paddle  92  may correspond to the size of the label  56  to be applied. For example, it is contemplated that in an embodiment of the paddle assembly  90 , the paddle  92  may be approximately one-half of an inch high and five inches long in order to apply labels  56  that are approximately one-half of an inch high by three inches long.  
      As further shown in  FIG. 4 , an object roller  94  is provided to secure the label  56  to the envelope, or other object, by applying pressure to the label  56  as the conveyor system removes the envelope, or other object, from above the label applicator  16 . The object roller  94  may be a driven roller or an undriven roller. The object roller  94  may be coated or treated with a material to prevent the object from sticking to the object roller  94 . For example, the object roller  94  may be coated using the plasma coating process provided by Magneplate Company under the trademark Plazmadize 1401-04. Further, the object roller  94  may be positioned to direct the object away from the paddle assembly  90 , assisting the separation of the object and the paddle  94  after the label  56  has been applied.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , the label application assembly  10  is provided on a frame  18 . The label application assembly  10  may be a modular assembly and may be disposed on a sliding roller assembly to facilitate easy repositioning and/or removal from the frame  18 . Accordingly, the label application assembly  10  may be an integrated, field replaceable label application assembly  10 . The sliding roller assembly provides easier access to the label application assembly  10  for servicing and regular maintenance. For example, in a typical installation, the label roll  12  may be changed or renewed daily. A locking assembly  96  may be provided to ensure proper placement of the label application assembly  10  on the frame  18  and to further secure the label application assembly  10  to the frame  18 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The locking assembly  96  may include a handle  98 , a locking axle  100 , a hook  102  and a locking sensor  104 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . The locking sensor  104  may include a transmitter  106  and a receiver (not shown), wherein a signal is provided by the transmitter  106  to be received by the receiver. The signal may be, for example, an infrared or other optical signal. The locking sensor  104  may be used to control the operation of the label application assembly  10 . For example, when the signal transmitted by the transmitter  106  is not received by the receiver, the operation of the label application assembly  10  may be disabled.  
      For example, in a contemplated embodiment, when the label application assembly  10  is first positioned on the frame  18 , the locking axle  100  may be positioned to prevent the signal from being received by the receiver, thereby disabling the label application assembly  10 . However, when the handle  98  is rotated to a locked position, the hook  102  rotates and grasps the frame  18  and the locking axle  100  may be repositioned to allow the signal to be received by the receiver. Consequently, the label application assembly  10  will not operate unless the locking assembly  96  properly engages the frame  18 .  
      In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 8 , the locking sensor  104  is a self-contained, retroreflective mode sensor that transmits a signal. The signal is received by the locking sensor  104  only when the locking sensor  104  is properly aligned with a retroreflective target (not shown). The retroreflective target may mounted to the frame  18  in a position that requires the locking assembly  96  to be properly engaged to align the locking sensor  104  and the retroreflective target. Accordingly, the label application assembly  10  must be properly positioned on the frame  18  and the locking assembly  96  must be engaged to expose the retroreflective target to activate the locking sensor  104  and enable the operation of the label application assembly  10 .  
      An alternative embodiment of the label applicator  16  is depicted in  FIGS. 9, 10  and  11 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , a document  108  such as a newspaper, or other objects, are carried above the label applicator  16  along a conveyor system (not shown). Labels  56  may be formed from label material  20  as described above with respect to  FIGS. 1-8 ; however, in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 11 , the label applicator  16  does not include the paddle assembly  90  ( FIG. 4 ). Instead a variable speed applicator is used. In this embodiment, pinch rollers  38  and  39  ( FIG. 10 ) are used to advance a variable height of label material to the cutter assembly  44 . The height is determined by the control system  216  based on a predetermined height or based on the amount of printing required or based on reading a tick mark printed on the label material  20  using sensor  230 . The cut label  56  is advanced into the pinch roller  120  and  118  where if is held prior to application to the newspaper of other item. A control system will advance the label  56  onto the application roller  110  when the presence of document  108  is detected. Motor  114  will run at a speed sufficient to have the label velocity match the document velocity.  
