US1385749A - Sealing device - Google Patents

Description

"LC. MUELLER.

SEALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED mus, 1920.

1,385,749. I Patented Jilly 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

i NE INVENTOA i Y 7mm: 4mm 2". BY 24 '2 A TTORNEY TrC. MUELLER.

SEALING DEVICE. APPLICATION FiLED JAN-23', 1920.

Patented July 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z- i I l n A TTORNEY I'llillll' I! l THEODORE G. MUELLER, OF TOIPEKA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF L. KEMPER, 0F TOPEKA, KANSAS.

SEALING nnvrcn.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7 Patented J 26 1921.

Application filed January 23,1920. Serial No. 353,468.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE C. MUELLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sealing Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompany ingdrawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

This invention relates to a sealing dGVlCG, particularly adapted to apply a seal by the action of heat so thata container will be closed against unauthorized inspection.

Heretofore, containers have usually been sealed by the utilization of a certain fusible material, such as wax or the like, but the fusible material had to be melted during its application and the necessity for employing a flame for the purpose is more or less objectionable.

I have provided means whereby the seal may be fused so as to flowover the container to efficiently seal it and without the necessity of employing a flame, such as a lamp, candle or the like.

According to my invention, the seal may be initially placed upon the container or package in wafer form and subjected to the action of an electrically heated apparatus to fuse it, there being enough pressure applied to cause the fused material of which the wafer is formed to flow into the creases and crevices of the container or package so that an efficient application of the seal will be assured.

In the drawings, p

. Figure I is a perspective view of a sealing device constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. II is an enlarged cross sectional view through the electric contacts in the circuit for energizing the heating element.

Fig. III is a sectional view through the seal or wafer to be applied to the package or container.

Fig. IV is a vertical cross sectional view through the sealing device, and i Fig. V is a transverse sectional view on the line V-V of Fig. IV, looking in the direction of the arrows. 1 e

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I have shown a substantially rectangular frame consisting of the sides 1 and 2, the top 3 and bottom or floor 4:, the sides being extended slightly below thebottom to provide spacing tensive with the depending flange 7 sur-' rounding the central opening 8 so that the bottom or floor 4 will be spaced above the device to be sealed and the flange 7 is of sufficient depth to maintain the flowing material wafer within a confined space so that a neat appearance will be presented when the sealing device is removed.

The sides 1 and 2 are provided with elongated slots 9 and 10 in which the guide pins 11 and 12 of the heater-actuating frame operate. The heater-actuating frame is shown as consisting of a substantially. inverted,

U-shaped member having side bars 13 and 14 in which the pins 11 and 12 are respectively connected, and the bars 13 and 14 are connected at their upper ends by a head or cross bar 15, on which is mounted a handle 16 having a central tubular portion 17, into which telescopes a tube 18, rigid on the top 3 of the frame and within the tube 18 is an expansion spring 19, one end of which bears against the upper closed end of the tube 17 so that the normal tendency will be for the yoke-shaped frame to maintain itself in extended position, as shown in Fig. I, so as to retract the heating element 20 away from the floor 4 of the main frame.

side bar 13 by a connection 21 and to the,

insulation blocks 22 and 23 on the member 14: by conducting fastening devices 24 and 25, one of which serves as a'positive conductor and the other a negative conductor for the ONE-HALF T0 WINDOM legs or -flanges 5 and 6, coex-.-

' are in circuit with a connector 30 adapted to be electrically connected to a suitable source 'the purpose intended.

The blocks 23 and 24 carrying contacts 26 and 27, which are adapted to move lIltO and out ofengagement with the' spring contacts 28 and 29 on the side 2 of the main frame. and located at opposite sides of the. slot 10,

as clearly shown in Fig. I, and these contacts of supply as, for example, acommercial circuit. Therefore, when the contacts 26 and 27 bear against contacts 28tand 29, the film ment in the casing will be energized so as to generate heat and communicate the; heat to the casing so that the sealing wafer 31 may be caused to' fuse and adhere to the container or pack-age to which it is to be applied:

,. and I have,'therefor'e, shown a waferin Fig.

