Can Labelling Machine.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 2nd Sept.,
1899
Can Labelling Machine.
I, LYMAN CURTIS PARKE, of No. 1413, Claus Spreckels Building, in the City
and County of San Francisco, State of California, U.S.A., Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:.
My invention relates to improvements in that class of machines which are
designed to automatically apply labels to cans, while the latter are rolled by
gravitation, successively over the labels, and it consists in a means for guiding
and directing the cans in their progress over the label table: means for arresting
them when the labels are exhausted; means for holding the labels in their
proper positions, and releasing them successively as required; means for the
application of the paste to the label ends; and in details of construction which
will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which
Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating my apparatus, Figure 2 is a plan view.
Figure 3 is a section showing the clamp for the vertical label table post. Figure 4
is a transverse section showing the label table. Figure 5 shows the feed devices
to turn the paste-carrying shaft and the means for applying the paste to the
ends of the labels.
The object of my invention is to improve the mechanism of gravity can labeling
machines so as to more accurately apply the labels to the cans as they pass.
In my apparatus, the cans A are delivered continuously at the upper end of a
chute B having ledges or tracks upon the inner sides upon which the ends of the
cans are adapted to rest as they roll down the chute.
This chute or frame-work is here shown supported at a suitable inclination upon
a table C, with handles by which it may be conveniently moved to any desired
point, but it may be supported in any other desired or convenient manner.
The cans, after being delivered to the upper end of the chute are received
and carried forward successively by the wings or arms of a rotary carrier D.
These arms project radially from a hub or center, are slightly curved and separated
at the ends sufficiently to allow the curvature of a can to fall between each pair
of these wings, and as the movement of the can rolling down the chute rotates
this device, its motion is communicated through intermediate wheels by means of
A tightening pulley E
a chain or belt E so as to rotate a pulley or drum F.
mounted to be slidable upon the frame, serves for the adjustment of the chain.
Around the pulley or drum F and a corresponding pulley F" at the lower end
of the chute, passes a belt G. This belt has small protuberances on the inner
surface which engage corresponding depressions of the drums. This allows the
belt to run loosely without slipping, so that the lower part of the belt may be
pressed down upon the cans as follows:-
The lower part of this belt travels in the direction in which the cans move, as
shown by the arrow, and it rests in contact with the upper surface of the can,
so that the latter is allowed to move down the incline by the movement of the
belt G, which is in turn controlled by the rotation of the feed device D.

page_text: Standards or supports H are fixed to the frame or chute upon each side, and
rollers I have the ends of their shafts journaled in vertically oscillating arms H¹
which are fulcrumed to the upper ends of the standards, so that they may rise and
fall freely.
The weight of the rollers I is thus brought upon the lower part of the belt G
and will press it upon the cans so as to insure a contact at all times.
JJ are guide rods upon one side fixed so as to be approximately at or above
the center of the can ends, and these rods serve as guides to cause the cans to
roll evenly down the chute, the opposite ends of the cans being guided by the front
of the chute or runway.
As a can passes down the chute, it rolls over the paste receptacle K from which
a small amount of paste is applied by a roller K which dips into the paste
receptacle, to the periphery of the can at such a point that when the can has
completed a revolution, this pasted edge will be brought into contact with the
upper edge of the uppermost label.
The receptacle is supplied from time to time through a side hopper K³. This
receptacle is raised, lowered and adjusted by a set screw K³.
The labels are supported upon a table L, and this table has a shaft M extending
downwardly through suitable guides, and a spring N surrounding it and acting
to normally force the table up.
When the table is to be charged with labels, it is pressed down, thus com-
pressing the spring N and pushing the rod M down through the lower guide,
and the hinged side L' is opened outward by turning a button L3 by which it is
, released. After the labels have been placed upon the table, the side L is again
closed and secured.
O is a plate having a hole through it of such diameter that when the plate is
in the position shown in Fig. 3, the rod M will slide freely through it when it
is being moved up.
When it is pushed down, and after it reaches its lowest point, the plate O
may be tilted upward so that the hole will bind upon opposite sides of the rod.
The plate is loosely suspended upon a fulcrum pin P, and has upon the lower
side, a rod upon which a weight Q is slidable. When this weight is moved to the
rear end of the rod (which is the position it will occupy when the shaft M is
being pushed down) the other end of the plate O will be tilted upward so that
it will bind against the shaft M to prevent its sliding up, and thus lock it in its
lowest position while the labels are being placed upon the table.
When the labels have been thus placed, the weight Q may be shifted to a posi-
tion as shown in Fig. 3, which will tilt the plate O downward so that the shaft M
will slide freely through the plate and not bind therein, the spring N acting
to force it and the table up as fast as the labels are removed from above.
