System and method for automatic placement of hang tab on gift bag and other articles

Abstract

To provide a system and method for automatic placement of a hang tab on a gift bag and other article.SOLUTION: A hang tab applicator includes a rotary arm having a placement head. The rotary arm rotates between a first position where a hang tab is fed onto the placement head and a second position where the placement head places the hang tab on an article while conveying on a conveyor. A control system controls an operation of the hang tab applicator, and precisely places the hang tab on the article to adjust timing of the rotation of the rotary arm. The hang tab may be placed on a gift bag in an offset position such that (i) an adhesive part of the tab is attached to a bag, and (ii) a hanging hole part of the hang tab extends away from the gift bag, allowing it to be hung from a display hook.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 608,379, filed on December 11, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002] Gift bags often have a transparent plastic hanging tab that allows each bag to be suspended from a retail display hook for easy viewing by consumers. The hanging tab includes an adhesive back that can be attached to the sidewall of the gift bag near the bag opening. A portion of the hanging tab includes a hole or other notch that allows the gift bag to be suspended from a display hook. Gift bags can be automatically formed using bag - forming equipment, but such equipment cannot place the hanging tab on the bag. Rather, in practice, after the gift bag is formed, an operator may be required to manually place the hanging tab in the appropriate position on each individual bag. The cost of the labor to manually place the hanging tab on the gift bag can be very high.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] The present invention relates to a system and method for automatically placing hang tabs on gift bags and other articles. In an exemplary embodiment, the hang tab is placed on the gift bag during the bag forming process. More specifically, as the gift bag moves on a conveyor of a bag forming facility before being fully assembled, a hang tab applicator feeds a hang tab having an adhesive back surface from a roll to a placement head attached to a rotating arm. The rotating arm then rotates from a first feed position to a second placement position, and the placement head places the hang tab on the gift bag. The rotation of the rotating arm from the first feed position to the second placement position is timed such that the placement head places the hang tab at an offset position on the gift bag where (i) the adhesive portion of the hang tab is attached to the gift bag and (ii) the hanging hole portion of the hang tab extends away from the gift bag, enabling the gift bag to be hung on a display hook. By integrating the automatic hang tab placement system within the bag forming process, the manual labor costs that would occur in a secondary process for placing hang tabs on gift bags are eliminated. Of course, in other embodiments, a hang tab applicator can be used to place hang tabs at any desired location on different types of articles.

[0004] Various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, or will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the disclosure provided herein, or can be learned from the practice of the present invention. The above brief summary of the present invention is not intended to identify key features or essential elements of the embodiments of the present invention, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the technical scope of the claimed subject matter as described below.

[0005] A detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the present invention is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Figure 1A

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Figure 1B

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Figure 2A

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Figure 2B

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Figure 2C

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Figure 3A

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Figure 3B

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Figure 4A

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Figure 4B

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Figure 4C

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Figure 4D

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Figure 5

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Figure 6

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Figure 7

[0020]

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments The present invention relates to a system and method for automatically placing hang tabs on gift bags and other articles. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to various exemplary embodiments, but it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific system configurations or methods of these embodiments. In addition, although the exemplary embodiments are described as embodying several different inventive features, those skilled in the art will understand that any one of these features can be implemented in accordance with the present invention without including the other features.

[0022] In this disclosure, references to "an embodiment", "one embodiment", "exemplary embodiment", or "embodiment" mean that the feature or features described are included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Separate references to "an embodiment", "one embodiment", "exemplary embodiment", or "embodiment" in this disclosure do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and are not mutually exclusive unless stated otherwise and / or are readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, the features, structures, functions, etc. described in one embodiment may be included in other embodiments, but do not necessarily have to be included. Thus, the present invention can include various combinations and / or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

[0023] Exemplary Hang Tab Placement System Referring to FIG. 1A, a system for automatically placing a hang tab on a gift bag during a bag forming process, according to one embodiment of the present invention, is shown generally as reference numeral 100.

[0024] System 100 includes a conveyor 110 operable to convey a series of gift bags, such as gift bags 120 and 122, along a conveyance path. As further shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, conveyor 110 includes a conveyor frame 112 that supports two movable conveyor belts 114 and 116. Conveyor belts 114 and 116 are operable to move each gift bag in a linear motion in the direction of travel shown as arrow 118 in FIG. 1A under the hang tab applicator 130. Of course, the conveyor may have a single conveyor belt or more than two conveyor belts in other embodiments.

[0025] Referring still to FIGS. 1A and 1B, in this embodiment, the hang tab applicator 130 is supported by a support frame 132 disposed adjacent to the conveyor 110 at a location where hang tabs can be placed on each gift bag before the bag is fully assembled, as described below. The hang tab applicator 130 may be provided as a stand-alone system for use with conventional bag forming equipment, or the bag forming equipment may be designed to include an integrated hang tab applicator. Advantageously, in this embodiment, the hang tab applicator 130 has a relatively narrow side clearance width that allows it to be disposed among other mechanical components (guides, frames, etc.) of the bag forming equipment.