I prefer to construct the seal of substantially wafer form with gradually decreasing cross se'ct'ioi'ial area toward the center III as havingga:relativelyfiat top 32' and a wafer is placed in the opening 8,the periphconcave, nether face 33*so that when the eral' edge 3 l'will bear against thecontainer or package with the central portion spaced therefrom. The operator may then press upon} the handle 16 to force the fuser or heater casing 20 against the top side 32 of thefwa'f'er with; a gentle pressure and a'sithe member 2O"moves into wafer-engaging position, the circuit will be closed, causing a suiticient rise in temperature of member 20 to fuse the wax" and cause it' to flow over the surface of the container or packagei original contour of the-wafer will be maintained by the flange 7 since thewax will not" now past the edge ofthe opening and after the wafer'has been"fused,'the*operator releases-the pressure on" handle 16, permitting the expansion'spring 19 to raise the yoke shaped" member and w th it, the heater,

whereuponthe circuitis broken. The wafer may be permitted' to'cool so that Whenthe sealing device isremoved, a seal ofneat ap pearance will h'ave been appliedf' to'the contamer or package.

The operation of sealing requires the eX- penditureof a minimum amount'oftime and a number; of successive operations i may be performed in an expeditious manner byfir'st' introducing: a wafer in the opening 8; press: ing upon the handle 16, releasingthehandle, removing the sealing device, and" applying it to the-nextfconta iner orpackage with an additional waferinthe opening 8. j

F rom the foregoing be apparent it will; that the devic is" 0 simple cbnstr'uction,

easilyoperated', and thataneiiicient and neat seal may be applied: to a container or pack- The age without the necessity of employing a flame to melt the fusible material of which the wafer is made.

For the purpose of illustration, I have shown the opening 8 as round but it is obviousthat it may have any contour and that the member'QO may have a die on its under sideso that certain indicia may be impressed on the face .32 ofthewafer at thesame time that it isbeing-fused on the container or package. 'VVhat ters-Patent is:

1. In a sealing device, a frame having an opening to receive a wafer of fusible mate rial, and a heater having movement with re- I claim and desire to secure by Letspect to said frame, the heater being receivable withinthe opening;,l V

2. In a sealing" device, a holder for a fusible seal, and aseal fuser'and presser cooper.

ating therewith to bodily apply the seal to p the article to which itis to be attached.

[3; Ina sealing device, a member having an opening for, a fusible wafer, anaa heatable pressure device for applyingheat and pressure to the waferjwhile in the opening. 4.. In a sealing device, a member for receiving a fusibl 'i afer having 'anfopeni'ng lIlliO whlch a wafer may be placed,-a heatable pressure device,- the cross sectionalarea of which is co-extensive with said opening,

and meansfor moving'fthe pressure device i into wafer-pressing position.

5. In a sealing emcee rectangular frame having a wafer receiving opening, a supple mental", yoke-shaped frame, 'the side bars of which pass through slots in the top of the-rectangular frame,- and a heatable presser head'carriedhy the' sidebars of the yoke shaped frame and movable into and. out of said epemng; 1 r

6. In a sealing devlce, a frame havlnga fusible-wafer receiving-means, anda wafer v framing opening} for sealing material, the

contour of which determines thecon'tour of the applied s'eal-",- a. Presser head carried by the frame having'movement into and out ofthe opening, thecro'ss sectional area of the presser head being co-extensive withthat' of the ope ing, andmeans for heating the head when-it moves into pressing-position.

8. In a sealing device, a frame having a fusible-Wafer receiving opening, a supplemental frame slidable with respect to the first named' frame; electrical heating ele- 'ment carried by the supplemental framea'nd" havinga face coextensive with the open- 1ng,' means forslidmg theframe-jto brnig the heating elemc nt'- intocontact with a'x'vafer' inthe opening; and contactsbetween the two frames and mounted to complete a circuit to the first named frame, an electrically en- 10 When the supplemental frame is moved in ergized heater carried by the supplemental one direction and to break the circuit When frame and having contacts to engage the conthe supplemental frame is moved in the optacts on the first named frame, said heater posite direction. being of such form as to be receivable Within 9. In a sealing device, a vertical, rectanthe wafer-receiving opening. 15 gular frame having an opening in the floor In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. thereof to receive a Wafer of fusible material, a secondary frame slidable with respect THEODORE C. MUELLER.

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