      A complete label application system for applying labels to newspapers or other items which must be labeled from below is shown in  FIG. 11 . An alternate approach for repositionable notes is explained with respect to  FIGS. 15 through 17 . Label material  20  is unrolled from label roll  12  using an unwind assembly  400 . The unwind assembly  400  is controlled using a proximity sensor  404 . The proximity sensor  404  measures the distance to the loop of label material  20  that is maintained within the vacuum chamber  403  to ensure that a buffer of label material  20  is maintained to guarantee that label material  20  can move smoothly through the drop-on-demand printer or other appropriate printer technology  308 . Label material  20  is pulled through the printer  308  with label transport control assembly  401 . The label transport control assembly consists of three sections,  401 C is the drive motor both  401 A and  401 B pressure rolls. The  401 B rollers are a direct drive from the motor, while the  401 A rollers are driven at a slightly slower speed and include a slip clutch. This combination ensures that the label material is held in tension and is pulled past the printer in a uniform manner. Position sensors  406  and  407  that sense the position of the label material loop in the second vacuum chamber  405  control the motor  401 C. When sensor  407  is blocked by the label material the motor stops. When sensor  407  detects that no label material  20  is present the motor  401 C runs at a slow speed equivalent to the average speed of label material consumption by the labeling assembly  16 . If sensor  406 , also detects the absence of label material the motor will run at a fast speed to reestablish the label material loop. Operation of the labeler assembly  16  is described below. The printer assembly  308  is designed to print correctly at variable speeds of the label material as caused by the operation of the label transport control assembly  401 . An encoder  402  is used to synchronize the printer with the label material velocity, thus preventing distortion in the print quality. The printer may print either a standard or customized message on the label plus a registration mark or tick mark used to control label cutting and placement.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , an application roller assembly  110  is provided to apply the labels  56  to the newspapers  108 . The application roller assembly includes an application drive assembly  112  including a motor  114 , a drive roller  116 , a driven application roller  118  and an undriven application roller  120 . The driven application rollers  118  and  39  and the undriven application rollers  120  and  38  may be coated or treated with a material to prevent the object from sticking to the undriven application rollers  118  and  38 . For example, the driven application roller  118  and  38  (which contacts the non-adhesive side of the label  56 ) may be formed from silicone rubber and the undriven application roller  120  and  38  (which contacts the adhesive side of the label  56 ) may be coated using the plasma coating process provided by Magneplate Company under the trademark Plazmadize 1401-04. The operation of the application drive assembly  112  may be controlled by a controller (not shown) and the controller may be separate from, or part of, the controllers discussed above.  
      As further shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the label material  20  is fed through the cutter assembly  44 , the label  56  is severed from the label material  20 , and the application roller assembly  110  applies the label  56  to the newspapers  108 . The label  56  is grasped between the driven application roller  118  and the undriven application roller  120  as it is severed from the continuous label material  20 . The driven application roller  118  and the undriven application roller  120  then pull the label  56  away from the label applicator  16  and apply the label  56  to the newspaper  108 . By eliminating the time delay associated with the operation of the paddle assembly  90  ( FIG. 4 ), the label applicator  16  shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  may process in excess of 40,000 labels per hour.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 14 , a system  200  in which the label application assembly may be incorporated is shown schematically. The system  200  may be a mail sorter system, a mail inserter system, a bindery line, a newspaper press or other special purpose system for transporting items having a transport path through which items can travel. As shown the system includes various mail processing equipment pieces, including a mail piece feeder or inserter  202 , an address printer  204 , an image lift or reader  206 , a transport  208 , a label application assembly  209  and a stacker or output section  210 . Other processing equipment pieces may also be added to the system  200 , e.g., a printer, etc. The system  200  and each of the individual processing equipment pieces  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208 ,  209  and  210 , or components on the pieces, may be controlled by various controllers or control systems. For the example, as shown, the configured is for an address printing system which includes the custom printing of personalized messages on repositionable notes that correspond to the mail piece addressee. The system  200  includes an item tracking system  212 , an input control system  214  and a central control processor  216 .  
      As shown, the input control system  214  is coupled to the mail piece feeder or inserter equipment  202 , the address printer  204  and the image lift or reader  206 . The input control system  214  may select data required for addressing or insertion content control from an equipment control database  218 . The data is then used to control the address printer  204  and the feeder/inserter  202  or any other data driven function of any other piece of processing equipment in the system  200 . For example, the processing equipment may use an image lift reader  206  to read the address and addressee on a mail piece or to read an identification mark such as a barcode on a mail piece. The address and addressee information can be transferred to the input control system  214  and then forwarded to the central control processor  216  for labeler application assembly  209  control, e.g. control of the label application assembly printer, label size and placement on a specific mail piece. If an identification mark is read, the input control system  214  can query the equipment control database  218  to extract address and addressee data from the address database  220  and forward the data to the central control processor  216 . In another example, an identification mark may be read and sent to the central control processor  216  which could then query an address database  220  to obtain address information for a mail piece.  
