Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BAG CLAMP WITH A RECIPROCATING BLADE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0001] The
present invention relates to a bag clamp and, in particular, to a bag clamp
which may be used to open a sealed bag and releasably reseal the opened bag.
Description of the Related Art
[0002] It is
known to releasably reseal an open-mouthed bag with a clamp. One type
of clamp which is commonly used comprises longitudinally extending, elongate
jaws
which are pivotably connected at first ends thereof and releasably connectable
with a
locking mechanism at second ends thereof. Examples of such clamps are
disclosed in
United States Patent Number 4,887,335 and United States Patent Number
6,058,572 both
to Folkmar and the full disclosures of which are incorporated herein by
reference. In
operation, the elongate jaws are pivoted about their first ends to bring the
clamp into
engagement with the bag. A locking mechanism is then secured to releasably
couple
second ends of the elongate jaws and thereby seal the bag. The bag may later
be accessed
by releasing the locking mechanism and pivoting the elongate jaws open to
release the
bag from the clamp.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is an
object of the present invention to provide an improved bag clamp
which may be used to open a sealed bag and releasably seal or close the opened
bag.
[0004] There is
accordingly provided an improved bag clamp comprising a first jaw
member and a second jaw member. The first jaw member has an opening in a
clamping
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surface thereof and the second jaw member has a slot extending therethrough. A
hinge
couples the first jaw member and the second jaw member. The clamp is moveable
between an open configuration in which the first jaw member and second jaw
member
are angularly spaced-apart and a closed configuration in which the opening in
the first
jaw member is substantively aligned with the slot in the second jaw member.
There is a
releasable locking mechanism for locking the clamp in the closed
configuration. The first
jaw member may be an elongate jaw member and the opening may be a channel
extending along a length of the first jaw member. The second jaw member may be
an
elongate jaw member and the slot may extend along a length of the second jaw
member.
[0005] There is also provided an improved bag clamp in which a first jaw
member
has an opening in a clamping surface thereof and a second jaw member has a
blade
movable along a length thereof. A hinge couples the first jaw member and the
second jaw
member. The clamp is moveable between an open configuration in which the first
jaw
member and second jaw member are angularly spaced-apart and a closed
configuration in
which the opening in the first jaw member is aligned with the blade of the
second jaw
member. There is a locking mechanism for locking the clamp in the closed
configuration.
The first jaw member may be an elongate jaw member and the opening may extend
along
a length of the first jaw member. The second jaw member may be an elongate jaw
member and the blade may reciprocate along a length of the second jaw member.
The
blade may be a pivotable bi-directional cutting blade. The hinge may include a
pivot pin
provided with an elastomeric bearing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF DRAWINGS
[0006] The
invention will be more readily understood from the following description
of the embodiments thereof given, by way of example only, with reference to
the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0007] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an
improved bag
clamp showing the clamp in an open configuration;
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[0008] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the clamp of Figure 1 showing
the clamp in a
closed configuration and in engagement with an open-mouthed bag;
[0009] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the clamp of Figure 1 showing
the clamp in a
closed configuration and being used to open a sealed bag;
[0010] Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along lines A-A of Figure 3;
[0011] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an
improved bag
clamp showing the clamp in an open configuration;
[0012] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the clamp of Figure 5 showing
the clamp in a
closed configuration;
[0013] Figure 7 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the clamp of Figure 5
showing
a hinge and a pivot pin thereof;
[0014] Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along lines B-B of Figure 7;
[0015] Figure 9 is a fragmentary, plan view of the clamp of Figure 5
showing a hinge
and a pivot pin thereof;
[0016] Figure 10 is a fragmentary, broken-away perspective view of the
clamp of
Figure 5 showing a blade and blade mount of a cutting mechanism thereof;
[0017] Figure 11 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the clamp of
Figure 5 showing
the cutting mechanism and a blade guard thereof;
[0018] Figure 12 is a fragmentary, plan view of the clamp of Figure 5
showing the
clamp in a closed configuration with a locking mechanism thereof in an engaged
position;
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[0019] Figure 13 is a
fragmentary, plan view of the clamp of Figure 5 showing the
clamp in an open configuration with a locking mechanism thereof in an released
position;
[0020] Figure 14 is a
perspective view of the clamp of Figure 5 showing the clamp in
a closed configuration and in engagement with a sealed bag;
[0021] Figure 15 is a
perspective view of the clamp of Figure 5 showing the clamp in
a closed configuration and being used to open the sealed bag; and
[0022] Figure 16 is a
perspective view of the clamp of Figure 5 showing the clamp in
a closed configuration and being used to releasably seal or close an open-
mouthed bag.
