Glue supply for labeling unit with glue printer

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a glue supply device for a labeling unit with a glue printer, comprising: a storage tank for glue, a supply line for supplying glue from the storage tank to the glue printer, a continuously delivering glue pump which is embodied to deliver glue from the storage tank into the supply line, and a hydropneumatic reservoir for the glue, wherein the hydro-pneumatic reservoir is arranged at the supply line upstream of the glue printer.

Claims

1. A glue supply device for a labeling unit with a glue printer, comprising: a storage tank for glue having a low viscosity; a supply line for supplying glue from the storage tank to the glue printer; a continuously delivering glue pump which is embodied to deliver glue from the storage tank into the supply line; and a hydropneumatic reservoir for the glue, wherein the hydropneumatic reservoir is arranged at the supply line upstream of the glue printer.

2. The glue supply device according to claim 1, wherein the glue pump is embodied as a gear pump.

3. The glue supply device according to claim 2, wherein the gear pump is an external gear pump.

4. The glue supply device according to claim 1, wherein the glue pump is embodied to be controllable by closed-loop control, and further comprising a pressure gauge device and a closed-loop control unit, wherein the pressure gauge device is arranged directly upstream of or at the glue printer and is embodied to determine a glue pressure upstream of the glue printer, and wherein the closed-loop control unit is embodied to control the glue pump as a function of the determined glue pressure.

5. The glue supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a retention device which is embodied to fix the glue pump to the labeling unit in a height adjustable manner.

6. The glue supply device according to claim 5, wherein the retention device comprises a telescopic rail and a cylinder with a gas pressure spring for a height adjustment of the glue pump.

7. The glue supply device according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary tank, wherein the auxiliary tank is connected with the glue pump such that, when the storage tank is being exchanged, glue is withdrawn from the auxiliary tank by means of the glue pump.

8. The glue supply device according to claim 7, wherein the auxiliary tank surrounds the glue pump and comprises a valve element which is designed to open the auxiliary tank when in contact with a bottom of the storage tank and to otherwise close it.

9. The glue supply device according to claim 8, wherein the glue pump is embodied to be movable relative to a bottom of the auxiliary tank.

10. The glue supply device according to claim 9, wherein the bottom of the auxiliary tank has a bore, wherein the bore forms, by lowering the glue pump, a supply line for glue from the storage tank together with a corresponding glue inlet opening of the glue pump, which supply line is closable by the valve element.

11. The glue supply device according to claim 1, wherein the storage tank is embodied to be exchangeable, and further comprising a mechanical receiving device for coupling the storage tank to the labeling unit.

12. The glue supply device according to claim 11, wherein the glue pump is driven out of the storage tank by means of a retention device for exchanging the storage tank, and wherein a filled storage tank is driven towards the glue supply device by means of a pack carriage.

13. The glue supply device according to claim 11, wherein the storage tank is a mobile module, and wherein the mechanical receiving device is a coupling plate.

14. The glue supply device according to claim 1, wherein the storage tank is fixedly connected to the labeling unit and includes a lid which is openable at least partially.

15. The glue supply device according to claim 14, wherein the glue has a viscosity within a range of 3 to 300 mPas, and wherein the storage tank is refilled by means of canisters through the opened lid.

16. The glue supply device according to claim 15, wherein the glue has a viscosity within a range of 10 to 100 mPas.

17. The glue supply device according to claim 1, wherein a safety valve is arranged at the supply line which is embodied to open an outlet when a limit pressure in the supply line is exceeded.

18. The glue supply device according to claim 1, wherein the glue is a cold glue.

19. A labeling unit for applying labels onto containers, comprising: a pallet carousel with a plurality of pallets to be driven to circulate about an axis of rotation; a glue printer disposed in a periphery of the pallet carousel having a plurality of glue nozzles controllable individually or in groups; and a glue supply device for continuously supplying the glue printer with glue, wherein the glue supply device comprises: a storage tank for glue having a low viscosity, a supply line for supplying glue from the storage tank to the glue printer, a continuously delivering glue pump which is embodied to deliver glue from the storage tank into the supply line, and a hydropneumatic reservoir for the glue, wherein the hydropneumatic reservoir is arranged at the supply line upstream of the glue printer.

