Label applicator with retention means for flexible air tubes

Claim 2

A label applicator comprising: wall means defining a chamber, said chamber being adapted for connection to means for reducing the pressure in said chamber to less than atmospheric; a first portion of said wall means defining a gas pervious wall section, said pervious wall section having an outer face outside said chamber; means for supplying a label to said outer face of said pervious wall section with the reduced pressure in the chamber releasably retaining the label against said outer face; a manifold adapted for connection to a source of gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric; a plurality of flexible tubes; means for coupling the flexible tubes to said manifold; said pervious wall section having a plurality of passages; each of said passages having an outer portion and an inner portion with the inner portion being closer to the interior of said chamber than the outer portion; each of said tubes being extendible through the inner portion of one of the passages and into the outer portion of such passage, said inner portion gripping the tube which extends therethrough to attach such tube to said pervious wAll section, said outer portion exerting a lesser gripping force on said tubes than the inner portion; and said passages providing communication between the tubes received therein and said outer face whereby the gas under pressure in said manifold can be transmitted through said tubes to blow the label from the outer face of the pervious wall section.

Claim 3

A label applicator as defined in claim 1 wherein the inner portion of each of said passages locally deforms the associated tube to releasably attach the tubes to the pervious wall section, said outer portion of each of said passages having a cross sectional area at least as large as the associated tube in the unstressed condition of such tube.

Claim 4

A label applicator as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner portion of at least some of said passages releasably attaches the associated tube to the pervious wall section, said outer portion of at least some of said passages guiding the associated tube and exerting substantially no gripping force on the associated tube, the number of said passages being greater than the number of said tubes whereby the pattern of the gas discharged by said tubes can be varied.

Claim 5

A label applicator as defined in claim 1 wherein the length of said inner portion of at least some of said passages is less than the length of the outer portion of the associated passage.

Claim 6

A label applicator as defined in claim 4 wherein the inner portion of each of said passages releasably attaches the associated tube to the pervious wall section and the outer portion of each of said passages guides the tube received therein, at least some of said outer portions being of greater cross sectional area than the associated inner portion, the number of said passages being greater than the number of said tubes whereby the pattern of the gas discharged by said tubes can be varied.

Claim 7

A label applicator as defined in claim 1 wherein said pervious wall section includes a plurality of elongated ribs difining at least a portion of said outer face, at least some of said outer portions of said passages are substantially cylindrical, and said cylindrical outer portions are recessed relative to said ribs.

Claim 8

A label applicator as defined in claim 1 wherein said pervious wall section includes an inner wall member defining said inner portions of said passages and an outer wall member defining said outer portions of said passages.

Claim 9

A label applicator as defined in claim 7 wherein said outer wall member has at least one opening therethrough which is masked off by said inner wall member.

Claim 10

A label applicator as defined in claim 1 wherein said pervious wall section includes inner and outer wall members having a plurality of apertures and openings, respectively, some of said apertures and openings being in registry to define said passages, other of said openings being blocked off by said inner wall member, said label applicator including means for releasably mounting said inner wall member within said chamber whereby said inner wall member can be replaced with another inner wall member.

Claim 11

A label applicator comprising: wall means defining a chamber, said chamber being adapted to have the pressure therein reduced to less than atmospheric; a first portion of said wall means defining a gas pervious wall section, said pervious wall section having an outer face outside said chamber; means for supplying a label to said outer face of said pervious wall section with the reduced pressure in the chamber releasably retaining the label in said outer face; an air manifold adapted for connection to a source of air at a pressure greater than atmospheric, a portion of said air manifold being removable; said pervious wall section including inner and outer plates having a plurality of apertures and openings, respectively, at least some of said apertures and openings being in registry to define passages extending through said pervious wall section from the interior of the chamber to the exteriOr of the chamber; conduit means coupled to the removable portion of said manifold and extending to said passages for conducting air under pressure from said manifold to said passages whereby the label can be blown by an air blast from the outer face to the pervious wall section; and means for releasably mounting said inner plate within said chamber whereby said inner plate, said conduit means, and said removable portion of said manifold can be quickly replaced to provide an air blast of a different configuration.

Claim 12

A label applicator comprising: wall means defining a chamber, said chamber being adapted to have the pressure therein reduced to less than atmospheric; a first portion of said wall means defining a gas pervious wall section, said pervious wall section having an outer face outside said chamber; means for supplying a label to said outer face of said pervious wall section with the reduced pressure in the chamber releasably retaining the label in said outer face; an air manifold adapted for connection to a source of air at a pressure greater than atmospheric, a portion of said air manifold being removable; said pervious wall section including inner and outer plates having a plurality of apertures and openings, respectively, at least some of said apertures and openings being in registry to define passages extending through said pervious wall section from the interior of the chamber to the exteriOr of the chamber; conduit means coupled to the removable portion of said manifold and extending to said passages for conducting air under pressure from said manifold to said passages whereby the label can be blown by an air blast from the outer face to the pervious wall section; and means for releasably mounting said inner plate within said chamber whereby said inner plate, said conduit means, and said removable portion of said manifold can be quickly replaced to provide an air blast of a different configuration.

