An Improved Combined Machine for the Manufacture and Printing of Labels.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Feb., 1897-Accepted, 22nd May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Combined Machine for the Manufacture and Printing
of Labels.
We, WILLIAM HOLMES, of The Otto Printing Works, Ulverston, in the
County of Lancashire, Printer, GEORGE PENNY, of Oxford Street, Ulverston,
in the County of Lancashire, Printers Engineer, JAMES HODGSON, Junr. of
Canal Head Foundry, Ulverston, Engineer, and THE ULVERSTON SHUTTER
AND LIFT COMPANY, LIMITED, of Canal Head Foundry, Ulverston, in the
County of Lancashire, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention consists of a combined machine for the manufacture and printing
of labels, and is designed to receive an endless band of paper or other suitable
material, to cut the labels therefrom with the two upper corners removed, to
prepare from other sheets of paper and affix a double paper washer as strengthening.
pieces for an eyelet hole, and to impress any desired printed matter upon the label
and the washer.
The material, such as paper, from which the labels are to be made, is drawn
into the machine by a reciprocating feeding table, the strip of paper being held
thereon for feed by a weight, and prevented from returning on the return stroke
of table by the lifting of the said weight, and the dropping of a knife and weight.
attachment.
The said knife, operated by inclined grooves in a horizontally sliding plate,.
serves to cut the said label from the strip after it has been printed, and the washers
affixed and eyelet hole punched as hereinafter described, and the corners of the
label about the eyelet hole are cut away by a suitable auxiliary knife.
Immediately upon the entry of the strip of paper or material into the machine it
passes over a printing table or platen surface, the suitable printed matter being set.
up in type, held in a rising and falling head or type back, which is also conveniently
worked by grooves in the before mentioned horizontal sliding plate operating the
knives.
The material for the washers is fed into the machine transversely across the
travel of the main strip, as two endless strips, one upon each upper and lower side.
of a reciprocating gumming box, which also serves as feeder. Thus the washer,
strips enter above and below the main label strip. The name of the manufacturer
may be conveniently printed or impressed upon one of the said washers by a
vertically reciprocating head before the said paper strip reaches the gumming box.
After the strips have been gummed they pass to a double punch and dies where
the circular washers are cut off, punched and affixed with their gummed sides upon
the label. The cutting of the label from the strip then follows as previously
described and when cut off the finished label drops from the bench into a suitable
receptacle.
It will obviously be easy to adapt any known form of counting mechanism,,
to be operated either by each movement of the knives, or by other rotating or
reciprocating part.
The combination of devices for carrying out the above operations for the
complete manufacture and printing of labels in one machine, is in substitution'

page_text: of devices usually operated independently of one another for the various processes
in the completion of such a label, and therefore renders this combined machine a
labour saving device.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1896
FELL & JAMES,
1 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.
An Improved Combined Machine for the Manufacture and Printing
of Labels.
We, WILLIAM HOLMES of The Otto Printing Works, Ulverston in the
County of Lancashire, Printer, GEORGE PENNY of Oxford Street, Ulverston
in the County of Lancashire, Printers Engineer, JAMES HODGSON, Junior, of
Canal Head Foundry, Ulverston, Engineer, and THE ULVERSTON SHUTTER
AND LIFT COMPANY of Canal Head Foundry, Ulverston, in the County of
Lancashire 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 :-
This invention consists of a combined machine for the manufacture and printing
of labels, and is designed to receive an endless band of paper or other suitable
material, to cut the labels therefrom with the two upper corners removed, to
prepare from other sheets of paper and affix a double paper washer, as strengthening
pieces for an eyelet hole, and to impress any desired printed matter upon the label
and the washer.
The material, such as paper, from which the labels are to be made, is drawn
into the machine by a reciprocating feeding table, the strip of paper being held
thereon for feed by a weight, and prevented from returning on the return stroke
of table by the lifting of the said weight, and the dropping of a knife and weight
attachment.
The said knife operated by inclined grooves in a horizontally sliding plate,
serves to cut the said label from the strip after it has been printed, and the washers
affixed, und eyelet hole punched, as hereinafter described, and the corners of the
label about the eyelet hole are cut away by a suitable auxiliary knife.
Immediately upon the entry of the strip of paper or material into the machine, it
passes over a printing table or platen surface, the suitable printed matter being set
up in type, held in a rising and falling head or type back, which is also conveniently
worked by grooves in the before mentioned horizontal sliding plate operating the
knives.