20. The labeling unit according to claim 19, wherein the glue is a cold glue.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Further features and exemplary embodiments as well as advantages of the present disclosure will be illustrated more in detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings. It will be understood that the embodiments do not exhaust the field of the present disclosure. It will be furthermore understood that some or all features described below may also be combined with each other in a different way.

(2) FIG. 1 schematically shows a side view of a glue supply device for a labeling unit with a changeable storage tank for glue according to the present disclosure.

(3) FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of a hydropneumatic reservoir in the inlet to the glue printer according to the present disclosure.

(4) FIGS. 3A and 3B show a glue pump according to the present disclosure.

(5) FIG. 4 shows the glue pump lowered into the storage tank.

(6) FIG. 5 shows the auxiliary tank surrounding the glue pump in a floating position during the change of the storage tank.

(7) FIG. 6 shows the auxiliary tank after it has been lowered to the bottom of the storage tank.

(8) FIG. 7 shows the auxiliary tank with a completely lowered glue pump.

(9) FIG. 8 shows the retention device for the glue pump connected to the labeling unit.

(10) FIG. 9 schematically shows an alternative development of a glue supply device according to the present disclosure.

(11) FIG. 10 schematically shows a plan view of a labeling device of prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) Below, the same or equal elements are designated with the same reference numerals. A repeated description of these elements is omitted for clarity reasons. Moreover, it will be understood that in the following embodiments, some or all elements may be replaced or combined by or with equal elements described in connection with other embodiments.

(13) FIG. 1 schematically shows a side view of a glue supply device for a labeling unit with a changeable storage tank for glue according to the present disclosure. The figure shows the glue supply device 100 in combination with a modularly designed labeling unit 150. In the represented, not limited development, the glue supply device is fixedly connected to the labeling unit 150 and forms a module movably mounted on rollers 152 which may be placed, for example, against a container table (not represented) for the container transport. The labeling unit 150 is only shown as a frame 151 that is mounted on rollers 152 in FIG. 1, but it may in particular include the units and devices described in connection with FIG. 9. The labeling unit 150 moreover has a glue application unit in the form of a glue printer 119. Moreover, the labeling unit 150 may comprise a guide handle 123 for shifting the unit.

(14) The glue printer 119 is provided with glue from a changeable storage tank 110 by the glue supply device. In the shown development, the storage tank 110 is standing on a mobile pack carriage 140. The pack carriage 140 has, apart from an erection or receiving surface 142 for storage tanks, also a guide rod 144 by means of which the pack carriage 140 mounted on rollers 143 may be driven towards the labeling unit 150 without major efforts. Here, the guide rod 144 may be connected with a receiving device 142 such that a storage tank 110 may be easily picked up and lifted by lever action. The storage tank 110 taken along may be placed or docked on or at a corresponding tie point, for example a coupling plate (not represented), of the labeling unit 150. Here, the storage tank 110 may remain, for the sake of simplicity, on the pack carriage 140, as is shown. This permits a particularly effortless and easy change of the storage tank 110.

(15) In the shown development, the storage tank 110 has a level indicator 112 in the form of a viewing glass where the filling level of glue in the storage tank may be seen. The glue is pumped from the storage tank 110 into the supply line 116 via the suction opening 111b of a suction pipe 111a by means of a glue pump 111 which is driven by a motor 114, in particular a controllable servomotor. As an alternative, as will be described more in detail hereinafter, a gear pump at the lower end of a rising pipe may be lowered into the storage tank and driven by a controllable motor. The motor 114 is connected with the open-loop or closed-loop control unit 160 of the shown glue supply device 100 which receives as input signals, for example, the flow rate of glue in the supply line 116 determined by a flow meter device 126, and the glue pressure determined by a pressure sensor 125 directly disposed at the glue printer 119. Depending on these input signals and optional other input parameters, such as the glue temperature and/or the viscosity of the glue, the open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit 160 controls the pump performance of the glue pump 111 which may continuously deliver glue to the glue printer 119 with a constant glue pressure.

