IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR LABELLING ROUND BOXES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR LABELLING ROUND BOXES."-A com-
munication from abroad by Edward Tyrrell, of Brooklyn, Kings
County, State of New York, United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Olark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 16th August 1871, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 58, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN

page_text: another one from the spout, and carry it to the said position to be
labelled. L'is a spring stop for engaging in notches in the periphery of
wheel H to hold it in the right position. These carriers have as many
points L and spaces between for taking and holding the boxes as the
carrier is to have movements and stops in one revolution, and the
wheel H has as many pins N for the pawl G to engage as there are
spaces and points in the plates K of the carrier. The shaft I is mounted
in a vertically adjustable box I' for the purpose of adjusting it higher
or lower for properly holding boxes of different sizes.
clamped against the frame by nut I' to hold it in position.
The box is
The pasting and presenting apparatus consists of a pair of plates O,
each attached by an arm P to a horizontal rock shaft O' suitably
arranged in front of the inner end of the box when in the position to
be labelled and perpendicular to it, and gearing by a pinion Q with a
toothed rack bar R. extending downward to the shaft C, on which is a
cam § for lifting it, said cam acting on a toe W having a friction roller
in it, and said bar has a spring T for pulling it back. It is guided by
a yoke V working on the shaft, but it may be guided in any suitable
way. The plates are pivoted to the ends of the arms P, as indicated
at P', for allowing them to be laterally self-adjusting when falling on
the labels, also for allowing them to tilt to facilitate the releasing of
the labels, and they have springs P³ for throwing them back after the
label has been taken off. These pasting plates are drawn down upon a
composition pasting roller X having a covering of elastic india-rubber Y,
which is applied for making it more elastic than the composition would
be alone, which roller passing through the inclined slotted guides Z,
one at each end, and mounted in the slotted ends of arms a of a rock
shaft b, which is worked by the cam d, lever e, link f, and spring 9,
is forced down the said inclined guides by the spring 9, when the
high part of cam d passes beyond the lever e, which takes place
immediately after the label has been presented to the box, and as soon
as this takes place the cam 8 allows spring T to draw the bar R down,
which turns rock shaft O' quickly in the direction to swing plates O
over against the pasting roller X. As soon as this is accomplished the
cam d throws lever e up again, thereby. raising the pasting roller ✗, so
that the plates escape from it and fall flat upon the uppermost label of
a pack / contained in the feeding box slowly rising up through the
table, and the said roller X comes in contact with the pasting cylinder i

page_text: 8
working in the trough containing the paste, said cylinder being worked
by a belt m working over a pulley n on the driving shaft c. Said
pasting cylinder is provided with the scraper p for limiting the amount
carried over to the roller X, and the scraper is adjusted by a temper.
screw q: As soon as the plates O have fallen upon the label they are
raised again by the cam S acting on the too W, and carried over and
suspended just above the box in the carrier carrying the label which
adheres to them being on the sides which are uppermost in this position.
The clamping arm 7 now comes down above the label between the
plates O and presses it upon the top of the box, holding it there while
the ends adhering to the plates are disengaged by the returning of the
said plates caused by the spring 79. It is at this time that the plates
are tilted on their pivots against the springs for the release of the
labels as above stated. This clamping arm is mounted on the rock
shaft & which is worked by the crank t, connecting rod u, bell crank v,
lifter w, cam x, spring, being moved down upon the label by the
cam, and raised up again by the spring when the high part of the
cam passes beyond the lifter, but it is held dow upon the label
until the smoothing rollers which will be presently described come
into action. This clamping arm has a finger a pivoted to the end
for adjusting to the surface of the box at the time it acts on the
label so as to bear alike all the way across it, and the finger is
provided with a cushion of elastic substance 6' to prevent striking a hard
blow and macerating or cutting the paper. The smoothing apparatus
consists of the small rollers c' suspended over the box M, side by side, 1
parallel with it, by rods & hinged at e¹ to the arm f¹ projecting from
the slides g' working vertically on the vertical rods h³, and operated by
the rod i³, lever k³, cam 1, and spring m³, being raised by the cam and
depressed by the spring. The rods d' are connected by a spring n',
which causes them to press snugly against the box as they are brought
down upon it, and the label held there by the clamp, one roller coming
in contact with the label on each side of the clamp and close to it, and
then rolling down each way, spreading and smoothing the label thercon,
and pressing it so as to cause the pasto to adhere to the box. This
operation takes place when the pasting and presenting plates are taking
another label, the said rollers coming down immediately after the said
plates have gone back out of the way. As soon as the said rollers havo
performed their work they rise out of the way, and the carrier is set in
motion by the pawl G and moved one stage, discharging the labelled

