WO2000051890A1

WO2000051890A1 - Bag closure device comprising stamping means

Info

Publication number: WO2000051890A1
Application number: PCT/NL2000/000127
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alfred Langerak
Original assignee: Novem International B.V.
Priority date: 1999-03-03
Filing date: 2000-03-01
Publication date: 2000-09-08
Also published as: AU2948200A; NL1011435C2

Abstract

Bag closure device for binding an object with a strip of self-adhesive tape, comprising a housing (1) with a slot (5) intended for feeding the object through it, a roll of self-adhesive tape (11), and a roll of paper tape (13), a star wheel (7), a pivotable knife-holder (22) with a cutting arm (25), and a control arm (27) extending in the slot, so that when the object goes against the control arm the knife moves from an initial position to a cutting position, a spring for positioning the knife-holder in the initial position, stamping means (30) for applying codes to tape, which stamping means are disposed along a path along which tape is guided, and control means (32) which are connected to the knife-holder, in which a pivoting of the knife-holder about its pivot means, as a result of an object being fed through the slot, is converted by way of the control means into a stamping movement of the stamping means.

Description

Short title: Bag closure device comprising stamping means

The invention relates to a bag closure device according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a bag closure device is known from EP-A-0, 157, 810 , which discloses a device by means of which during a closing operation a single strip of self-adhesive tape can be applied as a closure around a twisted neck of a bag. The ends of the self- adhesive tape facing away from the neck of the bag are covered with a strip of paper tape in this case. This makes the bag much easier to open again, through the fact that a user can grasp the two free tape ends with paper between his fingers and pull away from each other the parts of the strip of adhesive tape adhering to each other behind said ends with paper.

For a description of the way in which such a bag closure device works reference is being made to the abovementioned publication EP-A-0 , 157, 810. Also shown in this publication is a special embodiment of the device in which stamping means are provided for applying a code to the paper tape. The stamping means are operated by a lever arm which is disposed in a pivoted manner and extends with one end into the slot, and at the other end is provided with a stamping element . The stamping element interacts with an anvil. The paper tape and a stamp ribbon are guided parallel to each other between the stamping element and the anvil. The slot contains, from top to bottom: the spokes of a star wheel, a control arm of a knife-holder and one end of the lever arm for the stamping means. The lever arm is situated right at the bottom of the slot. If a neck of a bag is being conveyed through the slot, said bag passes the star wheel and is bound there with a strip of self-adhesive tape, and the control arm of the knife-holder is then pressed downwards, thereby cutting off the strip of tape, and finally the lever arm is pressed downwards, thereby stamping a code on the paper tape. The stamp ribbon is turned one stroke further on each time by means of a mechanism connected to the lever arm. Like the control arm of the knife-holder, the lever arm is connected to its own spring.

A disadvantage of this known bag closure device comprising stamping means is that it is difficult and jerky to operate. The stamping and control means comprise many parts, which makes the device expensive and complex to manufacture. Another great disadvantage is that it often happens that no codes or codes which are difficult to read are stamped on the tape. A user has the opportunity to pull a bound neck of a bag back out of the slot prematurely before pressing the lever arm downwards for operation of the stamping means. Many users will even deliberately opt for pulling the neck of the bag back out of the slot prematurely, because this makes operation of the device easier. The result of this is that after a number of binding operations strips of paper tape no longer provided with a code come out of the device. This is a particular disadvantage because the application of a code, such as a packing date or a use-by date is being made compulsory by the government in an increasing number of countries.

