System and method for sealing a plastic enclosure
OwnerJuli Lankinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for sealing a plastic enclosure is provided. The apparatus includes a handle including elements pivotally coupled together at a first end. The apparatus also includes a pair of spaced apart heating elements positioned along an inner surface of an element and connected to a power source where a longitudinal axis of the heating elements is oriented parallel with a longitudinal axis of the element. Plastic material including first and second plastic layers is positioned at an interface between the second elements. Upon pivoting the first elements from an open position to a closed position the heating elements increase a temperature at the interface to melt the plastic material and form a pair of spaced apart seals between the first and second plastic layers.
Claims20
An apparatus for sealing an enclosure of plastic material comprising:
- a pair of elements including a first element pivotally coupled to a second element at a rotational axis at a first end of the elements;
- and
- a pair of spaced apart heating elements positioned along an inner surface of at least one element and configured to be connected to a power source, wherein a longitudinal axis of the heating elements is oriented parallel to a longitudinal axis of the at least one element and the longitudinal axis of the at least one element is oriented orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- a cutting element positioned at an inner surface of the first element of the pair of elements, wherein the cutting element is configured to move relative to the inner surface in a direction orthogonal to the rotational axis to cut plastic material along an interface between the pair of elements adjacent to the pair of spaced apart heating elements, wherein the cutting element is offset from a center of a width of the first element;
- wherein upon positioning the plastic material including a first plastic layer and a second plastic layer at the interface between the pair of elements, the apparatus is configured to vacuum seal an enclosure defined by the plastic material and wherein the heating elements are configured to increase a temperature at the interface to simultaneously form a pair of spaced apart seals at the interface in the plastic material between the first plastic layer and the second plastic layer.
An apparatus for sealing an enclosure of plastic material comprising:
- a pair of elements including a first element pivotally coupled to a second element at a rotational axis at a first end of the elements, wherein a longitudinal axis of the pair of elements is oriented orthogonal to the rotational axis;
- a pair of spaced apart heating elements positioned along an inner surface of at least one element and configured to be connected to a power source to melt the plastic material including a first plastic layer and a second plastic layer and simultaneously form a pair of spaced apart seals in the first plastic layer and the second plastic layer at an interface between the pair of elements;
- and
- a cutting element positioned at an inner surface of at least one element on one side of the pair of spaced apart heating elements, wherein the cutting element is configured to move relative to the inner surface of the at least one element in a direction orthogonal to the rotational axis to cut the plastic material to form an opening in the plastic material along the interface, wherein the cutting element is offset from a center of a width of the first element;
- and
- a pump with an inlet positioned adjacent to the interface and configured to draw air through the opening in the plastic material to vacuum seal an enclosure defined by the plastic material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.