Wireworking – Applying wire – Binder tightening and joining implements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-16
2002-02-12
Larson, Lowell A. (Department: 3725)
Wireworking
Applying wire
Binder tightening and joining implements
C254S216000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06345648
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to hand strapping tools used to tension and seal overlapping end portions of strapping material which is disposed around articles or packages which are to be secured or bound by the strapping material, and more particularly to a new and improved gripper plug which is to be used in conjunction with the tensioning wheel of the hand strapping tool so as to provide the overlapped end portions of the strapping material with the requisite amount of tension and yet facilitate the removal of the hand strapping tool from its engaged position with respect to the overlapped end portions of the strapping material once the overlapped end portions have in fact been tensioned and sealed by the hand strapping tool.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hand strapping tools for tensioning and sealing overlapping end portions of strapping material which is to be disposed around articles or packages which are to be secured or bound by the strapping material are of well known. A typical PRIOR ART hand strapping tool of the aforenoted type, that is, a hand strapping tool which is to be used for tensioning and sealing overlapping end portions of strapping material to be disposed around articles or packages which are to be secured or bound by the strapping material, is partially schematically disclosed within FIG.
1
and is generally indicated by the reference character
10
.
More particularly, a package or article to be secured or bound by strapping material in the well-known manner is disclosed at
12
, and the strapping material is disclosed at
14
. Strapping material
14
is disposed around the article or package
12
so as to encircle the same, and accordingly, overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
are disposed, for example, above and in a spaced relationship with respect to the upper surface
20
of the package or article
12
. The hand strapping tool
10
comprises a base member
22
which is adapted to be seated, for example, upon the upper surface
20
of the package or article
12
so as to in effect be interposed between the upper surface
20
of the package or article
12
and the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
, and the base member
22
is fixedly provided with an upwardly projecting lower punch or sealing die assembly
24
which is therefore adapted to engage the undersurface portion of the lower one of the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
. A plurality of vertically movable, upper punch or sealing die members
26
are disposed above the upper surface portion of the upper one of the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
, and accordingly, when the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
have been properly or sufficiently tensioned with respect to each other, the upper punch or die members
26
are moved downwardly into engagement with the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
whereby as a result of the operative cooperation defined between the upper punch or die members
26
and the lower punch or sealing die assembly
24
, the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
are secured or sealed together, for example, in a suitable crimped manner.
In order to achieve the aforenoted proper or sufficient tensioning of the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
, the hand strapping tool
10
further comprises a lower gripper member
28
which is also fixedly mounted upon the base member
22
and is adapted to be disposed beneath the lower one of the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
when the base member
22
is inserted between the upper surface portion
20
of the package or article
12
and the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
. In addition, an upper, vertically movable rotatable tensioning wheel
30
is disposed above the upper one of the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
, and consequently, when the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
are to be tightly or appropriately tensioned with respect to the article or package
12
, upper tensioning wheel
30
is moved downwardly in order to operatively engage the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
and cooperate with the fixed lower gripper member
28
by effectively gripping or engaging the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
therebetween. Both the lower gripper member
28
and the upper tensioning wheel
30
are respectively provided with suitable gripping teeth
32
,
34
, and accordingly, upon rotation of the tensioning wheel
30
in the counter-clockwise (CCW) direction, the gripping teeth
32
,
34
of the lower gripper member
28
and the upper tensioning wheel
30
engage the respective overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
and cause the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
to be suitably tightened and tensioned with respect to each other, whereupon the upper and lower punch or sealing die members or components
26
,
24
can then be actuated in the aforenoted manner with respect to each other so as to in fact achieve the aforenoted crimped securing or sealing of the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
. Upon completion of the securing or sealing operation performed upon the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
, the upper punch or die members
26
and the upper tensioning wheel
30
can be moved back or returned to their upper retracted positions whereupon the hand strapping tool
10
can then be removed from the strapped or bound article or package
12
.
While the aforenoted hand strapping tool
10
has of course been generally or substantially satisfactory in connection with its service or performance of the tensioning or tightening, and subsequent securing or sealing, of strapping material
14
upon articles or packages
12
, it has in fact been discovered or experienced, however, that such conventional hand strapping tools
10
do have operative drawbacks or disadvantages. For example, in view of the fact that the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
are tightly engaged or tensioned around the package or article
12
, and therefore, more particularly, in view of the fact that the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
are similarly tightly engaged with the lower punch or sealing die assembly
24
as well as with the lower gripper member
28
, it is often difficult to readily remove the hand strapping tool
10
from its operatively engaged position with respect to the article or package
12
and the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of the strapping material
14
.
In addition, each time the hand strapping tool
10
is in fact removed from an operatively engaged position with respect to an article or package
12
and its associated overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of strapping material
14
, relative sliding movement, under highly tightened or tensioned conditions, occurs between the undersurface portion of the lower overlapped end portion
16
of the strapping material
14
and the upper surfaces of the lower gripper member teeth
32
. Accordingly, over a relatively short period of time wherein the hand strapping tool
10
is employed during operative cycles for tensioning and sealing overlapped end portions
16
,
18
of strapping material
14
around packages or articles
12
, the upper gripping or biting surfaces of the lower gripper member teeth
32
tend to become dulled thereby decreasing their gripping or biting ability or function and thus necessitating frequent replacement of the lower gripper member
28
in order to properly maintain the tensioning or tightening functions of the lower gripper member
28
with respect to the lower end portion
16
of the overlapped end portions
16
,
18
and in operative conjunction with the
Illinois Toole Works Inc.
Larson Lowell A.
Schwartz & Weinrieb
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