(16) To moderate pressure variations at the glue printer 119, a hydropneumatic reservoir 117, for example in the form of a membrane reservoir, is arranged at the inlet to the glue printer and in fluid connection with the supply line 116. As is shown, the hydropneumatic reservoir may be arranged in particular close to the glue printer 119. By means of the hydropneumatic reservoir, the glue printer 119 may be hydraulically decoupled from the glue pump 111, so that pressure variations generated by the glue pump are not or only partially transferred to the glue printer. In this manner, a uniform glue pattern may be guaranteed. The hydropneumatic reservoir 117 may also be connected with the open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit 160. For example, the hydropneumatic reservoir 117 may include a control valve (not represented) which is connected with a source for a filling gas, for example nitrogen, and limits the maximum pressure in the gas space of the hydropneumatic reservoir. As a function of the desired glue pressure, the open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit 160 may control the control valve such that the required amount of gas is always present in the gas space of the hydropneumatic reservoir.

(17) In the development shown in FIG. 1, both the supply line 116 and the sensors 125 and 126, the hydropneumatic reservoir 117 and the open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit 160 are fixedly connected with the labeling unit 150. As an alternative, the mentioned elements may also be embodied as part of a modularly designed glue supply device which may be coupled to a separately formed labeling unit. In the shown development, moreover a height adjustable retention device 165 for the glue pump 111 and the motor 114 which are fixedly connected with the labeling unit 150 are provided. By means of the retention device 165, the suction opening 111b may be immerged into the glue present in the storage tank 110 and removed from it again after the storage tank has been emptied. The empty storage tank may then be easily replaced by the operator.

(18) FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of a hydropneumatic reservoir in the inlet to the glue printer according to the present disclosure. The shown development shows the lower part of a pallet carousel 130 where a plurality of pivoted pallets, which are not represented for a better overview, are circulated. During their circulation, the pallets pass the glue printer 119 provided with a plurality of glue nozzles at a small distance, the glue printer 119 applying the desired glue pattern either onto a glue application surface of the pallets or directly onto a back of labels that are taken along by the pallets. The glue nozzles may be individually controlled by a control unit 127 of the glue printer 119.

(19) Via a supply line in the form of an elastic tube 116, the glue printer 119 is provided with glue. To compensate pressure variations, according to the present disclosure, a hydropneumatic reservoir 117 is disposed at the supply line 116 in the direct vicinity of the glue printer. The reservoir may have, as described, a volume of the liquid space within a range of 0.1 l to 1 l. In the shown development, the glue printer 119 is connected with the pallet carousel and/or the labeling unit 150 via a mounting 118.

(20) FIGS. 3A and 3B show a glue pump 311 according to the present disclosure. The shown glue pump 311 is an external gear pump where the gears 375 are arranged in a housing 371 enclosing a delivery space of the pump. The housing 371 has, at its bottom side, a glue inlet opening 372 via which the glue can enter the delivery space of the pump. Furthermore, in the shown development, a sealing ring 373 is arranged at the bottom side of the housing 371 by which the glue inlet opening 372 may be sealed with respect to the interior of an auxiliary tank surrounding the housing 371 as will be described below more in detail. By a shaft arranged in a shaft housing 374 and driven by a motor (not represented), the gears 375 are driven such that the glue that has entered the delivery space of the glue pump 311 via the glue inlet opening 372 is transported into the rising pipe 376. The rising pipe 376 may in particular be connected with the above-mentioned supply line. The use of a gear pump 311 permits a continuous glue delivery with very low pressure variations.

(21) FIG. 4 shows the glue pump 311 lowered into the storage tank 310. The storage tank 310 is embodied, in the shown development, as a bucket with handles at the upper edge. The only schematically shown gears of the glue pump 311 are driven by the above-mentioned shaft by a controllable servomotor 314 arranged outside the storage tank 310. By vertically shifting the motor 314 and the glue pump 311 together, the glue pump 311 may be driven out of the storage tank 310 so that the latter may be replaced.

