IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING LABELS TO BOTTLES OR OTHER CURVED SURFACES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Martin, of Rochester Road,
Kentish Town, in the County of Middlesex, Commercial Clerk,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING LABELS TO
BOTTLES OR OTHER CURVED SURFACES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Martin
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th October 1874.
I; THOMAS JAMES MARTIN, of Rochester Road, Kentish Town, in
the County of Middlesex, Commercial Clerk, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING
LABELS TO BOTTLES OR OTHER CURVED SURFACES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved apparatus for affixing labels
on to one or both sides of beer, wine, and other bottles or curved
surfaces.

page_text: The apparatus consists of a framing composed of wood, iron, or other
suitable material in which are bearings for the axles of the rollers, which
form part of the apparatus. At the bottom and running from side to
side of the framing is a trough, which contains gum, paste, or other
suitable adhesive material for fixing the labels to the bottles. In this
trough (and running in bearings affixed to its side).is a wooden roller
serving as gum fountain roller. Immediately above this roller and
having its axis in a vertical plane with the axis of the gum roller is a
another roller, having one half of its periphery covered with a rubber,
leather, or other suitable padding. Above this padded roller and placed
at a considerable angle is the bottomless label box. This box has lateral
grooves in the bottom of its sides, in which slide two, three, or more
thin blades of brass, which support the labels contained within the box.
On both ends of the shaft of the padded roller are keyed grooved wheels,
on one of which is fixed a crank pin connected by a rod with a treadle,
which gives motion to the apparatus. To the grooved wheel is also
attached a connecting rod, having a horizontal crank motion, and at its
opposite end it is attached to a "dabber." This dabber is composed of a
piece of metal in the form of the arc of a circle, and having stretched
across its open side a piece of sheet rubber. Under the sheet rubber are
three smaller pieces of rubber, having fixed to them short pins, which
pass through the sheet rubber and are intended to take the label from the
pad when gummed. This "dabber" as it travels backwards and forwards
in a horizontal plane is made to turn completely round by means of a
pin on its side catching in a slot in the frame of the apparatus, or vice
versa. On the side of the apparatus nearest the "dabber" is placed the
bottle holder.
.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The padded roller is set in
motion by means of the treadle, and as it revolves the padded portion of
it comes in contact with the gum fountain roller, from which it takes
the gum as it passes round the pad; then passes round to the underneath
of the label box, from which it takes the bottom label; the roller then
takes a quarter turn, when the dabber is made to come up to the roller,
take the label off the pad by means of the small pins above mentioned,
and then make a complete half turn and place the label on the side of
the bottle nearest to it.
It is evident that this operation may be repeated on the other side of
the bottle merely by duplicating the apparatus and connecting the

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas James Martin in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JAMES MARTIN, of Rochester Road, Kentish Town, in the County of
Middlesex, Commercial Clerk, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas James Martin, Her
special licence that I, the said Thomas James Martin, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas James
Martin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING LABELS TO BOTTLES OR OTHER CURVED
SURFACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Thomas James Martin, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: 2
to say) :-
This Invention relates to an improved apparatus for affixing labels
on to one or both sides of beer, wine, and other bottles or curved.
surfaces.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view, and Fig. 2 a
vertical section of the apparatus..
5
a, a, is the framework which supports the working parts; b is the
gum or paste trough; c, is the gum fountain roller; and d the padded
roller, having a portion only of its periphery covered with the pad d. 1
The bottomless label box e is placed above the padded roller d, and is
supported at its edges by the rim or flange d of the roller d. The
flange de keeps the label box ẹ out of contact with the periphery of the
padded roller, except at that part of its revolution where it is desirable
for a label to be delivered on to the pad d', when the edge of the label 1
box falls into a notch in the flange d*, and the bottom label in the
box comes in contact with and sticks to the gummed surface of the
pad.
ค
falls with
By the 2
In order to ensure the label sticking firmly to the pad d¹ a weight f
is caused to fall on the top of the pile of labels, thereby forcing the 2
bottom one on to the sticky pad. The weight fis raised by means of a
finger g fixed on the end of the shaft g', which is caught by a stud g³ on
the grooved wheel. As the wheel i revolves the finger 9 is caught and
lifted by the stud ³, and is then released, when the weight
sufficient force to ensure the bottom label sticking to the pad.
rotation of the roller & still continuing the box e is lifted out of contact
with the pad d by means of the flange d* of the roller d, and the label
on the pad is presented to the dabber to be removed and fixed on the
bottle. At both ends of the shaft of the padded roller d are grooved
wheels or pullies, which are worked by bands ; passing. round other 3
pullies fixed on a fly wheel shaft, and which are worked by a treadle.k,
which gives motion to the apparatus.
Connecting rods 1, 7, are attached at one of their ends to the grooved
wheels i, i, and at their other ends to the dabber shaft h', which as the
wheels 4, i, revolve impart to the latter a reciprocating motion in the 3
groove h³, The dabber his composed of a piece of metal in the form
.

page_text: of the arc of a circle, and having stretched across its open side a piece of
sheet rubber, the upper surface of which is covered with short pins for
the purpose of seizing the label, which adheres to the pad d', and holding
it until it is attached to the bottle. While sliding laterally in the
groove h the dabber shaft h' has a tumbling motion communicated to it
by the tail m on the dabber shaft catching in the groove 'm', and thereby
tumbling the dabber over, so that its face is presented alternately to the
padded roller d and the bottle p. On the side of the apparatus nearest
the "dabber" is placed the bottle holder, which holds the bottle in
position while the labelling operation proceeds.
Fig. 3 shews another view of the tumbling arrangement of the dabber,
in which the projection x catches the plate or finger t and tumbles the
dabber into a vertical position, at the same time forcing the tail piece m
into the groove m¹. As the apparatus revolves the tail piece m catches
against the side of the groove m¹ and tumbles the dabber / into a
horizontal position, when it advances and takes the label off the pad d¹,
the dabber then returns, turning over in its course, and fixes the label on
the bottle.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The padded roller d is set
in motion by means of the treadle k, and as it revolves the padded
portion of the roller d comes in contact with the gum fountain roller c,
from which it takes the gum as it passes round. The pad then passes
round to underneath the label box e, from which it takes the lowermost
label of the pack. The roller & then takes a quarter of a turn, when the
"dabber" is made to come up to the roller d and take the label off
the pad by means of the small pins above mentioned. It then makes a
complete half turn over back again in the opposite direction, and
places the gummed label on that side of the bottle which is nearest
to it.
It will be evident that this operation may be repeated on the other
side of the bottle merely by duplicating the working parts of the
apparatus and connecting the padded rollers by means of a band, so that
by one motion of the foot a label may be fixed to each side of the bottle
simultaneously.
It will be clearly understood that earthenware jars, tin cans, or other
curved surfaces may be labelled in the manner by means of an apparatus