[0026] The gift bag on which the hang tab is disposed can have a number of different bag configurations. For example, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the gift bag 120 includes a plurality of foldable wall segments including wall segments 120a and 120b, and these wall segments can be assembled to form an open-end gift bag. Prior to reaching the hang tab applicator 130, the bag forming facility has attached two rigid handles 120c and 120d to wall segments 120a and 120b, respectively. The hang tab applicator 130 then places the hang tab 120e on the gift bag 120, specifically, on what will be the inner surface of wall segment 120a near the bag opening when the gift bag 120 is fully assembled. The gift bag 122 has the same configuration as the gift bag 120. For example, the gift bag 122 includes wall segments 122a and 122b each having attached rigid handles 122c and 122d. As will be described in more detail below, it can be seen that when the bag passes under the hang tab applicator 130, the hang tab 122e (shown in FIGS. 2A-2C) is placed on the gift bag 122.

[0027] Gift bags 120 and 122 are merely exemplary, and it should be understood that other bag sizes and configurations are possible within the technical scope of the present invention. For example, although gift bags 120 and 122 have rigid handles 120c, 120d, 122c, and 122d, other types of handles (including flexible handles) may be used, or the gift bag may not have any handle at all. Also, although gift bags 120 and 122 have the same height, the gift bags can have various different heights within the same production process. Of course, it is preferable that the gift bags have the same width such that the lateral position of the hang tab applicator 130 relative to the conveyor 110 can be set for its production process (although different production processes can be used to form bags of different widths simply by adjusting the lateral position of the hang tab applicator 130). Further, it should be widely understood that the gift bags described herein encompass all types of foldable packaging to which a hang tab can be applied within the manufacturing line, whether fully assembled or not, and these include, but are not limited to, decorative boxes or collectible product packaging.

[0028] The hang tabs disposed on the gift bag may also have different sizes and configurations. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the hang tabs 120e and 122e can each be suspended from a single-wire or double-wire display hook and include a slot hang tab with an adhesive back surface made from a transparent plastic material. An example of such a hang tab is the slot hang tab available from Do-It Corporation of South Haven, Michigan. Of course, other types of hang tabs, such as hook hang tabs, round-hole hang tabs, foldable hang tabs, etc. can also be used. The hang tabs may also be made from materials other than plastic, such as biodegradable paper or similar materials. It should be understood that any hang tab including an adhesive portion (i.e., the portion of the hang tab with the adhesive back surface) and a suspension hole portion (i.e., the portion of the hang tab with the suspension hole or other opening) can be used. In this embodiment, each hang tab is disposed on the gift bag at an offset position, i.e., a position where (i) the adhesive portion of the hang tab is attached to the gift bag (e.g., along the upper end of a wall segment near the bag opening) and (ii) the suspension hole portion of the hang tab extends away from the gift bag, enabling the gift bag to be suspended from a display hook. An example of an applicator facility that can be used with the system 100 is the XLS204 sold by Novexx Solutions GmbH. It will be understood that other types of applicators or labeling facilities can be used and / or adapted for use with the system 100.

[0029] Referring to FIGS. 1B and 3A, the operation of the hang tab applicator 130 is controlled by the control system 102, as will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 6-8. The hang tab applicator 130 includes a supply reel 134 configured to hold a hang tab roll having a series of individual hang tabs, the adhesive back surfaces of which are in contact with the backing material. When the supply reel 134 is advanced by the control system 102, the hang tab roll moves in a first direction along the feed path 136, and after each individual hang tab is removed from the backing material (as described below), the backing material moves in a second, opposite direction along the return path 138 and onto the take-up reel 140.

[0030] As best shown in FIGS. 2A-3B, the hang tab applicator 130 includes a rotating arm 142 driven by a servo motor 141. The rotating arm 142 is configured to rotate between a first supply position and a second placement position. In this embodiment, the rotating arm 142 is attached to the rotary union 190 via an opening 142a at its bottom (as viewed when shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B). As shown in FIG. 5, the rotary union includes a rotary bearing 192 that supports the rotating arm 142 for rotational movement. Referring again to FIGS. 2A-2C, the rotating arm 142 rotates about a horizontal axis H oriented transverse to the direction of travel of the bag indicated by arrow 118. Thus, the rotating arm 142 can rotate clockwise in a vertical plane of rotation perpendicular to the axis of rotation H. In this embodiment, the first feed position includes the 12 o'clock position (FIG. 2A), and the second placement position includes the 6 o'clock position (FIG. 2C), although other positions (e.g., the 3 o'clock position shown in FIG. 2B) may also be used.