(22) FIG. 5 shows the auxiliary tank 380 surrounding the glue pump 311 in a floating position during the change of the storage tank 310. According to the shown development, the housing surrounding the gears 375 is embodied to be movable together with the shaft housing 374 and the rising pipe 376 relative to the auxiliary tank 380. In the shown floating position, where the auxiliary tank is not standing on the bottom of the storage tank 310, the glue pump 311 is positioned, for example via spacers arranged at the shaft housing 374 which can be brought into contact with an upper part, for example a lid, of the auxiliary tank 380, relatively within the interior of the auxiliary tank 380 such that a major part of the glue located in the auxiliary tank may be sucked off via the glue inlet opening 372 of the glue pump. In other words, the glue pump, and in particular the spacer, is designed such that the glue inlet opening 372 is located, in the floating position of the auxiliary tank, in the lower third, optionally in the lower fourth, of the interior volume of the auxiliary tank. In this manner, the auxiliary tank may be nearly completely pumped empty in the floating position, which is after all in particular given when the storage tank is being replaced. The interior volume of the auxiliary tank 380 thus serves as a buffer storage for glue during the changing process for the storage tank. To this end, the interior volume may be in particular at least 0.3 l, optionally at least 1 l, so that an operator has sufficient time to change the storage tank and lower the glue pump again into the storage tank.

(23) The completely or partially emptied auxiliary tank 380 may be filled with glue again when it is lowered into the new storage tank. To this end, the auxiliary tank 380 may have, in the upper region of the tank wall 381 or in a lid region of the auxiliary tank, one or several inlet openings through which glue may enter the auxiliary tank. In the shown development, this is elegantly achieved by the bores in the lid of the auxiliary tank 380 for the shaft housing 374 and the rising pipe 376 being embodied to be wider than the cross-section of the respective pipe so that glue may flow in through these openings. The constant relative motion of the shaft housing and the rising pipe moreover take care that the openings are not clogged with cured glue. The dimensions of the auxiliary tank 380, in particular its overall height and/or the arrangement of the inlet openings, may be selected with respect to the dimensions and the common fill height of the completely filled storage tank such that the auxiliary tank is, after it has been lowered onto the bottom of the storage tank, reliably filled with glue via the inlet openings.

(24) According to the shown development, the auxiliary tank 380 has a bore 385 in its tank bottom 383 which connects the interior of the auxiliary tank via a glue channel 386, here in an annular design, in the bottom of the auxiliary tank with the exterior of the auxiliary tank, i.e. the storage volume of the storage tank 310. A movable valve element 382 is arranged in the glue channel 386 and is designed such that it closes the glue channel and thus the connection to the exterior of the auxiliary tank in the floating state of the auxiliary tank 380.

(25) The special valve element 382 represented here has a plug-like basic shape and moreover includes a permanent magnet 384 which interacts in a repelling manner with a permanent magnet 384 with the same polarization which is correspondingly arranged on the opposite side of the glue channel 386. At its lower end, the plug-like valve element 382 has an extension protruding beyond the bottom plate 383 of the auxiliary tank 380 which may be brought into mechanical contact with the bottom of the storage tank. The repelling interaction of the magnets 384 pushes the valve element 382 into a closed position as long as the auxiliary tank is freely floating and in particular the lower extension of the valve element is not in mechanical contact with the bottom of the storage tank. In the floating position, the auxiliary tank 380 is thus closed towards the bottom by the valve element 382 so that the glue pump 311 may pump off the glue located in the auxiliary tank via the glue inlet opening 372. To this end, the arrangement of the glue pump in the interior of the auxiliary tank 380 in the floating position is in particular selected such that a sufficient distance, e. g. at least 1 cm, from the bottom of the auxiliary tank remains so that the glue located in the auxiliary tank may enter the delivery space of the glue pump via the glue inlet opening 372. It will be appreciated that other developments of the valve element 382 are also possible. In particular, instead of the magnets 384, a readjusting spring may be provided which pushes the valve element into the closed position. The arrangement and embodiment of the bore 385 and the glue channel 386, too, may be varied as long as the bore 385 is opposite the lower opening of the glue inlet opening 372 in the vertical direction, as will be stated more in detail below. In a special development, one may completely eliminate the glue channel 386 if the valve element 382 is directly arranged in the bore 385.