The material for the washers is fed into the machine transversely across the
travel of the main strip, as two endless strips, one upon each upper and lower side
of a reciprocating gumming box, which also serves as feeder. Thus the washer
strips enter above and below the main label strip. The name of the manufacturer
may be conveniently printed or impressed upon one of the said washers by a
vertically reciprocating head before the said paper strip reaches the gumming box.
After the strips have been gummed they pass to a double punch and dies, where
the circular washers are cut off, punched, and affixed, with their gummed sides upon
the label. The cutting of the label from the strip then follows as previously
described, and when cut off, the finished label drops from the beuch into a suitable
receptacle.
It will obviously be easy to adapt any known form of counting mechanism to be:

page_text: operated either by back movement of the knives, or by other rotating or recipro
cating part.
The combination of devices for carrying out the above operations for the
complete manufacture and printing of labels in one machine, is in substitution of
devices usually operated independently of one another for the various processes in
the completion of such a label, and therefore renders this combined machine a labour
saving device.
And in order that our invention may be the better understood we now proceed
to describe the same in reference to the drawings hereto annexed and to the letters
and figures marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the combined label-cutting, forming, and printing, machine.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same shewing cutting mechanism.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation, with cutting mechanism removed, to show feed of
washer or tab webs.
A. Fig. 2 is the web of paper or suitable material from which the labels are to
be cut.
It is of a suitable width to correspond exactly to the length of the labels
required which are thus cut transversely from the end of such web or strip A.
The said web or strip is supplied from a suitable reel under the machine and is
carried over suitable guide rollers a a of which the latter may be adjustable so as
to adapt the level of the web to the platen for good printing. The web is brought
over the platen face B to the feed table C, and is gripped upon that feed table by
a wrought iron plate D, Fig. 4 attached to a pivotted bar d carried by the feed
table C, and which rests by its weight and is spring pressed upon the said web A,
where it lies on the feeding table C. The web is fed forward by the reciprocation
of the feed table C and gripper D therean, effected by the spring push bar c, which
has a constant travel from the connecting rod e¹ and the crank pin e of the first
motion shaft E. The reciprocation of the table C can however be adjusted, either
way, by a movable collar 2 on the push bar c, (the table being kept home on this
collar by a tension spring c³,) and by an adjustable slotted stop on the frame of
the machine, checking the backward travel of the table C hefore the bar c has
finished its reciprocation.
When the feed table C returns, the gripper D is lifted on its pivotted bar d by
the end of the same coming in contact with the plate d-which is attached to an
under punch plate F and rises with it, when the latter is forced up by the rocking
lever, and link f¹, connected to the crank più e. The table C is thus free to slide
back under the web A, which latter is held in fixed position both by the punches
entering the same and by an attachment or gripper 1, Fig. 3, to the knife beam
hereafter to be described.
Whilst the web A is at rest after having been fed forward an upper type back b,
containing the required type in a chase, descends upon the platen B on which the
web rests and the labels are there printed. The type-back b slides in a grooved
race in the back frame of the machine and is caused to reciprocate by a stud b
entering an inclined slot 6 of the back plate G which is given a horizontal
reciprocation by link g, bell crank g', and link g from the crank pin e.
On the ascent of the type back b a roller carriage H with inking rollers h. h.
passes under the type by means of a rocking lever with forked end over a stud
in said carriage, operated by link h', rocking bar h and link h³ taking reciprocation
from a grooved cam on E. The inking rollers come back to an inking cylinder h*
revolved by gut from the shaft E.
After the label has been printed and is moved forward it comes between an under
punch plate F and an over punch plate J which form the tabs or washers, punched
from two webs K K' (Fig. 4) fed transversely into the machine, one above and
one below the label web, and which are hereinafter more particularly described.
The upper punch plate J receives its reciprocation by a stud entering into an
inclined slot in the horizontally sliding plate G, and there is a further central
puuch passing through the hollow upper punch J, and into the hollow lower

page_text: punch F, to pierce a hole through both tabs and label, and which also receives its
reciprocation from a cross-head having studs entering two similarly inclined
slots in the horizontally sliding plate G.
The punches on the punch plates F and J are annular, and of the diameter of
the circular tab or washer, and these punches cut out the said circular tabs from
the webs K K' as the latter rest on the upper and under faces respectively of die
plates between which the label web A passes.
The punches carry the cut-out tabs through the die plates, on to each face
of the label web, and the tabs are pressed thereon by the punches j meeting on the
label web A.
The upper and lower punches are perforated to receive the central perforating
punch which travels through the upper punch, and thus punches a central bole
through both tabs and label as the former are held up to the latter by the punches
meeting thereon, and resting there.