The object of the invention is to provide a bag closure device comprising stamping means in which the abovementioned disadvantages are overcome.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a bag closure device according to claim 1. The device is provided with stamping means which are disposed along a path along which tape is guided. The stamping means connect to control means which ensure that the stamping means carry out a stamping movement on each movement of an object to be bound with self-adhesive tape through a feed-through slot. The control means are mechanically connected to a knife-holder. The knife-holder is pivotably mounted in the housing of the device and comprises a cutting arm with a knife and a control arm extending in a feed-through slot part below a star wheel. A pivoting of the knife-holder about its pivot means is converted into a stamping movement of the stamping means by way of the control means mechanically connected thereto. Just as in the case of the known bag closure devices, the pivoting of the knife-holder is achieved by the fact that an object to be bound is fed through the feed-through slot and in the process goes against the control arm of the knife-holder. According to the invention, it is advantageously ensured that each binding operation results in the application of a code to a tape part, seeing that it is not possible to skip the cutting off of tape by means of the knife in the knife- holder during a binding operation, while each actuation of the knife-holder by way of the mechanically connected control means directly results in a stamping operation. It is possible to position both the knife-holder and the stamping means in their initial position with one and the same spring means.

The invention can be used on a bag closure device in which objects are bound with a strip of self-adhesive tape, and in which the codes are stamped on the self-adhesive tape. However, the invention relates in particular to a bag closure device in which objects are bound with a strip of self-adhesive tape which has a strip of paper tape placed between the ends thereof . The stamping means in this case are advantageously disposed along a path along which the paper tape is guided, and the codes are stamped on the paper tape. In this way it is possible with the bag closure device according to the invention to apply dates to binding tape for closing an object. It has become compulsory in an increasing number of countries to print packing dates and/or use-by dates on packs of foods. The bag closure device according to the invention can advantageously combine the binding of a food pack with the application of a date.

Further preferred embodiments of the invention are described in claims 3 - 11.

The invention will be explained in greater detail with reference to the appended drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a bag closure device according to the invention, with the internal mechanism shown diagrammatically therein;

Fig. 2 is a view in cross section along the line II-II in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a front view of a variant of an embodiment, in which swing-open covers in the left-hand and right-hand part are largely omitted;

Fig. 4 is a view in accordance with Fig. 3 of a further variant of an embodiment;

Fig. 5 is a view in accordance with Fig. 3 of a further variant of an embodiment, with stamping device fitted; and

Fig. 6 is a view of the variant of an embodiment in Fig. 5, with stamping device removed. Figs. 1 and 2 show a bag closure device with a plastic housing 1, which has a supporting foot 3. In the centre of the housing 1 a slot 5 extends from the top downwards and opens out into a wider part 6 at the bottom side. As shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1, a star wheel 7 is fitted in the top part of the slot 5. An object, for example a twisted or otherwise pinched neck of a bag can be moved from the top downwards through the slot 5, in order to make a closure around the neck of the bag. The housing 1 is provided with first supporting means 10 for rotatably supporting a roll of self-adhesive tape 11, and with second supporting means 12 for rotatably supporting a roll of paper tape 13. On the right-hand side of the slot the star wheel 7 is rotatably supported by rotation means 15. The star wheel 7 comprises six spokes 18, which extend in the radial direction and between which recesses 19 are present. The spokes 18 extend as far as the left-hand side of the slot 5. At that side a tape- limiting element is situated in the housing, forming a wall part 20 situated near the path of the ends of the spokes 18. The gap left clear between the wall part 20 and the star wheel 7 serves for the feeding through of self-adhesive tape coming off the roll 11. A guide rib 21 is provided below the wall part 20, which guide rib serves to guide paper tape coming off the roll 13. Fitted on the right-hand side of the slot 5 is a knife- holder 22, which can pivot about pivot means 23. The knife- holder 22 substantially consists of a cutting arm 25 with a knife 26, and of a control arm 27, which in the initial position shown in Fig. 1 extends with its free end in the slot 5 below the star wheel 7. A circular plate part 28 is provided between the cutting arm 25 and the control arm 27.

Stamping means 30 are disposed below the roll of paper tape 13. The stamping means 30 are situated opposite an anvil 31, along which the paper tape is guided. The stamping means 30 can carry out a stamping movement in the direction of the paper tape and in this way stamp a code on the paper tape. For this purpose, control means 32 are provided, which control means operate the stamping means 30 each time an object is fed through the slot 5. The control means 32 comprise a profiled element 35, which is connected to the knife-holder 22 at one end and to the stamping means 30 at the other end. The element 35 is forced downwards into an initial position by two compression springs 36, and is guided on the right-hand side in the vertical direction along a ridge 38 of the housing 1.

