Apparatus and process for applying labels to boxes

Abstract

An apparatus for and a process of applying labels to boxes are disclosed. A box (1) is received in a labeling zone. A label carrier (30) is vertically moveable relative to the labeling zone to place the center portion of a label (5) onto the upper side of the box. Two presser elements (21, 21) arranged on two mutually opposite lateral sides of the labeling zone are downwardly moveable both relative to the labeling zone and relative to the label carrier so as to fold and apply end portions of the label onto the lateral sides of the box.

Claims

1. An apparatus for applying labels to boxes, the apparatus defining a labeling zone for receiving a box having an upper side and having first and second opposing lateral sides, the apparatus comprising: a label carrier for releasably carrying a label having a center portion and a first and second end portion, the label carrier being configured to be vertically moved along a vertical direction relative to said labeling zone to place the center portion of the label onto the upper side of a box received in the labeling zone; a pressing assembly comprising two presser elements arranged on two mutually opposite lateral sides of the labeling zone, the presser elements being configured to be downwardly moved along the vertical direction both relative to the labeling zone and relative to the label carrier so as to fold the first and second end portions of the label onto the first and second lateral sides of the box, and a presser release mechanism, wherein the presser elements are further configured to be moved along a lateral direction running perpendicularly to the vertical direction relative to the labeling zone away from the first and second lateral sides of the box to increase a distance between the presser elements and to thereby release pressure from the first and second lateral sides of the box, wherein the presser release mechanism is configured to increase a horizontal distance between the presser elements such that in each case a lateral distance between the presser elements and the corresponding first lateral side and second lateral side of the box is increased equally over an entire length of the presser elements before the presser elements are moved upward again, and wherein the presser elements are configured to be moved upward along the vertical direction while the presser elements are at said horizontal distance.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the label carrier and the pressing assembly are part of a labeling head that is moveable as a whole relative to the labeling zone.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: a label reservoir for holding a stack of labels, wherein the labeling head is horizontally moveable between a position above the label reservoir and a position above the labeling zone.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each presser element defines a straight, longitudinal, smooth contact surface configured to slide along one of the first and second lateral sides of a box received in the labeling zone when the presser elements move downward relative to the labeling zone.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each presser element is made of a sheet of resilient material.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each presser element has a longitudinal notch defining a narrow, straight, longitudinal contact surface configured to slide along one of the first and second lateral sides of a box received in the labeling zone when the presser elements move downward relative to the labeling zone.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the resilient material is a metal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the label carrier comprises a vacuum suction arrangement for carrying a label by vacuum action.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the vacuum suction arrangement comprises a plurality of vacuum cups arranged in at least a first and a second row extending along the lateral direction.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each presser element has a length between a first and a second end thereof along a horizontal longitudinal direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, wherein the first and second rows of vacuum cups have a distance that is larger than said length, and wherein first and second rows of vacuum cups extend, along the lateral direction, beyond the ends of the presser elements so as to hold the first and second end portions of the label.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a transportation device for transporting boxes along a transportation direction to the labeling zone; and a stopper device for stopping movement of a box once it is received in the labeling zone.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: an adhesive application device for applying adhesive to the first and second lateral sides of the box.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the adhesive application device comprises at least a first and a second spray nozzle, the first spray nozzle being configured to apply adhesive to a first lateral side of a box received in the labeling zone, and the second spray nozzle being configured to apply adhesive to a second lateral side of a box received in the labeling zone.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the presser elements are elastically biased inwardly towards the first and second lateral sides of the labeling zone by a spring element.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a lateral distance between the presser elements is smaller than a distance between the first and second laterals sides of the box during a downward movement of the pressure elements.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of: i) the apparatus further comprises a pressure release mechanism comprising one or more pneumatic cylinders that are configured to move the presser elements such, that a horizontal distance between the presser elements is increased, and/or ii) the apparatus further comprises a distance regulation device and a spindle, wherein the distance regulation device is configured to drive the spindle such that the presser elements are symmetrically moved perpendicularly to a transportation direction.