[0031] Referring to FIGS. 4A - 4D, the placement head 144 is fixed to the rotating arm 142 at a position away from the axis of rotation. The placement head 144 includes a head mounting bracket 145 and a pivoting head 146. As best shown in FIG. 4B, the head mounting bracket 145 is fixedly attached to the rotating arm 142, and the head 146 is pivotally attached to the head mounting bracket 145 via a pin or other suitable connector 147. Also as shown in FIG. 4B, the placement head 144 also includes a compression spring 148 that biases the head 146 away from the head mounting bracket 145. It can be seen that the head 146 can pivot towards the head mounting bracket 145 against the bias of the compression spring 148 when pressing on a hang tab (e.g., hang tab 122e) on a gift bag (e.g., gift bag 122).

[0032] The placement head 144 is aligned to receive the hang tab from the hang tab roll when the rotating arm 142 is in the first feeding position. Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the hang tab roll is oriented on the supply reel 134 such that individual hang tabs are positioned on the bottom surface of the backing material as it moves along the feeding path 136. As best shown in FIGS. 2A and 3B, when the backing material changes direction at the transition from the feeding path 136 to the return path 138, the hang tab is peeled off the backing material, and the air jet 150 injects air to blow the hang tab down onto the upper surface of the placement head 144 (i.e., on the pivoting head 146).

[0033] To provide the proper orientation of the hang tabs on the upper surface of the configuration head 144, the feed path 136 (i.e., the path along which the hang tabs are fed from the hang tab roll onto the configuration head 144) is generally perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the rotating arm 142. For example, when viewed as shown in FIG. 2A, the hang tab 122e is oriented on the upper surface of the configuration head 144 such that the hanging hole portion of the hang tab 122e is on the left side of the configuration head 144 and the adhesive portion of the hang tab 122e is on the right side of the configuration head 144 (with the adhesive facing upward). It will be appreciated that the hang tab 122e will have the proper orientation for placement on the gift bag 122 when the rotating arm 142 is rotated from the first feed position to the second placement position (FIG. 2C).

[0034] In this embodiment, when the rotary arm 142 is in the first supply position, negative (vacuum) air pressure is applied to the pivot head 146 via a hose (not shown) through a vacuum pump 154 so as to hold the hang tab on the placement head 144 at the supply position until a gift bag is detected on the conveyor 110. Of course, the hang tab is placed on the upper surface of the placement head 144 (i.e., on the pivot head 146) due to gravity even if the output of the hang tab applicator 130 drops and the hang tab is not held on the placement head 144 by negative air pressure. When the control system 102 detects a gift bag on the conveyor 110, the rotary arm 142 rotates from the first supply position (e.g., FIG. 2A) to the second placement position (e.g., FIG. 2C), and at the same time, negative air pressure is continuously applied to the pivot head 146. When the rotary arm 142 reaches the second placement position, the application of negative air pressure to the placement head 144 is stopped, and the hang tab is released for placement on the gift bag. In this embodiment, the placement head 144 is configured to press the hang tab onto the gift bag, as described below. In other embodiments, positive air pressure may be applied to the pivot head 146 to blow the hang tab onto the gift bag. In such an embodiment, it should be understood that the pivot head 146 is operably connected to the air system 152 (best shown in FIG. 1B) to provide a jet of positive air in addition to negative air pressure. The air system 152 can be an air valve manifold assembly with solenoid-operated valves, such as a VTUG valve manifold sold by Festo Corporation, or any other equipment suitable for any other pneumatic feature in the functions and system 100 described herein. For example, the air system 152 can have a first solenoid-operated valve for controlling the supply of air to the air jet 150 (FIG. 3B), a second solenoid-operated valve for controlling the supply of air to the vacuum pump 154, and a third solenoid-operated valve for controlling the air pressure for actuating a clamp in the unwind system of the hang tab applicator 130.The timing of the rotation of the rotary arm 142 from the first feeding position to the second placement position is determined by the control system 102, as will be described later in connection with FIG. 8.

[0035] As described above, the rotary arm 142 is attached to the rotary union 190. As shown in FIG. 5, this rotary union 190 includes a flow port 194 that provides a path for supplying high-pressure air from the air system 152 (as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C) to a vacuum pump 154 mounted on the rotary arm 142. When high-pressure air is supplied, the vacuum pump 154 applies negative air pressure to the pivoting head 146, as described above. It should be understood that the configuration of the rotary union allows the rotary arm 142 to make a plurality of clockwise rotations without winding up an air pressure air hose (not shown) connected to the vacuum pump 154.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 1B, the system 100 also includes an encoder 160 having a wheel that rides on the conveyor belt 116 of the conveyor 110. Of course, the wheel of the encoder 160 may alternatively ride on the conveyor belt 114. The encoder 160 is configured to generate a signal indicating the linear velocity of the conveyor 110 (which is also the linear velocity of each gift bag conveyed on the conveyor 110) and to transmit such signal to the control system 102. It can be seen that the control system 102 is configured to control the rotary arm 142 such that the tangential velocity of the placement head 144 substantially matches the linear velocity of the conveyor 110 at the point when the hang tab first contacts the gift bag, i.e., when the rotary arm 142 reaches the second placement position, so that the hang tab and the gift bag move in the same direction at substantially the same speed.

