IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0160895
(2011-06-15)
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등록번호 |
US-8435372
(2013-05-07)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- Les Industries Touch Inc.
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대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
19 |
초록
▼
A flexible container cover with an elastic gathering band around its edge is formed from a rectangular sheet of plastic film with recessed cut corners to form four flaps. The sheet is placed atop a mandrel having a rectangular flat top with eaves or undercut surfaces and four corner slots. Four hook
A flexible container cover with an elastic gathering band around its edge is formed from a rectangular sheet of plastic film with recessed cut corners to form four flaps. The sheet is placed atop a mandrel having a rectangular flat top with eaves or undercut surfaces and four corner slots. Four hooks are positioned outside the slots so they underlie the cut-off corners of the sheet. An elastic band is stretched around the hooks and the flaps of the sheet. The hooks are moved inwardly into the slots to allow the segments of the band to pull and fold a middle portion of each flap inward. A set of tucker blades is then moved inward to push the folded portions of the flaps against side surfaces of the mandrel under the eaves. Four heat-sealing bars are moved up against the eaves to seal the flaps around the segments of the band to form hems.
대표청구항
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1. A method for manufacturing a flexible container cover, comprising: providing a flat sheet of flexible film having a generally rectangular shape with four sides, four recessed cut corners, and a flap along each side of said sheet between each adjacent pair of cut corners,providing an elastic band,
1. A method for manufacturing a flexible container cover, comprising: providing a flat sheet of flexible film having a generally rectangular shape with four sides, four recessed cut corners, and a flap along each side of said sheet between each adjacent pair of cut corners,providing an elastic band,providing a forming mandrel having a generally rectangular top surface with four sides, four corners and a slot cut into each corner, said mandrel having a ledge along each side of said top surface, said ledge having an eave or undercut surface and a side surface depending therefrom, the perimeter of said mandrel being smaller than the perimeter of said sheet,providing a set of four sealing bars, said sealing bars positioned adjacent said respective sides of said mandrel with a gap between each sealing bar and its respective undercut surface,providing a set of tucker blades, said tucker blades positioned adjacent said respective sides of said mandrel, said tucker blades being in a first position spaced from said undercut surface,providing four hooks, one at each corner of said mandrel, said hooks being in a first position outside of said slots,laying said sheet onto said top surface of said mandrel so that said flaps extend past said sides of said mandrel and said hooks are positioned within the region defined by said four recessed cut corners of said sheet,stretching said elastic band around said hooks so that said hooks hold said elastic band in a generally rectangular configuration with four straight sections, each of said straight sections running parallel to and positioned above one of said flaps,moving said hooks inward to a second position within said slots so that said elastic band contracts, causing each of said straight sections to fold a middle portion of each of said respective flaps inward,moving said tucker blades to a second position under said undercut, thereby pushing said folded flaps against said side surface,moving said tucker blades back to said first position,closing said gap between said sealing bar and said undercut surface in order to form a hem along each side of said sheet,sealing said hem to form said flexible container cover,moving said hooks back into said first position, thereby stripping said cover from said undercut surface of said mandrel, andremoving said cover from said hooks. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said hem is sealed through the application of heat and pressure. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said heat is applied by a heating element installed along a top surface of said sealing bars. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said recessed cut corners of said sheet are formed by two straight cuts, each of which forms an obtuse angle with a side edge of the sheet so that said two straight cuts intersect at an obtuse angle spaced inward from the apparent intersection of adjacent sides. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said hooks are moved inward and back and said tucker blades are moved between said first and second positions by pneumatic means. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein said hooks each comprise a member having a notch therein. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein said tucker blades each comprise an L-shaped member with a horizontal top section. 8. The method of claim 1 wherein said flat sheet of flexible film is made of plastic and is transparent. 9. The method of claim 1 wherein said forming mandrel, said set of four sealing bars, said set of tucker blades, and said four hooks comprise a first forming station, and further including a plurality of additional forming stations similar to said first station, said forming stations being mounted on a conveyor, said conveyor being arranged to progress through a series of steps with a pause between steps, said laying, stretching, moving, closing, sealing, and removing taking place when said conveyor pauses between steps. 10. The method of claim 1 wherein said eave or undercut surface of said mandrel is selected from the group consisting of horizontal and slanted orientations. 11. An apparatus for manufacturing a flexible container cover, comprising: a forming mandrel having a generally rectangular top surface with four sides, four corners and a slot cut into each corner, said mandrel having a shelve or ledge along each side of said top surface, each ledge having an eave or undercut surface,a set of four sealing bars, said sealing bars positioned adjacent said respective sides of said mandrel with a gap between each sealing bar and its respective undercut surface,a set of tucker blades, said tucker blades positioned adjacent said respective sides of said mandrel, said tucker blades being in a first position spaced apart from said undercut surface,four hooks, one at each corner of said mandrel, said hooks being in a first position outside of said slots,means for moving said hooks inward to a second position within said slots so that an elastic band stretched around said hooks will contract, and when side flaps of a sheet placed over said mandrel hang inside said band, said contracting band will fold a middle portion of each of said respective flaps inward,means for moving said tucker blades to a second position under said undercut so as to push said folded flaps of said sheet, when present, inward and under said undercut,said means for moving said tucker blades also arranged to move said tucker blades back to said first position,means for closing said gap between said sealing bar and said undercut surface and thereby form a hem along each side of said sheet, when said sheet is present,means for sealing said hem when said sheet is present to form said flexible container cover,said means for moving said hooks also arranged to move said hooks back into said first position, thereby stripping said cover, when present, from said undercut surface of said mandrel. 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said means for sealing said hem is arranged to apply heat and pressure. 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said application of heat is provided by a heating element positioned on said sealing bar. 14. The apparatus of claim 11, further including providing a flat sheet of flexible film having a generally rectangular shape with four sides, four recessed cut corners, and a flap along each side of said sheet between each adjacent pair of cut corners, whereby said sheet can be positioned over said mandrel and formed into a container cover by said undercut surface, said sealing bars, said tucker blades, said hooks, and said means for moving said hooks and said tucker blades and said means for closing the gap between said sealing bars and said undercut surface. 15. The method of claim 1 wherein said flat sheet of flexible film is made of plastic and is transparent. 16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said means for moving said hooks and said tucker blades comprise pneumatic means. 17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said hooks each comprise a member having a notch therein. 18. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said tucker blades each comprise an L-shaped member with a horizontal top surface. 19. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said forming mandrel, said set of four sealing bars, said set of tucker blades, and said four hooks comprise a first forming station, and further including a plurality of additional forming stations similar to said first station, said forming stations being mounted on a conveyor forming an assembly line, said conveyor being arranged to index through a series of steps with a pause between steps. 20. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said an eave or undercut surface of said mandrel is selected from the group consisting of horizontal and slanted orientations.
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