GB2197237A - Wrap-film cutter - Google Patents

Abstract

The cutter comprises a saddle assembly 3c slidably mounted in a channel 2a of a rail member 2b. A vertical razor is mounted on the saddle assembly. The cutter is placed on a wrap-film dispenser, the wrap film is drawn out over the rail member and the saddle assembly is then slid down the channel 2a to sever the wrap film. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Innovative wrap-film cutter This invention relates to cutter, particularly, an Innovative wrap-film cutter.

Since the living standards of our society has been improved and lifted up considerably in the recent years, the people have given particular emphasis and attention to the sanitation and freshness of food. In addition to use refrigerators and other freezers, a lot of wrap film have been used by many families to maintain the freshness, the moisture of the food and to keep the foods from having different smell.

The current wrap films in the market are mainly made of P.E. plastic material, which have the advantages of transparency, softness, extensibility and adhesiveness. With a given length and width, the wrap film is rolled around a cardboard shaft; then, both of them are packed in a film container to become an end item. One side of the film container is mounted with a saw for tearing the film.

The operation method of the wrap film is generally printed on the film container, and it is described briefly as follows: (shown in Fig.

1) 1. Hold the film container with the left hand.

2. Pull one end of the wrap film out of the film container with the right hand, and cover the film over a food container and let the film adhere around the edge portion of the food container by means of the adhesiveness of the film.

3. Hold the food container with the right hand, and hold the film container with the left hand. Tear the film with the saw strip on the film container by applying a force with two hands but in different directions, or hold the film container with the left hand, and the right hand is removed from the food container after one end of the film is adhered to the food container; then, hold the film on the portion along the saw strip with the right hand. The both hands can apply forces in different direction to tear off the film with the saw strip.

The drawbacks of the current method of tearing off the wrap film: According to the aforesaid method of tearing off a film, the physical nature of the wrap film, and the facts and the experience of tearing off the film the drawbacks of that method are as follows: 1. Since the material of the wrap film has the features of being thin, soft, transparent, airtight, and adhesive, it also has a considerable extensibility; therefore, upon the application of forces in different direction to tear off the film with the saw strip by both hands, the line of tearing is rather difficult to be controlled in a correct direction desired as a result of the extensibility of the film; in other words, the tearing line can not be precisely controlled, and therefore, the dimensions of the film to be torn off can not be controlled exactly.It not only wastes some portion of the wrap film, but also causes an inconvenience.

2. After the wrap film being torn off with the saw strip by both hands, the film would retract and shrink to some extent as a result of its extensibility; that would cause much inconvenience to the user.

3. Upon using the metal saw strip to tear off the wrap film, the user's finger is susceptible to be injured upon careless applying force; further, the sharp and protrudent saw strip might cause accident and injure the children upon being played because of the improper storage of the wrap film.

Conclusively speaking, most of the users of the wrap film dislike of the method of using the saw strip to tear off the film because of its inconvenience, and the users' unpleasant experience of being injured.

The present invention has improved the conventional tearing method of wrap film with a saw strip by using a new cutting device comprising a sliding rail, a saddle assembly and two terminal stoppers, i.e., "to cut" the film instead of "tearing" the film. The tearing tool of the conventional method is an openly installed saw strip, while the method of the present invention is a concealed cutting device.

According to the present invention, the force applied of the cutting device is not directly related to the extensibility of the wrap film; therefore, the edge portion of withe film cut is smooth and neat, and the force-applying point can also be precisely controlled so as to control the dimensions of a film cut without wasting the film, and therefore it is deemed a feature of the present invention.

Another feature of the present invention is that a razor is mounted in the inner side of the mid-support and the top portion of the saddle assembly. Since the razor is tucked away, the user's finger would not directly touch the razor; therefore, the operation safety of the present invention is relatively improved.

According to the present invention, the outer surface of the device has no any pointed or projected parts, and therefore there is no possibility of causing injury or injuries by sting, scratching or cutting.

According to the present invention, no more "tearing" method by means of a saw strip will be used; instead, a "cutting" method with less force applied to the wrap film is used.

Therefore, the dimensions of a film cut can suitably be controlled to fit the size of a food container exactly so as to prevent the consumers from wasting the film as resulted by the conventional tearing method.

Since the "cutting" method of the present invention is safe, accurate, convenient and practical, it can prevent the wrap film users from the cumbersome of repeated operation as it has been being done with the conventional "tearing" method; in other words, the using of the present invention improve efficiency and can save time.

According to the present technology of plastic industry, the device of the present invention can be manufactured by a massproduction. To produce and market at a lower cost with massproduction are considered to be theoretical workable and practical.