The labels are guided and kept in place edgewise by means of plates R R¹
extending up on each side. The plate R¹ at one edge, as shown in Fig. 4, is
slidable in guides S so as to move up and down and retain its position, and thus
. form a stop against which the edges of the labels are held true upon that side.
The plate R upon the opposite side is elastic, and the upper portion is pressed
inward by this elasticity. This keeps the labels from being moved out of place
edgewise.
In addition to the guides R R¹, I have shown flexible brushes which are
slidable and adjustable in the runway so that the inner ends of the brushes may
press ainst the edges of the labels, as plainly shown in Fig. 2, and thus assist
in keeping them in proper position sidewise.
In order to apply the paste properly to the lower end of the label which is
last applied to the can, I have shown a paste receptacle W connected by a suit-
able channel X with a horizontal tubular chamber Y into which the paste passes
from the chamber or channel X. The supply of paste from the holder Wis
regulated by a manually-operated valve or gate W
Within the tubular chamber Y is a square or polygonal shaft a turnable within

page_text: the tube. I have found that a square shaft is very suitable, but it will be manifest
that a polygonal, or a chambered shaft might be employed.
This shaft has upon its outer end a ratchet wheel b (Fig. 5) which is gradually
rotated by the movements of two toothed rack bars d, the teeth of which are
adapted to engage the ratchet upon opposite sides and in opposite directions as
shown in Fig. 5.
The upper ends of these rack bars D are connected with the shaft of the belt
pulley shown in Fig. 1, and this shaft is movable in vertically slotted bearings
at the ends so that a movement of the can beneath the roller will raise it.
This movement to raise the roller is effected by means of an incline in the
runway, as shown at e, which gradually raises the cans as they pass beneath the
roller F, and thus push it up, carrying with it the pawl rods d, and as these rods
move up, one of these rack bars will engage the teeth of the ratchet and advance
it one tooth.
When the can has passed and the roller F¹ is allowed to drop, the other rack
bar dwill, in a corresponding manner engage the teeth and again advance the
ratchet.
By this means the shaft a is rotated within the tubular chamber Y, and a small
portion of paste is temporarily enclosed between each of the rectangular or
chambered sides of this shaft, and the interior curvature of the two. This paste
is cut off from that in the supply tube or chamber X and is advanced to the
opposite open side of the tube Y where it is rubbed off from the side of the shaft
by a rod g which extends across in front of the opening in the tube Y, and is
continually pressed against the sides of the shaft a by a spring h which yields to
allow the rod g to pass over the angles of the shaft a, and to follow the straight
sides of the shaft so as to push the paste off.
This small amount of paste is thus applied to the rear ends of the labels, and as
the can A passes over this point, it pulls the end of the label up and into contact
with itself, the labels being of such length that this end just overlaps the end
previously pasted.
A toothed roller i extends across and presses upon the label just in front of the
rod g, and thus holds the label in place until it is finally pulled through by the
rolling action of the can, this toothed roller yielding sufficiently to allow the label
to pass, and by reason of the depth and open character of the teeth it does not
interfere with the paste upon the label, but allows that to pass in sufficient
quantity to properly attach the label to the can.
After leaving this point, the can continues rolling down the incline and
passes beneath a flexible brush which, sweeping over the joint of the label as
the can rolls beneath it, will smooth any possible wrinkles out of the label. The
can then passes beneath a spring arm 7 which presses upon it with sufficient force
so that when the overlapping ends of the label are being rolled upon the table
beneath, this spring acts to press them together as a final operation before the
can rolls out of the chute.
0 1
As the labels are removed from the table L and the latter gradually rises, it
reaches a point where a projecting end or lug mengages a curved spring arm n
and forces it along the line of the chute. This spring has attached to it a sliding
bar o which is notched as shown at Above this sliding notched arm
P.
the bent arm q of a rod q¹ which is journaled longitudinally upon the runway.
At the opposite end of this rod q is another bent arm q2, the end of which
extends through the side of the chute or runway, so that it may be brought in
front of the moving cans A to arrest them.
The operation will be as follows:
When the lug or projection m strikes the spring n it moves the sliding bar o
until the notch or depression is beneath the bent arm q, when the latter will
drop into it by gravitation aided by a small weight fixed upon this arm as shown
in Fig. 2. This action rotates the rod q¹ and this moves the bent arm until
its end is projected in front of the can A and this arrests the cans and allows

page_text: no more to pass down the runway, until the table is again depressed and loaded
with labels.
