HK1196107A - Method and device tor removing a ring-shaped label from a pack of substantially identical, abutting ring-shaped labels, label-transferring device and system for producing plastic injection-moulded products - Google Patents

Description

Method and device for removing ring labels from a group of substantially identical, contiguous ring labels, label transfer device and system for manufacturing plastic injection-moulded articles

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for removing ring labels from a group of substantially identical contiguous ring labels. The invention relates in particular to a device for removing ring labels from a group of substantially identical, contiguous ring labels and transferring the removed labels into the mould cavities of an injection mould. With "in-mold labeling," the label is placed in the mold cavity of an injection mold and plastic is then injected into the mold cavity to form an injection molded article with the label.

Background

WO2006/082006 discloses an apparatus for transferring labels into a substantially cylindrical injection mould. Films having a thickness of 40-140 μm are used as labels. The label is generally rectangular and is located on top of the stack. The labels are removed from the stack by suction cups. The suction cups are each disposed on one end of a punch that passes through the semi-cylindrical cover. By pulling the punch upwards, the label is placed against the inner periphery of the lid and pre-formed into a substantially semi-cylindrical shape. Subsequently, the cap and the label already contained therein are placed over a substantially cylindrical insertion mandrel. The label is then wound on an insertion mandrel. The periphery of the insertion mandrel is provided with an air suction opening by means of which the label can be pressed against the periphery of the insertion mandrel with underpressure. The inner diameter of the mould cavity is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the insertion mandrel against which the label is pressed. The distance between the outer periphery of the mandrel and the inner periphery of the mould cavity is kept as small as possible so that the label can be transferred from the mandrel to the inner periphery of the mould cavity by the blow pressure after having been inserted into the mould cavity.

Since the labels are made of a film having a thickness of 40-140 μm, it is difficult to remove in each case only a single label from the stack by means of a suction cup. When the top label is taken from the stack, the underlying label has a tendency to "stick" to the top label. In the case of labels having a relatively small size, there is a risk that the "stuck" label will be removed from the stack together with the top label, so that the suction cup disadvantageously picks up both labels. The "stuck" label will then fall off the top label in an uncontrolled manner, which may lead to jamming or damage. In the case of labels having a larger size, the "pasted" label may not be lifted in its entirety, but may end up on the stack in a movement or even a folding. It is then very difficult, if not impossible, to subsequently remove the label without first straightening the label.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to provide a device for removing ring labels from a group of substantially identical abutting ring labels, wherein the risk of inadvertently removing a plurality of ring labels from the group is small, in particular for ring labels having a small thickness, such as ring labels having a thickness of 40-140 μm.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of a device for removing ring labels from a group of substantially identical contiguous ring labels, wherein the device comprises:

a pick-up head provided with a stop surface and a retaining mechanism for retaining the ring label against the stop surface,

a storage holder for accommodating a group of ring-shaped labels, which storage holder is provided with a guide rod for receiving a central opening of a ring-shaped label of the group of ring-shaped labels, and which storage holder is provided with a stop for determining a storage position of the group of ring-shaped labels when the group of ring-shaped labels is accommodated on the guide rod, in which storage position a bottom ring-shaped label of the group of ring-shaped labels abuts against the stop due to gravity, and a top ring-shaped label of the group is located at a distance from a stop surface of the pick-up head,

a displacement device for displacing at least part of the group of ring-shaped labels along the guide bar to an unloading position, in which a top ring-shaped label of the group of ring-shaped labels, or a part thereof, is pushed against a stop surface of the pick-up head and can be held by a holding mechanism of the stop surface of the pick-up head, when the group of ring-shaped labels is accommodated on the guide bar in the storage position,

wherein

The displacement means are designed to apply an impact force to the group of annular labels when the group is accommodated on the guide bar in the storage position, to displace at least a part of the group autonomously against the action of gravity into the unloading position, and

the device is provided with blowing means for dispensing at least one air flow which is directed, preferably from the side between the held top annular label and the adjacent annular label of the group of annular labels, when the top annular label is held against the stop surface of the pick-up head by the holding means, so that said adjacent annular label is blown away from the held top annular label and preferably also against the adjacent annular label located below.

According to the invention, the group of annular labels forms a store (store) housed on the guides of the storage holders. The guide rod extends, for example, obliquely upward with respect to a horizontal plane or a substantially vertical plane. The group of ring-shaped labels is pushed onto the guide bar. The guide rod includes an outer diameter that accommodates the central opening of the ring label. The guide rod has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the central opening of the ring label, for example by about 0.5 mm.

In the storage or standby position, the top ring label of the group of ring labels is located at a distance from the stop surface of the pick-up head. To remove the top ring label, the entire group of ring labels or a part of said group, preferably a plurality of ring labels in said group, is displaced substantially together as one piece by the displacement means to the unloading position. Thereby, the top ring label of the group of ring labels or of the portion is pushed against the stop surface of the pick-up head, after which the holding mechanism holds said top label against the stop surface. In the unloading position, the group of annular labels is accommodated on the guide bar.

According to the invention, the displacement of the group of ring labels, or a part thereof, into the unloading position is achieved by applying an impact force to said group of ring labels in the storage position, i.e. to the entire group, or a part thereof, of the group of ring labels when in the storage position. The group of ring-shaped labels or a part thereof preferably comprises a plurality of ring-shaped labels, thereby receiving an impact large enough to autonomously move the group or the part thereof to an unloading position. The group of ring-shaped tags or a portion thereof is "activated" as if. When the group or its part, which preferably comprises a plurality of ring labels, is moved substantially together as one piece along the guide bar, the ring labels loosely abut each other or many ring labels may even become slightly separated from each other. The group of ring-shaped labels thus forms a loosely bonded combination as the group or a portion thereof is moved along the guide bar.

