Method and apparatus for providing printed labels for large numbers of objects
US5427029A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 25, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jun 27, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 25, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T156/171
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A printing/applicator station (10) for use in for printing labels and attaching labels to unlabeled objects (11) at a rate of at least 200 objects per minute includes conveyors (12, 13) feeding the objects (11) at a rate of at least 200 objects per minute past a labeling machine (24) that applies labels at a rate of at least 200 per minute. The objects (11) are then fed past a printing machine (15) at the rate of at least 200 per minute. A supervisory computer (16) stores information corresponding to different titles and different customers, and transmits this information over a network (17) to the printer (15), where it is printed on the labels (37) already attached to the objects. One of the conveyors (12) is oriented at an angle of approximately twenty degrees from perpendicular to the first conveyor (13) to support the objects as they are fed at high speed. This conveyor (12) is also adjustable in a direction transverse to the direction for feeding the objects, for handling objects of different thicknesses of objects, such as video tapes, CD's and cassette tapes.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.