Improvements in Apparatus for Labelling Bottles and like articles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Labelling Bottles and like articles.
I, CONRAD GEORG SEVERIN, of Motala Verkstad, in the Kingdom of Sweden,
Engineer, 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 relates to an apparatus by means of which labels can be
attached to bottles and other articles.
The improved apparatus may be easily combined with a machine in which the
article to be labelled is operated on for some other purpose, for instance, in the
case of bottles, with a corking-machine so that both will co-operate, i.e. the
bottles will be provided with corks and labels. In the following description
however, the labelling-apparatus alone is described. The latter comprises a label-
magazine fixed on the ends of sliding-rods so that it can move in relation to the
adjoining parts, the pressure-device for pressing the label on to the bottle, grip-
pers which are adapted, on the affixing of the label, to return the remaining
labels in the direction of the magazine, and the brushes for supplying the bottle
with the paste required for fixing the labels. The various parts are brought into
action by moving the apparatus towards and pressing it against the bottle, and
by subsequently with-drawing it from the latter.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 shows a vertical longitudinal section of the apparatus.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 shows a front view of the apparatus partly in section on line ab in
Figure 2.
Figures 4 and 5 are plans similar to Figure 2 showing the parts in different
positions, and
Figures 67, and 8 show a modification.
The frame of the apparatus consists of a rigid cross-head 1 provided with a
fork 2 having bolt 3 for attaching the apparatus to a lever or the like not shown
in the drawing by means of which it can be moved toward and away from the
bottle. The latter is indicated in the drawing by a circle 4. There are attached
to the cross-head 1 four springing arms 5, 5 and 6, 6-two located at one side and
two at the other side of the apparatus and one of each pair being situated closely
inside the other. The free ends of the exterior arms are bent at an angle toward
the centre of the apparatus and provided at the outside partly with tongues or
projections 7 which are cut off obliquely and partly with brushes 8. The latter
are pivoted on the arms 5 by means of the pins 9 and point forward so as to be
brought in contact with the bottle when the apparatus is advanced towards it.
A spring 10 wound around the pivot pin 9 keeps the brush in the position shown
in Figure 4 in relation to the arm 5. The body or back of each brush is formed
by a hollow arm into which leads a hose for supplying paste, mucilage, or the
like, to the brushes. The forward ends of the arms 6 are likewise bent at an
angle in toward the centre of the apparatus so as to form grippers for grasping
Die 17

page_text: the labels, as will be described later on. Between the arms 6, 6 the label-maga-
zine 12 is situated. This magazine consists of a short sheet-metal tube of oval
or other shape according to the form of the labels, said tube at the top and
bottom being prolonged somewhat in the forward direction, and at the bottom
being prolonged somewhat in the rearward direction.
The label-magazine is carried on the rods 13 which can slide through the
cross-head 1 and are surrounded by spiral springs 13* keeping the magazine
pressed forward. In the magazine is arranged a sliding bottom 14 which is fixed
to the push-rod 15 passing through the cross-head 1 and is kept pressed forward
by the spiral spring 15* wound around the said rod. The push-rod 15 is bent
over at the back so as to form a handle 16 to be used when the bottom 14 is to
be withdrawn. At the forward end of the apparatus there are two bows 17, 17,
which together form a ring embracing the forward end of the label-magazine.
The bows have their ends attached to small slides 18 arranged in guides 19, their
upper ends being situated at the top and their lower ends at the bottom of the
label-magazine.
Each slide 18 can slide a slight distance along the magazine and is kept with-
drawn by a spring 20 through which passes a pin 21 projecting from the slide.
For the sake of clearness, the pivot-pin 22 of the bows is shown in Figure 1
although the remainder of the section is taken through the central plane, of the
apparatus. At the sides of the apparatus the front edges of the bows are provided
with an inwardly-curved edge. 23 while the backs, of the bows are jointed to
arms 24 which by means of the pins 25 are attached to the ends of an equalizing-
lever 26 fulcrumed on the cross-head 1, on a pin 27. The arms of the equalizer 26
are somewhat springy. The arms 24 are guided by the projections 24* passing
through slots in the arms 5, 6.
