WO2004071753A1

WO2004071753A1 - Method and apparatus for applying tags to objects

Info

Publication number: WO2004071753A1
Application number: PCT/US2003/004056
Authority: WO
Inventors: Charles Fuehrer
Original assignee: Stoffel Seals Corp
Current assignee: Stoffel Seals Corp
Priority date: 2003-02-12
Filing date: 2003-02-12
Publication date: 2004-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 2005-08-12
Also published as: AU2003216236A1

Abstract

A method and apparatus for mechanically applying tags (10) and labels suspended from looped funicular elements (13) to containers (16) and other objects being moved along a conveyor (C) wherein the looped funicular elements are retained open by a carrier member (20) until the looped elements are engaged by objects and removed from the carrier member.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to hanging tags and labels of the type which are designed to be suspended about a portion of a product, such as a neck of a bottle, and more particularly to both a method and apparatus for placing such tags on objects as they are conveyed such as along a packaging line. The invention is directed to a process and apparatus which allows substantially all types of hanging tags having closed loop funicular elements, including elastic and non-elastic cords or strings, to be secured to products in a continuous process .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Manufactures and suppliers of commercial goods have long recognized the benefits which can be achieved when products are supplied for consumer purchase with suspended labels, tags and the like. Such tags may provide additional information about the product, specialized advertising, information with respect to the producer, recipes, assembly instructions or other consumer educating information. By way of an example, bottlers of comestible goods, such as beverages or sauces, may include a booklet- type tag which is mounted to the neck of a bottle and which tag includes indicia identifying the manufacture and information with respect to the product. Some information may include recipes for use of the product . Such tags are generally mounted to containers utilizing a funicular element which is tied in a tying machine to form a closed loop which supports the paper, plastic or other material tag. The funicular elements may take the form of small diameter cords or strings which may be formed of an elastic material to facilitate a secure attachment of the tags to a container or other product.

Although manufactures recognize the benefit to be obtained by utilizing hanging tags, additional costs are created when supplying a tagged product. The additional costs can adversely effect sales of a product. Conventionally, hanging tags are manually applied to products, such as bottles and other types of containers, which are carried along a conveyor by workers placing the closed loops of the tags about a portion of the product. With high-speed bottling and other container filling lines, it takes many workers to apply the tags to containers as they are being processed. The additional cost due to increased labor must be added to the cost of the tags and the total cost, in many instances, becomes prohibitive, even though the use of an applied tag at a point of sale is a known benefit to induce consumer interest and purchase.

To overcome the above drawbacks associated with manual labor, a number of machines have been developed in an effort to apply hanging tags automatically to products as the products are conveyed.

In U.S. Patent 5,241,743 to Hubbs et al . , a booklet applying machine is disclosed for mounting tag-like booklets to necks of containers utilizing closed loop elastic bands. The machine conveys the tags having the looped bands suspending therefrom toward a tag applying position along a conveyor. The tags are supported such that the loops are suspended. A vacuum is applied to elongate the loops, after which, the loops pass through a spreader or horn-type device until fingers of an applicator are inserted through the loops to retain the loops open. Thereafter, the applicator fingers are indexed until they are moved over an upper portion of a bottle or similar container and moved so as to urge a loop downwardly relative to the neck of the container.

In U.S. Patent 5,275,681 to Hettler, a method and device for attaching tie-on tags to containers is disclosed wherein tags having looped funicular elements are indexed towards a conveying line on which bottles or other types of containers are carried. As the tags are conveyed, spreadable grippers are inserted within the loops and spread the loops to an open configuration for application to neck portions of the containers.