The connection between the control means 32 and the knife- holder 22 is formed by a pin-and-slot connection, the knife- holder having a pin 40, and the element 35 having a horizontal slot part 41. When the knife-holder 22 pivots about its pivot means 23, this also causes the pin 40 to rotate anticlockwise about the pivot means 23 in the tangential direction, and to move upwards in the process. The upward movement of the pin 40 pulls the element 35 along with it in the upward direction against the force of the compression springs 36. The stamping means 30 move upwards with the above and carry out a stamping movement in the direction of the paper tape, with the result that a code is applied to the paper tape.

The mode of operation of the bag closure device illustrated is as follows: An object is moved downwards from the top side into the slot 5. In the process the object comes to rest first against the adhesive side of self-adhesive tape running over the star wheel 7. The object then passes into a recess 19 situated at the top. Further movement of the object downwards sets the star wheel 7 in rotation and causes the object to be bound with self- adhesive tape. Further rotation of the star wheel 7 causes the still exposed adhesive side of a part of the self-adhesive tape to move along the paper tape. This causes the paper tape to be pulled downwards at the same time and to cover a piece of self- adhesive tape. As soon as the recess 19 in which the object is situated has reached the bottom and connects there to the slot 5, the object can be moved further downwards in the slot 5 until it comes to rest against the control arm 27. The latter is pressed downwards, causing the knife-holder 22 to pivot anticlockwise about the pivot means 23. The knife 26 moves in the direction of the slot 5. The control arm 27 is pressed downwards for just long enough for its end to move out of the slot 5 and for the object to be able to pass. In the meantime, the knife 26 cuts through the strip of tape, while the control means 32 ensure that the stamping means 30 stamp a code on the paper tape. As a result of the spring tension of the compression springs 36 on the control means 32, the element 35 finally moves downwards again, and in doing so rotates the knife-holder 22 back again to its initial position, while the stamping means are also moved back to their initial position. The device is then ready for a subsequent closing operation.

The stamping means 30 comprise in particular a fixed part 50 and a movable part 51. The fixed part 50 is provided with an inking pad 52. The movable part 51 is provided with a stamping element 53. The stamping element 53 is made up of three rotatable discs 54, on which figures and abbreviated forms of months are reproduced in mirror image. The stamping element 53 is supported in such a way that a movement of the movable part 51 relative to the fixed part 50 produces a rotation and translation of the stamping element 53. In the process, the part of the stamping element 53 which in the initial position rests against the inking pad is rotated and translated to a position resting against the paper tape. The fixed part 50 is provided with an outward-projecting edge 55, which can be pushed into clamping slots 56 provided in the housing 1. The movable part 51 is provided with two outward-projecting lugs 58, which can be pushed into slots 59 in the element 35. This makes it possible to remove the stamping means 30 from the device and, if desired, to bind objects without codes being applied to the tape in the process .

In the case of the variant shown in Fig. 3 the knife-holder 70 has been placed on the left-hand side of the slot. The control means in the case of this variant are made up of two lever arms 71, 72. The first lever arm 71 is pivoted to the knife-holder 70 by means of a pivot point 73 and to the second lever arm 72 by means of a pivot point 74. The second lever arm 72 is fitted in the housing in such a way that one end pivots about a pivot point 75, and said second lever arm is pressed downwards into an initial position by a compression spring 77. The free end of the second lever arm 72 is provided with a rounded face 78, which lies below stamping means 80. The stamping means 80 correspond substantially to the stamping means shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the difference being that the movable part 81 extends further downwards. In the initial positions of the control means and the stamping means there is a slight space between the two. The rounded face 78 does not come to rest against the movable part 81 until after the knife-holder 70 has rotated through a slight angle, after which a further rotation of the knife-holder 70 ensures that the stamping means 80 carry out a stamping movement in the direction of the paper tape. This embodiment has a number of advantages. First, the knife-holder 70 is situated on the side of the slot where the stamping means 80 are also situated, with the result that the control means can be compact in design. Furthermore, the second lever arm 72 is advantageously made very long, with the result that the vertical movement transmitted by way of the knife-holder 70 to the control means is passed on with greater force to the stamping means 80. Finally, the stamping means 80 in this case are designed in such a way that, after being removed from the device, said stamping means are suitable for conventional manual operation. The fact that the movable part 81 has been made larger contributes towards the ease with which the stamping means 80 can be taken in the palm of the hand and a stamping movement can be carried out. This embodiment has the further advantage that the control means do not have to be guided in the housing by means of pin-and-slot connections or other types of guides. This limits the friction forces and reduces the risk of the moving parts becoming jammed.

