U.S. patent application number 12/218694 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-21 for film-aligning device for air cushion maker.
Invention is credited to Tung-Lung Chiang.
Application Number | 20100012762 12/218694 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41529434 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100012762 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chiang; Tung-Lung |
January 21, 2010 |
Film-aligning device for air cushion maker
Abstract
A film-aligning device applicable to an air cushion maker
implements an eclectic heater to partially heat and soften a
plastic film before the plastic film receives an inflating process
and a softening process. When the plastic film is tending to
proceed slantingly, the heated and soften plastic film performs a
plastic deformation to realign the feeding stork of the plastic
film.
Inventors: |
Chiang; Tung-Lung; (Douliou
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CHARLES E. BAXLEY, ESQUIRE
90 JOHN STREET, SUITE 309
NEW YORK
NY
10038
US
|
Family ID: |
41529434 |
Appl. No.: |
12/218694 |
Filed: |
July 17, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
242/410 ;
226/200; 53/79 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B31D 5/0073 20130101;
B65H 2701/1752 20130101; B65H 23/02 20130101; B65H 2301/5143
20130101; B65H 2801/81 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
242/410 ; 53/79;
226/200 |
International
Class: |
B65H 23/00 20060101
B65H023/00; B65B 31/00 20060101 B65B031/00 |
Claims
1. A film-aligning device applicable to an air cushion maker, which
is characterized in having an eclectic heater for partially heating
and softening a plastic film before the plastic film receives an
inflating process and a softening process.
2. The film-aligning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
eclectic heater is provided below a plane where the plastic film
passes along.
3. The film-aligning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
eclectic heater heats the plastic film for an entire width of the
plastic film.
4. The film-aligning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air
cushion maker primarily comprises a base and a cover that is
liftably affixed to the base, in which a plastic film roll is
rotatably mounted on the base so that at least one film-pulling
roller set serves to draw the plastic film out from the plastic
film roll while the eclectic heater is settled on the base between
the plastic film and the film-pulling roller set and right below a
plane where the plastic film passes along.
5. The film-aligning device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
heater is parallel to the film-pulling roller set.
6. The film-aligning device as claimed in claim 4, wherein a
pressing roller is provided on the cover adjacent to the plastic
film roll for contacting the heater.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to air cushion makers, and
more particularly, to a film-aligning device for aligning a plastic
film during a feeding stork, so as to ensure smooth inflating and
sealing processes.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] For protecting packed objects from being damaged under
accidental impact, buffer or cushion materials are generally used
to fill void. As can be seen in FIG. 1, an air-bubble sheet made of
plastic films is one of the most poplar cushion materials. A
manufacture employs special equipments to produce such air-bubble
sheet as a large piece, and a user can later cut or pucker the
sheet at will to fill void in a packing case. However, the
manufactured air-bubble sheet is space-consuming at transportation
and storage due to its characters of being inflated and
non-compressible. Thus, such air-bubble sheet is uneconomic and
inconvenient in respect of transportation and storage.
[0005] A desk-top air cushion maker has been therefore developed to
remedy the aforementioned problem by providing an inflated and
sealed air cushion, as depicted in FIG. 2. Such air cushion can be
made in-site for instant use by the foregoing air cushion maker and
is superior in convenience as well as economy. Nevertheless, a
conventional desk-top air cushion maker typically suffer from slant
film in the maker that tends to cause creases on the film and leads
to defective inflating and sealing processes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] One primary objective of the present invention is to provide
a film-aligning device for automatically aligning and orienting a
plastic film before the plastic film receives inflating and sealing
processes in an air cushion maker.
