US 12,286,319 B2
Joining apparatus for supporting strips of adhesive labels and a joining process for supporting strips of adhesive labels
Davide Campedelli, Goito (IT); and Marco Bellini, Goito (IT)
Assigned to MAKRO LABELLING S.R.L., Goito (IT)
Appl. No. 17/755,081
Filed by MAKRO LABELLING S.R.L., Goito (IT)
PCT Filed Oct. 22, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/059935
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 20, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/079312, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 29, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 102019000019791 (IT), filed on Oct. 25, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0289509 A1, Sep. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. B65H 19/18 (2006.01); B65C 9/18 (2006.01)
CPC B65H 19/1852 (2013.01) [B65C 9/1865 (2013.01); B65H 2301/4631 (2013.01); B65H 2402/10 (2013.01); B65H 2701/192 (2013.01); B65H 2801/75 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A joining apparatus for supporting a first supporting strip and a second supporting strip of adhesive labels conveyed by a labelling machine along a conveying direction between a respective starting reel and a collection reel, said joining apparatus comprising:
a first module a second module that can be moved with respect to one other between a distanced configuration and a neared configuration, the first module being configured to convey the first supporting strip with first labels and the second module configured to convey the second supporting strip with second labels, each of said first module and said second module comprises:
at least one conveying element configured to convey the one of the first supporting strip or the second supporting strip;
at least one cutting element arranged along said conveying direction and configured to cut one of the first supporting strip at a first joining zone of the first supporting strip or the second supporting strip at a second joining zone of the second supporting strip;
at least one joining element cooperating with each of the first module and the second module, the at least one joining element being arranged along said conveying direction and that can be configured in a first operating position, wherein the at least one joining element keeps in position a joining zone of one of the first supporting strip and the second supporting strip and/or a fixing element, and in a second operating position wherein the at least one joining element of the first module abuts against the at least one joining element of the second module so as to join the first joining zone of the first supporting strip to the second joining zone of the second supporting strip;
at least one locking element arranged along said conveying direction and that can be configured between an active position, wherein the at least one locking element prevents the conveying of the first supporting strip, and a passive position, wherein the at least one locking element allows the conveying of the first supporting strip;
wherein the at least one joining element of the first modules is configured to be removable from the first module so as to leave free, in a removed configuration, an access compartment extending through the first module and transversally to the conveying direction at the first module to allow an introduction of the fixing element when the first module and the second module are in the neared configuration so as to apply said fixing element to a rear surface of at least one of the first supporting strip and the second supporting strip, in the first joining zone of the first supporting strip and second joining zone of the supporting strip, that is free from at least one of the first and second adhesive labels.