Fig. 4 shows a variant of an embodiment in which the control means are substantially composed of one element 90 with two legs 91, 92 respectively positioned at right angles to each other. The leg 91 is movably connected to the knife-holder by way of a pin-and-slot connection 93. In addition, the leg 91 is provided with a vertical slot 94, which is guided over two guide lugs 95 immovably connected to the housing. The guide lugs 95 ensure that the element 90 can move only up and down in a vertical direction. The second leg 92 acts upon the movable part of the stamping means 100. In this variant the control means are in one piece and are of a very simple design. A tension spring 101 is provided in order to return the knife-holder and the stamping means 100 to the initial position after each closing operation. The tension spring 101 advantageously acts directly upon the knife-holder. This means that both the stamping means 100 and also the control means 90 can be removed from the device while the device still remains functioning well without new elements having to be fitted. Fig. 5 shows a variant which partially corresponds to the variant in Fig. 3. Here again, the control means for a stamping device 110 are formed by a two-part lever system 111 which is hinged together, to a knife-holder 112 and to a housing 113. As can be seen in Fig. 6, the stamping device 110 and the lever system 111 can be removed from the device. In that case a separate tension spring 114 does have to be fitted for positioning the knife-holder 112 in the initial position under spring tension. A conventional stamping device 110, comprising in the known manner a fixed part with an inking pad and a movable part with a stamping element, can advantageously be used. In order to hold the fixed and the movable part forced apart in their initial position, the stamping device 110 comprises its own spring, which is not shown in any further detail here. This spring of the stamping device 110 advantageously ensures that the knife-holder 112 also is positioned in the initial position under spring tension. This means that a separate spring for the lever system 111 is unnecessary. An anvil 116 is situated opposite the stamping device 110. The anvil 116 is movably mounted in the housing 113 in such a way that it can be moved a short distance upwards away from the stamping device 110. This creates space for placing a strip of paper tape between the stamping device 110 and the anvil 116. Guide wheels 117 are preferably provided on either side of the anvil 116, in order to reduce the friction of the feed-through of paper tape. The roll of paper tape is rotatably supported on supporting means 120. The supporting means 120 are preferably designed in such a way that the roll of paper tape encounters some resistance during unrolling. This ensures that during an operation the roll of paper tape does not shoot forward, because of which an undesirable quantity of paper tape could unroll. The supporting means are formed by, for example, three spring feet 121, which with their free ends exert a certain pressure force on the core of the roll of paper tape. A spring element 122 is provided at the position of the star wheel, which spring element engages with its free end in a recess of the star wheel. The spring element 122 serves to ensure that the star wheel is forced into a suitable initial position in each case, in which initial position a recess of the star wheel connects to the feed-through slot 124 for the object to be bound.

The control means are advantageously designed in such a way that at the moment of cutting through the strip of tape a code is also applied to the tape. By coordinating these operations, it is ensured that the tape stops at the moment of application of the code, so that the code is not smeared over the tape.

The connections between the control means and the knife- holder, for example the pivoted connection from Figs. 3 and 5 or the pin-and-slot connections from Figs. 1 and 4, are preferably positioned on the knife-holder in such a way that rotation of the knife-holder about its pivot means results in a great movement of the movable part relative to the fixed part of the stamping means only in the second part of the rotation. An operator consequently does not have the feeling of coming up against a blocked knife-holder. The operation force for making the object pass along the control arm of the knife-holder requires a gradually increasing force.

