Patent ID: 7892383

Claim:
An apparatus for labeling a container, said apparatus comprising: (i) a first winder; (ii) a first vacuum box; (iii) a vacuuming means; (iv) a heater plate; (v) a heat label applicator; and (vi) a nip comprising first and second rollers, wherein; (a) said first winder is capable of unwinding a heat transfer label from a heat transfer label roll, wherein the heat transfer label comprises a heat label releasably affixed to a heat label web; (b) said first vacuum box is capable of containing at least a portion of the heat transfer label unwound from the first winder, said portion comprising a heat label releasably affixed to a heat label web; (c) said vacuuming means is capable of vacuuming the first vacuum box and the portion of the heat transfer label contained in the first vacuum box; (d) said heater plate is capable of heating the heat transfer label received from the first vacuum box; (e) said heat label applicator is capable of applying the heat label to a container and thereby providing the labeled container and the heat label web; and (f) wherein said rollers are capable of nipping the heat transfer label, wherein the nipping pressure between the rollers is from about 35 g/mm to about 75 g/mm.