Package making – Partial cover application – Band or tube
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-27
2002-10-22
Stashick, Anthony D. (Department: 3721)
Package making
Partial cover application
Band or tube
C100S004000, C100S029000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06467243
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a strapping machine, more particularly to a strapping machine with a strap tightening adjustment unit of a simple structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIGS. 1
to
3
, a conventional strapping machine is shown to include a machine body
1
, a strap supply reel
14
, a strap feed unit
13
, a rotating shaft unit
122
, and a strap tightening adjustment unit
4
.
As illustrated, the machine body
1
defines an accommodating space
11
and a package-strapping space
12
above the accommodating space
11
. The strap supply reel
14
is mounted on an exterior of the machine body
1
. A bundle of strap
2
is mounted on the strap supply reel
14
, and has a leading end fed into the package-strapping space
12
by the strap feed unit
13
in such a manner that a package strapping operation can be done in the package-strapping space
12
. The rotating shaft unit
122
is journalled in the accommodating space
11
of the machine body
1
, and is formed with a cam unit
123
.
The strap tightening adjustment unit
4
includes a spring-loaded swing arm
41
, a clamp unit
5
, and a strap tension adjuster
6
. A mounting shaft
113
extends through a mounting bracket
111
of the machine body
1
and the swing arm
41
to mount the latter pivotally within the accommodating space
11
. The swing arm
41
is further associated with the rotating shaft unit
122
via the cam unit
123
in such a manner that rotation of the shaft unit
122
results in turning of the swing arm
41
relative to the machine body
1
along a travelling path
131
between an upper position adjacent to the package-strapping space
12
and a lower position distal from the package-strapping space
12
. The swing arm
41
defines a strap passage
414
to permit extension of the strap
2
therethrough, and a rod-path
415
in spatial communication with the strap passage
414
. The clamp unit
5
includes a clamp piece
54
, a push rod
51
, and a torsional spring
52
. The clamp piece
54
is mounted pivotally on the swing arm
41
via a pivot
53
. The push rod
51
is disposed movably in the rod-path
415
of the swing arm
41
, and is operably associated with the clamp piece
54
. The torsional spring
52
is sleeved around the pivot
53
so as to urge the push rod
51
in the rod-path
415
toward a first direction away from the strap passage
414
so as to relieve clamping of the clamp piece
54
relative to the strap
2
. The strap tension adjuster
6
includes an adjuster shaft
61
which is mounted rotatably in the mounting bracket
111
of the accommodating space
11
and which extends parallel to and adjacent to the mounting shaft
113
, a spring-loaded rod pusher
64
which is sleeved on the mounting shaft
113
and which urges the push rod
51
to move in a second direction opposite to the first direction so as to result in clamping of the clamp piece
54
relative to the strap
2
in the strap passage
414
, and a tension adjusting wheel
62
which is fixed eccentrically on the adjuster shaft
61
and which is in sliding contact with the rod pusher
64
via a coupler unit
63
.
When the swing arm
41
is pivoted to a position between the upper and lower positions by virtue of rotation of the shaft unit
122
, the rod pusher
64
and the coupler unit
63
concurrently rotate with the swing arm
41
. Collision of a protrusion
631
on the coupler unit
63
with the adjusting wheel
62
results in stoppage of the rotation of the coupler unit
63
on the shaft
113
, which in turn, results in movement of the clamp piece
54
in the second direction toward the strap passage
414
of the swing arm
41
by virtue of urging action of the rod pusher
64
against the push rod
51
(see FIG.
4
), thereby clamping and tightening the strap
2
around the package that is disposed in the package-strapping space
12
of the machine body
1
.
Note that the strap tightening adjustment unit
4
of the conventional strap machine includes a relatively large number of components, and is therefore consequently complicated in structure and incurs a long assembly time during the manufacture of the conventional strapping machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a strapping machine with a strap tightening adjustment unit of a simple structure so as to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages that are associated with the conventional strapping machine.
Accordingly, a strapping machine of the present invention includes a machine body, a strap supply reel, a strap feed unit, a rotating shaft unit, and a strap tightening adjustment unit. The machine body defines an accommodating space and a package-strapping space above the accommodating space. The strap supply reel is mounted on the machine body, and is adapted to hold a bundle of strap thereon. The strap feed unit is capable of feeding the strap from the strap supply reel to the package-strapping space of the machine body. The rotating shaft unit is journalled in the accommodating space of the machine body, and is formed with a cam unit. The strap tightening adjustment unit includes a spring-loaded swing arm, an electrically operated clamp unit, a detecting device, and a delay circuit. The swing arm is pivoted to the machine body within the accommodating space, and is associated with the rotating shaft unit via the cam unit in such a manner that rotation of the shaft unit results in turning of the swing arm relative to the machine body between an upper position adjacent to the package-strapping space and a lower position distal from the package-strapping space. The swing arm defines a strap passage which is adapted to permit extension of the strap therethrough. The clamp unit is mounted movably on the swing arm, and is movable relative to the strap passage between a clamping position, in which the strap is clamped by the clamp unit, and a releasing position, in which the strap is released from the clamp unit. The delay circuit is electrically coupled to the detecting device and the clamp unit. When the detecting device detects a first position of the swing arm between the upper and lower positions, the delay circuit will actuate the clamp unit to move from the releasing position to the clamping position after a preset delay time. When the detecting device detects a second position of the swing arm between the first and lower positions, the clamp unit is immediately actuated to move from the clamping position to the releasing position.
REFERENCES:
patent: RE27744 (1973-08-01), Billett et al.
patent: 4378262 (1983-03-01), Annis, Jr.
patent: 4516488 (1985-05-01), Bartzick et al.
patent: 4569186 (1986-02-01), Mori et al.
patent: 5267508 (1993-12-01), Yoshino
patent: 5377477 (1995-01-01), Haberstroh et al.
patent: 5809873 (1998-09-01), Chak et al.
Liu Chin-Chang
Su Chi-Jan
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