The invention therefore produces a bag closure device comprising stamping means which is easy to operate and functions very reliably, it being guaranteed in particular that a code is stamped on the tape during each closing operation. Although in the figures the stamping means in each case are fitted along the path of the paper tape, the stamping means can also be disposed in such a way that codes are applied to the self-adhesive tape. In addition to the embodiments shown, many variants are also possible within the limits given by the claims. The important factor is the interaction between the knife-holder, the control means and the stamping means. The device is simple and cheap to manufacture, in particular the stamping and control means fitted therein.

Claims

1. Bag closure device for binding an object with a strip of self-adhesive tape, comprising: - a housing (1) provided with a slot (5) intended for feeding the object through it; first supporting means (10) for rotatably supporting a roll of self-adhesive tape (11) ; rotation means (15) situated on one side of the slot (5) and having a star wheel (7) which is rotatably fitted thereon and has radially extending spokes (18) which extend over the slot (5) and are divided by recesses (19) which are suitable for accommodating the object when the latter is fed through the slot (5) and passes the star wheel (7) in the process; - a tape-limiting element which is situated on the other side of the slot (5) from that of the star wheel (7) and forms there a wall part (20) which is situated along the path of the ends of the spokes (18) of the star wheel (7) ; pivot means (23) with a knife-holder (22) pivotally fitted thereon and having a cutting arm (25) with a knife (26) and a control arm (27) extending in the slot (5) below the star wheel

(7) , so that when the object goes against the control arm (27) the knife (26) moves from an initial position to a cutting position; - spring means (36) for positioning the knife-holder (22) in the initial position under spring tension; stamping means (30) for applying codes to tape by means of a stamping movement, which stamping means (30) are disposed along a path along which tape is guided; and - control means (32) for causing a stamping movement to be carried out by the stamping means (30) each time an object is fed through the slot (5) ; characterized in that the control means (32) are connected to the knife-holder (22) , so that pivoting of the knife-holder (22) about its pivot means (23) as a result of an object being fed through the slot (5) is converted by way of the control means (32) into a stamping movement of the stamping means (30) .

2. Bag closure device according to claim 1, for binding an object with a strip of self-adhesive tape (11) , in which the ends of the strip of self-adhesive tape (11) are covered with a strip of paper tape (13) , further comprising: - second supporting means (12) for rotatably supporting a roll of paper tape (13) , in which the stamping means (30) are disposed along a path along which the paper tape (13) is guided, and in which the codes are stamped on the paper tape (13) .

3. Bag closure device according to claim 1 or 2 , in which the stamping means (30) comprise a fixed part and a movable part, the fixed part (50) being provided with an inking pad (52) , and the movable part (51) being provided with a stamping element (53), which movable part (51) during a stamping movement produces a rotation and translation of the stamping element (53) from a position situated against the inking pad (52) to a position situated against the tape.

4. Bag closure device according to claim 3, in which the control means (32) are directly connected to the movable part (51) of the stamping means (30) .

5. Bag closure device according to claim 3, in which the control means (32) rest loosely against the movable part (51) of the stamping means (30) .

6. Bag closure device according to one of the preceding claims, in which the stamping means (30) are fitted in the housing (1) in such a way that they are removable.

7. Bag closure device according to one of the preceding claims, in which the control means (32) are designed for making the stamping means (30) apply the code substantially simultaneously with the cutting through of a strip of tape by the knife (26) .

8. Bag closure device according to one of the preceding claims, in which the control means (32) comprise one or more lever arms extending between the knife-holder (22) and the stamping means (30) .

9. Bag closure device according to one of the preceding claims, in which the control means (32) are connected to the knife-holder (22) by means of a pin-and-slot connection.

10. Stamping means (30) for use in a bag closure device according to one of claims 1 - 9.

11. Control means (32) for use in a bag closure device according to one of claims 1 - 9.