Unfortunately, such prior art tag applying devices incorporating fingers for engaging, expanding and transferring a closed loop of a hang tag have not proved to be commercially viable. Funicular elements associated with hanging tags are not uniform and are frequently twisted or wrapped such that the loop elements cannot be properly engaged in a mechanical process, especially at high rates of speed which are necessary in product packaging. In addition, the machines incorporating spreader-type elements for engaging, transferring and applying hang tags require a large capital investment on the part of the manufacturer or packager. Also, the complexity and unreliability of such machines is such that down time and maintenance detract from the benefits obtained of applying tags to containers. In view of the foregoing, there remains a need in the industry to provide a method and apparatus for mechanically applying hanging tags to a variety of containers and other products wherein capital costs are reasonable and wherein the machines for applying the hang tags function reliably even when used to apply tags to containers moving at high rates of speed along a bottling, packaging or other product line .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for mechanically applying hanging tags in a continuous process to substantially any type of container or product being moved along a conveying line. The method of the present invention involves initially mounting a plurality of hanging tags to a carrier member by supporting the looped funicular elements associated with the tags in spaced relationship to the carrier member. The carrier member disclosed is a material sheet or web which is formed of paper or plastic having a plurality of finger elements formed therein which are moveable or pliable relative to the sheet or web. The tags are initially placed on the web or sheet such that the loops are supported by the finger elements and such that the finger elements will retain the looped funicular elements in an open configuration when the web or sheet is positioned in a relative horizontal plane with the loops depending therefrom. The web or sheet is thereafter rolled or stacked in overlapping segments to form an appropriate dispenser. The dispenser is subsequently mounted to a tag applying apparatus of the invention such that the web or sheet is moved or indexed relative to a tagging station associated with a conveyor along which products to be tagged are moving. The indexing mechanism of the invention is timed such that a suspended open loop of each tag is brought into alignment with a portion of a product moving into the tagging station. As the product moves through the tagging station, a portion of the product engages the opened loop and the continued movement of the product thereafter pulls the tag from the carrier web, sheet or other support element.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support or carrier member, such as the web or sheet, is collected, such as on a take-up reel, after passing through the tagging station such that the carrier member may be re-cycled for supporting a plurality of new tags . The preferred apparatus of the present invention includes a carrier member feeder including a drive motor assembly for pulling the carrier member from a reel or other supply container. In a preferred embodiment, the support or carrier member is wound in a reel and the carrier member, in the form of a web, tape or sheet of generally flexible material, is fed between a pair of tensioning rollers and across the product or container conveying line so that the carrier member is retained normally horizontal relative to the conveying line with the loops of the tags, which are held open by the finger elements, depend toward the product being conveyed. The drive motor assembly is positioned on an opposite side of the conveying line and includes an indexing motor which is timed to index a tag into alignment with an oncoming container or product depending upon the conveyor speed. The indexing motor engages a drive roller which works in corporation with a pinching roller to effectively index the carrier member relative to the object conveying line. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus also includes a collection reel upon which the carrier member is wound after the tags have been removed.

Utilizing the teachings of the present invention, it is possible for the manufacture of the tags to initially mount the tags to the carrier member and thereafter roll the carrier member into reels or to otherwise fold the carrier material with the tags mounted thereon into a compact cartridge configuration from which the carrier member and tags may be easily dispensed. Thereafter, a supply of tags mounted on the carrier member is shipped to the manufacturer, packager or other end user, where the tags are to be applied to an object or product. The apparatus of the present invention may be easily placed into service adjacent a product conveying line without interfering with the structure of the conveying line. In some instances, the apparatus may be mobile so that it may be moved to any desired location along a conveyor line. Because of the effective transfer of tags provided by the present invention between the carrier member and product moving along the conveyor, a single operator may control a plurality of tagging machines at a given time, thereby reducing the cost associated with applying the tags to the containers or other products.

It should be noted that the present invention may be utilized to apply hanging tags having either elastic or non-elastic funicular elements, such as cords or string, associated therewith. Further, the configuration of the product to be conveyed may vary and range from a neck of a conventional bottle, to large round containers or even non- symmetrical objects including furniture, household elements as well as a variety of food stuffs and other consumer goods . It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a mechanical means of automatically applying hanging tags to a variety of products moving along a conveying line such that products may be uniformly tagged, even during high-speed conveyance.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for placing hanging tags on products wherein the movement of the products is utilized to maneuver the tags from a support device which retains the loops of the funicular elements associated with the tags in an open configuration prior to engagement with the products to be tagged.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for allowing manufactures to economically supply containers and other consumer goods with hanging tags without adversely increasing the overall cost of the end product such that the tags become an economical resource to the manufacturer for promoting the sales of consumer goods .