      As shown, the central control processor  216  is coupled to the label application assembly  209  to control printer and label application functions. As discussed above, the printer can be integrated into the label assembly  209  and/or remotely mounted. The printing functions can be controlled by the central control processor  216  so that the printing is performed on-demand. For example, this printing operation can individually customize one or more labels applied to each mail piece for the addressee/recipient of the mail piece. Label application and printer timing are controlled by the control processor  216  to ensure synchronization between a given mail piece using the item tracking system  212  and creation of a specific label for the given mail piece.  
      The central control processor  216  controls the operation of both the address printer  204  and the label printer included in  209 . A combination of functions can be integrated into the printer control functions which may include utilize address data from the address database  220 , advertisement print data from the advertisement database  222  or control commands stored in the Equipment control database  218  to determine the full contents to be printed on the label or mail piece. The content to be printed may include, but is not limited to addressee, address, PlanetCode, POSTNET barcode, USPS endorsement and key line data, a custom message to an addressee and advertisements. Labels can be blank or may contain pre-printed data that will have additional content printed thereon for customization. An advertisement database  222  and the address database  220  may contain data for control of the label assembly  209  or remote printer. Based on the contents to be printed, the central control processor  216  can determine the required label size and the print contents which can be sent to the label application assembly  209  and/or the remote printer. Alternatively, the printer can print a mark on the label material  20 , such as a control code, registration mark or tick mark, which can be used by the label applicator  209  to register the label and synchronize the label cutting and application, as described further below. Similarly, registration or other marks may be pre-provided on the label material  20 . The label material  20  may be fed from the unwind assembly  14  to the label applicator  209 , as described above with reference to  FIGS. 4-7  and  9 .  
      As also shown, the item tracking system  212  is coupled to each of the pieces of equipment,  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208 ,  209  and  210 . Mail pieces or items can be tracked within the system  200  by the item tracking system  212  so that the exact location of the mail piece or item is precisely known at all times. In this manner, the item tracking system  212  uniquely identifies a mail piece by the addressee and its position in the transport path. The addressee is know by the central control processor  216  by receiving data from the input control system  214 , which knows the addressee data used to control the address printer  204 , or the document identification data from the equipment control database  218  used for inserter control, or from the Image lift reader  206  which reads the addressee or reads an ID code, such as a barcode, and looks up the addressee in the Equipment control database. Tracking data generated by the item tracking system  212  is used by the central control processor  216  to synchronize the operation of printing onto a label or specific item (mail piece) associated with a specific addressee onto an item. The central control processor  216 , in conjunction with the item tracking system  212 , will maintain item tracking through starts, stops and jams in the equipment. Resynchronization steps will be communicated to the equipment operation, if required, through existing equipment operator interface. Commands may include removal of already printed labels from the labeler or the removal of items from the equipment for which positive tracking has been lost.  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 15-17 , another example of a linerless label system  300  is shown. This embodiment is designed to print customized repositionable notes that will be placed on mail pieces for a specific addressee. The linerless label assembly  300  includes a cutter assembly  44 , similar to the cutter assembly  44  described with  FIGS. 9, 10  and  11  above. The assembly  300  also may include a holder  306  to hold the roll or web of label material  304 , a printer  308  for printing information on the label material  304 , an unwind assembly  310  for advancing the label material  304  off of the roll  303 . One or more of these items, e.g., the cutter assembly  44  (similar to the assembly in  FIG. 9 ), the printer  308  and unwind assembly  310 , may be coupled to and controlled by controllers in a similar manner and with similar functions described above ( FIG. 14 ). In addition, the assembly  300  may be used in a system similar to the system  200  described in  FIG. 14 . The assembly  300  may be used instead of the label assembly  209 , for example. Various other configurations of the system  200  using the assembly  300  could also be used.  
      The cutter assembly  44  can be used to cut a web of label material  304  containing a repositionable adhesive into one or more repositionable note labels. The material  304  can be a linerless label material, which can be cut by the cutter assembly  44  to create the repositionable note label. As shown, the cutter assembly  44  is positioned adjacent a transport path  311  of a system (such as those systems described with respect to  FIG. 14 ) through which a mail piece can travel. As will be described below in more detail, by positioning the cutter assembly  44  near the transport path  311 , a label can be applied to a mail piece as it travels through the transport path  311  without the use of a paddle assembly  90 .  