In the unloading position, i.e. when the group of annular labels, or part thereof, is pushed against the stop surface of the pick-up head by means of the top annular label and then the top annular label is held against the stop surface of the pick-up head by the holding means, the blowing device blows one or more air streams, or jets, between the held label and the annular label adjacent thereto. Subsequently, the adjacent ring-shaped label is blown away from the held label and against the adjacent ring-shaped label. Since the ring-shaped labels loosely abut against each other or are even slightly separated as a result of being "activated" and moving along the guide bar, it is possible to obtain an effective blow between a held label and an adjacent label, in particular with regard to very thin and light labels, for example, plastic labels having a thickness of 40-140 μm. As a result, it is possible to reliably separate the retained labels from the rest of the group and to ensure that in each case only a single ring label is removed from the group of ring labels.

It should be noted that US2743478 (with respect to which claim 1 is delimited) discloses an automatic molding apparatus for the manufacture of records. The molding apparatus includes a press (press) having an upper platen and a lower platen. The upper platen can be opened and closed by means of a hinge. The lower platen is vertically movable between open and closed positions. When the press is opened, the top label is introduced into the upper platen and the bottom label is introduced into the lower platen. To this end, the labels are in each case removed from the stack of labels and transferred to the respective platen. The stack of labels is pushed onto the vertical shaft by means of the central opening. The stacked bottom tabs are positioned on a platform having a central opening so that the platform can also slide along the vertical shaft. The underside of the platform is located at the upper end of the spring, while the lower end of the spring is located on a floor attached to the vertical shaft. Thus, the platform can move up and down on the spindle depending on the number of labels in the stack. The base plate can be actuated by a pneumatic cylinder. The stack of labels as a whole is pushed against the suction head. When the top label contacts the suction head, the label lying below in the stack is pushed firmly against said top label. The group of labels is then locked between the suction head and a platform pre-stressed by a spring. Since the label of a record is thick and heavy, the problem of "sticking" the top label to the label located below is hardly a problem, if at all. The separation of the top label is performed without the stack of labels having been "separated" (due to the stack being compressed) and without the use of an air flow to separate the top label from the label below.

In a preferred embodiment, the displacing means are designed to apply an impact force to the group of ring-shaped labels when said group is accommodated on the guide bar in the storage position, so that at least a part of said group autonomously moves against the action of gravity to the unloading position, and when the top ring-shaped label in said unloading position is pushed against and held against the stop surface of the pick-up head, the plurality of ring-shaped labels lying below hang around the guide bar and are free to move along the guide bar in a direction away from the pick-up head, i.e. downwards along the guide bar.

According to the invention, the displacement means may be designed to apply an impact force to the group of ring-shaped labels when said group is received on the guide bar in the storage position, so that the entire group autonomously moves to the unloading position against the action of gravity. In this case, the bottom annular label of the group in the unloading position hangs freely around the guide rods while the top annular label is pushed against the stop surface of the pick-up head and is held against the stop surface, and the bottom annular label, together with the other annular labels of the group, can be moved back into the storage position without moving back the held top annular label.

If a relatively large number of ring labels are included in a group, it is possible according to the invention not to displace the entire group, but only a part of the group to the unloading position. In this case, when the group of annular labels is accommodated on the guide bar in the storage position, the displacement means may be designed to apply an impact force to said group or a portion thereof, so that the portion of the group comprising a plurality of annular labels autonomously moves to the unloading position against the action of gravity. In this case, the entire group of bottom ring labels continues to rest against the stop of the storage holder. The part of the set displaced along the guide bar also comprises a bottom ring label. In the unloading position, the top annular label hangs freely around the guide rod when it is pushed against and held against the stop surface of the pick-up head. This bottom ring label in the shifted part of the group, together with the other ring labels in the shifted part of the group, can also move back to abut against the non-shifted labels in the group without the top ring label being held, to reach the storage position again. In addition, according to the present invention, it is also possible to move only a single ring label in a group to the unloading position.

In one embodiment, the guide bar is arranged inclined with respect to the horizontal. In this case, the guide bar may extend at an angle of 20-50 ° with respect to the horizontal. It is also possible to arrange the guide rods at an angle to the horizontal. The angle can be adjusted by means of an adjustment mechanism, such as an adjustment screw. Due to the inclined positioning of the guide bar, the group of ring-shaped labels abuts against the stop of the storage container due to gravity. In addition, the guide bar may also be arranged substantially vertically.

According to the invention, the displacement means are preferably designed so that the impact force exerted on the group of ring labels in the storage position, i.e. on the whole group or a part thereof, is formed by an air flow blowing against one or more ring labels of said group. If the device is used continuously and in each case removes the ring labels at high speed, the device will operate reliably for a long time.

The group of annular labels, or a portion thereof, may be blown along the guide bar to the unloading position in different ways. For example, the guide bar comprises at least a lateral air outlet designed such that, when a group of ring-shaped labels is housed on the guide bar, a flow of air blown from the air outlet is blown towards one or more ring-shaped labels in said group, so that at least a part of said group of ring-shaped labels, i.e. the whole group or a part of the group comprising one or more ring-shaped labels, autonomously moves to the unloading position against the action of gravity. In this case, the lateral air outlet is directed, for example, obliquely in the direction of the pick-up head, i.e. the air flow flows from the air outlet towards the pick-up head in a direction having a radially outward component and a component in the axial direction of the guide rod.

In an embodiment, the blowing device is designed to deliver at least one air flow directed laterally, preferably radially inwards obliquely, between the peripheral edge of the top annular label being held and the peripheral edge of the adjacent annular label, when the latter is held against the stop surface of the pick-up head by the holding means. The retained label and the adjacent annular label can be effectively separated from each other by directing an air flow laterally, e.g. obliquely radially inwardly, from the exterior therebetween.

The blowing device can be designed to deliver at least one air flow directed so that, when the top annular label is held against the stop surface of the pick-up head by the holding means, the air flow flows at least along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening of the held top annular label and along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening of the adjacent annular label to blow back the adjacent annular label in a direction away from the pick-up head. Instead of or in addition to the lateral air flow between the peripheral edge of the held label and the peripheral edge of the adjacent label, one or more air streams can be discharged through the central openings of the held label and the adjacent label. In this case, the one or more air streams flow along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening of the ring label. As a result, the group of ring-shaped labels, or parts thereof, which are moved along the guide bar to the unloading position, in addition to the held label, is moved back relatively quickly along the guide bar, so as to reach the storage position again. The group of ring-shaped labels can return to the storage position relatively quickly even if the guide rod does not extend vertically, for example, but extends obliquely with respect to the horizontal plane and the group of labels tends to return to the storage position slower than desired due to the effect of gravity alone. By means of one or more air streams via the central opening of the ring label, the device is thus able to dispense individual labels continuously at high speed in each case, irrespective of the orientation of the guide bar.