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for supplying hanging tags to manufacturers for use in applying hanging tags to a variety of products wherein the hanging tags are mounted on a carrier element before being shipped to the manufacturer for use on a mechanical tag applying device thereby significantly reducing a manufacture's handling of the tags and thereby facilitating the manner in which the tags are applied to a given product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a side illustrational view of the tag applying machine of the present invention positioned adjacent a product conveyor and showing bottles having hang tags applied thereto in accordance with the teachings of the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan illustrational view of the tag applying machine and product conveyor shown in Fig . 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational illustrational view of the tag applying machine and product conveyor shown in Fig. 1 and showing a supply reel of the tag carrier member of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a partial top plan view of a carrier member for supporting hang tags in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view taken along line 6- 6 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is an illustrational view showing a hang tag supported by the carrier member of the invention moving toward alignment with a container moving along a conveyor line and showing the tag loop retained in an open configuration . Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the loop of the hang tag being engaged by a container.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the tag pulled from the carrier member and suspended from the container as the container is conveyed along the conveyor line.

Fig. 10 is a rear side illustrational view of Fig. 7.

Fig. 11 is a rear side illustrational view of Fig. 8.

Fig. 12 is a rear side illustrational view of Fig. 9. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With continued reference to the drawing figures, a conventional product hanging or hang tag 10 is disclosed including a printed paper booklet or label 11 having an opening 12 formed in an upper corner thereof through which a funicular element 13 extends. The funicular element may be any conventional cord or string-like material which is elastic or non-elastic and the funicular element is formed into a closed loop by tying the ends as shown at 14 utilizing a conventional tying machine. The tag may carry various indicia relative to the advertisement of the product, instructions for use of the product, generalized information with respect to the supplier or manufacturer, and any other instructions or information which the manufacturer desires to pass to consumers.

The invention will be described in the drawings as utilized to apply the hanging tags 10 to the neck 15 of bottles 16 containing a product. It should be emphasized that the hang tags can be applied effectively to substantially any object and, therefore, the teachings of the invention are not limited to the embodiment illustrated in this application.

In accordance with the present invention, the hanging tags are initially mounted to a carrier member such as a flexible sheet, tape or web 20. In the embodiment shown, the web material has been cut to form a plurality of spreader finger elements 22 which are somewhat "U" or "V" shaped in configuration and which are moveable relative to the web or sheet by flexing about a base portion 24. On opposite sides of the base or living hinge of each finger element are openings 25 in which the funicular element is seated when mounted to the carrier member as is shown in Fig. 4. The tags 11 are suspended below the upper surface 26 of the carrier member with the loops 13 extending through the openings 25 and around the finger elements. The finger elements are spaced relative to one another so that there is no interference between adjacent tags and the spacing will be varied depending upon the size and type of tags to be placed on objects. The web may be formed of paper or a plastic film or may be formed of any other carrier member which includes elements to retain the funicular element loops in an open configuration, as shown in drawing Fig. 6, when mounted thereto. The carrier member may include a plurality of tractor openings¹28 along the opposite edges thereof for purposes of facilitating movement of the member. After the tags have been mounted to the carrier member, the carrier member is rolled into a supply reel 30, as shown in Fig. 3. It should be noted that as opposed to rolling the carrier member into a reel, the carrier member may be folded in overlapping segments so as to be dispensable from a container or cartridge serving as a dispenser for the carrier member and mounted tags. Such packaging of the carrier member and the mounted tags is preferred in those instances where the tags are to be shipped from a point of manufacture to a point of use . In some instances, however, it is possible that the carrier member will be formed in a tag applying station provided at the manufacturer's point of use, in which case, the carrier <• member need not be rolled into a reel or packaged in a dispenser for future use, but rather, the member would be fed directly to a tagging station as discussed herein below.

With particular reference to Figs. 1-3, the present invention provides an apparatus for mechanically feeding the carrier member having the tags applied thereto in sequential manner relative to products moving along a conveyor system "C" . In the preferred embodiment, the invention utilizes the movement of the objects such as the bottles 16 moving on a convention conveyor "C" to provide the required force for separating the hang tags from the carrier member. The tag applying machine 40 includes a support spindle 42 for rotatably supporting a tag supply reel 30. The reel support spindle is mounted by way of a bearing on a standard 44 which extends upwardly from a frame 45 which may be mounted on dolly wheels 46 thereby allowing the apparatus to be moveable relative to the product conveyor "C" .

