Package making – Partial cover application – Band or tube
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-28
2003-05-27
Stashick, Anthony D. (Department: 3728)
Package making
Partial cover application
Band or tube
C100S025000, C100S026000, C100S029000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568159
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a baling machine for tying an article with a band, more particularly, to a baling machine for tying an article resting on a pallet or like together with the pallet or the like by means of a band.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 19
is a diagram illustrating an article w resting on a pallet
50
. The pallet
50
is composed of a top plate
51
, a bottom plate
53
and vertical plates
52
connecting between the top plate
51
and the bottom plate
53
. The article w resting on such a pallet
50
is tied together with the pallet by means of a band.
FIG. 18
illustrates a conventional baling machine used in such a band-tying operation.
The conventional baling machine illustrated in
FIG. 18
includes a main body
100
which is provided with a sealing unit
101
for tightening, bonding and cutting the band B, and a reel unit
102
for holding the band B.
On the sealing unit
101
and a base
104
, an arch guide
103
is secured adjacent to the main body
100
. The chain lines in
FIG. 18
represent a lower guide
105
which is typically housed in the main body
100
. The main body
100
includes a mechanism for moving the lower guide
105
in a horizontal direction from the main body
100
to the outside, and vice-versa.
In the band-tying operation, the lower guide
105
moves from an opening
106
toward the left in
FIG. 18
to connect with a connecting port
107
of the arch guide
103
. In order to make a proper connection between the lower guide
105
and the connecting port
107
, the main body
100
and the arch guide
103
are fixed on the floor of a building.
When the conventional baling machine as explained above is used for tying the article w resting on the pallet
50
with the band B, the following steps are performed. First, an article w resting on a pallet
50
is placed on the base
104
in such a way that it is aligned with a side face of the sealing unit
101
.
Then an operator pushes an operation button of the main body
100
, whereupon the lower guide
105
moves leftward in
FIG. 18
to pass through the space between the top plate
51
and the bottom plate
53
of the pallet
50
from the opening
106
, and then connects with the arch guide
103
.
Then, the band B unreeled from the reel unit
102
of the main body
100
reaches the arch guide
103
via the sealing unit
101
, the lower guide
105
, and the connecting port
107
. The band B moves inside the arch guide
103
to return to the sealing unit
101
. After the leading end of the band returns to the inside of the sealing unit
101
, the sealing unit
101
tightens, bonds and cuts the band B. After that, the lower guide
105
moves into the main body
100
for housing. In this way, the article w is tied together with the pallet
50
by means of the band B.
The conventional baling machine designed as described above includes the arch guide
103
. For this reason, when the article w resting on the pallet
50
is inserted in the frame of the arch guide
103
by using a forklift truck, the following problem arises.
When the article w resting on the pallet
50
is inserted in the frame of the arch guide
103
, the pallet
50
is placed on the base
104
. Hence, it is necessary to provide a conveyor on one or other side of the base
104
. More specifically, due to a heavy weight of the article w on the pallet
50
, it is necessary that the forklift truck is operated to place the article w resting on the pallet
50
first on the conveyor, then on the base
104
. This produces a problem of a low workability.
Further, since the baling machine body
100
and the arch guide
103
are fixed on the floor of the building, it is necessary for a worker to convey the pallet
50
and the article w to their position in the frame of the arch guide
103
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a baling machine capable of facilitating the tying of an article resting on a pallet with a band.
As a first aspect, the present invention has the feature that a baling machine includes a main body including a band feeding mechanism, a band bonding mechanism, and a band cutting mechanism; a vertical table to be aligned with an article resting on a pallet; a band guide provided to be drawn out from under the vertical table in a horizontal direction; a support mechanism for supporting the band guide inside the main body and allowing the band guide to slide; and wheels provided to the main body, in which the band guide slides above the ground contact face of the wheels.
According to the first aspect, the provision of the wheels to the main body enables the main body to be moved to the site of the article resting on the pallet or the like and the vertical table on the main body to be aligned with the article. As long as the vertical table on the main body is aligned with the article, the band guide can be inserted under the pallet or the like, so that the band guided by the band guide can be passed under the pallet or the like. Consequently, it is possible to pass the band under the pallet or the like without moving the article resting on the pallet.
As a second aspect, the present invention has the feature that the band guide is supported only by the support mechanism provided in the main body.
According to the second aspect, since the band guide is supported only by the support mechanism provided in the main body, the band guide is supported while being drawn out from the main body.
As a third aspect, the present invention has the feature that the support mechanism includes a retainer member for inhibiting the turning of a leading end of the band guide toward the ground contact of the wheels.
According to the third aspect, even when the band guide is drawn out from the main body, there is no chance of the leading end of the band guide making a downward inclination.
As a fourth aspect, the present invention has the feature that the support mechanism includes a stop mechanism for determining a selected position for drawing out the band guide.
According to the fourth aspect, since the band guide can be stopped at a selected position, the extent of drawing out the band guide can be determined in correspondence with the size of the pallet or the like.
As a fifth aspect, the present invention has a feature that the main body further includes a band tightening mechanism including an input member linked to an output shaft of a motor serving as a power source, an output member linked to a tension roller for pulling the band, and a powder clutch for engaging or disengaging the input member with or from the output member, and torque transferred from the input member to the output member is varied in accordance with excitation current applied to the powder clutch.
According to the fifth aspect, the band tightening mechanism includes the powder clutch. With such band tightening mechanism, a strength of the fixation between the rotor and the shaft can be changed in accordance with a magnitude of the excitation current passing through the coil of the powder clutch, to vary torque transferred from the rotor to the shaft. Since the torque transferred from the rotor to the shaft is thus varied, it is possible to control a force of tightening the band.
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Kawai Osatomi
Koyama Seiichiro
Tobita Eiji
Stashick Anthony D.
Steinberg & Raskin, P.C.
Strapack Corporation
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