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US 4,610,653 AGranted
Heat sealing and cutting means
AssigneeUnion Carbide Corporation
InventorPeter P. Savich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hot wire has one end mounted on a pivotally supported arm which is biased to keep the wire straight and taut. The end of the wire is bent to an L-shape and is rigidly attached to the arm. Between the bend and the point of attachment, the wire is formed with a flexible portion which expands and contracts to compensate for pivotal movement of the support arm.
Claims7
A heat sealing and cutting means comprising:
- (a) a pair of pivotally supported and longitudinally spaced upright arms;
- (b) an electrically heated sealing and cutting wire extending between the upright ends of said arms;
- (c) said arms and wire each having complimentary load bearing surfaces which contact one against the other in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said wire, and said arms being biased to pivot in opposite arcuate directions so as to maintain said load bearing surfaces in contact and said wire under tension as said wire expands and contracts responsive to changes in wire temperature;
- (d) said wire having end portions which are sharply bent from said longitudinal axis and which extend along said arms and which are rigidly fixed to said arms at some point spaced from said sharp bend, said wire at the sharp bend being relatively inflexible and subject to fatigue failure at a point adjacent said load bearing surfaces as said arms pivot to maintain said wire taut;
- and
- (e) each end portion;
- between said sharp bend and the point of rigid attachment to said arm, being formed in an open, generally U-shaped loop, the sides of which flex open or close to accommodate pivoting movement of said arms thereby relieving fatigue stresses adjacent said load bearing surfaces
4 more elements
A heat sealing and cutting means for thermoplastic material comprising:
- (a) an elongated electrically heated sealing and cutting wire having an end portion bent from the longitudinal axis of said wire so as to form a generally L-shaped relatively inflexible bend and said wire having adjacent said bend a load bearing surface extending normal to said longitudinal axis;
- (b) a wire support including a pivotable arm, said wire end portion extending generally along said arm and said arm having a load bearing surface engageable against said load bearing surface on said wire;
- (c) bias means operatively connected to said arm for urging said arm to pivot in a direction which maintains the engagement of said load bearing surfaces and keeps said wire taut as it expands and contracts responsive to the heating and cooling of said wire;
- (d) means rigidly attaching said wire end portion to said pivotable arm at a location spaced along said end portion and remote from said bend;
- and
- (e) said wire end portion, in a section between said inflexible bend and said location of rigid attachment to said arm, having a generally U-shaped form with a rounded base and straight sides extending from the rounded base, which sides flex open or close responsive to the pivotal movement of said arm.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.