Sealing device

Abstract

The utility model provides a sealing device which can be miniaturized on the whole and can reduce manufacturing cost. A sealing device used for sealing an opening part of a container comprises a supporting part used for supporting the container and a sealing force applying part used for applying sealing force to the container. And a moving mechanism between a position (first position) where the sealing force applying part and / or the container is separated from the container placed by the placing part at a predetermined distance and a position (second position) where the sealing force applying part applies a predetermined amount of force on the cover body placed on the container.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a sealing device for sealing by bonding a cover to a container. Background Art

[0002] Sealing devices are widely used in scenarios where a lid is sealed onto the mouth of a container. For example, stores such as supermarkets provide food such as beverages and cooked food (hereinafter referred to as "goods", "contents"). When providing goods, the store does not directly deliver the goods to the purchaser, but instead puts the goods in a container and seals the lid and the opening of the container before providing it. The traditional method of providing goods adopted by stores is to display the goods that have been placed in the container on the shelf in advance, and the purchaser selects and purchases the displayed goods. This providing method is that the store puts the goods into the container and seals the opening of the container with the lid. In recent years, in addition to this method of providing goods, a new method has become popular, that is, the purchaser puts the goods into the container and seals the opening of the container with the lid. This providing method is currently often used when providing beverages such as coffee, for example, in convenience stores.

[0003] There are many ways to seal the opening of a container. One of them is to bond the lid to the edge formed around the container mouth. In this case, the lid is bonded to the edge of the container. Therefore, the inside of the container is sealed. There are many methods for bonding the lid, such as a heat sealing method that heats the container and the lid and bonds them together, or an ultrasonic fusion method that applies ultrasonic waves to the container and the lid and bonds the container and the lid together. Hereinafter, the process of bonding the lid to the container will be referred to as "sealing the lid on the container".

[0004] To date, one of the known container sealing methods is to use a sealing device (also called a sealing device). The sealing device has various forms due to various requirements such as the placement location and the frequency of sealing the container. An example of one of the sealing devices is the sealing device disclosed in patent document 1. The sealing device is equipped with a container support seat for supporting the container. The container support seat is designed to accommodate the container. The sealing device also has a moving mechanism, which is designed so that the container support seat can move between an external position and an internal position of the sealing device.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3152023 Utility Model Content

[0008] As mentioned above, the sealing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a moving mechanism for moving the container support seat, so it is easy to become complex in structure and have a large number of parts, which leads to high manufacturing costs. In addition, due to the complex structure, the traditional sealing device also tends to be large in size. The large size of the sealing device will not be a big problem in places such as factories where installation space is easy to provide. However, in recent years, there are more and more cases of installing sealing devices in stores. Generally, it is difficult to provide the space required for installing the sealing device in stores compared to factories. Therefore, the sealing device installed in the store is more likely to be miniaturized.

[0009] In view of the above situation, the present invention aims to provide a sealing device that can be miniaturized as a whole and reduce manufacturing costs.

[0010]

Methods to solve the problem

[0011] The utility model relates to the summary of the following points (1) to (17).

[0012] (1) A sealing device for sealing an opening of a container via a lid, comprising a support for supporting the container, a sealing force applying portion for applying a sealing force via the lid, and a moving mechanism between a first position located a specific distance between the sealing force applying portion and the container on the support and a position at which a specific amount of force is applied when the lid is applied to the container.

[0013] (2) A sealing device for sealing an opening of a container via a lid, comprising a support for supporting the container, a sealing force applying portion for applying a sealing force via the lid, and a moving mechanism between a first position located a specific distance between the sealing force applying portion and the container on the support and a position at which a specific amount of force is applied when the lid is applied to the container, wherein the sealing force applying portion releases the sealing force on the container when specific conditions are met.

[0014] (3) The specific condition refers to the sealing force applied by the sealing force applying part reaching a specific magnitude, such as the sealing device described in (2).

[0015] (4) The specific condition refers to a specific time after the sealing force applied by the sealing force applying portion reaches a specific magnitude, such as the sealing device described in (2).

[0016] (5) When the container is placed on the support, it has a holding portion for holding the container at a specific position on the support, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0017] (6) The energy includes at least thermal energy, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0018] (7) The container and the lid have corresponding docking parts, resin material exists on the docking parts, and the sealing force applying part provides at least thermal energy that exceeds the softening temperature of the resin material, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0019] (8) The sealing force applying portion provides pressure energy in addition to thermal energy, such as the sealing device described in (7).