[0037] System 100 also includes a photosensor 170 located upstream of the hang tab applicator 130. In this embodiment, the photosensor 170 is mounted below the gap portion between the conveyor belts 114 and 116 of the conveyor 110 and is configured to detect each gift bag as it passes over the photosensor 170 during conveyance on the conveyor 110. Of course, the photosensor 170 may be mounted at any position that enables detection of the gift bags as they pass over the photosensor 170 during conveyance on the conveyor 110, for example, at any position adjacent to the side of the conveyor 110.

[0038] In this embodiment, the photosensor 170 is configured to send a signal to the control system 102 when it detects the trailing edge of each gift bag as the gift bag passes over the photosensor 170 during conveyance on the conveyor 110. In this case, since the hang tab is disposed at the trailing edge of the gift bag, the trailing edge detection signal is used. For example, in FIG. 1B, it can be seen that the hang tab 120e is disposed on the inner surface of the wall segment 120a near the bag opening when the gift bag 120 is fully assembled. In other embodiments, the photosensor 170 may detect the leading edge of each gift bag, for example, when the hang tab is disposed at the leading edge of the gift bag. It should be understood that the present invention may be adapted to dispose the hang tab at any desired position (e.g., a fold line) on the article and is not limited to placement on or detection of the edge of the article.

[0039] The control system 102 is configured to adjust the timing of the rotation of the rotary arm 142 from the first feeding position to the second placement position based on the position of the gift bag on the conveyor 110, the linear velocity of the conveyor 110, and the desired position for the placement of the hang tab on the gift bag. As will be described in more detail below in connection with FIG. 8, the control system 102 uses this information to determine the time when the trailing edge of the gift bag is located at the target position under the hang tab applicator 130, thereby placing the placement head 144 at the desired offset position on the gift bag, i.e., (i) the adhesive portion of the hang tab is attached to the gift bag, and (ii) the hanging hole portion of the hang tab extends away from the gift bag, enabling the gift bag to be suspended from the display hook. The rotation of the rotary arm 142 can be adjusted in timing so that the hang tab is placed. This offset position can be best seen with respect to the placement of the hang tab 120e on the gift bag 120 in FIG. 2A. The matched speed of the hang tab and the gift bag during hang tab placement, along with the accurate recognition of the gift bag position, enables the accurate placement of the hang tab at the desired offset position on the gift bag.

[0040] Following the placement of the hang tab on the gift bag, as described above, the rotary arm 142 is accelerated to the speed of returning to the first feeding position so that the placement head 144 quickly returns to the hang tab feeding position to receive the next hang tab from the hang tab roll and stops. Since the hang tab placement process is triggered by the detection of the trailing edge of each gift bag via the photosensor 170, the system 100 can place hang tabs on bags of different heights and can compensate for variations in the bag spacing on the conveyor 110 (i.e., the spacing between adjacent bags can vary on the conveyor 110). Of course, it will be understood that the rotary arm 142 can be driven in other motion patterns (e.g., moving up and down in a 180-degree arc) without departing from the processes described herein.

[0041] As described above, to control the operation of the hang tab applicator 130, a control system 102 (shown in the form of a block diagram of FIG. 6) is provided. Referring further to FIG. 6, the control system 102 includes a stepping motor 131 that drives the supply reel 134 and the take-up reel 140, a servo motor 141 that drives the rotating arm 142, an air system 152 that generates the ejection of air provided by the air jet 150 and supplies air to a vacuum air pump 154 to generate the negative air pressure provided by the pivot head 146 of the placement head 144, an encoder 160, a photo sensor 170, and communicates with various components of the system 100 such as any other controlled component or sensor component within the system 100. The vacuum air pump 154 is shown and described as a pneumatically driven pump controlled by the air system 152, but in other embodiments, the vacuum air pump 154 may be an electric pump operated based on control signals received directly from the control system 102. The functionality of the control software implemented by the control system is described in connection with the flowchart shown in FIG. 7.