The labels which are placed upright in the magazine 12 are held compressed
to a bundle or pack between the ends 6* of the arms 6 and the bottom 14, owing
to pressure of the spring 15*. When the magazine is to be filled, the bottom 14
is withdrawn and the fresh supply of. labels is deposited behind those previously
in the magazine. In order to facilitate this operation, the bottom is provided at
its upper edge, which is cut out to correspond to the rounded edge of the label,
with a backward-pointing plate 28 which is shaped in the same manner. afore-
said and on which the labels are first placed and made to occupy the same relative
position, all the labels being subsequently pushed down in front of the bottom 14
previously withdrawn.
When the apparatus is inactive, its parts occupy the position shown in Figure 2,
with the difference only that the brushes have the position shown in Figure.5.
When the apparatus is moved in the direction. of the bottle, by moving the
lever or the like to which the apparatus is attached, in the said direction, as
indicated by the arrow 30, the bottle is at first struck by the brushes which move
to the position shown in Figure 2. When the apparatus advances further, in the
direction of the arrow 30, the arms 5, 5 are at; first moved apart by the, bottle, by
the,,tongues, 7, 7, sliding outward in contact with the, round surface of the bottle,
and subsequently the arms 6, 6 are spread apart in the same manner, the labels
being, thereby caused to bear on the bottle, along their longitudinal axis, while
the labels at their edges (at the ends of their transverse axis) remain free. The
label-magazine now remains stationary, whereas the cross-head 1. advances still
further, causing the bows 17, 17, to swing forward, the latter being thus finally
brought in contact, with the labels, with their edges 23 and causing a number of
the foremost of them to bend in a semi-circle close to the bottle. The foremost label
is thus pressed on to the now pasted bottle to, which it adheres. The apparatus
subsequently returns in a direction opposite that indicated by the arrow 30. The
cross-head then withdraws the bows 17, 17 and the labels situated in front of the
bows simultaneously resume their plane form excepting the foremost one which
has been fixed to the bottle. After the segments follow partly the brushes which
drag along the bottle with their backs in contact with. it, thus not disturbing

page_text: the label pasted on but instead fixing it still better by their pressure and partly
the grippers 6-6*. The latter slide on the bottle by means of their rounded
projections 32 situated outside of the edges of the label affixed, so that the label
is left undisturbed by them. Finally, the grippers 6-6* enter with their
edges 6* in front of the straightened labels, between the latter and the bottle. When
the apparatus is subsequently withdrawn entirely, the labels will be held between
the grippers and the bottom 14, and all the parts will resume the position shown
in Figure 2, the brushes, however, occupying the position shown in Figure 5.
The apparatus may be easily modified in such a manner that the brushes 8
are fixed to the arms 6, 6, the arms 5, 5, being thus superfluous. The brushes
may, moreover, be made broader than is shown in the drawing so as to be
readily moved apart by the bottle direct. In place of moving the apparatus in
the direction of the bottle the latter may evidently be moved in the direction of
the said apparatus.
