Patent ID: 8020598

Claim:
A label affixing apparatus for affixing a label, to which an RFID tag including an IC chip and a communication antenna is attached, to a product, the apparatus comprising: a folding/affixing apparatus having a label conveying apparatus for conveying the label, a label holding device for holding a front surface side of the label, and a folding device for causing a part of the label including a tag attachment site to which the RFID tag of the label is attached to project by folding the part of the label from a rear surface side of the label to the front surface side of the label into an angular shape, the folding/affixing apparatus further comprise at least one of: a traction suppressing device for suppressing traction acting on the label when the label is affixed to the product; a reader/writer, including an antenna which is disposed in a position facing the part of the label when the part of the label is folded, for writing or reading information to and from the IC chip of the RFID tag via the antenna; a fold detector for detecting whether or not the part of the label has been folded into an angular shape; a moving device for moving apparatus between a suction position in which the label holding device aspirates the label and an affixing position in which the aspirated label is affixed to the product; and a folding assisting device for assisting folding of the part of the label from the rear surface side to the front surface side into an angular shape; wherein the label holding device comprises a pair of divided and detached bodies operable for aspirating the label, the folding device is operable to move one of the divided bodies between a removed position and a joining position.