An embodiment of this invention is described by svay of example, with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 illustrates a flow chart of using the conventional metal saw strip to tear the wrap film.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the sliding rail according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the saddle assembly according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the terminal stopper according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the present invention being assembled together.

Figure 6-:', 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 and 6-5 illustrate the steps of using the present invention.

Fiq. 2 illustrates the sliding rail 2 of the present invention, which includes an elongated semi-circular body 2b and a T-shaped sliding channel 2a for mounting a saddle assembly therein. Along the mid-top line of the semicircular body 2b, there is an elongated vertical channel 2c. The outer surface of the sliding rail 2 is formed into a semi-circular shape. Fig.

3 illustrates a perspective view of the saddle assembly of the present invention; the lower portion of the saddle assembly 3 looks like a "T" shale so as to be mounted in the sliding channel '2a of the sliding rail 2. The bottom portion '3a of the saddle assembly is used as a supporting, base to support the top portion 3c of thie saddle assembly 3. The inner side of the top portion 3c of the saddle assembly 3 is rriounted with a razor, which can cut the wrap film laid on the semi-circular surface 2d of tile sliding rail 2 upon the saddle assembly 3 striding. The safety razor 3e is fixed between the inner side of the top portion 3c and the mi(i-support 3b.In order to assure the sliding srrioothness, the saddle assembly 3 and the sliding rail 2, the front edge 39 of the top portion is formed into a smooth and curved surface. The top side of the portion is formed into a smooth and curved surface. The top side of the top portion 3c is furnished with a direction indicator 3f to show the direction of pushing the saddle assembly. Fig. 4 illustrates a terminal stopper 4 to be mounted in one end of the sliding channel 2a; the terminal stopper 4 is formed into a "T" shape, being corresponding to the shape and size of the sliding channel 2a. Upon the saddle assembly 3 being pushed with a finger, two terminal stoppers assembled in the two end terminals of the rail 2 function as to prevent the saddle assembly 3 from being derailed.

Fig. 5 illustrates the present invention being assembled, with three major components, the sliding rail, saddle assembly, and the terminal stoppers. The bottom portion 3a is inserted into the sliding channel 2a; upon the saddle assembly 3c being pushed with finger, the saddle assembly can be slid back and forth along the sliding channel 2a. The mid-support 3b that supports the top portion 3c projects out of the elongated vertical channel 2c in the center line of the semi-circular surface 2d. The two elongated flanges 3d under the top portion 3c is in close contact with the semi-circular surface 2d. Upon the wrap of the film being laid across on the elongated vertical channel 2c, push the saddle assembly with a finger to let the saddle assembly slide forwards so as to cut the wrap film.The two elongated flanges 3d can suppress and fix the wrap film firmly along the semi-circular surface 2d to facilitate the cutting operation. Referring to Figs. 6-1 to 6-5, there illustrate the assembled embodiment of the present invention, in which the sliding rail 2, the saddle assembly 3 and the terminal stopper 4 are assembled together. To operate the present invention, push the saddle assembly 3 to the upper end of the sliding rail 2, hold the film container 6 with left hand, while the right hand can pull out the wrap film 6a, and let the wrap film 6a cover on the food container 7; then, use the finger of the left hand to push the saddle assembly downwards and cut off the wrap film 6a. The cutting operation is simple, easy, efficient, accurate and safe, the wrap film cut with the present invention would not be folded unnecessarily. Therefore, the present invention is deemed a practical and useful device.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIM

   1. A cutting device for wrap film comprises: a sliding rail having an elongated semi-circular body, of which the top center portion is furnished with an elongated vertical channel and a sliding channel through the full length of said elongated semi-circular body to form a reversed "T"-shaped channel.

   a saddle assembly looking like a shaped member and being mounted in said sliding channel of said sliding rail; and a bottom portion of said saddle assembly being used for supporting the top portion of said saddle assembly; and the inside of said saddle assembly being mounted with a safety razor, of which the non-blade sides being fixedly mounted under the top portion of the said saddle assembly and in a mid-support; and under said top portion of said saddle assembly, two elongated flanges being furnished so as to press and fix the film in position upon cutting; and the front edge of the top portion of the said saddle assembly being formed into a stream-lined surface to ensure the smooth sliding of the saddle assembly and t6 keep the film from being wrinkled by the saddle assembly when it slides in the sliding channel; two terminal stoppers being formed into a reversed "T" shape and being mounted in said sliding channel of said sliding rail to prevent the saddle assembly from being derailed when sliding; and upon said saddle assembly being pushed to the top end of said sliding rail, the wrap film being pulled out with hand to cover the food container, and then pressing said top portion of said saddle assembly downwards to let said razor cut the wrap film to complete the wrapping operation.