The present invention relates to a vinyl pack opener for easily and quickly opening pouches containing traditional oriental medicines and various kinds of fruit juices therein, or securely sealed bags or vinyl packs in which contents such as synthetic detergents for refills are packed.
Generally, securely sealed vinyl packs in which contents are packed such as pouches containing traditional oriental medicines and various kinds of fruit juices therein are easy to carry and to be kept at predetermined places. However, these vinyl packs are sealed so securely that they are difficult to open without a knife or scissors. In case of using the knife to open the vinyl packs, however, it is difficult for even adults to cut and open the pack along a relatively constant line, or sometimes it may be a hard work. In case of using the scissors, on the other hand, the packs can be cut along a relatively constant line, but they should be always carried together with the packs, which of course gives inconveniences in use. According to common practice, in case of attempting to open the oriental medicine pack at the office, it is liable to cut it by use of the scissors for work, and in case of attempting to open the synthetic detergent pack for a refill at home, it is necessary to wash the scissors after use or to prepare several pairs of scissors for various purposes.
To address the aforementioned problems, there have been proposed a conventional vinyl pack opener that is provided with a guide space of a straight line or a curved line that is formed into a synthetic resin body and with a cutter that is fixed in the guide space. However, the sharp portion of the pack that has been first cut is caught by the opener body which is thicker than the cutter or excessive forces are applied upon cutting such that the contents packed in the packs are often spilt.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a vinyl pack opener that can open a vinyl pack at a predetermined cutting angle at which the vinyl pack is cut well, while a user' finger does not touch a cutter, such that it is easy and safe to carry together with the vinyl pack, and that can open the vinyl pack under the application of a constant force irrespective of whether the user is a left-handed person or a right-handed person, without having any temporary stopping, such that the contents in the vinyl pack can be poured without any loss.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a vinyl pack opener including: a body having a guide space formed therein, the guide space having an opening part at the front portion thereof; a cutter provided at the rear portion of the opening part, for cutting a vinyl pack put in the opening part of the guide space; and cutting resistance reducing means provided in the guide space, for reducing the cutting resistance of the vinyl pack being cut by the use of the cutter.
Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Now, an explanation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be in detail given with reference to attached drawings. In this preferred embodiment, the parts corresponding to the drawings are indicated by like reference numerals.
The directions as will be described in the preferred embodiment of this invention are defined by the coordinates indicated by one-dotted broken lines as shown in
The vinyl pack opener according to the preferred embodiment of this invention is characterized in that it is very easy to carry and that a guide space has a structure that prevents the user from having his or her finger cut.
The key point of the characteristics of this invention is placed in that the cutting resistance of the cutter occurring upon cutting is dramatically reduced so that the vinyl pack can be cut gently and smoothly until it is completely cut.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, such the cutting resistance reducing means is embodied with three main functions. In other words, the first function of the cutting resistance reducing means is to separate left and right the vinyl pack end portion that is cut as it goes toward the back from the front of the edge of the cutter. As a result, the front end of the vinyl pack cannot be caught by the stepped projections on the guide space 20 of the opener body 10. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the means having the first function is called ‘left/right separating means’.
The second function of the cutting resistance reducing means is to separate the left and right shapes of the guide space 20 to be different around the cutter 30, such that the vinyl pack is opened upwardly and downwardly along the guide space 20. As a result, even though the same force is applied, the vinyl pack can be cut in an easier manner than when cut to a straight line, without any separation in upward and downward directions. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the means having the second function is called ‘an upward/downward separating means’
Furthermore, the third function of the cutting resistance reducing means is embodied by a predetermined fixed angle of the cutter 30. In the embodiment, the predetermined fixed angle of the cutter 30 with respect to the vinyl pack to be inserted into the opening part 21 is set to be 90 degrees or less.
The left/right separating means, the upward/downward separating means, and the predetermined fixed angle of the cutter 30 are employed individually or combined with one another in the embodiment of the present invention.
Now, the aforementioned characteristics of the vinyl pack opener of this invention will be in detailed described.
As shown in
As illustrated in
The guide space 20 has the different shapes at the back of the cutter 30. That is to say, the guide space 20 is provided with an upwardly curved part 23a at one side thereof (see
This shows an example of the application of the upward/downward separating means. Alternately, the guide space 20 may be provided with upwardly and downwardly curved spaces at the both sides thereof or with upwardly and downwardly inclined straight line spaces at the both sides thereof.
