Label placement system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11939103-B2
Application number	US-202117545525-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2021
Priority date	Mar 8, 2019
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a label-placement module having a first feeder assembly, including a horizontal delivery platter for receiving a label, and a first drive wheel, positioned adjacent to a distal end of the horizontal delivery platter and rotatable to move the label on the horizontal delivery platter in a first direction. The label-placement module may include a second feeder assembly coupled to an actuator that moves the second feeder assembly vertically to a delivery position associated with the container. The second feeder assembly having a vertical delivery platter for receiving the label from the horizontal delivery platter and a second drive wheel rotatable to move the label forward in the first direction towards the container such that at least a portion of the label may be clamped between the container and a lid of the container thereby attaching the label to the container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A material handling system comprising:
a label-placement module comprising:
a first feeder assembly comprising:
a first drive wheel; and
a horizontal delivery platter that is sized to receive a label, wherein the first drive wheel is positioned above the horizontal delivery platter, and the first drive wheel is sized to receive the label from the horizontal delivery platter; and

a second feeder assembly coupled to an actuator, wherein the actuator moves the second feeder assembly vertically to a delivery position associated with a container, the second feeder assembly comprising:
a vertical delivery platter that is positioned adjacent the horizontal delivery platter and the first drive wheel; and
a second drive wheel positioned adjacent to a proximal end of the vertical delivery platter and is in rotatable contact with the vertical delivery platter, wherein the second drive wheel is rotatable to move the label on the vertical delivery platter in a first direction to a position adjacent the container.

2. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the label-placement module further comprises a label delivery ramp having an inclined surface for delivering labels from a printer to the horizontal delivery platter.

3. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the actuator moves the second feeder assembly along a vertical rail to one of a plurality of delivery positions associated with one or more containers.

4. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the label-placement module further comprises a container detection module having one or more sensors detecting one or more parameters associated with the container.

5. The material handling system of claim 4 , wherein the actuator moves the second feeder assembly to one of a plurality of delivery positions based on the one or more parameters associated with the container.

6. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the second feeder assembly further comprises a first sensor positioned at the proximal end of the vertical delivery platter, wherein the first sensor detects at least one of a leading edge or a trailing edge of the label on the vertical delivery platter.

7. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the second feeder assembly further comprises a second sensor positioned at the distal end of the vertical delivery platter, wherein the second sensor detects at least one of a leading edge and a trailing edge of the label on the vertical delivery platter.

8. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the first feeder assembly further comprises a first drive wheel that is positioned adjacent to a distal end of the horizontal delivery platter and is in rotatable contact with the horizontal delivery platter, wherein the first drive wheel is rotatable to move the label on the horizontal delivery platter in a first direction.

9. The material handling system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to:
receive a notification of a presence of the label on the horizontal delivery platter; and
in response to the notification, drive the first drive wheel to rotatably move the label forward in the first direction to transfer the label from the horizontal delivery platter to the vertical delivery platter.

10. The material handling system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
actuate the actuator to move the second feeder assembly vertically to the delivery position associated with the container;
drive the second drive wheel to rotatably move the label forward in the first direction towards the container; and
actuate a lidding module to place the lid on the container such that at least a portion of the label is between the lid and the container thereby attaching the label to the container.

11. A method of placing a label on a container, the method comprising:
receiving the label at a horizontal delivery platter of a first feeder assembly;
actuating an actuator coupled to a second feeder assembly to move the second feeder assembly vertically to a delivery position associated with the container;
receiving the label at a vertical delivery platter of the second feeder assembly from the horizontal delivery platter via a first drive wheel positioned above the horizontal delivery platter; and
driving a second drive wheel, positioned adjacent to a proximal end of the vertical delivery platter and in rotatable contact with the vertical delivery platter, to rotatably move the label on the vertical delivery platter in a first direction to a position adjacent the container.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
detecting a presence of the label on the horizontal platter by a first sensor that detects a leading and/or a trailing edge of the label.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first sensor includes at least one of a photo-eye sensor, a proximity sensor, or an encoder.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein in response to detection of the label, the second drive wheel is driven via a second roller such that the second drive wheel contacts at least a portion of the label to rotatably push the label forward onto the vertical delivery platter.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
driving a first drive wheel of the first feeder assembly that is positioned adjacent to a distal end of the horizontal delivery platter and in rotatable contact with the horizontal delivery platter, to rotatably move and/or urge the label on the horizontal delivery platter in the first direction to transfer the label from horizontal delivery platter to the vertical delivery platter of the second feeder assembly.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the actuator moves the second feeder assembly along a vertical rail to one of a plurality of delivery positions associated with one or more containers.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
driving a lidding module to place a lid on the container such that at least a portion of the label is clamped between the lid and the container thereby attaching the label to the container.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the actuator moves the second feeder assembly to one of a plurality of delivery positions based on the one or more parameters associated with the container.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the driving of the second drive wheel is stopped based on detection of a leading edge or a trailing edge of the label on the vertical delivery platter by a second sensor.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the label is received at the horizontal delivery platter from a label delivery ramp that receives the label from a printer.

Assignees

• Intelligrated Headquarters Llc

Inventors

• Scott Darius
• Joice Joseph
• Tribe Jon Joseph
• Deshmukh Satyam Ulhas

Classifications

• B65C9/08 Primary

  Label feeding · CPC title

• B65C1/025 Primary

  the label being picked up by the article to be labelled, i.e. the labelling head remaining stationary · CPC title

• B65C9/06

  Devices for presenting articles in predetermined attitude or position at labelling station · CPC title

• B65C9/40

  Controls; Safety devices · CPC title

• G09F3/0297

  including a machine-readable marking, e.g. a bar code (digitally marked record carriers in general G06K19/00) · CPC title