In an embodiment, the stop surface of the pick-up head is provided with a peeling section, wherein the holding means are designed to bend a portion of the top ring label against the peeling section in the unloading position to move said portion of the top ring label away from the adjacent ring label to form an increased intermediate space therebetween, and wherein the blowing device is designed to deliver at least one air flow which is directed into said increased intermediate space when the top ring label is held against the stop surface of the pick-up head by the holding means. In this case, the stripping section of the stop surface of the pick-up head may extend behind the other part of the stop surface, i.e. the stripping section is locally detached in a direction away from the storage holder.

The held label has a tendency to separate from an adjacent label by bending a portion of the held label. When a portion of the held label is peeled off from the adjacent label and an air stream is blown into the increased intermediate space between the peeled portion of the held label and the adjacent label, the risk of the adjacent label "sticking" to the held label is further reduced. This is particularly advantageous for ring labels having a larger outer diameter, for example greater than 30 mm.

According to the invention, the ring label can be designed in a number of ways. Each ring label may be flat or planar, or cup-shaped or disc-shaped. The cup-shaped or disc-shaped ring label has, for example, a frustoconical shape. For example, a film having a thickness of 40 to 140 μm is used as the label. The annular label is delimited, for example, by a circular peripheral edge. The diameter thereof may be between 10 and 100 mm. In addition, each ring label has, for example, a central opening that delimits a circular inner circumferential edge. However, each annular label may also include, for example, an oval peripheral edge. The ring labels may also be substantially flat or planar, i.e. the ring labels each have a flat front side and a flat back side. However, the ring label may also be designed differently. For example, the ring label may be cup-shaped or disc-shaped, i.e. the ring label has e.g. a frustoconical shape. In this case, the continuous inclined wall of the disc-shaped label may also comprise a flat front side and a flat rear side.

The stop surface of the pick-up head is preferably adapted to the shape of the ring label. The flat front side of the ring label turns towards the stop surface if the ring label is substantially flat. The stop surface then extends substantially parallel to the flat front side of the top ring label, except for the peeling section which is partially free from the flat front side. When a disc-shaped label is used, the peeling section of the stop surface also extends locally behind the disc-shape of the label, so that a portion of the top label can be bent against the peeling section.

A central recess can be provided for the pick-up head, wherein the guide bar can be at least partially received in the central recess of the pick-up head, and wherein the stop surface of the pick-up head extends around the central recess. The central recess of the pick-up head may be arranged on the head end of the guide bar. The stop surface of the pick-up head is in this case recessed around the centre-in this case the stop surface is annular.

In an embodiment, an apparatus is provided with:

a detection mechanism for detecting when the top ring label is held against the stop surface of the pick-up head by the holding mechanism,

a control unit connected to the detection means and to the blowing device, the control unit being designed to send a control signal to the blowing device when the detection means detect that the top annular label is held against the stop surface of the pick-up head by the holding means, and

wherein the blowing device is designed to deliver an air flow on the basis of a control signal from the control unit.

The holding means are formed, for example, by an air suction opening in the stop surface of the pick-up head, wherein the air suction opening is connected via an air duct to a device for applying a negative pressure in the air suction opening. As a result, the top ring label can be held against the stop surface by means of underpressure. In this case, the detection mechanism may be designed, for example, as a pressure sensor for determining whether the top ring label is held by detecting a change in pressure in the suction opening. If the pressure sensor detects that the suction opening draws a vacuum, the ring label will have been drawn against the stop surface. The pressure sensor is connected to a control unit which then sends a control signal to the blowing device, which delivers one or more air streams based on the control signal. Thus, the blowing means are activated at a point in time after the top ring label has been held.

The invention also relates to a label transfer device for arranging ring labels in an injection mould, comprising a device for removing ring labels from a group of substantially identical abutting ring labels as described above, and wherein the label transfer device is designed to transfer a top ring label into the injection mould after said top ring label is held against a stop surface of a pick-up head by a holding mechanism. In this case, the label transfer device may be provided with a holder which is displaceable between a label receiving position outside the injection mould and a label dispensing position in the injection mould for dispensing a ring label, and wherein the pick-up head of the device is displaceable between a stowed position for picking up a top ring label of the group of ring labels and a transfer position for transferring the picked-up ring label from a stop surface of the pick-up head to the holder in the label receiving position outside the injection mould.

In the stowed position, the guide rod of the storage holder projects, for example, at least partially into the central recess of the pick-up head. After dispensing the top ring label of the group of ring labels, the dispensed label is held against the stop surface of the pick-up head as the pick-up head moves to the transfer position.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a system for manufacturing a plastic injection molded article, comprising an injection mold having a plurality of mold sections, which are movable between a closed position, in which the mold sections abut against each other to form a closed mold cavity having a supply opening for supplying plastic, and an open position, in which the mold sections have been moved apart; and a label transfer device as described above for arranging the annular label in the injection mould.

In this case, the mold parts of the injection mold can be designed such that they form a closed mold cavity in the closed position in order to produce a plastic injection molded article having a tubular body, a neck portion connected to an end of the tubular body and a head portion connected to an end of the neck portion facing away from the tubular body, wherein the tubular body can, if desired, comprise an open end opposite the head portion, which open end can be flattened and closed to produce a crushable tube (collapsible tube), and wherein the holder of the label transfer device is designed to dispense a ring label such that the ring label reaches the part of the mold cavity corresponding to the neck portion of the plastic injection molded article to be produced.