(26) FIG. 6 shows the auxiliary tank 380 after it has been lowered to the bottom of the storage tank (not represented). By lowering the auxiliary tank 380 onto the bottom of the storage tank, the extension at the lower end of the valve element 382 is brought into contact with the bottom of the storage tank 310. Thereby, the valve element 382 will be pushed from the closed position against the resistance of the repelling interaction of the magnets 384 to the top into an open position where glue may enter into the interior of the auxiliary tank 380 via the glue channel 386 and the bore 385. In this position, the glue pump 311 may thus already deliver glue from the storage tank indirectly via the interior of the auxiliary tank 380. Due to the extension of the valve element 382 and/or a corresponding shaping of the lower side of the bottom of the auxiliary tank, a sufficient clearance, for example of a height of at least 1 cm, between the bottom of the storage tank and the bottom of the auxiliary tank may be formed so that glue may be reliably withdrawn from the storage tank.

(27) FIG. 7 shows the auxiliary tank 380 with the completely lowered glue pump 311 in an operating state. By further lowering the glue pump 311, the auxiliary tank 380 is not further pushed in the vertical direction as it already rests on the bottom of the storage tank 310. However, the glue pump 311 is now lowered within the auxiliary tank 380 to such an extent that the bottom region of the glue pump 311 is brought into mechanical contact with the bottom of the auxiliary tank 380. In order to be able to create a tight contact, the bottom 383 of the auxiliary tank 380 may in particular have, as is shown in FIG. 6, an indentation which corresponds, as to its shape, to the bottom region of the housing 371 of the glue pump. Moreover, the sealing ring 373 shown in FIG. 3A may be pushed against a plane surface of the bottom 383 of the auxiliary tank. In this manner, the glue inlet opening 372 of the glue pump will be sealed with respect to the interior of the auxiliary tank so that no more glue is delivered from the auxiliary tank.

(28) In contrast, by the described lowering of the glue pump onto the bottom 383 of the auxiliary tank 380, the glue inlet opening 372 is brought into a congruent contact with the upper opening of the bore 385 so that the glue inlet opening 372, the bore 385 and the glue channel 386 form a continuous supply line 387 connecting the exterior of the auxiliary tank 380 with the delivery space of the glue pump 311. Thus, in an operating state, glue is delivered from the storage tank 310 into the rising pipe 376 via this supply line 387. As is shown in FIG. 7, the valve element 382 remains in an open position in the operating state due to the remaining contact with the bottom of the storage tank.

(29) The auxiliary tank 380 thus efficiently provides a glue buffer from which glue may be delivered during the changing process. In this manner, an idling of the glue pump and the involved production interruption are avoided. Moreover, the pressure variations common during the start of the glue pump are eliminated.

(30) FIG. 8 shows the retention device 165 for the glue pump 111 connected to the labeling unit 150. In the left of the figure, the glue supply device already shown in FIG. 1 is represented together with the labeling unit 150 in a three-dimensional view. For the sake of clarity, a repeated description of the shown elements is omitted. It should only be noted as a supplement that the frame 151 of the labeling unit 150 has a coupling plate 163 against which the storage tank 110 may be placed or to which it may be coupled. Moreover, FIG. 8 shows the retention device 165 connected with the labeling unit 150 which in particular support the motor 114 and the glue pump 111. The latter is, as is schematically indicated, surrounded by the auxiliary tank 380 and already lowered to the bottom of the storage tank 110.

(31) The retention device 165 comprise, in the shown development, a telescopic rail 166 where a cylinder provided with handles 169 is arranged to be height adjustable with a gas pressure spring 167. Due to the gas pressure spring 167, the mounting 168 that supports the motor 114 and the glue pump 111 may be shifted vertically without major expenditure of force, whereby the glue pump may be lowered into the storage tank 110 and driven out of it for changing the storage tank. The retention device 165 fixed to the labeling unit 150 thus further improve the ergonomics of the glue supply device.

(32) FIG. 9 schematically shows an alternative development of a glue supply device 200 according to the present disclosure. In this alternative development, the storage tank 210 is fixedly connected with the labeling unit 250. Thus, the glue supply device 200 forms, together with the labeling unit 250, a module which may in particular be mounted, as is shown, in a mobile manner on rollers 252. Here, too, the labeling unit 250 has a frame 251 at which further components, such as a guide handle 223, may be arranged. In FIG. 9, moreover the pallet carousel 230 with a plurality of pallets 220 and a label unit 232 with a label container 231 for storing the labels to be glued are explicitly shown. These components are well-known in prior art and are therefore not further described herein. The components may moreover also be provided in the development described in connection with FIG. 1.