The brushes shown in Figures 1-5, i.e. the thin brushes or sponges proper,
are best suited for use when the labels are rectangular in shape. For oval labels
the brushes should be of the oval shape shown in Figure 6 so as not to provide a
larger surface of the bottle with paste than can be covered by the label. The
brushes are in this case, as before, pivoted to the springing arms 5 and are held
in a certain position (right hand side of Figure 7) by means of a spring, its ful-
crum, however, being located at the central plane of the brush. The brush is,
moreover, provided at the top and bottom with a spring 31. When the bottle is
struck by the brushes, the springs 31 are pressed rearward and the brushes slide
along the sides of the bottle until the edges 7 strike the bottle (right hand side
of Figure 7). The brushes are then lifted from the bottle and prevented by the
springs 31 from touching it (see Figure 7), since the springs 31 are of sufficient
stiffness to overcome the resistance of the springs 10 previously mentioned. The
brushes finally assume the position shown at the right of Figure 8, dragging with
their backs on the bottle as the apparatus recedes from it. The apparatus is guided
by the projections at its sides, said projections running in grooves in a suitable
frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A labelling-apparatus comprising a label-magazine (12) at the sides of which
project springing arms (6) a cross-head (1) situated behind the magazine (12)
and in relation to which the magazine can slide longitudinally, a sliding-bottom, (14)
in the magazine which bottom is adapted to be pressed forward by a spring and
between which and the arms (6, 6), projecting inward toward each other in front
of the magazine, the labels are held pressed together, bows (17, 17) which are
pivoted on the magazine and, being by means of links (24, 24) connected to a
springing equalizing-lever (26) mounted on the cross-head, and adapted to be
swung past the forward end of the magazine and in so doing to bend the foremost
labels into a semi-circular shape, and, in front of the magazine, brushes (8, 8)
soaked with paste, said brushes being attached to special springing arms (5, 5)
projecting from the cross-head, all for the purpose of causing the bottle, or other
object which is to be labelled, to be first stuck by the brushes (8, 8), when the
apparatus is advanced towards it and thus be provided with paste and then pro-
vided with the labels located between the separated arms (6, 6) and (5, 5)
which labels have been previously released and are pressed forward at their sides
by the bows (17, 17), so as to cause the foremost label to adhere to the object, and
in the return-motion of the apparatus causing its parts to resume their original
position automatically.
2. In an apparatus as characterized in Claim 1, the arrangement in which the
brushes are hinged like flaps to their supporting arms and held in a certain
position by means of springs (10), so that, on having passed forward in contact

page_text: with the object to be labelled, they finally swing forward and outward and when
returning drag over the object with their backs.
3. In an apparatus as characterized in Claim 1, the arrangement of sliding-
rods (13, 13) passing through the cross-head, to which rods the label-magazine is
attached, and of springs (13*) which keep the magazine pressed forward in the
direction away from the cross-head.
4. In an apparatus as characterized in Claim 1, the arrangement of a push-
rod (15) passing through the cross-head and provided at the back with a
handle (16), to which rod the bottom (14) is attached, and a spring (15*) wound
around the rod and adapted to press the bottom forward.
5. In an apparatus as characterized in Claim 1, the arrangement that the
swinging bows.(17, 17) are attached to slides (18) which are somewhat movable
along the magazine and attached to it and are held withdrawn by means of
springs (20).
6. In an apparatus as characterized in Claim 1, the arrangement of a plate (28),
projecting backward at the top from the bottom (14), supporting the labels
previous to their being deposited in the magazine in front of the bottom (14)
previously withdrawn.
7. In an apparatus as characterized in Claim 1, the arrangement of hoses (11)
leading to the interior of the hollow body-portion or backs of the brushes (8)
and serving to conduct paste, mucilage, or the like into the latter.
8. In an apparatus as characterized in Claim 1, the arrangement that the
grippers (6-6*) serving to catch the labels in the return-motion of the apparatus
are provided with special lugs (32) outside the edge of the label, by means of which
lugs they slide on and in contact with the object (such as a bottle) during the
return-motion of the apparatus, for the purpose of avoiding any disturbance of
the label affixed to the said object.
9. In the apparatus characterized in Claim 1, the arrangement that the brush,
Claim 2, has its axis of oscillation placed about the middle plane of the brush,
and that there are attached to the brush springs (31) which in a certain position
of the brush, which is oval at its outer edge, holds the said brush away from the
bottle, in order that no larger surface of the latter may be provided with the
paste than can be covered by the label (Figures 6-8).
Dated this 14th day of October 1898
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.