      Repositionable note labels are generally made from label material  304  that has a repositionable adhesive applied thereto, usually in the form of a strip of the adhesive material applied on one side of the label, so that the label may be placed onto an item and later can be removed and re-applied. For example, if a label contains an advertisement or a coupon, a person may want to save the label for later reference or use. Accordingly, a repositionable note label may be removed from the first object, e.g., a mail piece, and placed onto another object, e.g., refrigerator, for later use. Of course may other possible uses and applications are possible. Two examples of such labels (which were also described above) are manufactured or sold by Moore Label and Form under the trademark AdStix and by 3M Company under the trademark Post-it. A repositionable note label may be affixed directly to an address side of first-class mail and standard mail letter-size mail pieces that meet U.S. Postal Service standards. Of course the labels may be placed on other mail pieces or other objects as well, e.g., they can be placed on newspapers or periodicals.  
      As shown, the unwind assembly  310  includes an unwind motor  320 , which can be a stepper motor and driven feed rollers (not shown) and pressure roller  321 . The drive feed roller is driven by the motor  320  such that when the feed rollers are driven, the label material  304  is pulled away from or advanced off of the roll. The unwind motor  320  pulls a web of label material  304  such that a free loop  324  of the material  304  is maintained downstream of the motor  320 . A fan  326  may be used to maintain or assist in maintaining the loop  324  configuration. The unwind motor  320  is controlled by a loop sensor mounted next to the fan, similar to the loop sensor  30  described above in  FIG. 1 . The sensor may also be coupled to a controller to monitor the size of the loop  324  of label material  304  and activate the motor  320  to unwind additional label material  304  when the loop  324  becomes too small. The free loop  324  of material  304  is maintained to allow the cutter assembly feed rollers (described below) to feed the label material  304  to the cutter assembly  44  with constant tension from the roll of material  303  and to prevent the label material  304  from stopping under the printer with each label application. This allows the cutter assembly feed rollers to operate properly and with proper timing and prevents possible print quality loss do to the label material  304  stopping in the middle of a print sequence.  
      Cylinders or bearings  322   b - 322   d  can cause the label material  304  to be rotated through different planes or to move in various desired directions as the material  304  is pulled away from the roll. As the label material is pulled across a cylinder, the cylinder changes the direction that the material travels. Each cylinder  322   b - 322   d  is connected to a pressurized air supply of approximately 5 psi. A series of small air holes are located in the cylinder facing the label material which allow air to blow radially outwardly from the surface of the cylinder to create an “air bearing” such that the label material  304  does not actually touch the cylinder, but is still guided around the cylinder and changes the direction of travel. This may be particularly useful on cylinders  322   b  and  322   c  which are located downstream of the printer  308 , so that after a label has been printed, the printed side of the label material  304  does not touch the cylinders  322   b  and c. This may prevent ink that has not yet dried on the printed side of the label material  304  from smearing on the label.  
      As shown, the label material  304  arrives at the printer  308  in a horizontal plane. Note however that the plane in which the label material  304  travels as it arrives at the printer  308  could be varied, e.g., a vertical plane or any other plane provided the printer  308  is positioned accordingly as well.  
      The printer  308 , can also be controlled by a controller to allow printing on the label material  304 . The printer  308  can be controlled to operate only when the label web  304  is moving. In other words, the printer  308  may be controlled by or synchronized with the unwind motor  320  such that printing onto the label material  304  occurs only when the label material  304  is moved past the printer&#39;s print head. This is to ensure that printing on the label material  304  occurs in the proper position on the material  304  and that the best print quality is provided as well. The print frequency is controlled by an encoder which provides a printer synchronization pulse that changes in frequency dependant on the velocity of the label material directly under the printer. Typically, each encode pulse enables the printer to print a row of drops corresponding to the characters being formed. Without the synchronization the printed message would be improperly stretched or compressed based on the velocity of the label material. Controllers can control the printer  308  such that each label that is printed may be customized for a particular mail piece. Alternately, the printing may be partially customized or not customized at all. Custom printed messages may include, but are not limited to, addressee specific messages, advertisements or coupons.  
      The label web  304  is also advanced and cut in the cutter assembly  44 . As described above with reference to  FIG. 9 , the cutter assembly  44  has a first set of feed rollers (shown as  38  and  39  in  FIG. 9 ) which advance the label material to the cutter, and a second set of feed rollers (shown as  118  and  120  in  FIG. 9 ). The second set of feed rollers  118  and  120  can be synchronized with the first set of feed rollers utilizing the control system  200 .  