[0007] To achieve this and other objectives of the present
invention, the film-aligning device comprises a plastic film roll
rotatably mounted on a base of a desk-top air cushion maker, a
plurality of film-pulling roller sets, a heater settled on the
base. The heater provides a heating temperature ranging from 55 to
60 Centigrade degrees. The heater is positioned between the plastic
film roll and the film-pulling roller sets that continuously draw
out a plastic film from the plastic film roll. Thereby, the plastic
film over the heater is heated and softened. In the event that the
film is tending to become slant, two sides of the film receive
different magnitudes of pulling force from the film-pulling roller
set. At this time, the side receiving the relatively great pulling
force becomes taut and the other side receiving the relatively
small pulling force becomes loose, so that the film crossing over
the heater performs plastic deformation that stops the uneven
pulling force being transmitted toward the plastic film roll. As a
result, the film between the plastic film roll and the heater is
protected from receiving the uneven pulling force and kept aligned,
thereby rectifying the film stroke from slanting and ensuring the
following film proceeding straightly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further
objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by
reference to- the following detailed description of an illustrative
embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional plastic
air-bubble sheet;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an air cushion made of a
conventional desk-top air cushion maker;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an air cushion maker
according to the present invention, wherein a cover thereof is
closed;
[0012] FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the air cushion maker
according to the present invention, wherein the cover thereof is
open;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing showing a plastic film passing
over a heater according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] While some preferred embodiments are provided hereinafter
for illustrating the concept of the present invention as described
above, it is to be understood that the components in these drawings
are made for better explanation and need not to be made in scale.
Besides, in the following description and the drawings,
resemblances are indicated by the same numerals.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 3 for a perspective view of an air cushion
maker according to the present invention. The air cushion maker
primarily comprises a base 10 and a cover 12 that is liftably
affixed to the base 10, wherein the cover 12 is now lying on the
base 10. The cover 12 includes an arched canopy 13, a button switch
14, a plurality of function buttons 15 and a latch assembly 16 for
holding the cover 12 with the base 10.
[0016] Another perspective view of the air cushion maker according
to the present invention can be seen in FIG. 4 and 5, wherein the
cover 12 is presently open. A film roll 17 to be inflated into an
air cushion is mounted on a pair of roll supporters 20. A plurality
of rubber rollers 211, 212 are arranged-on the base 10 and the
cover 12, respectively, in the manner that when the cover 12 lies
on the base 10, each pair of the rubber rollers 211, 212 facing
each other are vertically contact so as to form at least two
film-pulling roller sets 21. One said rubber roller 211 of one said
film-pulling roller set 21 is rotate by a motor so as to drive the
other rubber roller 212 contacting therewith. Hence, after being
settled between the two contacting rubber rollers 211 and 212, a
plastic film 171 constituting the film roll 17 can be continuously
pulling out from the film roll 17 as the rubber rollers keep
rotating coordinately. Then the plastic film 171 passes an
inflating device 22 and a sealing device 23 settled on the base 10
to receive inflating and sealing processes, thereby forming an air
cushion as shown in FIG. 2.
[0017] A heater 30 is provided on the base 10, between the plastic
film roll 17 and the film-pulling roller set 21, and below a plane
where the plastic film passes along. A pressing roller 31 is
provided on the cover 12 adjacent to the plastic film roll 17 for
contacting the heater 30 so as to press the plastic film 171 on a
surface of the heater 30 for enhanced heating. The heater 30 is in
a bar shape, and parallel to the film-pulling roller set 21. It is
to be noted that the heater 30 has a length long enough to heat the
plastic film 171 for an entire width of the plastic film 171, as
shown in FIG. 5.
[0018] The film-pulling roller set 21 draws out the plastic film
171 from the plastic film roll 17. Thereby, the plastic film 171
over the heater 30 is heated and softened. In the event that the
film is tending to become slant, two sides of the film 171 receive
different magnitudes of pulling force from the film-pulling roller
set. At this time, the side receiving the relatively great pulling
force becomes taut and the other side receiving the relatively
small pulling force becomes loose, so that the film 171 crossing
over the heater 30 performs a plastic deformation that stops the
uneven pulling force being transmitted toward the plastic film roll
17. As a result, the film between the plastic film roll 17 and the
heater 30 is protected from receiving the uneven pulling force and
kept aligned, thereby ensuring the plastic film 171 continuously
and straightly released from the plastic film roll 17.
Consequently, the heater 30 facilitates aligning the plastic film
171 and preventing the plastic film 171 from a slanting feeding
stork.
[0019] Although the particular embodiment of the invention has been
described in detail for purposes of illustration, it will be
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that numerous
variations will be possible to the disclosed embodiments without
going outside the scope of the invention as disclosed in the
claims.
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