[0042] First, in step 700, the control system is initialized, and a control signal is sent to the servo motor 141 to operate it to move the rotating arm 142 to the first feeding position. As described above, when the rotating arm 142 is at the first feeding position, the placement head 144 is aligned to receive the hang tab from the hang tab roll loaded on the supply reel 134. In step 710, the control system sends a control signal to the solenoid of the air system 152 to activate the vacuum air pump 154, and the air system 152 supplies air to the vacuum air pump 154. As described above, the vacuum air pump 154 operates to apply negative air pressure to the pivot head 146 of the placement head 144. In step 720, the control system sends a control signal to the stepping motor 131 to operate it to advance the supply reel 134. As described above, when the supply reel 134 advances, the hang tab roll moves along the feeding path 136, and when the backing material changes direction at the transition from the feeding path 136 to the return path 138, the hang tab is peeled off from the backing material. In step 730, the control system sends a control signal to the air system 152 that operates to activate the air jet 150 to eject air and blow the hang tab onto the upper surface of the placement head 144 (i.e., on the pivot head 146). Then, the backing material moves along the return path 138 and finally moves onto the take-up reel 140.

[0043] In step 740, the control system determines whether a signal indicating the presence of a gift bag on the conveyor 110 is received from the photosensor 170. In this embodiment, the photosensor 170 generates a signal in response to the detection of the trailing edge of the gift bag, and the control system detects the presence of the bag based on this detection signal. If the detection signal is not received, the process returns to step 740. On the other hand, if the detection signal is received, in step 750, the control system receives a signal from the encoder 160 that includes information indicating the linear velocity of the conveyor 110.

[0044] In step 760, the control system transmits a control signal to servo motor 141 and operates to rotate the rotary arm 142 from the first feeding position to the second placement position. The timing of such rotation is based on the position of the gift bag on the conveyor 110, the linear velocity of the conveyor 110, and the desired position for the placement of the hang tab on the gift bag. For example, in this embodiment, the control system calculates the time when the trailing edge of the gift bag is located at the target position under the hang tab applicator 130, whereby the desired offset position on the gift bag, that is, (i) the adhesive portion of the hang tab is attached to the gift bag, and (ii) the suspension hole portion of the hang tab extends away from the gift bag, enabling the gift bag to be suspended from the display hook, the rotation of the rotary arm 142 can be adjusted in timing so that the placement head 144 places the hang tab at the offset position.

[0045] An exemplary process executed by the control system to determine the timing for the rotation of the rotary arm 142 from the first feeding position to the second placement position is shown in FIG. 8. For the purpose of this example, it should be understood that the gift bag must move on the conveyor 110 from the position where it passes through the photosensor 170 (regarded as reference position 0) to the target position where the hang tab first contacts the gift bag (regarded as reference position X). For example, if the photosensor 170 is at a position 14 inches (35.56 centimeters) from the target position, then X = 14 inches (35.56 centimeters). Note that the scaling of the encoder 160 is such that its position value represents the running inches of the gift bag on the conveyor 110.

[0046] In step 800, when the rotating arm 142 is at the first feeding position, the control system sets the starting position of the gift bag to the position value of the encoder 160 when the detection signal is received from the photosensor 170. In this case, the position value of the encoder 160 is transmitted to the control system in step 750. In step 810, the control system sends a control signal to the servo motor 141 and operates to start the rotation of the rotating arm 142 so that the rotating arm 142 accelerates from the stop position to a speed at which the tangential speed of the placement head 144 matches the linear speed of the conveyor 110 (i.e., the speed at which the gift bag moves). Next, the rotating arm 142 continues to move while being electronically synchronized with the moving speed of the gift bag.

[0047] In step 820, the control system determines whether the placement head 144 has moved a predetermined distance Y in the tangential direction. Here, Y is a value smaller than X. For example, if X is 14 inches, Y can be 6 inches. If not, the process returns to step 820. If the placement head 144 has moved a distance Y in the tangential direction, the process proceeds to step 830. It should be understood that the value of Y should be selected such that there is sufficient time for the rotating arm 142 to accelerate to the moving speed of the gift bag before the placement head 144 moves a distance Y in the tangential direction.

[0048] In step 830, the control system determines the current position of the gift bag on the conveyor 110. To do so, the control system receives the current position value of the encoder 160 (i.e., the position value when the placement head 144 has moved a distance Y in the tangential direction) and subtracts the starting position value from the current position value (i.e., bag current position = encoder current position - encoder starting position). In step 840, the control system calculates the distance by which the position of the placement head 144 lags behind the current position of the gift bag (i.e., placement head lag distance = placement arm current position - bag current position). It should be understood that there is a lag due to the time required for the placement head 144 to accelerate to reach the moving speed of the gift bag.