Further, the present invention relates to a method for removing a ring label from a group of substantially identical contiguous ring labels, comprising:

accommodating a group of ring labels on a guide rod of a storage holder by pushing the ring labels onto the guide rod by means of a central opening of the ring labels, the storage holder being provided with a stop for determining a storage position of the group of ring labels, in which storage position a bottom ring label of the group of ring labels abuts against the stop due to gravity and a top ring label of the group is located at a distance from a stop surface of the pick-up head,

displacing at least a part of the group of ring-shaped labels, preferably substantially together as one piece, along the guide bar to an unloading position, when the group of ring-shaped labels is in the storage position, in which unloading position a top ring-shaped label in the group of ring-shaped labels or in a part thereof is pushed against a stop surface of the pick-up head,

holding the top ring label urged against the stop surface of the pick-up head in the unloading position against the stop surface of the pick-up head, wherein

When a group of ring-shaped labels is accommodated on the guide bar in the storage position, at least a part of said group of ring-shaped labels is displaced along the guide bar to the unloading position by applying an impact force to the group of ring-shaped labels, i.e. the entire group or a part thereof, to move at least a part of said group autonomously against the action of gravity to the unloading position, and

at least one air flow is conveyed, which is directed, preferably from the side, between the top retained annular label and the adjacent annular label, so that the adjacent annular label is blown away from the top retained annular label and preferably also against the adjacent annular label located below.

When the top annular label is pushed against and held against the stop surface of the pick-up head in said unloading position, the underlying plurality of annular labels is preferably suspended around the guide bar and freely movable along the guide bar in a direction away from the pick-up head, i.e. down the guide bar.

In this case, the air flow may be directed laterally between the peripheral edge of the held label and the peripheral edge of the adjacent annular label. The air flow can also be directed along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening in the held label and/or along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening in the adjacent annular label.

Preferably, a portion of the top annular label is bent against the peeling section of the stop surface of the pick-up head to move said portion of the top annular label away from the adjacent annular label, thereby forming an increased intermediate space between the bent portion of the held label and the adjacent annular label, and wherein the air flow is directed into the increased intermediate space.

Drawings

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a system for manufacturing plastic injection molded articles according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of a portion of the label transfer device of the system shown in FIG. 1;

figure 3 shows a perspective view of the device for removing in each case a single ring label from a group of ring labels;

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view along V-V in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged detail of VI of FIG. 5;

FIGS. 7a, 7b show a disc-shaped tag for use in the system shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 7c shows a collapsible tube product manufactured using the system shown in fig. 1.

Detailed Description

The system for manufacturing plastic injection moulded articles shown in fig. 1 comprises an injection mould 1 and a label transfer device 26. In this exemplary embodiment, the system is designed for "in-mould labelling" of a plastic collapsible tube product 3 (see fig. 7 c). Each collapsible tube product 3 comprises a tubular body 4 and a neck 5 connected to an end of the tubular body 4. The head 6 is connected to the end of the neck 5 facing away from the tubular body 4.

The head 6 has a dispensing opening. The head 6 is provided with an external thread so that, for example, a cap can be screwed onto the head 6 to close the dispensing opening. The tubular body 4 of the collapsible tube product 3 comprises an open end 7, which open end 7 is opposite the head 6 and can be flattened and closed. The tubular body 4 can be filled via the open end 7. If the open end 7 is flattened and closed after filling, a filled plastic crushable tube has been manufactured.

As shown in fig. 1, the injection mould 1 comprises three mould parts 9, 10, 11. The first mould part 9 comprises a plurality of first mould cavities 14. The walls of each first mould cavity 14 comprise a first wall portion corresponding to the shape of the outer surface of the neck portion 5 of the collapsible tube product 3 to be produced and a second wall portion corresponding to the shape of the outer surface of the head portion 6 of the collapsible tube product 3 to be produced. The first mould part 9 is provided with a supply conduit (not shown) for supplying plastic to the first mould cavity 14.

The second mould part 10 comprises a plurality of second mould cavities 19. Each second mould cavity 19 comprises a peripheral wall corresponding to the shape of the outer surface of the tubular body 4 of the collapsible tube product 3 to be manufactured.

The third mold portion 11 includes a plurality of cores 22. The walls of each core 22 comprise a first wall portion corresponding to the shape of the inner surface of the tubular body 4 of the collapsible tube product 3 to be manufactured and a second wall portion corresponding to the shape of the inner surface of the neck portion 5 and the shape of the inner surface of the head portion 6 of the collapsible tube product 3 to be manufactured. The second wall portion is located at the head end of the core 22.

The first, second and third mould parts 9, 10, 11 of the injection mould 1 are movable in a rectilinear motion relative to each other in the direction of the axial centre line 12 between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the first, second and third mould parts 9, 10, 11 abut against each other to create a closed mould cavity. In the open position (see fig. 1), the first mould part 9, the second mould part 10 and the third mould part 11 are moved apart to enable access to the first mould cavity 14 and the second mould cavity 19. The core 22, the second mould cavity 19 and the first mould cavity 14 are aligned with each other, i.e. the axial centre lines of each set of core 22, second mould cavity 19 and first mould cavity 14 belonging to each other substantially coincide. These axial centerlines extend generally parallel to the axial centerline 12 of the injection mold.

The label transfer device 26 is designed to apply the peripheral label in the second mould cavity 19 and the annular neck label 40 in the first mould cavity 14 in the open position of the first, second and third mould parts 9, 10, 11. The peripheral label and the neck label are two separate labels. The label transfer device 26 comprises two displacement units 27, 32.

The first displacement unit 27 comprises a plurality of spindles 28 for picking up peripheral labels. The mandrels 28 are displaceable together between a peripheral label receiving position outside the injection mould 1 and a peripheral label dispensing position in the second mould cavities 19. The second displacement unit 32 comprises a plurality of carriers 33, each carrier 33 comprising a holder 35 for receiving an annular neck label 40.

Each carrier 33 is also provided with engagement members for engaging the formed collapsible tube product 3. Each carrier 33 is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis of rotation between an angular position for removing the injection-moulded article and an angular position for dispensing the neck label. The holder 35 attached to the carrier 33 is displaceable together between a neck label receiving position outside the injection mould 1 and a neck label dispensing position in the first mould cavity 14 of the first mould part 9.