      When a document or mail piece to be labeled is detected in the transport path by an item present sensor  330  both sets of cutter assembly  44  feed rollers advance the label material  304  and a label is cut from the roll of material  303 . The first roller advances the web of material  304  to be cut. When the feed roller is not moving, web of material  304  is cut into a label. During this cycle a label that has already been cut is advanced into the transport path and is applied to the document at the transport speed. Subsequently, the newly cut label is advanced into a position such that it can be advanced by the second set of feed rollers into the transport path at the appropriate time.  
      The advance time in which it takes the feed rollers  118  and  120  to apply a 3-inch label to a mail piece can be about 40 milliseconds. The time that it takes the cutter assembly  44  to cut a label from the web of material  304  is less than 40 milliseconds. Therefore, the total cycle time, the time it takes to cut and apply a label, is about 80 milliseconds which results in a cycle rate of over 40,000 mail pieces per hour, in other words, 3-inch labels can be applied to mail pieces at a rate of over 40,000 per hour. The short cycle time is possible because the cut label moves away from the cutter assembly  44  and the advancing web  304  at the same speed.  
      Generally, the overall operation of the assembly  300  may include the following steps: 
          (a) The unwind motor  320  and feed rollers  321  feed label material  304  to the printer  308  and maintains a free loop of material  304 .     (b) The printer  308  prints information on the label material  304 .     (c) The first set of cutter assembly feed rollers  38  and  39  ( FIG. 9A ) pulls label material  304  into the cutter assembly  44 .     (d) A label is then cut and advanced to a position such that it is ready to be applied to a mail piece as it passes by the cutter assembly  44  in the transport path  311 .     (e) The second set of cutter assembly feed rollers  118  and  120  ( FIG. 9A ) 3 then apply the cut label to the mail piece at the appropriate time.        

      As discussed above, the assembly  300  may be incorporated and used in a mail processing system, such as one shown in  FIG. 14 . For example, the system  200  may include a linerless label application assembly  300 , or portions thereof, instead of the label assembly  209 . In addition, the assembly  300  may be controlled by controllers or other control systems in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the various pieces of equipment, e.g. label application assembly  209 .  
      Many of the control functions discussed above relating to the system  200  are implemented on controllers or computers, which of course may be connected for data communication via the components of a network. The hardware of such computer platforms typically is general purpose in nature, albeit with an appropriate network connection for communication via the intranet, the Internet and/or other data networks.  
      As known in the data processing and communications arts, each such general-purpose computer typically comprises a central processor, an internal communication bus, various types of memory (RAM, ROM, EEPROM, cache memory, etc.), disk drives or other code and data storage systems, and one or more network interface cards or ports for communication purposes. The system  200  also may be coupled to a display and one or more user input devices (not shown) such as alphanumeric and other keys of a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, etc. The display and user input element(s) together form a service-related user interface, for interactive control of the operation of the system  200 . These user interface elements may be locally coupled to the system  200 , for example in a workstation configuration, or the user interface elements may be remote from the computer and communicate therewith via a network. The elements of such a general-purpose computer also may be combined with or built into routing elements or nodes of the network, such as the IWF or the MSC.  
      The software functionalities involve programming, including executable code as well as associated stored data. The software code is executable by the general-purpose computer that functions as the particular computer for a control system, e.g. the central control processor  216 , item tracking system  212 , input control system  214  or any other controller. In operation, the executable program code and possibly the associated data are stored within the general-purpose computer platform. At other times, however, the software may be stored at other locations and/or transported for loading into the appropriate general-purpose computer system. Hence, the embodiments involve one or more software products in the form of one or more modules of code carried by at least one machine-readable. Execution of such code by a processor of the computer platform enables the platform to implement the tracking, printing and other functions described above, in essentially the manner performed in the embodiments discussed and illustrated herein.  
      As used herein, terms such as computer or machine “readable medium” refer to any medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as any of the storage devices in any computer(s) operating as one of the server platforms. Volatile media include dynamic memory, such as main memory of such a computer platform. Physical transmission media include coaxial cables; copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a bus within a computer system. Carrier-wave transmission media can take the form of electric or electromagnetic signals, or acoustic or light waves such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common forms of computer-readable media therefore include, for example: a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave transporting data or instructions, cables or links transporting such a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer can read programming code and/or data. Many of these forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to a processor for execution.  
      It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the subject matter described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is, therefore, intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.