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Referring to the
drawings and first to Figure 1 a first embodiment of an
improved bag clamp 10 is shown. The clamp 10 includes a first jaw member 12
and a
second jaw member 14 which are pivotably coupled to one another. The jaw
members 12
and 14 are both longitudinally extending, elongate jaw members which are
pivotably
coupled at respective first ends 16 and 18 thereof. In this example, the first
jaw member
12 has a clevis 20 which receives the second jaw member 14. There is a clevis
pin 22
which extends through the second jaw member 14. The second jaw member 14 is
pivotable about the clevis pin 22 which functions as a pivot pin for the
second jaw
member 14, i.e. the clevis 20 and clevis pin 22 may function as a hinge. The
jaw
members 12 and 14 are accordingly able to pivot towards one another as
indicated
generally by arrows 210 and away from one another as indicated generally by
arrows
220. An opening in the form of a channel 24 extends along a length of a
clamping surface
26 of the first jaw member 12. A slot 28 extends through the second jaw member
14
along a length of a clamping surface 30 of the second jaw member 14.
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[0024] There is
a locking mechanism 32 which may be used to releasably connect the
jaw members 12 and 14 at respective second ends 34 and 36 thereof. In this
example, the
locking mechanism 32 includes a latch 38 and a groove 40. The latch in this
example is a
generally U-shaped wire loop. The latch 38 is pivotably mounted on the first
jaw member
12 and the groove 40 extends transversely along the second jaw member 14.
Referring
now to Figure 2, when the clamp 10 is used to seal or close an open-mouthed
bag 42, the
locking mechanism 32 is engaged by bringing the latch 38 into engagement with
the
groove 40. The clamp 10 is thereby clamped to the bag 42 and is maintained in
a closed
configuration with a portion of the open-mouthed bag 42 being compressed
between
planar clamping surfaces of the jaw members 12 and 14. The clamp 10 is thereby
used to
seal the open-mouthed bag. The locking mechanism 32 may however be released,
and the
jaw members 12 and 14 pivoted away from one another, to release the clamp 10
from the
bag 42. This allows access to an interior the bag 42 which may later be
resealed, i.e. the
clamp 10 may be used to releasably seal or close the bag 42. In the open
configuration the
jaws 12 and 14 are angularly spaced-apart as shown in Figure 1.
[0025] The
clamp 10 may also be used to open a sealed bag 44 as shown in Figures 3
and 4. The clamp 10 is clamped to the sealed bag 44 as described above and a
blade 46,
which is this example is a blade on a box cutter, is inserted into one end of
the slot 28 in
the second jaw member 14. The blade 46 should be inserted with sufficient
force to
pierce the bag 40 as shown in Figure 4. Moving the blade 46 along the slot 28
in the
direction generally indicated by arrow 230, shown in Figure 3, should then
result in the
sealed bag 44 being cut open. The channel 24 in the first jaw member 12 is
aligned with
the slot 28 in the second jaw member 14 when the clamp 10 is in the closed
configuration
as shown in Figure 4. The blade 46 is accordingly received by the channel 24
in the first
jaw member 12 and the channel walls 48, 50 and 52 prevent the blade 46 from
extending
completely through clamp 10. A now open-mouthed bag may later be releasably
resealed
using the clamp 10 as shown in Figure 2 and described above.
[0026]
Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, a second embodiment of an improved bag
clamp 60 is shown. The clamp 60 includes a first jaw member 62 and a second
jaw
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member 64. The jaw members 62 and 64 are longitudinally extending, elongate
jaws
which are coupled at respective first ends 66 and 68 thereof by a hinge 70.
The jaw
members 62 and 64 are moveable toward and away from one another in the
directions
generally indicated by arrows 240 and 250 in Figure 5. The clamp 60 is
accordingly
moveable between an open configuration, shown in Figure 5, and a closed
configuration
shown in Figure 6. A handle 72 is mounted on the first jaw member 62. As best
shown in
Figure 5, there is also an elongate opening 74 and an elongate pad 76 each
extending
along a length of a clamping surface 78 of the first jaw member 62. In this
example, the
pad 76 is a textured rubber pad. There is a grooved track 80 which extends
longitudinally
along both sides the second jaw member 64 as best shown in Figure 10. A
cutting
mechanism 82 is mounted on the track 80 and can reciprocate along the second
jaw
member 64 in the directions generally indicated by arrow 260. There is also a
locking
mechanism 84 which may be used to releasably connect the jaw members 62 and 64
at
respective second ends thereof 86 and 88. In this example, the locking
mechanism
includes, in part, a ratchet pin 90 on the first jaw member 62 and a graduated
ratcheting
clasp 92 disposed in the second jaw member 64.
[00271 The
hinge 70 of the clamp 60 is best shown in Figure 7 and includes a clevis
94 at the first end 66 of the first jaw member 62. The clevis 94 receives the
second end 68
of the second jaw member 64. There is a clevis pin 96 which extends through
the second
jaw member 64 and the second jaw member 64 is pivotable about the clevis pin
96 which
functions as a pivot pin for the second jaw member 64, i.e. the clevis 94 and
the clevis pin
96 function as the hinge. The pivot or clevis pin 96 is provided with an
elastomeric
bearing in the form of 0-rings 98 and 100 which are best shown in Figure 8.
