Patent Application
20060248856
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety contrivance for a bag sealer, and in particular to a pair of specially designed terminal brackets mounted on opposite ends of an upper jaw of the bag sealer which is able to conceal the blade of the trimmer, so as to prevent possible infliction of cuts or other body injuries if the operator's hand reaches under and touches the trimmer blade accidentally.
2. The Related Art
A bag sealer is a thermo-mechanical means for sealing the opening of a plastic bag and other thermoplastic materials, which is extensively used by the food and packaging industries.
The bag sealer uses low voltage heating element to heat up to a temperature which causes the material of the plastic bag to melt, and then the element is cooled to allow the molten material to set under pressure. Referring to
With regard to the manner of operation, the mouth portion of the plastic bag is first placed across the lower jaw, and then the upper jaw is closed on the lower jaw, so that the connecting rods 11 trigger the heating element 10 to produce thermal energy, and then the upper jaw is pressed against the plastic bag to cause the plastic material near the mouth of the plastic bag to melt and seal the mouth of the plastic bag, and then the heating element 10 is cooled to allow the molten material to set under pressure, and then an external force is applied on the push knob 33, on the upper surface of the movable arm 3, to push the trimmer 32 along the long slit 31 from one end to the other, so that the plastic bag is cut to length or the sealed end of tubing is cut off for another bag.
Referring to
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a safety contrivance for bag sealers, in which a pair of specially designed terminal brackets are to be mounted on opposite ends of the upper jaw of the bag sealer, each having an angular slot right down the middle with slot depth greater than the vertical length of the trimmer, so the trimmer can be completely concealed in the bracket enclosure to prevent possible infliction of cuts or other body injuries if the operator's hand reaches under and touches the trimmer blade accidentally.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the bag sealer includes a base, a moving arm, a trimmer, and a pair of terminal brackets mounted on opposite ends of the upper jaw, wherein one end of the movable arm and one end of the base are connected to form a sealing jaw with knuckle joint. The lower jaw, that is the upper side of the base, holds a heating element, and the upper jaw, that is the lower side of the movable arm, holds a silicon rubber.
The focus of the invention is on the pair of terminal brackets attached on opposite ends of the silicon rubber of the upper jaw, where the movable arm has a long slit running through the center line, cutting through the silicon rubber, which is physically linked with other two slot sections on two ends to defme a lineal motion path for the trimmer.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the terminal bracket is intended to fit. most bag sealers. The pair of terminal brackets can be mounted either on opposite ends or only one end of the silicon rubber of the upper jaw, depending on the position of the trimmer and the structure of the sealing jaw.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the angular terminal bracket is formed with an angular slot, including a vertical and a horizontal slot sections, right down the middle of the bracket to create a three dimensional space inside the bracket and two identical halves on the right and left sides, wherein the horizontal slot section is respectively lined up with the long slit on both ends to form the motion path that the trimmer travels through from one end to the other.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the vertical slot section and the horizontal slot section are physically linked, and the horizontal slot section is partially wrapped by a U-shaped envelop with slot depth greater than the vertical length of the trimmer, so that the trimmer can be completely concealed in the bracket enclosure when the trimmer travels to the end of the motion path, which is a three dimensional space defined together by the vertical slot section and the horizontal slot section. This safety contrivance can prevent possible infliction of cuts or more serious body injuries if the operator's hand reaches in and touches the cutting edge of the trimmer blade accidentally.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
The basic structure of the bag sealer in accordance with the present invention as shown in
Referring back to
With regard to the manner of operation, the mouth portion of the plastic bag is first placed across the lower sealing jaw which holds the heating element 10, and then the upper jaw is closed on the lower jaw, so that the pair of connecting rods 11 triggers the heating element 10 to produce thermal energy, and then the upper jaw is pressed on the plastic bag to cause the plastic material near the mouth of the plastic bag to melt and seal the mouth of the plastic bag, and then the heating element 10 is cooled to allow the molten material to set under pressure, and then an external force is applied on the push knob 33 of the movable arm 3 to push the trimmer 32 along the long slit 31 from one end to the other end, so the plastic bag is cut off along the travel path of the trimmer 32 to cut a sealed package to length or the sealed end of tubing for another bag to be sealed.
The present invention is focused on the safety contrivance which is actually a pair of special terminal brackets 4 in the bag sealer as shown in
The present invention is designed to fit most hand-operated bag sealers. The angular terminal brackets 4 are attached on two ends of the silicon rubber 30. The terminal bracket 4 may be mounted on two ends or only one end of the silicon rubber 30, depending on the structure of the bag sealer and the position of the trimmer. Each angular terminal bracket 4 is respectively formed with a vertical slot section 40 and a horizontal slot section 42 right down the middle to create a three dimensional space inside the bracket and two identical halves on the right and left sides. The long slit 31 of the movable arm 3 is aligned with the horizontal slot section 42 on both ends to define a lineal motion path that the trimmer 32 travels through from one end to the other, where the horizontal slot section 42 is partially wrapped by a U-shaped envelop 41 with its mouth being linked with the long slit 31 on both ends.
The vertical slot section 40 is physically linked with the horizontal slot section 42 running across the middle of the angular terminal bracket to create a three dimensional space inside the terminal bracket 4 with slot depth greater than the vertical length of the trimmer 32, so that the trimmer 32 can be completely concealed in the bracket enclosure when the trimmer 32 is stopped at the end of the motion path.
The smooth vertical surface of the angular terminal bracket 4 is provided with a plurality of second screw holes 44 to allow the terminal bracket 4 to be fixed beneath the silicon rubber 30 on the underside of the movable arm 3 using screws 47. The horizontal surface of the angular terminal bracket 4 is provided with a pair of first screw holes 43, through which two screws 45 are used to hold a pair of springs 46 in suspension between the horizontal surface of the terminal bracket 4 and corresponding surface of the movable arm 3 as shown in
Referring to FIG.
Referring to
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.