In the neck label-receiving position outside the injection mould 1, the holder 35 is in each case provided with an annular neck label 40. To this end, the label transfer device 26 comprises a plurality of devices 43 for removing individual annular neck labels 40 from a group or stock (stock) 41 of substantially identical abutting annular labels 40 in each case. The set 41 of annular neck labels 40 is each received by a storage holder 44 of a device 43 (see figure 2).

Each device 43 is provided with a pick-up head 45 for picking up the annular neck label 40. The pick-up head 45 is displaceable between a stowed position for picking up or receiving the top annular neck label 40 from the group 41 of annular labels 40 of the storage holder 44 and a transfer position for transferring the picked-up annular labels 40 from the pick-up head 45 to the holder 35 of the carrier 33 in a label receiving position outside the injection mould 1. The top ring label may also be referred to as an outer or front ring label.

In the exemplary embodiment, the pick-up head 45 is displaced from the stowed position to the transfer position (see arrow a) according to a path shown in dashed lines in fig. 2. In this case, the picking head 45 in this exemplary embodiment rotates about half a revolution to turn the picked annular label 40 toward the holder 35 of the carrier 33.

Fig. 3 shows two mutually adjacent devices 43 for removing a single annular neck label 40 from the group 41 of substantially identical abutting annular labels 40 in each case.

The storage holder 44 of each device 43 comprises a guide 51 for receiving the central opening of the annular labels 40 of the group 41 of annular labels. Guide 51 has an outer diameter that accommodates the central opening of ring label 40. In the exemplary embodiment, guide rod 51 has an outer diameter that is approximately 0.5mm smaller than the central opening of annular label 40. Group 41 of ring labels 40 is pushed onto guide 51.

The guide rod 51 is arranged obliquely with respect to the horizontal plane. The angle of inclination between the guide rod 51 and the horizontal is for example between 20 deg. -50 deg.. The inclination can be adjusted by means of an adjusting screw 53 (see fig. 4). Due to the inclined positioning of the guide rods 51, the group 41 of annular neck labels 40 rests on the stop 54 due to gravity. In this exemplary embodiment, the stopper 54 is formed by a pen barrel (pen) laterally protruding from the guide 51.

When the group 41 of ring-shaped labels 40 rests against the stop 54, the group 41 of ring-shaped labels 40 is in the storage or standby position. In this case, the outer annular neck labels 40 in the group 41 are at a distance from the pick-up head 45. In order to move group 41 of ring labels 40 from the storage position up along guide rods 51 against stop surface 46 of pick-up head 45, lateral air vents 52 are provided in guide rods 51 (see fig. 4 and 5).

Each of the exhaust ports 52 is slot-shaped and extends, for example, about several centimeters from the stopper 54 in the axial direction of the guide rod 51. The exhaust port 52 is directed forwardly, i.e. radially outwardly and in the direction of the pick-up head 45. The air outlet 54 is connected to an inner duct 55 connected to a blowing device (not shown). By means of the blowing device, air can be blown out from the air outlet 54 via the inner duct 55.

The discharged air flows obliquely forward between the annular neck labels 40 of the groups 41. In the exemplary embodiment, substantially the entire group 41 of annular neck labels 40 moves up guide rods 51 substantially together as one piece until the top annular neck label 40 pushes against stop surface 46 of pick-up head 45. The group 41 of annular labels 40 thus reaches an unloading position for delivering the top annular neck label 40 to the pick-up head 45. Depending on the number of labels in a group, it is furthermore possible according to the invention to move a part of the group up the guide bar 51, that is to say not all but only a part of the labels (not shown) up the guide bar 51.

In this exemplary embodiment, although the group 41 of annular neck labels 40 is moved from the storage position to the unloading position by means of air blowing from the air outlet 52 in the guide rods 51, the displacement of the group 41 of annular neck labels 40 to the unloading position may additionally be performed in various other ways. For example, mechanical displacement means may be used for this.

The pick-up head 45 is most clearly illustrated in fig. 6. The pick-up head 45 is provided with a stop surface 46 against which the top annular label 40 of the group 41 is pushed in the unloading position. The pick-up head 45 is provided with a retaining mechanism for retaining the outer annular neck label 40.

The retaining mechanism may be designed in a number of ways. In the exemplary embodiment, the retention mechanism includes a plurality of fluid openings 65 in stop surface 46 for drawing air to apply a negative pressure relative to the environment. The fluid opening 65 is connected to a device 78 for applying a negative pressure, such as a vacuum pump, by means of an air duct 80. This is schematically illustrated in fig. 6 by means of dashed lines.

During the suction of air via the fluid opening, a suction force is exerted on the top annular neck label 40 when the group 41 is pushed against the stop surface 46. As a result, the top annular neck label 40 is drawn against the stop surface 46 and retained.

In addition, the fluid opening can also be used as a blow-off mechanism to blow the annular neck label 40 off the stop surface 46 of the pick-up head 45 to the holder 34 of the carrier 33 in the transfer position of the pick-up head 45.

In the exemplary embodiment, the pickup head 45 has a central recess 47. The central recess 47 has an inner diameter that accommodates a guide rod 51. In the stowed position of the pick-up head 45 for picking up the top annular neck label 40, the pick-up head 45 is arranged partly on the guide rods 51. The guide rods 51 then extend partially into the central recess 47. In this case, the stop surface 46 of the pick-up head 45 extends around the central recess 47.

The stop surface 46 of the pick-up head 45 comprises a stripping section 48, the stripping section 48 extending behind the other parts of the stop surface 46. The holding mechanism of the pickup head 45 extends to the peeling section 48. In the exemplary embodiment, stripping section 48 includes one or more fluid openings 65 for drawing air to apply a negative pressure relative to the environment. The fluid opening 65 of the peeling section 48 is connected via an air duct 80 to a device 78 for applying a negative pressure (see dashed lines in fig. 6).

When the top annular neck label 40 contacts the stop surface 46 of the pick-up head 45, the retaining mechanism 65 of the pick-up head 45 engages the top annular neck label 40. By means of the retaining mechanism 65 in the peeling section 48, a portion of the top ring label 40 is bent along the peeling section 48.