Desirably, the guide space 20 is tapered in such a manner as to have the same plane as the both sides of the opener body 10 as it becomes high at the back of the cutter 30. This shows the combination of the left/right separating means to the upward/downward separating means.
In
In consideration of the person's finger shape, the minimum width W is more desirably set to be under 2 mm and most desirably, set to be between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, which prevents the user's finger from being forced into the guide space 20.
At the other side 11b or at both sides 11a and 11b of the opener body 10, in addition, there is provided a concavo-convex part 13 that prevents the opener itself from slipping. In this case, the concavo-convex part 13 is formed of some protrusions or grooves.
To satisfy the intentions of the producers, sellers, and advertisers of various kinds of vinyl packs, preferably, one side 11a of the opener body 10 has no irregular portion on the surface thereof, such that a predetermined advertisement is attached in a shape of a sticker or a print. Alternately, the advertisement may be achieved in a raised relief or bas-relief manner in a mold itself.
A reference numeral M in
Next, an example of the application of the left/right separating means of the cutting resistance reducing means of the vinyl pack opener of this invention will be described.
The left/right separating means as shown in
One side body member 10a as shown in
Next, the left/right separating means is employed with the protrusion E1 that is formed in a cutter receiving groove G1 located on the other side body member 10b, as shown in
Next, an explanation of the predetermined fixed angle of the cutter 30 as one of the characteristics of the cutting resistance reducing means will be given with reference to
The predetermined fixed angle of the cutter 30 is determined by means of the cutter receiving groove G1 that is formed on the other side body member 10b. A vertical axis X1 of the cutter receiving groove G1 (which means the vertical axis of the cutter 30) is not at a right angle but at an acute angle with respect to an imaginary straight line axis X2 that defines an advancing direction of the vinyl pack inserted into the guide space 20 through the opening part 21. This allows the vinyl pack to be cut with ease.
The present inventor has found the range of the acute angles of the cutter where the vinyl packs are cut with ease. The angle θ1 between the axes X1 and X2 is desirably between 68 degrees and 75 degrees.
The fact that the angle between the axes X1 and X2 is the acute angle has been proved with the same results when the opener of this invention is used upside down, and therefore, the opener having an acute angle θ2 is included in the scope of this invention.
Unlike the protrusion E1 as shown in
In addition thereto, another example of the left/right separating means may be employed with the opener body 10 or the cutter 30 that becomes gradually thicker as it goes toward the back of the edge of the cutter 30.
Industrial Applicability
As set forth in the foregoing, there is provided the vinyl pack opener of the present invention that is provided with the cutting resistance reducing means having the upward/downward separating means, the left/right separating means, and the predetermined fixed angle of the cutter, each of which being combined with one another or individually embodied. Referring to the example according to the present invention where the upward/downward separating means, the left/right separating means, and the predetermined fixed angle of the cutter are combined with one another, as the edge of the vinyl pack is passed through the opening part 21 of the guide space 20 of the opener body 10, it starts to cut by means of the cutter 30 located at angles θ1 and θ2 between 68 degrees and 75 degrees. On the right side of the cutter 30, thus, the vinyl pack moves in a straight line along the straight line part 23b of the guide space 20 of the other side body member 10b. On the left side of the cutter 30, however, the edge of the vinyl pack moves at a curved angle along the curved part 23a of the guide space 20 of one side body member 10a and gets opened gradually from the cutter 30 by means of the protrusion E1, E2 on the cutter 30. Thus, the edge portion cut is not caught by the opener body 10 part at the back of the guide space 20 that is typically thicker than the cutter 30, such that the vinyl pack can be easily cut.
Also, the width of the guide space 20 is so small that a user's hand cannot directly touch the cutter 30. And, the concavo/convex part 13 is provided on the other side 11b of the opener body 10 for the purpose of preventing the opener from slipping, so that it can be carried in a safe, convenient manner.
In addition, the opener body 10 is formed of one side body member 10a and the other side body member 10b for the purpose of achieving the easiness of the production, and if it is made of synthetic resin, it is light and has a low production cost. Further, one side 11a of the opener body 10 is employed as an advertising area for a predetermined advertisement.
While the present invention has been described with reference to a few specific embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20-2002-0032841 | Nov 2002 | KR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/KR03/02301 | 10/29/2003 | WO | 4/25/2005 |