Labelling machine for applying a label, in particular a sealing band, to a container

Claim 1

A labelling machine for applying a sealing label on the top of a bottle comprising a carousel rotating about a vertical axis and having pivotal bottle supporting plates, a plurality of clamp members mounted on said carousel and adapted to grip the opposite ends of a label delivered from a magazine, frame members supported on said carousel and each defining a cylindrical seat diametrically slotted to form an opening for the passage of a label, means for actuating said frame members so as to bring said seats in engagement on the bottle tops, means for actuating said clamp members between a label pick up position and a position at which said label is placed on the top of the bottle, vertically movable press members controlled so as to penetrate said opening to clamp the label on the bottle top and to fold down the opposite ends of the label on the bottle neck, wherein each clamp member comprises a lever pivoted about a horizontal axis tangential with respect to the carousel axis of rotation, said lever supporting pivotally a pin carrying a finger, said pin being subjected to elastic means tending to hold said finger in contact with an abutment or detent in said lever such as to form a clamp and to cam means controlling the rotation of said pin in opposition to said elastic means for opening the clamp, said lever being controlled through a tie bar by a slide guided radially on said carousel and connected to cam means adapted to cause the lever to rotate from a label pick up position to a position at which said label is placed on top of a container.