Article selection and placement assembly and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11014204-B2
Application number	US-201916279292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2019
Priority date	Jun 9, 2009
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for applying tags with attached elastic anchor bands onto the tops of objects such as bottles in a high speed packaging application. The apparatus includes an infeed assembly for feeding a web, a conveyor assembly that receives a web and conveys it along a path in an upstream direction, a rotating selector wheel, a placement assembly, a pair of rotating jaw assembles, a vacuum cup of the selector wheel, and stretched elastic bands over the tops of respective bottles being conveyed along a path below the placing assembly. The elastic bands then snap onto the tops of their respective bottles to secure the tags to the bottles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of placing elastic bands onto objects moving along a path, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) conveying a web comprising a multitude of detachable elastic bands in an upstream direction, wherein the elastic bands are attached to tags that are defined in and detachable from the web;
(b) sequentially capturing each elastic band with a placing assembly as each elastic band moves in the upstream direction;
(c) detaching captured elastic bands from the web with a selector assembly, the selector assembly being separate from the placing assembly, wherein the detaching the captured elastic bands from the web comprises engaging the tags with the selector assembly to detach the tags from the web;
(d) stretching the elastic bands to a size sufficient to extend around at least a portion of objects moving along the path by operating the placing assembly;
(e) sequentially moving the stretched elastic bands around respective objects with the placing assembly; and
(f) releasing the elastic bands so that they snap onto the respective objects by operating the placing assembly.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the placing assembly comprises a set of pins and step (b) comprises inserting the set of pins through the elastic band.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein step (d) comprises spreading the set of pins apart.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein step (e) comprises moving the spread apart set of pins around respective objects.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein step (f) comprises retracting the set of pins from the elastic band.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) comprises pressing on the tags with the selector assembly to detach the tags from the web.

Assignees

• Graphic Packaging Int Llc

Inventors

• Ziegler Kelly

Classifications

• B65H19/10 Primary

  in unwinding mechanisms or in connection with unwinding operations · CPC title

• B65C7/00

  Affixing tags (in combination with filling of tea bags B65B29/04 {; multi-step processes for making labels or tags B31D1/02}) · CPC title

• Y10T29/4987

  Elastic joining of parts · CPC title

• Y10T74/2107

  Follower · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title