[0049] In step 850, the control system sends a control signal to the servo motor 141 and operates to adjust the movement of the rotating arm 142 so as to compensate for the delay distance calculated in step 840. It should be understood that the incremental movement of the rotating arm 142 is superimposed on the electronically synchronized movement so that the position of the pivoting head 146 is approximately equal to the position of the gift bag. Then, in step 860, the rotating arm 142 continues to move at a gear ratio such that the tangential speed of the placement head 144 substantially matches the linear speed of the conveyor 110. Thus, it can be understood that both the placement head 144 and the gift bag reach the distance X substantially simultaneously, enabling the accurate placement of the hang tab at the desired position on the gift bag.

[0050] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the process described above in relation to FIG. 8, and other processes may be used to adjust the timing of the rotation of the rotating arm 142 from the first feeding position to the second placement position.

[0051] Referring back to FIG. 7, in step 770, when the rotating arm 142 reaches the second placement position, the control system sends a control signal to the air system 152 to deactivate the vacuum air pump 154 and turn off the negative air pressure at the pivoting head 146 of the placement head 144. In step 780, the hang tab is placed at the desired position on the gift bag. Note that when the hang tab first contacts the gift bag, the hang tab is moving in the same direction at substantially the same speed as the gift bag. In this embodiment, the spring-biased configuration of the placement head 144 allows the hang tab to be pressed onto the gift bag, i.e., the head 146 can pivot towards the head mounting bracket 145 against the biasing of the compression spring 148 when pressing the hang tab on the gift bag. Of course, in other embodiments where the placement head is not spring-biased, positive air pressure may be applied to the pivoting head 146 to blow the hang tab onto the gift bag.

[0052] In step 790, the control system transmits a control signal to the servo motor 141 and operates to rotate the rotating arm 142 from the second placement position to the first feeding position. Accordingly, the placement head 144 quickly returns to the hanger tab feeding position and stops in order to receive the next hanger tab from the hanger tab roll. It should be understood that the control system executes steps 710 - 790 for each gift bag in one production process and provides the timing function necessary to enable the high-speed placement of hanger tabs onto the gift bags (e.g., over 100 bags per minute).

[0053] It should be understood that the steps shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and the order in which those steps are executed, are not intended to be limiting, and that other process control steps may be implemented within the technical scope of the present invention. Also, it should be understood that some of the steps shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 may be executed simultaneously. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that several different combinations of process control steps may be used to control the operation of the hanger tab applicator 130.

[0054] General Information The foregoing description provides some exemplary embodiments of the subject matter of the present invention. Each exemplary embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements, but the subject matter of the invention is considered to include all possible combinations of the disclosed elements. Thus, if one embodiment includes elements A, B, and C and a second embodiment includes elements B and D, the subject matter of the present invention is also considered to include other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.

[0055] The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "such as" or "for example") provided with respect to a particular embodiment is merely intended to better illustrate the present invention and is not limiting of the scope of the present invention. No language in the description should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the present invention.

[0056] The use of the terms "comprising", "including", or any other variation thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a system or method comprising a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such a system or method.