In the exemplary embodiment, when air is drawn in through fluid openings 65 of stripping section 48, suction is applied to an adjacent portion of top annular neck label 40, which consequently bends against stripping section 48. The curved portion of the top ring label 40 thus curves away from the adjacent ring label 40, resulting in an increased intermediate space 49.

The device 43 comprises blowing means 70 for delivering one or more air streams or air jets directed into the enlarged intermediate space 49 if the top ring label 40 is held. In the exemplary embodiment, the air blowing device 70 includes an internal air duct 61 arranged in the pickup head 45. The internal air conduit 61 terminates in an exhaust port hole 60. If the top annular neck label 40 is held against the stop surface 46 and its stripped section 48, the vent holes 60 are directed laterally into the enlarged intermediate space 49 between the bent portion of the held annular neck label 40 and the adjacent annular neck label 40.

In order to deliver the air flow or air flows from the air outlet holes 60 at the correct point in time, the device 78 for applying a negative pressure is provided with a detection mechanism 71 for determining when the top ring label 40 is held against the stop surface 46. The detection means 71 is formed, for example, by a pressure sensor, which detects when the fluid opening 65 draws a vacuum.

The device 78, in particular the detection means 71 thereof, is connected to the control unit 72, the control unit 72 also being connected to the blowing device 70. If the detection means 71 have detected that the top ring label 40 is held, the control unit 72 sends control signals to the blowing device 70 to deliver one or more air streams to the air duct 61 and the air outlet holes 60.

The adjacent annular neck labels 40 are thereby blown away from the held annular neck label 40 and back against the underlying annular neck label 40. As a result, the risk of adjacent annular neck labels 40 "sticking" to the retained neck label 40 is minimized, thereby ensuring that only a single annular neck label 40 is removed from the group 41 in each case.

Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment, the blowing device is designed to deliver one or more air streams or air jets to the air supply conduit 81, the air supply conduit 81 terminating in the central recess 47 of the pick-up head 45 if the top annular neck label 40 is held against the stop surface 46. The one or more air streams distributed via the supply duct 81 flow along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening in the top annular neck label 40 and along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening in the adjacent annular neck label 40 located below, which is schematically illustrated by arrows in fig. 6.

Due to the inclined arrangement of the guide rods 51, the set 41 of neck labels 40 has a tendency to fall back into the storage position against the stop 54 due to gravity. Since the neck labels 40 of the set 41 are thin, the effect of gravity may not be sufficient to return the set 41 of neck labels 40 to the storage position at the desired high speed after removal of the outer neck label 40.

The return of the neck label 40, and in particular the neck label 40 adjacent to the retained neck label 40, is accelerated by the air stream or streams from the air supply duct 81 flowing along the central openings of the retained neck label 40 and the adjacent neck label 40 in the pack 41. In addition, this has a positive effect on separating the held neck label 40 from the adjacent neck label 40.

Fig. 7a, 7b show a set of disc-shaped neck labels 40. Instead of a flat neck label 40 as shown in fig. 3 to 6, a cup-shaped or disc-shaped neck label 40 may be used. The shape of the stop surface 46 of the pick-up head 45 will in this case be modified accordingly. The action of the means for removing such a ring label from such a substantially identical set of adjacent ring labels is the same as described above.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures. Those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications within the scope of the present invention. The features mentioned in the present description and/or in the claims can each be used in the device 1 according to claim 1, the label transfer device according to claim 14, the system according to claim 16 and/or the method according to claim 18, individually or in any desired combination.

Furthermore, the invention may be described by means of:

1. an apparatus for removing ring labels (40) from a group (41) of substantially identical contiguous ring labels (40), characterized in that the apparatus (43) comprises:

a pick-up head (45), the pick-up head (45) being provided with a stop surface (46) and a retaining mechanism (65) for retaining the ring-shaped label (40) against the stop surface (46),

a storage holder (44) for accommodating a group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40),

a displacement device for displacing the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) when said group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) is accommodated by the storage holder (44) from a storage position, in which the group (41) of ring-shaped labels is accommodated by the storage holder (44) and is located at a distance from a stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45), to an unloading position, in which the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) is accommodated by the storage holder (44) and is pushed against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by means of the outer ring-shaped label (40), and the outer ring-shaped label (40) can be held by a holding mechanism (65) of the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45),

-blowing means (70) for delivering at least one air flow directed laterally between a held outer annular label (40) and an adjacent annular label (40) in the group (41) of annular labels (40) when the outer annular label (40) is held against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by the holding means (65), so that the adjacent annular label (40) is blown away from the held outer annular label (40).

2. Apparatus according to item 1, wherein the blowing device (70) is configured to deliver at least one air flow which is directed laterally between the peripheral edge of a held outer annular label (40) and the peripheral edge of an adjacent annular label (40) in the group (41) of annular labels (40) when the outer annular label (40) is held against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by the holding means (65).

3. The device according to item 1 or 2, wherein the blowing device (70) is configured to deliver at least one air flow directed so that it flows along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening in the outer annular label (40) in the group (41) of annular labels (40) and/or along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening in the adjacent annular label (40) when the outer annular label (40) is held against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by the holding means (65).

4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) is provided with a peeling section (48), and wherein the retaining means (65) are configured to bend a portion of the outer annular label (40) against the peeling section (48) in the unloading position of the group (41) of annular labels (40) to move said portion of the outer annular label (40) away from the adjacent annular label (40) so as to form an enlarged intermediate space (49) therebetween, and wherein the blowing device is configured to deliver at least one air flow directed to the enlarged intermediate space (49).

5. The apparatus according to item 4, wherein the peeling section (48) of the stop surface (46) of the pickup head (45) is recessed with respect to the other part of the stop surface (46).

6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the storage holder (44) is provided with a guide rod (51) for receiving a central opening of the ring labels (40) of the group (41) of ring labels (40), and wherein the displacement device is configured to move the group (41) of ring labels (40) along the guide rod (51) from the storage position to the unloading position when the group (41) of ring labels (40) is received on the guide rod (51).

