Label applying mechanism

Claim 1

IN A LABELING MACHINE OF THE KIND WHICH INCLUDES A LABEL HOPPER; A LABEL PICKING MEANS ADAPTED TO WITHDRAW AN EXPOSED LABEL FROM THE HOPPER, SAID PICKING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF PICKER ELEMENTS MOVABLE TOWARD AND FROM EACH OTHER WITH A LABEL CONTACTING SURFACE ON EACH IN THE SAME PLANE; MEANS FOR APPLYING ADHESIVE TO SAID SURFACES OF THE PICKER ELEMENTS; MEANS OPERATIVE TO MOVE THE PICKER ELEMENTS, IN CLOSELY ADJACENT RELATION, TO A LABEL PICKING POSITION WHEREIN THE SAID SURFACES THEREOF CONTACT THE BACK OF THE EXPOSED LABEL, AND TO MOVE SAID PICKER ELEMENTS, WHILE MAINTAINED IN THE SAME RELATION, TO A TRANSFER POSITION TO THEREBY WITHDRAW AND TRANSPORT THE EXPOSED ADHERENT LABEL TO SAID TRANSFER POSITION AND MEANS OPERATIVE TO SEPARATE THE PICKER ELEMENTS WHEREBY TO SPREAD THE ADHESIVE OVER THE BACK OF SAID LABEL WHILE THE PICKER ELEMENTS ARE AT SAID TRANSFER POSITION; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: A TRANSFER PAD WITH A LABEL GRIPPING FACE OPERATIVE TO ENGAGE THE FRONT OF THE LABEL AT SAID TRANSFER POSITION AND RETAIN THE LABEL WHILE SAID PICKER ELEMENTS ARE SEPARATED, SAID TRANSFER PAD HAVING A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY NARROWER THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID LABEL AND ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE LABEL FRONT WITH THE VERTICAL CENTER LINE OF THE TRANSFER PAD IN APPROXIMATE ALIGNMENT WITH THE VERTICAL CENTER LINE OF THE LABEL, AND A BACKUP ARM MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT TO THE TRANSFER POSITION IN TIMED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID PICKER ELEMENTS AND SAID TRANSFER PAD, SAID BACKUP ARM HAVING A PAIR OF COPLANAR LABEL CONTACTING SURFACES THEREON ADAPTED TO BE PLACED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLANE OF THE LABEL GRIPPING FACE OF SAID TRANSFER PAD, WITH ONE LYING TO EITHER SIDE OF SAID TRANFER PAD FACE, AT THE TRANSFER POSITION WHILE SAID PICKER ELEMENTS ARE BEING SEPARATED, SAID LABEL CONTACTING SURFACE ON SAID BACKUP ARM BEING CONFIGURED TO SUBSTANTIALLY MATCH OPPOSITELY DISPOSED PORTIONS OF SAID LABEL WHICH EXTEND OUTWARDLY OF THE SIDES OF SAID TRANSFER PAD, WHEREBY SAID PORTIONS ARE FULLY SUPPORTED DURING SAID GLUE SPREADING OPERATION.