(33) At the pallet carousel 230 or at the frame 251, respectively, a mounting 218 is arranged which holds the glue printer 219, in particular in a height adjustable manner. The glue printer is connected with the motor 214 of a glue pump 211, which has been lowered onto the bottom of the storage tank 210, as shown in the figure, via an elastic supply line 216. Here, too, the arrangement is selected such that a sufficient clearance for sucking in glue is available. Since the storage tank 210 is in this development fixedly connected to the labeling unit 250, the height adjustable retention device may be omitted. Instead, the upper region of the storage tank 210 includes a lid 215 which may be opened for refilling the storage tank. Since this refilling may also be done during operation, the above-described auxiliary tank may also be omitted. The glue pump may thus be embodied in the form of a gear pump which is driven in a controllable manner by the motor 214. The same developments that have been described in connection with the previous figures for the glue pump, the supply line, the open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit (not represented), the sensors, i.e. the flow meter device, the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor, and the like are also applicable to the development shown in FIG. 9. The storage tank 210 includes, for example, a level indicator in the form of a filling level pipe 212 or filling level sensors 222. Moreover, the supply line may comprise the above described heating device. Such a supply line, however, may also be arranged within or at the storage tank 210. At the supply line 216, the already described hydropneumatic reservoir 217 is arranged.

(34) In addition, FIG. 9 shows a safety valve 224 with a return line 221 via which glue from the supply line 216 may be returned into the storage tank 210 if a limiting value for the glue pressure is exceeded. The safety valve 224 may be arranged at the supply line 216. The safety valve is here designed such that it automatically opens when the limit pressure is exceeded. Such a safety valve with a return line may also be inserted in the development described in connection with FIG. 1.

(35) Finally, the storage tank 210 has a drain cock 213 in the lower region of the container wall for manually draining the glue from the storage tank if this is necessary, for example for cleaning the storage tank.

(36) The shown development with a storage tank permanently fixed to the labeling unit may be particularly advantageously used for glues having a low viscosity, for example within a range of 10 to 100 mPas, as these may be easily refilled into the storage tank by canisters. Due to the small pack size, only small loads must be moved which contributes to the ergonomics of the use of the plant.

(37) FIG. 10 schematically shows a plan view of a labeling device of prior art which may be employed in connection with the above described labeling units and glue supply devices.

(38) The shown labeling device 400 here comprises a transport device embodied as a container table 494 along which the containers 493 or packs to be labeled circulate on a plurality of mountings (not represented) rotatable around themselves on a curved path. A further element of a labeling device that is often used is, for example, a pretreatment unit 495 which prepares the container 493 to be labeled for labeling by cleaning or pre-moistening the container surface to be labeled, or by subjecting the same to blowing or a heating and/or radiation and/or plasma and/or corona treatment. Furthermore, sensors 409 and 497 may be provided which measure the condition of the surface to be labeled, e. g. smooth, rough etc., and/or ambient conditions, such as an ambient temperature or humidity, and transmit it to the open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit 460 for controlling the labeling device. Furthermore, a roll-on unit 434 and/or a brush-on unit 435 may be provided downstream of the labeling position 498 to completely apply and press on the label 499 placed onto the container. The containers provided with the label 436 are subsequently transferred to a following treatment station, for example a filling station for filling them with liquid food.

(39) The labeling unit represented in the exemplary labeling machine comprises a pallet carousel 430 with a plurality of pallets 404, 405, and 420 circulating about an axis of rotation of the pallet carousel and which are themselves each embodied to be pivoting about their own, eccentrically mounted swiveling axes 406. The pallets have, on their side facing outwards, a locating surface 408 which may be large enough to be able to accommodate a plurality of different label sizes. The initially unloaded pallet 404 is, during its circulation about the axis of rotation of the pallet carousel 430, guided past a label reservoir 431 in the form of a label box disposed at the periphery of the pallet carousel and pivoted such that the locating surface 408 of the pallet picks up the foremost label 402 from the label box 431 presented with its image side. Since the pallets may be embodied as vacuum pallets, this pick-up is also reliably possible without previously applying glue onto the locating surface 408. To be able to adapt the distance of the foremost label 402 to the pallet carousel 430, the label box 431 may be designed to be switchable via a pneumatic cylinder 401.