17. An apparatus for applying labels to boxes, the apparatus defining a labeling zone for receiving a box having an upper side and having first and second opposing lateral sides, the apparatus comprising: a label carrier for releasably carrying a label having a center portion and a first and second end portion, the label carrier is configured to be vertically moved along a vertical direction relative to said labeling zone to place the center portion of the label onto the upper side of a box received in the labeling zone; and a pressing assembly comprising two presser elements arranged on two mutually opposite lateral sides of the labeling zone, the presser elements being configured to be downwardly moved along the vertical direction both relative to the labeling zone and relative to the label carrier so as to fold the first and second end portions of the label onto the first and second lateral sides of the box, wherein the presser elements are further configured to be moved along a lateral direction running perpendicularly to the vertical direction relative to the labeling zone away from the first and second lateral sides of the box to increase a distance between the presser elements and to thereby release pressure from the first and second lateral sides of the box, and wherein the presser elements are elastically biased inwardly towards the first and second lateral sides of the labeling zone such that a lateral distance between the presser elements is smaller than a distance between the first and second laterals sides of the box during a downward movement of the pressure elements along the vertical direction.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of: i) the apparatus further comprises a pressure release mechanism comprising one or more pneumatic cylinders that are configured to move the presser elements such, that a horizontal distance between the presser elements is increased, and/or ii) the apparatus further comprises a distance regulation device and a spindle, wherein the distance regulation device is configured to drive the spindle such that the presser elements are symmetrically moved perpendicularly to a transportation direction.

19. A process of applying a label to a box having an upper side and having first and second opposing lateral sides, the process comprising the following steps, not necessarily in the present order: transporting the box to a labeling zone; fetching a label having a center portion and a first and second end portion from a label reservoir by a label carrier; positioning the label above the box so that the first and second end portion laterally project beyond the lateral sides of the box; placing the center portion of the label onto the upper side of the box by vertically moving the label carrier along a vertical direction; and folding the first and second end portions of the label onto the first and second lateral sides of the box by moving two presser elements arranged on two mutually opposite lateral sides of the labeling zone downward along the first and second lateral sides of the box, and releasing pressure from the lateral sides of the box by increasing the distance of the presser elements along a lateral direction running perpendicularly to the vertical direction relative to the labeling zone away from the first and second lateral sides of the box, wherein a horizontal distance between the presser elements is increased by means of a presser release mechanism such that in each case a lateral distance between the presser elements and the corresponding first lateral side and second lateral side of the box is increased equally over an entire length of the presser elements before the presser elements are moved upward again along the vertical direction while the presser elements are at said horizontal distance.

20. The process according to claim 19, wherein no adhesive is applied between the upper side of the box and the center portion of the label.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the following with reference to the drawings, which are for the purpose of illustrating the present preferred embodiments of the invention and not for the purpose of limiting the same. In the drawings,

(2) FIG. 1 shows a box after having been labeled by the apparatus and process according to the present invention and subsequently having been shrink-wrapped;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of an apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a labeling head assembly after having pre-fetched a label; and

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the labeling head assembly after having positioned, wrapped and folded the label and after having pressed the label onto the pre-glued surfaces.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(6) FIG. 1 shows a box 1 labeled by an apparatus and a process according to the present invention. Preferably, the box 1 is an open box, open in this context meaning open to its upper side 2, and the box 1 already contains a product or a plurality of products before entering the labeling machine. The box 1 may optionally include preprinted elements such as information 9, 9 on its lateral sides 3 and 4 or optionally also on its two head sides. The labels 5 are preferably made of paper which is preferably preprinted in a manner which allows information to simultaneously be viewed from three different sides once the label is attached to the box. Paper with a weight of 90 grams per square meter has proven good results. The labels 5 are placed on the upper side 2 of the box 1 and extend along two lateral sides 3 and 4 of the box 1. Glue is applied only to portions of the lateral sides 3 and 4.