Jacks 47 may also be mounted to the frame to stabilize the tag applying machine when in use. Also mounted on a stand 48 of the frame is a carrier member guide and drive assembly 50. The assembly includes a pair of tension rollers 52 and 54 between which the carrier member is guided. Appropriate resilient elements may be associated with the tensioning rollers in order to maintain the carrier web or sheet in a relatively taught configuration. As shown, the tags 10 depend from the web or sheet as it passes through the tensioning rollers. The assembly further includes an indexing motor 56 mounted to an outrigger arm 58 of the assembly. The indexing motor powers a drive roller 59 which cooperates with a pinch roller or cylinder 60 which is freely rotatable to the outer portion of the outrigger arm. As shown, the carrier member extends between the drive roller and pinch roller with drive roller providing indexing movement drawing the carrier member from the supply reel . As shown, when the carrier member includes a plurality of tractor holes on the opposite edges thereof, the indexing rollers may incorporate appropriate indexing pins over which the tractor openings are received for positively pulling the carrier member from the supply reel . A spring loaded tensioner 65 is connected to the pinch roller 60 and is used to adjust the pressure developed between the drive roller 59 and pinch roller.

The motor 56 is a variable speed motor and a controller 70 is provided for regulating the indexing speed of the motor such that the movement of the carrier member, with the tags suspended therefrom, is coordinated with the movement of the bottles along the conveyor "C" . Also provided either on or spaced from the frame 45 is a take-up reel 75 which is utilized to collect the carrier member after the tags have been removed therefrom so that the carrier member may be re-cycled for use for supporting additional hanging tags. It should be noted, that the indexing motor may be mounted at the point of the collection reel or the collection reel may have a second motor associated therewith which is timed with the indexing motor such that no adverse tension is placed upon the carrier member as it is being conveyed from the drive assembly to the take-up reel. With particular reference to Figs. 7 through 12, the manner in which the hang tags 10 are transferred to the neck 15 of a bottle 16 will be described in detail. As shown, the carrier member is retained in a generally horizontal plane as the member passes from the tensioning rollers across the conveyor to the indexing drive mechanism. This area is generally defined as the tagging station "T" of the conveyor. It is noted, that the tags 10 are suspended from the carrier member 20 with each finger element 22 retaining the loop 13 of an associated tag in an open configuration with the finger element generally extending in the plane of the web or sheet defining the carrier member. As a loop is indexed into alignment with the direction of movement of the bottles 16 along the conveyor as shown in sequence in Fig . 7 and 8 , the neck of a bottle will engage the open loop 13 of the hanging tag. As the bottle continues its movement transversely with respect to the orientation of the carrier member, the bottle pulls the closed loop from the finger element 22 which has retained the loop in an open configuration until the rear portion of the neck passes, thus allowing the loop to drop into surrounding relationship with the neck of the bottle as shown in Fig. 9. At this point, the indexing motor is activated and another tag is moved into alignment with the next bottle being conveyed and the removal of the next hang tag is accomplished in a similar manner. Figs. 10 through 12 show the sequence of movements of the tags and containers as viewed from behind the bottles of Figs. 7 through 9.

Utilizing the apparatus of the present invention, the speed in which the hanging tags may be applied to the bottles is only dependent upon the speed of the conveyor as the invention may be utilized with substantially any conventional conveying system utilized in product handling. Although the present invention has been described with respect to the carrier member in the form of a sheet, tape or web of paper or plastic material, the invention may be utilized with substantially any element having a structure for retaining a loop of a hang tag in an open configuration in such a manner that the loop is suspended below the element retaining the loop open so that the movement of the container relative to the open loop provides the force for removing the tag from the spreader element. Further, the width of the elements for retaining the tag loops in an open configuration will depend upon the size of the product to which the tags are to be attached. Where elastic loops are utilized to support the tags to containers or other products, additional resistance may be provided by the finger elements such as by using a heavier grade of paper or plastic so as to cause stretching of the resilient loops to accommodate the size of the product to which a tag is to be secured. In such instances, the movement of the product provides sufficient force for effectively removing the tags from the carrier member.

In the embodiment disclosed in the drawing figures, the carrier member is moved generally transversely with respect to the product conveyor "C" . It is also possible to move the carrier member from directly above the conveyor "C" . By way of example, the carrier member may be indexed over a reel or cylinder mounted above the conveyor line such that as the carrier member passes over the reel, the tags would be suspended into alignment with approaching containers or other products. The tags would be removed in the same manner as disclosed in the embodiment shown in the drawing figures and the carrier member would be collected by elevating the carrier member relative to the conveyor "C".