[0057] Finally, it should be understood that the present invention has been described and illustrated above with reference to various exemplary embodiments, but that various modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the specific structural configurations or methodologies of the exemplary embodiments except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims. [Aspect 1] A system for placing a hang tab on a gift bag during conveyance on a conveyor, a hang tab applicator comprising a rotating arm having an attached placement head, the rotating arm being configured to rotate between a first position where a hang tab is fed onto the placement head and a second position where the placement head places the hang tab on the gift bag, a control system configured to control the operation of the hang tab applicator to adjust the timing of rotation of the rotating arm from the first position to the second position and to place the hang tab at an offset position on the gift bag where (i) an adhesive portion of the hang tab is attached to the gift bag and (ii) a suspension hole portion of the hang tab extends away from the gift bag, enabling the gift bag to be suspended on a display hook. A system comprising. [Aspect 2] The hanging tab applicator further includes a supply reel configured to hold a hanging tab roll, and the control system is configured to control the operation of the hanging tab applicator such that when the rotating arm is in the first position, the supply reel advances to supply the hanging tab from the hanging tab roll to the upper surface of the placement head. The system according to aspect 1. [Aspect 3] The rotating arm is configured to rotate within a rotation plane, and the hanging tab is fed onto the placement head along a feed path that is generally perpendicular to the rotation plane. The system according to aspect 1. [Aspect 4] The placement head includes a vacuum placement head, and the control system is configured to control the operation of the hanging tab applicator such that when the rotating arm rotates from the first position to the second position, a negative air pressure is applied to the placement head to hold the hanging tab on the placement head. The system according to aspect 1. [Aspect 5] The placement head is a spring-loaded placement head configured to press the hanging tab on the gift bag when the rotating arm is in the second position. The system according to aspect 1 includes a spring-loaded placement head. [Aspect 6] The spring-loaded placement head includes (i) a head mounting bracket fixedly attached to the rotating arm, (ii) a head pivotally attached to the head mounting bracket, and (iii) a compression spring biased to push the head away from the head mounting bracket. The head is configured to pivot toward the head mounting bracket against the bias of the compression spring when pressing the hanging tab on the gift bag. The system according to aspect 5. [Aspect 7] The first position includes the 12 o'clock position, and the second position includes the 6 o'clock position. The system according to aspect 1. [Aspect 8] The system according to aspect 1, further comprising an encoder configured to transmit a signal indicating the linear velocity of the conveyor to the control system, wherein the control system is configured to control the operation of the hang tab applicator such that the tangential velocity of the placement head when the hang tab is placed on the gift bag substantially matches the linear velocity of the conveyor. [Aspect 9] The system according to aspect 8, further comprising a photosensor disposed adjacent to the conveyor at a position upstream of the hang tab applicator, wherein the photosensor is configured to transmit a detection signal to the control system when detecting the leading edge or trailing edge of the gift bag, and the control system is configured to adjust the timing of rotation of the rotary arm from the first position to the second position based on the position of the photosensor and the linear velocity of the conveyor upon receiving the detection signal. [Aspect 10] The system according to aspect 1, wherein the gift bag includes a first gift bag and a second gift bag that are continuously conveyed on the conveyor, the first gift bag has a first height, the second gift bag has a second height, and the first height is different from the second height. [Aspect 11] The system according to aspect 1, wherein the gift bag includes a first gift bag, a second gift bag, and a third gift bag that are continuously conveyed on the conveyor, the first gift bag is separated from the second gift bag by a first distance, the second gift bag is separated from the third gift bag by a second distance, and the first distance is different from the second distance. [Aspect 12] A system for placing hang tabs on an article during conveyance on a conveyor, A hang tab applicator comprising a rotary arm having an attached placement head, the rotary arm being configured to rotate within a plane of rotation between a first position and a second position. A control system configured to control the operation of the hang tab applicator such that: (a) when the rotary arm is in the first position, the hang tab is supplied onto the upper surface of the placement head along a feed path that is generally perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the rotary arm; and (b) the timing of rotation of the rotary arm from the first position to the second position is adjusted such that the placement head places the hang tab on an article being conveyed on a conveyor. A system comprising the same. [Aspect 13] The placement head comprises a vacuum placement head, and the control system is configured to control the operation of the hang tab applicator such that a negative air pressure is applied to the placement head to hold the hang tab thereon when the rotary arm rotates from the first position to the second position. The system according to Aspect 12. [Aspect 14] The placement head is a spring-loaded placement head configured to press the hang tab on the article when the rotary arm is in the second position. The system according to Aspect 12, comprising the spring-loaded placement head. [Aspect 15] The spring-loaded placement head comprises: (i) a head mounting bracket fixedly attached to the rotary arm; (ii) a head pivotally attached to the head mounting bracket; and (iii) a compression spring biased to push the head away from the head mounting bracket. The head is configured to pivot towards the head mounting bracket against the bias of the compression spring when pressing the hang tab onto the gift bag. The system according to Aspect 14. [Aspect 16] The first position includes the 12 o'clock position, and the second position includes the 6 o'clock position. The system according to Aspect 12. [Aspect 17] The system according to aspect 12, further comprising an encoder configured to transmit a signal indicating the linear velocity of the conveyor to the control system, wherein the control system is configured to control the operation of the hang tab applicator such that the tangential velocity of the placement head when the hang tab is placed on the article substantially matches the linear velocity of the conveyor. [Aspect 18] The system according to aspect 17, further comprising a photosensor disposed adjacent to the conveyor at a position upstream of the hang tab applicator, the photosensor being configured to transmit a detection signal to the control system when detecting a part of the article, and the control system being configured to adjust the timing of rotation of the rotary arm from the first position to the second position based on the position of the photosensor and the linear velocity of the conveyor when receiving the detection signal. [Aspect 19] The system according to aspect 12, wherein the article includes a first article continuously conveyed on the conveyor and a second article, the first article having a first height, the second article having a second height, and the first height being different from the second height. [Aspect 20] The system according to aspect 12, wherein the article includes a first article, a second article, and a third article continuously conveyed on the conveyor, the first article being separated from the second article by a first distance, the second article being separated from the third article by a second distance, and the first distance being different from the second distance.