page_text: box, and bringing another into the position for labelling just in time to
receive the label from the plates O and clamp r. These operations follow
in quick succession, accomplishing the work rapidly and efficiently.
The feeding box containing the labels is slowly lifted by the screw
working in the divided nut p¹and turned by the wheel q' and worm 7ª³,
the latter being on the shaft O. The divided nut is employed to be
opened and arrest the feed from time to time, which is geared slightly
faster than is required for being continuous in order to simplify the
regulation of it, which may be done by hand occasionally, as the pile
diminishes. For so opening the two parts of the nut and closing
them again they are hinged at one end as shown at 8³, are connected
to the T headed crank shaft t, and the latter to a handle u' lying on the
table, which being moved one way will close the nut upon the screw
and cause it to be raised, and being moved the other way will disengage
it and let the lifting of the rod stop. The box is. prevented from falling
back by friction or by any other means.
Figure 7 is a front elevation showing a modification of the machine
for pasting the labels all around the boxes; Figure 8 is a detail section on
the line ', x, Figure 7. The boxes M are placed within the descending
chute D and taken therefrom by the star-shaped plates K, which carry
the boxes to a position above the shaft and hold them there while the
label is applied. On shaft I are mounted two revolving discs I",
between which the boxes M fall and are held by friction and. are carried
around between the discs. The preparing operation of the labels is
done in the same manner as before described, but instead of carrying
the label h¹ taken from a pack by the plates O directly above the box
the label is placed on one side of the box, as shown in Figure 7. The
arm & has attached a roller which presses the overlapping end of
the label h¹ upon the box M, which by its revolving motion carries the
label around the box, while the roller c³ by its pressing motion makes
the label adhere to the box. The set screws e³ are used for adjusting
the position of the plates O by which the labels are carried to the boxes.
As soon as one box is labelled it is discharged into the chute D' and
another one taken up by arrangements before described.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would observe that I do not limit or confine
myself to the exact form or arrangement of any of the parts herein
described, as these may be varied in many ways without departing

page_text: from the Invention; but what I claim as now and desiro to secure by
Letters Patent is,―
1st. The clamping arm r having pivoted finger a¹ on the end thereof,
for the purpose specified.
2ndly. The two rolls c³, c³, and spring n' when attached to the
vertically reciprocating frame by hinged rods d³, d², and arranged immc-
diately over the box carrier, as and for the purpose specified.
3rdly. The smoothing rolls c', c', held toward each other by yielding
pressure combined with a clamp r, a', which holds the box centrally
until the said rolls straddle it in the manner specified.
4thly. The rod v¹ and T headed crank shaft & arranged as described
to open and close the divided nut as set forth.
5thly. Pasting plates O having lateral play against a yielding support
on their respective arms, for the purpose specified.
6thly. The box carrier and label pasting and carrying plates 0, 0, 1
combined to operate together in the manner specified.
7thly. The label pasting and carrying plates and clamps combined
to operate together in the manner specified.
8thly. The intermittently moved box carrier, label pasting and
carrying plates, clamp, and smoothers combined to operate together in
the manner specified.
9thly. The two revolving discs I operating substantially as described.
10thly. The pressing roller c³ operating substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Sixteenth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
One
Witness,
JAS. O. DEWEY,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)