(40) Since the labels 402 are provided with their image sides to the front, they also come to lie with their image sides on the locating surface 408 of the pallet 405. Thus, the glue application surface 492 of the labels 407 transported by the pallets 405 and 420 faces away from the locating surface of the respective pallet. The glue application surface of the label 407 thus facing outwards may therefore be glued directly on the pallet by means of a gluing unit 403 disposed at the orbit of the pallets 404, 405 and 420, i.e. at the periphery of the pallet carousel 430. In FIG. 10, a gluing unit 403 according to the ink-jet method is shown according to the present disclosure.

(41) If a glue printer 419 is used, the cold glue is injected directly onto the glue application surface 492 from a plurality of glue nozzles in the form of a glue jet 491. To this end, the glue application surface 492 is guided, optionally at a constant distance, past the openings of the glue nozzles by circulating and pivoting the pallet. By purposefully controlling the glue nozzles, for example according to the DoD principle (drop-on-demand), in superimposition with the pallet movement, an approximately arbitrary glue pattern may be printed onto the glue application surface 492. In particular, exactly the required amount of cold glue may be printed on, so that a glue return may completely be omitted.

(42) The supply of glue to the glue printer 419 via the glue supply conduit 416 may be done in a controlled manner in the required amount by means of one of the above-described glue supply devices. This is indicated in FIG. 10 for the gluing unit 403. FIG. 10 representatively only shows, for the above described glue supply devices, the glue supply conduit 416 and a schematic representation of the glue pump 411.

(43) Since the cold glue is applied onto the glue application surface 492 facing outwards, in this not limiting development no gripper cylinder is required for placing the now glued labels 407 onto the containers 493 to be labeled. Instead, the labels are directly placed onto the containers 493 guided past the labeling position 498 by the pallets 404, 405 and 420 and are wound upon the containers by a rotary motion of the mountings of the container table 494. To this end, the pallets are guided past the container surfaces and pivoted such that the labels taken along in combination with the rotary motion of the containers and their circulation about the container table are rolled onto the container surfaces. As was already mentioned, by mounting the bent pallets 404, 405 and 420 in a suited eccentric manner at their respective swiveling axes 406, a slip-free rolling-off of the labels onto the container surfaces may be achieved, so that the applied labels do not unintentionally get out of place.

(44) The orbital movements of the pallets 404, 405 and 420 and the mountings of the container table 494 may be controlled by means of controllable drives (not represented) via the open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit 460 of the labeling device 400. Equally, the rotary motion of the mountings for the containers may be controlled by means of the open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit, for example via individually provided servomotors. The pivoting movements of the pallets 404, 405 and 420 may be controlled via corresponding radial cams or also via servomotors provided just for this purpose by means of the open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit. Finally, the vacuum supply and the glue nozzles may be controlled, as described above, via the open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit 460. The open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit may in particular be a stored program control unit which includes a storage unit, for example in the form of a flash memory, in which the storage parameters required for the control, e. g. with respect to the desired glue pattern, are stored. In particular, a common open-loop and/or closed-loop control unit 460 for the labeling device 400 and the glue supply device may be provided.

(45) It will be appreciated that the above-described glue supply devices may also be applied to differently embodied labeling devices. For example, the positions of the labeling box 431 and the gluing station 403 may be exchanged so that initially, a defined glue pattern is applied to a glue application surface 408 of the pallets 404 which is then brought into contact with a back of the labels 402. The image side of the labels is subsequently transferred to a gripper cylinder as it is generally known in prior art. By means of the gripper cylinder, the labels are finally applied onto the containers 493.

(46) The above-described glue supply devices permit the application of a well-defined glue pattern with a nearly constant glue pressure without the otherwise usual production interruptions for changing the storage tank for the glue. The closed glue supply system moreover improves the durability of the cold glue. Since the applied amount of cold glue may now be exactly adjusted, a return of excessive cold glue may also be omitted. If a low-viscosity cold glue is used, the energy consumption of the labeling unit may moreover be reduced.