The 0-rings
98 and 100 allow for lateral movement of the pivot or clevis pin 96, for
example along
the X and Y axes as shown in Figure 9. This lateral movement of the pivot or
clevis pin
96 facilitates the clamping of bags of varying thicknesses. In other examples,
the hinge
may be in the form of an interleaved wheel.
[0028] The
cutting mechanism 82 which is best shown in Figures 10 and 11 includes
a blade mount 102 which is, generally U-shaped in profile, and moveable along
the track
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80 on the second jaw member 64. A blade 104, which in this example is a V-
shaped, bi-
directional cutting blade, is pivotably mounted on the blade mount 102 as best
shown in
Figure 10. The blade 104 is biased by a resilient member 106 which in this
example is a
coil spring. The resilient member 106 biases the blade to a position in which
the blade
extends generally perpendicular to the blade mount. The blade 104 is however
able to
pivot in the direction generally indicated by arrows 270. This may prevent the
cutting
mechanism 82 from jamming as the blade 104 may pivot out of the way if it is
unable to
cut through a section of bag. The cutting mechanism 82 also includes a blade
cover 108
which covers the blade mount 102 and resilient member 106. In this example,
the blade
cover 108 is provided with a plurality of ridges, for example ridges 110a,
110b and 110c,
which may facilitate gripping of the blade cover 108 and thereby operation of
the cutting
mechanism 82. There is also a blade guard 112, which is U-shaped in profile,
at the
second end 88 of the second jaw member 64.
[0029] The
locking mechanism 84 which releasably connects the jaw members 62
and 64 at respective second ends 86 and 88 thereof is best shown in Figures 12
and 13. In
this example, the locking mechanism 84 is a ratcheted graduated locking
mechanism and
includes the ratchet pin 90 on the first jaw member 62 which may incrementally
engage
the graduated ratcheting clasp 92 in the second jaw member 64. The locking
mechanism
84 also includes release button 114 which disengages the ratchet pin 90. When
the clamp
60 is moved to the closed configuration, as shown in Figure 12, the graduated
ratcheting
clasp 92 engages the ratchet pin 90 on the first jaw member 62 and locks the
jaws
members 62 and 64 together. Simultaneously the graduated ratcheting clasp 92
releases a
ratcheting pin 116 of the cutting mechanism 82. This allows the cutting
mechanism 82 to
reciprocate along the track 80 on the second jaw member 64. The clamp 60
cannot be
moved from the closed configuration to the open configuration when the
ratcheting pin
116 of the cutting mechanism 82 is released from the graduated ratcheting
clasp 92. The
ratcheting pin 116 of the cutting mechanism 82 must be engaged with the
graduated
ratcheting clasp 92 for the graduated ratcheting mechanism to release the
ratchet pin 90
on the first jaw member 62 and for the clamp 60 to be moved from the closed
configuration to the open configuration. As best shown in Figure 13, the blade
104 is
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docked in a blade guard 112 when the ratcheting pin 116 of the cutting
mechanism 82 is
engaged with the graduated ratcheting clasp 92. The blade 104 is accordingly
not exposed
when the clamp 60 is in the open configuration.
[0030] Figures
14 and 15 show the clamp 60 being used to open a sealed bag 122.
The clamp 60 is first clamped to the bag 122 by engaging the ratchet pin 90 on
the first
jaw member 62 and the graduated ratcheting clasp 92 in the second jaw member
64 as
shown in Figure 12. This causes the graduated ratcheting clasp 92 to release
the
ratcheting pin 116 of the cutting mechanism 82. The cutting mechanism 82 is
then
reciprocated along the track 80 on the second jaw member 64 to cut the sealed
bag 122
open as best shown in Figure 15. As best shown in Figure 10, the blade 104 of
the cutting
mechanism 82 extends through the opening 74 in the first jaw member 62 as the
cutting
mechanism 82 reciprocates along the track 80 on the second jaw member 64. The
blade
104 is accordingly not exposed when the sealed bag 122 is being opened.
[0031]
Referring now to Figure 16, when the clamp 60 is being used to seal an open-
mouthed bag 124, the locking mechanism 84 is engaged by bringing the ratchet
pin 90 on
the first jaw member 62 in to engagement with the graduated ratcheting clasp
92 in the
second jaw member 64 as shown in Figure 12. The clamp 60 is thereby maintained
in a
closed configuration and is clamped to the open-mouthed bag 124 in a manner
such that a
portion of the bag is compressed between respective planar clamping surfaces
of the jaw
members 62 and 64 and the bag is effectively sealed. The locking mechanism 84
may
however be released, and the jaw members 62 and 64 moved away from one
another, to
move the clamp 60 to an open configuration in which the jaws 62 and 64 are
angularly
spaced-apart. This allows access to the open-mouthed bag 124 which may later
be
resealed, i.e. the clamp 60 may be used to releasably seal the bag.
[0032] It will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the term
"seal" as used
herein has a broad definition and means general occlusion between the interior
of the bag
and the external environment.
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[0033I It will also
be understood by a person skilled in the art that many of the details
provided above are by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the
scope of the
invention which is to be determined with reference to the following claims.
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