(7) The application of a label 5 to a box 1 is illustrated in FIGS. 2-4. The boxes 1 are fed through the labeling apparatus along a horizontal transport direction 11 by a transportation device 10. For the labeling of a box 1, the box 1 is stopped and aligned in a labeling zone. In a first step, a label 5 is fetched and moved over the labeling zone. This is achieved by a sleigh assembly 16 which is moved laterally, in a direction essentially perpendicular to the transport direction 11, by a servo motor 17. Attached to said sleigh assembly 16 is a vertically displaceable labeling head assembly 18, which comprises a label carrier 30 including a vacuum suction arrangement and a pressing assembly 20 including two presser elements 21, 21. While these two presser elements 21, 21 can comprise any useful means to elastically apply pressure to a surface, such as rollers or displaceable presser pads, a simple construction in the form of two presser sheets is preferred, as shown in FIGS. 2-4.

(8) The vacuum suction arrangement comprises vacuum cups 19, here two rows of five vacuum cups each, one row for the leading end and one row for the trailing end of the label 5. Additional suction vacuum cups can also be employed in the middle of a label 5, but are not shown in the Figures. A vacuum is preferably simultaneously supplied or released to all cups through a piping manifold.

(9) The labeling head assembly 18 is positioned over a label reservoir (label magazine) 15. The labeling head assembly 18 is then lowered onto the topmost label 5 in the label reservoir 15; the vacuum suction arrangement is activated in order to attach the topmost label 5 to the label carrier 30. The labeling head assembly 18 is then lifted and transported horizontally, in the lateral direction, which is essentially perpendicular to the transport direction 11, by the sleigh assembly 16 over the labeling zone where a box 1 has been or will be positioned and aligned. This situation is illustrated in FIG. 3.

(10) As already mentioned, a box 1 to which a label 5 shall be added is transported into the labeling zone by a transportation device 10 in the transport direction 11. The transportation device 10 preferably comprises a conveyor belt, but may also consist of a series of rolls or of an air cushion transportation device. When a box 1 nears the labeling zone, a light barrier or another suitable detection device is triggered and the box 1 is decelerated by electronics controlling the transportation device 10. The light barrier or other detection device also triggers preferably two adhesive application devices 12 to apply an adhesive to the two lateral sides 3 and 4 of the box 1. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive application devices 12 comprise two spray nozzles, one at each of the two lateral sides 3 and 4, which preferably apply hot glue to the two lateral sides 3 and 4 of the box 1.

(11) At the end of the deceleration phase, a preferably pneumatically activated stopper 13 blocks transportation of the box 1 in the transport direction 11. The stopper 13 is preferably positioned such that the label 5 will be applied in the middle of the length of the box 1 for mainly esthetical reasons, but can of course be positioned differently as desired.

(12) After the stopper 13 has been activated, a lateral alignment device 14 is activated. The lateral alignment device 14 preferably consists of four preferably pneumatically activated cylinders and pistons, which precisely position the box 1 laterally, so that the label 5 will be applied at the correct lateral position of the box 1.

(13) When the box 1 is in place, the entire labeling head assembly 18 including the label carrier 30 and the pressing assembly 20 is lowered.

(14) In a first phase of this continuous downward movement, the central portion 6 of the label 5 is placed onto the upper side 2 of the box 1. The downward movement of the label carrier 30 is stopped when it makes contact with the box 1, and the vacuum in the vacuum suction arrangement 19 is broken. At this moment, the label is held in place by the mechanical pressure of the label carrier 30 pressing onto the central portion 6 of the label 5.

(15) In the second phase of this continuous downward movement, the pressing assembly 20, comprising the presser elements 21, 21, continues its downward movement now with a relative movement against the stopped label carrier 30. By the downward movement of the pressing assembly 20 the presser elements 21 and 21 continue to slide down the lateral sides 3 and 4 of the box 1. By this sliding motion of the presser elements 21 and 21, the label 5 is simultaneously wrapped and folded around the box 1 and the first and second ends 7 and 8 of the label 5 are pressed onto the pre-glued surfaces of the box 1. The situation at the end of this movement is illustrated in FIG. 4. The application of a label. 5 by such a single wrapping, folding and pressing downward movement has proven to be very rapid, efficient and economic.