Claims

1. 1. A system for placing a hang tab on a gift bag during transport on a conveyor, comprising: a hang tab applicator comprising a rotating arm having a placement head attached thereto, the rotating arm configured to rotate between a first position where a hang tab is fed onto the placement head and a second position where the placement head places the hang tab on a gift bag; a control system configured to time the rotation of the rotating arm from the first position to the second position and control operation of the hang tab applicator such that the placement head places the hang tab at an offset position on the gift bag where (i) an adhesive portion of the hang tab is attached to the gift bag, and (ii) a hanging hole portion of the hang tab extends away from the gift bag to allow the gift bag to be hung on a display hook; A system comprising:

2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the hang tab applicator further comprises a supply reel configured to hold a hang tab roll, and the control system is configured to control operation of the hang tab applicator such that when the rotating arm is in the first position, the supply reel advances to supply the hang tabs from the hang tab roll to an upper surface of the placement head.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rotating arm is configured to rotate in a plane of rotation, and the hang tab is fed onto the placement head along a feed path that is generally perpendicular to the plane of rotation.

4. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the placement head comprises a vacuum placement head, and the control system is configured to control operation of the hang tab applicator such that negative air pressure is applied to the placement head to hold the hang tab on the placement head when the rotating arm rotates from the first position to the second position.

5. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the placement head comprises a spring-loaded placement head configured to press against the hang tab on the gift bag when the rotating arm is in the second position.

6. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the spring-loaded placement head comprises: (i) a head mounting bracket fixedly attached to the rotating arm; (ii) a head pivotally attached to the head mounting bracket; and (iii) a compression spring biased to urge the head away from the head mounting bracket, the head being configured to pivot toward the head mounting bracket against the bias of the compression spring when pressing against the hang tab on the gift bag.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first position comprises a 12 o'clock position and the second position comprises a 6 o'clock position.

8. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an encoder configured to send a signal indicative of a linear speed of the conveyor to the control system, the control system configured to control operation of the hang tab applicator such that a tangential speed of the placement head as the hang tab is placed on the gift bag substantially matches the linear speed of the conveyor.

9. 9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a photosensor positioned adjacent to the conveyor at a location upstream of the hang tab applicator, the photosensor configured to send a detection signal to the control system upon detection of a leading edge or a trailing edge of the gift bag, the control system configured, upon receiving the detection signal, to adjust the timing of rotation of the rotating arm from the first position to the second position based on the position of the photosensor and the linear speed of the conveyor.

10. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the gift bags include a first gift bag and a second gift bag transported continuously on the conveyor, the first gift bag having a first height and the second gift bag having a second height, the first height being different from the second height.

11. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the gift bags include a first gift bag, a second gift bag, and a third gift bag transported consecutively on the conveyor, the first gift bag being spaced a first distance from the second gift bag and the second gift bag being spaced a second distance from the third gift bag, the first distance being different from the second distance.

12. 1. A system for placing a hang tab on an article during transport on a conveyor, comprising: a hang tab applicator comprising a rotating arm having a placement head attached thereto, the rotating arm configured to rotate in a plane of rotation between a first position and a second position; a control system configured to control operation of the hang tab applicator such that (a) when the rotating arm is in the first position, a hang tab is fed to an upper surface of the placement head along a feed path that is generally perpendicular to a plane of rotation of the rotating arm, and (b) rotation of the rotating arm from the first position to the second position is timed such that the placement head places the hang tab on an article being transported by a conveyor; and A system comprising:

13. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the placement head comprises a vacuum placement head, and the control system is configured to control operation of the hang tab applicator such that negative air pressure is applied to the placement head to hold the hang tab on the placement head as the rotating arm rotates from the first position to the second position.

14. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the placement head comprises a spring-loaded placement head configured to press against the hang tab on the article when the rotating arm is in the second position.

15. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the spring-loaded placement head comprises: (i) a head mounting bracket fixedly attached to the rotating arm; (ii) a head pivotally attached to the head mounting bracket; and (iii) a compression spring biased to urge the head away from the head mounting bracket, the head being configured to pivot toward the head mounting bracket against the bias of the compression spring when pressing the hang tab against the article.

16. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first position comprises a 12 o'clock position and the second position comprises a 6 o'clock position.

17. 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising an encoder configured to send a signal indicative of a linear speed of the conveyor to the control system, the control system configured to control operation of the hang tab applicator such that a tangential speed of the placement head as the hang tab is placed on the article substantially matches the linear speed of the conveyor.

18. 18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a photosensor positioned adjacent to the conveyor at a location upstream of the hang tab applicator, the photosensor configured to send a detection signal to the control system upon detection of a portion of the article, the control system configured, upon receiving the detection signal, to adjust the timing of rotation of the rotating arm from the first position to the second position based on the position of the photosensor and the linear speed of the conveyor.

19. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the articles include a first article and a second article transported consecutively on the conveyor, the first article having a first height and the second article having a second height, the first height being different from the second height.

20. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the articles include a first article, a second article, and a third article transported consecutively on the conveyor, the first article being spaced a first distance from the second article and the second article being spaced a second distance from the third article, the first distance being different from the second distance.

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