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented to illustrate the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention to the particular embodiment illustrated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by all of the embodiments encompassed within the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method of applying tags suspended from looped funicular elements to objects comprising the steps of: a) providing a plurality of spaced objects to which the tags are to be suspended; b) conveying a plurality of tags relative to a tagging station wherein the tags are mounted in spaced relationship to one another on a carrier member which retains the looped funicular elements in an open configuration depending from the carrier member; c) moving the plurality of spaced objects through the tagging station so that the objects sequentially engage the depending loops of the spaced tags within the tagging station and such that the movement of the objects through the tagging station removes the tags from the carrier member with the looped funicular element encircling a portion of the objects thereby suspending the tags from the objects .

2. The method of claim 1 including a preliminary step of applying a plurality of tags to the carrier member in spaced relationship with respect to one another by inserting the looped funicular elements over elements of the carrier member which retained the looped funicular elements in an open configuration.

3. The method of claim 2 including an additional preliminary step of forming the carrier member having tags applied thereto into a compact supply configuration.

4. The method of claim 3 including the additional step of collecting the carrier member after the tags have been removed therefrom.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of conveying the plurality of tags relative to a tagging station includes indexing the carrier member in timed sequence with the movement of the plurality of spaced objects through the tagging station.

6. A method of applying tags suspended from looped funicular elements to objects comprising the steps of: a) providing a carrier member in the form a flaccid web having a plurality of spaced spreader finger elements integrally formed therein and which are moveable with respect to the web; b) inserting the looped funicular elements about the spreader finger elements so that the tags are suspended below the carrier member with the looped funicular elements in an open configuration; c) providing a plurality of spaced objects to which the tags are to be suspended; d) conveying the tags suspended from the finger elements of the carrier member toward a tagging station along a conveyor; and e) moving the plurality of spaced objects through the tagging station so that the objects sequentially engage the depending loops of the spaced tags within the tagging station and such that the movement of the objects through the tagging station removes the tags from the spreader finger elements of the carrier member.

7. A method of applying tags suspended from looped funicular elements to objects comprising the steps of: a) providing a plurality of tags mounted in spaced relationship to one another on a carrier member with a plurality of spaced spreader finger elements integrally formed with the carrier member retaining the looped funicular elements in an open configuration; b) providing a plurality of objects on which the plurality of tags are to be suspended; c) conveying the plurality of tags relative to a tagging station such that the looped funicular elements depend freely vertically from the carrier member in an open configuration; d) moving the plurality of objects through the tagging station so that the objects sequentially engage the depending looped funicular elements of the plurality of tags within the tagging station such that the movement of the objects through the tagging station removes the plurality of tags from the carrier member with the looped funicular elements encircling a portion of the objects thereby suspending the plurality of tags from the objects.

8. The method of claim 7 including a preliminary step of applying the plurality of tags to the carrier member in spaced relationship with respect to one another by inserting the looped funicular elements over the plurality of spaced spreader finger elements of the carrier member.

9. The method of claim 8 including an additional preliminary step of forming the carrier member having the plurality of tags applied thereto into a compact supply configuration .

10. The method of claim 9 including the additional step of collecting the carrier member after the plurality of tags have been removed therefrom.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of conveying the plurality of tags relative to the tagging station includes indexing the carrier member in timed sequence with the movement of the plurality of objects through the tagging station.

12. An apparatus for applying hang tags to products moving along a conveyor and wherein the hang tags include looped funicular elements for mounting the hang tags in spaced relationship with respect to a carrier member, the apparatus comprising; means for mounting the carrier member relative to the conveyor, means for supporting the carrier member so as to extend above the conveyor such that the hang tags are suspended therefrom with the loops retained by the carrier member in an open configuration, and means for controlling movement of said carrier member in timed relationship with respect to a movement of the objects on the conveyor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 in which said means for supporting the carrier member includes a pair of tensioning rollers adapted to be disposed adjacent one side of the conveyor and a pair of driving rollers adapted to be disposed adjacent an opposite side of the conveyor, and the carrier member being adapted to extend between said tensioning rollers transversely across and above the conveyor and between said driving rollers.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 in which said means for controlling includes means for indexing one of said drive rollers .

15. The apparatus of claim 14 including means for adjusting the other of said drive rollers relative to said one of said drive rollers.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 including means for collecting the carrier member after the hang tags have been removed therefrom.