Patent ID: 8105459

Claim:
A method for labeling a plastic foam container comprising: automatically positioning an unlabeled, preformed plastic foam container onto a mandrel at a first station; applying a label to an exterior surface of the plastic foam container at a second station; heating a work piece that defines a cavity that corresponds in shape to the outer surface of the plastic foam container; positioning the work piece so that the cavity surrounds the exterior surface of said plastic foam container to which the label is applied at a third station; heating the exterior surface of the plastic foam container to which the label is applied with said cavity by conductive heat transfer from the work piece to the exterior surface of the plastic foam container as the plastic foam container is disposed within the cavity, at a temperature and a time sufficient to bond the label to exterior surface of the container to provide a resulting labeled, plastic foam container; and removing the resulting labeled, plastic foam container from the mandrel.