In Fig. 4 we show the transverse feed of the washer or tab webs K K¹ one above
and one below the label web. The webs are fed from reels kk, by means of a
reciprocating gum box k', which is hollow, and supplied with gum, by a flexible
tube from a reservoir . The gum box is provided with two rollers one above
and one below, situated over slots in the gum box, and the webs K K' are introduced
between the said rollers k³ ³, and the top and bottom faces of the gum box
respectively. The gum box receives its reciprocation by a rocking lever,
behind the frame, which receives a rocking motion from an inclined cam face kon
the shaft E. The forward movement of the gum-box feeds the webs K K to the
label web by the grip of the rollers on the said webs; and after the punches F-J
and have descended the tab web is held rigidly by the punches and cannot return
with the return movement of the gum-box, the tab web being thus drawn between
the rollers and the gum-box; and are gummed on the surfaces presented to the
label.
To the head of the punching plate J. we may affix a cross-head carrying a
printing stamp bar J', which descends on the upper tab web K at the same time
with the descent of the upper punch, and may thus print any desired matter upon
the circular tab.
In such cases we provide a pivoted fraine J carrying inking rollers J which are
caused to traverse over an inking slab J4, and the end of the tab-printing stamp J¹
when the latter is held up, by a nose or cam on the back of the said stamp bar
striking a roller J on the said pirotted roller frame. The said roller frames J' in
Figs. 3 and 4 are shown alternatively as to form but equivalently as to action.
The tab wasbers having been thus gummed, punched out of web, affixed to label,
and centrally perforated by the central punch the label web, printed and with tab
washers affixed and punched, is fed on to the cutting knife.
The knife beam L is pivotted on a frame 1, and carries an inclined shear blade l,
which commences to cut at the point and gradually cuts to the heel.
Upon the same beam is attached a distinct under knife for cutting the
V shaped recesses between the heads of each label, thus producing a label with the
top corners champfered off.
The lower V shaped knife 2 first cuts out the V recess in the edge of the web
and sinks below the label into a similar shear recess in the lower main knife and
the upper knife thereafter cuts the label from the web, by cutting through the
centre of the V shaped recess.
The knife beam may be «perated as shown by a connecting rod from the
reciprocating punch slide J, or it may equivalently be operated by the tail of the
knife beam being connected by a rocking lever to a cam motion on E.
The labels are thus completed and severally detached or cut from the web and
fall upon the delivery table M, where they are allowed to collect up to a certain
specific number say 25 and are delivered by a counting, mechanism consisting
conveniently of a ratchet wheel N with the number of teeth equivalent to the pile
to be automatically pushed aside or counted. The said wheel is operated by a

page_text: pawl n from the reciprocating bar c of the feed table C or in other equivalent.
manner, the ratchet wheel operating by a stud or a recess on a disc connected
therewith, a spring re-acting delivery feuce or box m on the table M, at each complete
revolution of the ratchet wheel, which thus delivers and records each bundle of
25 labels.
An ordinary counting train of wheels can be connected with the wheel N so that
the complete production of the machine for any period may be counted and
recorded.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-.
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1st. A combined label manufacturing machine, adapted to operate from one first-
motion shaft devices to feed a continuous label web intermittently to the machine ;.
to print same; to feed, gum, punch, affix and centrally perforate a pair of washers
or tabs at end of label; to cut the label from the web with top champfered corners;
and to deliver the labels complete in counted bundles; substantially as described.
2nd. In a label manufacturing machine the combination with punching and.
cutting devices of a platen printing press, substantially as described.
3rd. In a label manufacturing machine the combination of a reciprocating feed
table, adjustable as to length of feed, with a lifting gripper, retaining web on:
forward feed, and releasing web on return stroke; and means for retaining the
web in situ on return stroke of feed table, substantially as described.
4th. In a label manufacturing machine devices to feed a pair of washer or tab
webs, transversely to label web, consisting of a reciprocating gum box, with.
adjacent gum supply, rollers on gum box over gum slots gripping webs for feed and
gumming said webs on return stroke, the said webs being held by dies from return.
with gum box, substantially as described.
5th. In a label manufacturing machine the combination with means to inter-.
mittently feed forward a strip or band of material suitable for labels, of a pivotting
upper straight-cut knife and beam, obliquely cutting from point to heel, and an
under V shaped knife operated from the same first motion shaft that operates said
feed, and having an under fixed shear, and V recessed matrix, substantially as and.
for the purposes described.
6th. The combination construction and arrangement of parts of a complete label.
manufacturing machine, substantially as described and illustrated in the drawings.
annexed hereto.
FELL & JAMES,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.