7. Apparatus according to item 6, wherein the pick-up head (45) is provided with a central recess (47), wherein the guide rod (51) is at least partially receivable in the central recess (47) of the pick-up head (45), and wherein the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) extends around the central recess (47).

8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a group (41) of annular labels (40) housed by a storage holder (44).

9. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the apparatus is provided with:

-detection means (71) for detecting when the outer annular label (40) is held against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by the holding means (65),

a control unit (72), the control unit (72) being connected to the detection means (71) and to the blowing device (70), the control unit (72) being configured to send a control signal to the blowing device (70) when the detection means (71) detect that the outer annular label (40) is held against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by the holding means (65), and

wherein the blower device (70) is configured to deliver an air flow on the basis of a control signal of the control unit (72).

10. A label transfer device for arranging an annular label (40) in an injection mould (1), comprising:

a device (43) for removing ring labels (40) from a group (41) of substantially identical contiguous ring labels (40) according to any one of the preceding items, and

a holder (35), the holder (35) being displaceable between a label receiving position outside the injection mould (1) and a label dispensing position in the injection mould (1) for dispensing a ring-shaped label (40),

wherein the pick-up head (45) of the device (43) is displaceable between a stowed position for receiving an outer annular label (40) of the group (41) of annular labels (40) abutting against the stop surface (46), and a transfer position for transferring the received picked-up annular label (40) from the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) to the holder (35) of the label receiving position outside the injection mould (1).

11. A system for manufacturing a plastic injection molded article, comprising:

an injection mould (1) having a plurality of mould parts (9, 10, 11), which plurality of mould parts (9, 10, 11) is displaceable between a closed position, in which the mould parts (9, 10, 11) abut against each other to form a mould cavity having a closure, and an open position, in which the mould parts (9, 10, 11) have been moved apart, and

label transfer device (26) according to item 10 for arranging an annular label (40) in an injection mould (1).

12. A system according to item 11, wherein the mould parts (9, 10, 11) of the injection mould (1) are configured for forming a closed mould cavity in the closed position, in order to produce a plastic injection-molded article (3) having a tubular body (4), a neck (5) and a head (6), the neck (5) being connected to the end of the tubular body (4), the head (6) being connected to the end of the neck (5) facing away from the tubular body (4), wherein the tubular body (4) optionally comprises an open end opposite the head (6), the open end being capable of being flattened and closed to produce a crushable tube, and wherein the holder (35) of the label transfer device (26) is configured to dispense an annular label (40), so that the annular label (40) reaches the portion of the mould cavity corresponding to the neck (5) of the plastic injection-moulded article (3) to be produced.

13. A method for removing a medium ring label (40) from a substantially identical contiguous set (41) of ring labels (40), comprising:

displacing the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) from a storage position, in which the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) is located at a distance from a stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45), to an unloading position, in which the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) is pushed against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by means of the outer ring-shaped labels (40),

holding an outer annular label (40) of the group (41) of annular labels (40) urged against a stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45),

-conveying at least one air flow directed laterally between a held label (40) and an adjacent annular label (40) in a group (41) of annular labels (40), so that the adjacent annular label (40) is blown away from the held label (40).

14. The method of item 13, wherein the air flow is directed laterally between the peripheral edge of a held label (40) and the peripheral edge of an adjacent annular label (40) in the group (41) of annular labels (40).

15. The method according to item 13 or 14, wherein the air flow flows along an inner peripheral edge of the central opening of a held label (40) in the group (41) of annular labels (40) and/or along an inner peripheral edge of the central opening of an adjacent annular label (40).

16. Method according to any one of items 13 to 15, wherein a portion of the outer annular label (40) is bent against a peeling section (48) of a stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) to move said portion of the outer annular label (40) away from the adjacent annular label (40) so as to create an increased intermediate space (49) between the bent portion of the held label (40) and the adjacent annular label (40), and wherein an air flow is directed into said increased intermediate space (49).

Claims (19)

1. An apparatus for removing ring labels (40) from a group (41) of substantially identical abutting ring labels (40), the apparatus (43) comprising:

a pick-up head (45), the pick-up head (45) being provided with a stop surface (46) and a retaining mechanism (65) for retaining the ring-shaped label (40) against the stop surface (46),

a storage holder (44) for accommodating a group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40), which storage holder (44) is provided with a guide rod (51), which guide rod (51) is intended to receive a central opening of a ring-shaped label (40) of the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40), and which storage holder (44) is provided with a stop (54), which stop (54) is intended to determine a storage position of the group (41) of ring-shaped labels when the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) is accommodated on the guide rod (51), in which storage position the group (41) of ring-shaped labels abuts against the stop (54) by means of a bottom ring-shaped label of the group (41) due to gravity and is situated at a distance from a stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by means of a top ring-shaped label of the group (41),

a displacement device for displacing at least a portion of the group (41) of ring labels (40) along the guide rod (51) to an unloading position, in which the group (41) or a portion of the group (41) of ring labels (40) is pushed against a stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by means of the top ring label (40), and the top ring label (40) can be held by a holding mechanism (65) of the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45), when the group (41) of ring labels (40) is accommodated on the guide rod (51) in the storage position,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the displacement means are configured to apply an impact force to the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) when said group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) is accommodated on the guide bar (51) in the storage position, so that at least a portion of said group (41) autonomously moves to the unloading position against the action of gravity, and

the device is provided with blowing means (70) for dispensing at least one air flow directed between a held top annular label (40) and an adjacent annular label (40) of the group (41) of annular labels (40) when the top annular label (40) is held against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by the holding means (65), so that said adjacent annular label (40) is blown away from the held top annular label (40).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the displacement means are configured to apply an impact force to the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) when said group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) is accommodated on the guide bar (51) in the storage position, so as to move at least a part of said group (41) autonomously to the unloading position against the action of gravity, and when the top ring-shaped label (40) is pushed against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) and is held against the stop surface (46) in said unloading position, the plurality of ring-shaped labels (40) located below the top ring-shaped label (40) hang around the guide bar (51) and are free to move along the guide bar in a direction away from the pick-up head (45).

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide rod (51) is arranged inclined with respect to the horizontal.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the guide rods (51) are arranged at an angle of 20-50 ° with respect to the horizontal.