Claim 13

A label applicator as defined in claim 10 wherein said inner plate blocks off other of said openings.

Claim 14

A label applicator as defined in claim 10 wherein said conduit means includes a plurality of tubes extending from said manifold to said pervious wall section, said tubes being receivable in said apertures, respectively, with a sufficiently close fit to couple the tubes to the inner plate.

Claim 15

A label applicator comprising: wall means defining a chamber; a first portion of said wall means defining a gas pervious wall section, said pervious wall section having an outer face outside said chamber; means for supplying a label to said outer face of said pervious wall section; means for releasably retaining the label against said outer face; a manifold adapted for connection to a source of gas greater than atmospheric pressure; a plurality of flexible tubes leading from the manifold; said pervious wall section having a plurality of passages, each of said passages having an outer portion and an inner portion with the inner portion being closer to the interior of said chamber than said outer portion; the inner portion of at least some of said passages being of lesser cross sectional area than the outer portion of such passage; each of said tubes being extendible through the inner portion of one of said passages and into the outer portion of such passage, said inner portion gripping the tube which extends therethrough to releasably attach said tube to said peripheral wall section; and each of said passages providing communication between the tube received therein and said outer face whereby the gas under pressure in said manifold can be transmitted through said tubes to blow the label from the outer face.

Claim 16

A label applicator comprising: wall means defining a chamber; a first portion of said wall means defining a gas pervious wall section, said pervious wall section having an outer face outside said chamber; means for supplying a label to said outer face of said pervious wall section; means for releasably retaining the label against said outer face; a manifold adapted for connection to a source of gas greater than atmospheric pressure; a plurality of flexible tubes leading from the manifold; said pervious wall section having a plurality of passages, each of said passages having an outer portion and an inner portion with the inner portion being closer to the interior of said chamber than said outer portion; the inner portion of at least some of said passages being of lesser cross sectional area than the outer portion of such passage; each of said tubes being extendible through the inner portion of one of said passages and into the outer portion of such passage, said inner portion gripping the tube which extends therethrough to releasably attach said tube to said peripheral wall section; and each of said passages providing communication between the tube received therein and said outer face whereby the gas under pressure in said manifold can be transmitted through said tubes to blow the label from the outer face.

Claim 17

A label applicator comprising: a supporting structure; wall means defining a chamber, said chamber being adapted for connection to means for reducing the pressure in said chamber to less than atmospheric pressure; said wall means including a pervious wall section mounted on said supporting structure and a housing section defining a major portion of a plurality of sides of said chamber, said pervious wall section having a plurality of passages extending therethrough, an outer face outside of said chamber, and an inner face within said chamber; means for supplying a label to said outer face of said pervious wall section with the reduced pressure in the chamber releasably retaining the label against said outer face; a manifold adapted for connection to a source of gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric; a plurality of flexible tubes leading from said manifold; the number of said passages in said pervious wall section being greater than the number of said tubes; means for releasably coupling said tubes to said pervious wall section at selected ones of said passages whereby the tubes can transmit gas under pressure from the manifold to said selected passages to provide a predetermined gas removal pattern for removal of the label from said outer face, at least some of said tubes being releasably interconnectible to said pervious wall section at other of said passages to thereby change said predetermined pattern; and means for releasably mounting said housing section on at least one of said pervious wall section and said supporting structure whereby said housing section can be removed from the pervious wall section and said supporting structurE to expose said tubes and the inner face of said pervious wall section whereby changing of said predetermined pattern is facilitated.

Claim 18

A label applicator comprising: a supporting structure; wall means defining a chamber, said chamber being adapted for connection to means for reducing the pressure in said chamber to less than atmospheric pressure; said wall means including a pervious wall section mounted on said supporting structure and a housing section defining a major portion of a plurality of sides of said chamber, said pervious wall section having a plurality of passages extending therethrough, an outer face outside of said chamber, and an inner face within said chamber; means for supplying a label to said outer face of said pervious wall section with the reduced pressure in the chamber releasably retaining the label against said outer face; a manifold adapted for connection to a source of gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric; a plurality of flexible tubes leading from said manifold; the number of said passages in said pervious wall section being greater than the number of said tubes; means for releasably coupling said tubes to said pervious wall section at selected ones of said passages whereby the tubes can transmit gas under pressure from the manifold to said selected passages to provide a predetermined gas removal pattern for removal of the label from said outer face, at least some of said tubes being releasably interconnectible to said pervious wall section at other of said passages to thereby change said predetermined pattern; and means for releasably mounting said housing section on at least one of said pervious wall section and said supporting structure whereby said housing section can be removed from the pervious wall section and said supporting structurE to expose said tubes and the inner face of said pervious wall section whereby changing of said predetermined pattern is facilitated.

Claim 19

A label applicator as defined in claim 14 wherein said means for releasably mounting includes a tongue-in-groove connection between said pervious wall section and said housing section whereby the housing section can be slid off of and on to the pervious wall section.

Claim 20

A label applicator as defined in claim 14 wherein said housing section defines a major portion of at least four sides of said chamber.