Patent Application
20120048889
The present invention relates to a mechanical improvement made to a feeding unit of a glue applicator. More particularly, the present invention provides a feeding unit for drawing and thus feeding a glue stick installed therein. The feeding unit is composed of reduced number of components and allows a more effort-saving operation.
As generally known, a glue applicator is used to heat a glue stick and to apply the melted glue for adhesion. Such a glue applicator is typically designed with a gun-like shape. However, the gun-like glue applicator is less controllable for accurate placement of the glue. Therefore, a glue applicator featuring for being easily held has been developed, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,820,768.The patented glue applicator primarily has a body, a cavity extending along the longitudinal axis of the body, a heat chamber received in and extending parallel to the cavity so as to receive a glue stick placing therein, and a feeding unit with a trigger The trigger member is configured to push the glue stick into the heat chamber, while its outer side to be gripped by a user's palm performs transverse motion.
Thereby, the user can hold the glue applicator in his/her palm with his/her fingers holding the trigger, and make a nozzle of the glue applicator face the user or the user can hold the glue applicator vertically, thus allowing an easier and more accurate glue-placing operation.
However, the mechanisms for controlling and feeding the glue stick include, in addition to the trigger, a gripping mechanism with a gripper, and the trigger has an arm, wherein the a link is provided between the arm and the gripper, so that the arm is driven to swing forward by the trigged trigger, and then the link drives the gripper to grip the glue stick, thereby making the gripping mechanism together with the glue stick advance into the heat chamber. Thus, this is not a case where the trigger drives the gripping mechanism directly, whereas the link is required to achieve the movement.
Since the entire structure involves a relatively large number of complex components, assembly of the existing glue applicator is difficult and inconvenient, which significantly affects the efficiency and costs of production. In addition, feeding the glue stick relies on the link, but is not accomplished by the trigger directly. When there are more fastening components required, there are more joints, suggesting a higher risk of misplay and failure, as well as a more laborious operation. Consequently, in a glue-placing application where high preciseness is required, the laborious operation may lead to failure in placing the glue accurately.
With the attempt to solve the problems of the known glue applicators whose feeding means are structurally complex and operatively unsmooth and tend to fail and require laborious operation, the present invention provides a feeding unit that has relatively simple structure composed of a reduced number of components, while allowing a more reliable and effort-saving operation.
Therefore, the technical means, upon which the present invention relies to solve the problems of the prior art, is to have a glue applicator including a body receiving therein a heat chamber extending axially, and the feeding unit drawing a glue stick into the heat chamber, wherein the feeding unit comprises a sliding seat configured to slide along a direction in which the glue stick is fed, pivotally fixed with a gripper, and configured to allow the glue stick to pass therethrough, while the gripper has its lower end provided with a projecting portion for abutting against a trigger that is pivotally fixed to the body and is provided with a recess corresponding to the projecting portion.
In addition, the sliding seat of the present invention is bilaterally provided with wing portions for sliding in and along sliding guides formed on the body.
Moreover, the gripper of the present invention has its top surface formed as a toothed anti-slip engaging surface, and has its front end provided with a notch fitting the sliding seat, while having a holding portion for holding a spring between the gripper and a rear end of the body.
Furthermore, the trigger of the present invention has its upper front end provided with an abutting portion, and has its outer side provided with a pressing portion for a user to hold with his/her fingers.
Thereby, the feeding unit of the present invention is composed of merely the sliding seat, the gripper and the trigger, so it is simpler in structure, easy to assemble, and more effective to produce. Meanwhile, sliding of the sliding seat is driven by the trigger directly, so the operation is more effort-saving and the entire glue applicator is easier to grip, thereby ensuring accurate glue placement for more precise adhesive application.
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Moreover, the feeding unit 3 further comprises a trigger 33 pivotally fixed to the body 1 and located below the gripper 32. The trigger 33 has its top surface provided with a recess 331 for receiving the projecting portion 322 of the gripper 32, with its upper front end provided with an abutting portion 332, and with its outer side provided with a pressing portion for a user to hold with his/her fingers.
Furthermore, a spring 35 is connected between the holding portion 324 of the gripper 32 and the body 1, so that the resilience of the spring 35 makes the sliding seat 31 to move backward automatically and in turn drive the trigger 33 to return to its initial, released position.
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Hence, since the foregoing feeding unit 3 is only composed of the sliding seat 31, the gripper 32 and the trigger 33, it involves a reduced number of components and a simplified structure, meaning that the glue applicator is easier to assemble and that interactions between the components are more reliable. In addition, in virtue that the trigger 33 directly drives the gripper 32 and the sliding seat 31 to engage with each other and move, feeding the glue stick is more effort-saving, thereby ensuring more accurate glue placement for more precise adhesive application.