5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide rod (51) is arranged at an angle relative to the horizontal plane, which angle can be adjusted by means of an adjusting means, such as an adjusting screw.

6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the displacement means are configured so that the impact force exerted on the group (41) of ring labels (40) in the storage position is formed by an air flow blowing towards one or more ring labels (40) of said group (41).

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide bar (51) is provided with at least one lateral air outlet (52), the air outlet (52) being configured such that, when a group (41) of annular labels (40) is housed on the guide bar (51), an air flow blown from the air outlet (52) is blown towards one or more annular labels (40) of said group (41) to autonomously move at least a portion of said group (41) of annular labels (40) to the unloading position against the action of gravity.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the lateral air outlet (52) is directed obliquely in the direction of the pick-up head (45).

9. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blowing device (70) is configured to deliver at least one air flow directed obliquely laterally, preferably radially inwards, between the outer peripheral edge of the top annular label (40) being held and the outer peripheral edge of the adjacent annular label (40) when the top annular label (40) is held against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by the holding means (65).

10. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blowing device (70) is configured to deliver at least one air flow directed so that it flows at least along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening of the top annular label (40) and along the inner peripheral edge of the central opening of the adjacent annular label (40) when the latter (40) is held against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by the holding means (65), so as to blow back the adjacent annular label (40) in a direction away from the pick-up head (45).

11. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) is provided with a peeling section (48), and wherein the retaining means (65) are configured to bend a portion of the top annular label (40) against the peeling section (48) in the unloading position to move said portion of the top annular label (40) away from the adjacent annular label (40) so as to create an enlarged intermediate space (49) between said portion of the top annular label (40) and the adjacent annular label (40), and wherein the blowing device is configured to deliver at least one air flow directed into said enlarged intermediate space (49).

12. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a group (41) of annular labels (40) housed on a guide (51), wherein the annular labels (40) are each made of a plastic film having a thickness of 40-140 μm, for example.

13. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is provided with:

-detection means (71) for detecting when the top ring label (40) is held by the holding means (65) against a stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45),

a control unit (72), the control unit (72) being connected to the detection means (71) and to the blowing device (70), the control unit (72) being configured to send a control signal to the blowing device (70) when the detection means (71) detect that the top ring label (40) is held by the holding means (65) against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45), and

wherein the blower device (70) is configured to deliver an air flow on the basis of a control signal of the control unit (72).

14. Label transfer device for arranging ring labels (40) in an injection mould (1), comprising a device (43) for removing ring labels (40) from a group (41) of substantially identical abutting ring labels (40) according to any one of the preceding claims, and wherein the label transfer device is configured to transfer a top ring label (40) into the injection mould (1) after said top ring label (40) is held against a stop surface (46) of a pick-up head (45) by a holding mechanism (65).

15. The label transfer device of claim 14, comprising:

a holder (35), the holder (35) being displaceable between a label receiving position outside the injection mould (1) and a label dispensing position in the injection mould (1) for dispensing a ring-shaped label (40),

wherein the pick-up head (45) of the device (43) is displaceable between a stowed position for receiving a top ring label (40) of the group (41) of ring labels (40) against the stop surface (46) and a transfer position for transferring the received picked-up ring label (40) from the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) to the holder (35) of the label receiving position outside the injection mould (1).

16. A system for manufacturing a plastic injection molded article, comprising:

injection mould (1) having a plurality of mould parts (9, 10, 11), the plurality of mould parts (9, 10, 11) being movable between a closed position, in which the mould parts (9, 10, 11) abut against each other to form a closed mould cavity having a supply opening for supplying plastic, and an open position, in which the mould parts (9, 10, 11) have been moved apart, and

label transfer device (26) for arranging an annular label (40) in an injection mould (1) according to claim 14 or 15.

17. System according to claim 16, wherein the mould parts (9, 10, 11) of the injection mould (1) are configured to form a closed mould cavity in the closed position, in order to produce a plastic injection-molded article (3) having a tubular body (4), a neck (5) and a head (6), the neck (5) being connected to the end of the tubular body (4), the head (6) being connected to the end of the neck (5) facing away from the tubular body (4), wherein the tubular body (4) optionally comprises an open end opposite the head (6), the open end being capable of being flattened and closed to produce a crushable tube, and wherein the holder (35) of the label transfer device (26) is configured to dispense an annular label (40), so that the annular label (40) reaches the portion of the mould cavity corresponding to the neck (5) of the plastic injection-moulded article (3) to be produced.

18. A method for removing ring labels (40) from a group (41) of substantially identical contiguous ring labels (40), comprising:

accommodating a group (41) of ring labels (40) on a guide rod (51) of a storage holder (44) by pushing the ring labels (40) onto the guide rod (51) by means of a central opening of the ring labels (40), the storage holder (44) being provided with a stop (54) for determining a storage position of the group (41) of ring labels, in which storage position the group (41) of ring labels abuts against the stop (54) by means of a bottom ring label in the group (41) due to gravity and is located at a distance from a stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) by means of a top ring label in the group (41),

displacing at least a portion of the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) along a guide rod (51) to an unloading position in which the group (41) or a portion of the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) is pushed against a stop surface (46) of a pick-up head (45) by means of a top ring-shaped label (40),

holding a top annular label (40) pushed against a stop surface (46) of a pick-up head (45) in an unloading position against a stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45),

it is characterized in that

When the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) is accommodated on the guide bar (51) in the storage position, at least a portion of the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) is displaced along the guide bar (51) to the unloading position by applying an impact force to the group (41) of ring-shaped labels (40) to displace at least a portion of the group (41) to the unloading position autonomously against the action of gravity, and

at least one air flow is delivered, which is directed between the held label (40) and the adjacent annular label (40), so that the adjacent annular label (40) is blown away from the held label (40).

19. Method according to claim 18, wherein a plurality of ring labels (40) located below the top ring label (40) hang around the guide bar (51) and are freely movable along the guide bar (51) in a direction away from the pick-up head (45) when the top ring label (40) is pushed against the stop surface (46) of the pick-up head (45) and held against the stop surface (46) in the unloading position.