The features of this invention may be recited as follows: The tension rollers
for holding the label tight while the can is traveling thereby preventing any
slack or buckle in the label when on the can; the incline in the runway for the
purpose of drawing the label tight around the can while travelling down the
runway until such time as the pull is made through the tension roller;
the movable side L' of the label box to force the labels to the opposite side
and hold them in that position; also the wire against which the end of the can
travels to force it over to the immovable side of the machine or runway which,
in conjunction with the movable side, operates as follows:
The label being forced to the side of the label box is a short distance from
the inside of the runway and as the cans are forced by the wire guards an
equal distance beyond the edge of the label against the side of the runway, the
label will always be placed on the can at an even distance from the end, and as
the label and can are both held in place it insures the label being put on
straight.
The pressure wheels II supported in the movable frame act as follows: The
first roller, pressing on the belt, forces the can against the paste roller so that it
must receive the paste while the second roller forces the can against the upper end
of the labels at the point where the can had previously received the paste, the
can making a single revolution between the two points. This insures the contact
of the paste and the label so that the latter is attached to the can. The labels
are held in position and prevented from working upward or out of place by
the brushes V and toothed roller i.
The movable frame upon which the rollers rest allows them to be raised by
the can as it passes under the rollers successively. The corrugated tension
roller or equivalent device used for the purpose of holding the label tight as
the final edge is being applied has also the additional object of placing the
paste uniformly on the lower end of the label during the time it is being drawn
out.
By means of these mechanical details I have been enabled to greatly improve
the accuracy with which the labels are automatically applied to the cans.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is: --
1st. In an apparatus for applying labels to cans, an inclined runway through
which the cans are adapted to roll by gravitation, arms projecting radially from
a shaft into the line of travel of the cans, whereby the passage of the cans
causes them to engage with each arm successively and rotate the shaft, an
endless travelling belt passing around rollers above the runway, a chain or belt
and intermediate pulleys by which said endless belt is advanced by the movement
of the cans engaging the arms above described, rollers pressing up on the lower
side of the belt having vertically movable shafts whereby the rollers exert a
pressure to force the belt into contact with the cans passing beneath, while
allowing the belt to adjust itself to irregularities in the passing cans.
2nd. In a gravity can labelling machine, an inclined runway, mechanism by
which the cans are guided and their rate of passage there-through is regulated,
a vertically movable spring-actuated table with guides and plates for retaining
the labels in their proper position, a spring-actuated sliding arm having a
depression made in its upper surface, a rod q¹ having a bent arm projecting
over the sliding bar and another arm at the opposite end adapted to move in or
out the line of the runway, a lug projecting from the table so as to engage
the spring arm when the table has nearly reached the top, whereby the notched
bar is moved to allow the bent arm to drop into it and the arm at the opposite
end to be projected in front of the moving cans to arrest them.

page_text: 3rd. In a gravity can labelling machine, an inclined runway through which
the cans pass by gravitation, means for applying a strip of paste to the can, a
label carrying table over which the cans are adapted to roll in contact with the
uppermost labels successively so that the paste on the can will attach one end of
the label to the can, a horizontal tubular chamber, with a means for supplying
paste thereto, a polygonal or compartment shaft with means for rotating it
within the chamber, whereby a portion of paste is advanced in each compartment
by its rotation, a spring-actuated rod pressing against the front edge of the
shaft whereby the paste in each compartment is successively forced off upon the
final edge of a label and a corrugated or toothed roller by which the rear edge
of the label is held so as to be properly smoothed and applied to the passing
can.
is
out
of
4th. In a gravity can labelling machine, an inclined runway through which
the cans pass by gravitation, guides and mechanism by which their rate of speed
and direction are regulated, a label-carrying table with labels, the upper surface
of which is constantly kept in position to be picked up by the can rolling over
them, a device for applying paste to the rear ends of the labels, consisting of
a polygonal or chambered shaft rotating within a tubular casing to which paste
constantly supplied, a rod by which the paste is forced
each compartment upon the edge of the label beneath,
mechanism for rotating the shaft, consisting of a ratchet wheel upon its outer
end, rack bars engaging the teeth of the ratchet wheel, said rack bars being
connected with a vertically movable shaft or arm, and an upward inclination of
the runway over which the cans pass whereby said shaft or arm is periodically
lifted so that the rack bars will act upon the ratchet wheel, substantially as
described.
and a
5th. In a gravity can labelling machine having an inclined runway through
which the cans pass by gravitation, guides, pressure rollers, label-carrying table,
a device adapted to hold the lower ends of the labels and provide a tension so
that the labels are subjected to a pull as the can rolls and approaches the lower
end and the labels are smoothly applied thereto.
Dated this 20th day of April 1899.
For the Applicant,
GEDGE & FEENY,
Chartered Patent Agents, 60, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.