(16) The pressing is achieved by pre-adjusting the right distance between the presser elements 21, 21. The distance between the presser elements 21, 21 remains constant during the label-fetching and during the downward movement of the label carrier and the pressing assembly 20. The presser elements 21, 21 should preferably exercise just the right amount of pressure in order to reliably press the first and second label end portions 7 and 8 onto the pre-glued surfaces: Too much pressure might rip the label 5 apart and too little pressure might not ensure sufficient adhesion. This is why the distance of the presser elements 21, 21 is pre-set by a distance regulation device 22, such as a hand-wheel, which drives a spindle that symmetrically moves the presser elements 21, 21 perpendicularly to the transport direction 11. The distance regulation device 22 not only serves to adjust the right amount of pressure of the presser elements 21, 21, is also serves to rapidly adjust the apparatus for batches with different box widths.

(17) Once the label 5 has been folded, wrapped and pressed onto its pre-glued surfaces, a presser release mechanism 23 is activated and increases the horizontal distance between the presser elements 21, 21 and the box 1, before the labeling head assembly 18 is moved upward again. This horizontal release movement helps to avoid that the label sides 7 and 8 are damaged or moved out of their position when the labeling head assembly 18 is moved upward. Preferably the presser release mechanism 23 is activated and controlled by pneumatic cylinders.

(18) In the present embodiment, the presser elements 21, 21 are made of a sheet of resilient material such as metal, preferably aluminum or steel. Such a resilient material allows for a spring-like force of the presser elements 21, 21 to press the sides 7, 8 of the label 5 onto the pre-glued surfaces. Each presser element has, slightly above its lower horizontal edge, a horizontal, U- or V-shaped notch 24 in the form of a kink, which provides a well-defined, narrow, smooth contact surface for pressing the first and second ends 7 and 8 of the label 5 onto the pre-glued surface.

(19) Once the presser release mechanism 23 has been activated, the labeling head assembly 18 with the label carrier and pressing device 20 is moved upward, the pressing device 20 is restored to its initial position relative to the label carrier, the stopper 13 is deactivated, the transportation device 10 is activated and the now labeled box 1 moves out of the apparatus, ready to subsequently be shrink wrapped. The labeling head assembly 18 is then moved back over the label magazine 15 and the cycle is repeated for the next box 1.

(20) While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, many modifications are possible without leaving the scope of the present invention. In particular, it is conceivable to move the presser elements downward while they have a larger distance than the width of the box, so as to initially only fold down the end portions of the label, without any pressing action, and only then to exert pressure laterally by reducing the distance between the presser elements. The label carrier can comprise different vacuum suction means than those described above, e.g., vacuum suction means such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,918. Entirely different means for holding a label, e.g. means for holding the label by electrostatic forces, may be used instead. Instead of applying adhesive to the lateral sides of the box, adhesive may be applied to the end portions of the label instead. Alternatively, the labels may be pre-coated with adhesive, e.g., with pressure-sensitive adhesive. The boxes may be transported in an entirely different manner than described above, e.g., by a robot arm. Whereas in the above example the lateral direction (as defined by the lateral sides of the box to which the label is applied) is perpendicular to the transport direction, these two directions can be identical. In particular, it is conceivable that the boxes are transported in a direction that corresponds to the direction of movement of one of the presser elements during pressure release. The boxes need not be of cuboid shape as long as they have two opposite side faces. The side faces need not be flat if suitable presser elements are employed.

(21) TABLE-US-00001 List of Reference Signs 1 Box 2 Upper side of box 3 Lateral side of box 4 Lateral side of box 5 Label 6 Upper side of label 7 Lateral side of label 8 Lateral side of label 9, 9 Preprinted information 10 Transportation device 11 Transport direction 12 Adhesive application device 13 Stopper 14 Lateral alignment device 15 Label magazine 16 Sleigh assembly 17 Servo motor 18 Labeling head 19 Vacuum suction arrangement 20 Pressing assembly 21, 21 Presser element 22 Distance regulation device 23 Presser release mechanism 24 U-shaped notch 30 Label carrier