[0020] (9) When the container is placed on the support, it has a holding portion for holding the container at a specific position on the support, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0021] (10) The holding portion has a positioning portion for positioning the container at a specific position of the support when holding the container, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0022] (11) The retaining portion is used to retain the main body of the container, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0023] (12) The retaining portion is designed to accommodate a variety of containers of different sizes, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0024] (13) The retaining portion is designed to accommodate a variety of containers of different shapes, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0025] (14) The moving mechanism has an operation portion manipulated by a user and is configured to move between a first position and a second position by the user's operation, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0026] (15) The moving mechanism has a moving force applying portion for moving the sealing force applying portion between the first position and the second position, wherein the sealing force applying portion is located at the second position, as described in (1) or (2).

[0027] (16) The support is located below the sealing force applying portion, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0028] (17) When the container is placed on the support, a lid guide portion for guiding the insertion of the lid is provided below the sealing force applying portion and above the upper end of the container, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0029] (18) When the sealing force applying portion is in the second position, the first energy as the energy is applied to a contact surface formed on at least a portion of the face-to-face surface of the container and the cover body, and a second energy smaller than the first energy is applied to a non-contact surface opposite to the contact surface, such as the sealing device described in (1) or (2).

[0030] Utility Model Effect

[0031] According to the utility model, the container is first supported at its main body, so when the sealing force is applied by the sealing force applying part, the protrusion at the top of the container is more likely to maintain a deformable state as a whole. Therefore, even if the container is subjected to the sealing force applied by the sealing force applying part, it is not entirely borne by the protrusion, but only receives a force of a specific magnitude, while other forces can be released. Therefore, when sealing the container with the lid, the operation is simpler.

[0032] In addition, according to the utility model, since the container is directly placed on the support, it is not necessary to provide a holding device for use on the upper part of the container or a driving mechanism for moving in the front-rear direction, etc., as in the conventional known sealing device, so the overall structure of the sealing device can be simplified. Therefore, according to the sealing device of the utility model, not only the number of parts can be greatly reduced, miniaturization and lightness can be achieved, but also various costs such as manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced.

[0033] In particular, in recent years, in order to more effectively utilize the limited store space, it is desired that the installed equipment be more compact and lightweight. Therefore, the sealing device according to the utility model can easily achieve significant miniaturization, so even for small stores that need to emphasize space efficiency more, such as convenience stores and fast food restaurants in recent years, it is possible to provide a more efficient solution. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034]

Figure 1

[0035]

Figure 2

[0036]

Figure 3

[0037]

Figure 4

[0038]

Figure 5

[0039]

Figure 6

[0040]

Figure 7

[0041] Figure 7 (b) is an explanatory diagram for schematically explaining a container holding portion that holds a container.

[0042]

Figure 8

[0043]

Fig. 9

[0044]

Fig.10

[0045]

Fig.11

[0046]

Fig.12

[0047] Description of Reference Numerals

[0048] 1 Sealing device

[0049] 2 Equipment body

[0050] 3 Cover

[0051] 4. Chassis

[0052] 5 Support

[0053] 6 Cover positioning part

[0054] 7 Sealing force applying part

[0055] 8 Mobile mechanism

[0056] 9 Operation section

[0057] 10. Bottom Plate

[0058] 11 Right side panel

[0059] 12 Left side panel

[0060] 13 Top Plate

[0061] 14 Back panel

[0062] 15 Placement

[0063] 16 Guide rail fixing part

[0064] 17 Support component installation part

[0065] 18 Installation

[0066] 19 Extension

[0067] 20 Container support

[0068] 21. Guidance

[0069] 221st cover body positioning part

[0070] 22A 1st fixing part

[0071] 22B Second fixing part

[0072] 22C 1st return part

[0073] 22D 2nd return part

[0074] 22E rod

[0075] 23. Second cover body positioning portion

[0076] 23A 1st fixing part

[0077] 23B Second fixing part

[0078] 23C 1st return part

[0079] 23D 2nd return part

[0080] 23E rod

[0081] 24 3rd cover positioning part

[0082] 24A 1st fixing part

[0083] 24B Second fixing part

[0084] 24C 1st return part

[0085] 24D 2nd return part

[0086] 24E rod

[0087] 25 4th cover body positioning part

[0088] 25A 1st fixing part

[0089] 25B Second fixing part

[0090] 25C 1st return part

[0091] 25D 2nd return part

[0092] 25E rod

[0093] 26th Episode 1

[0094] 27th Episode 2

[0095] 28 recess

[0096] 29 convex part

[0097] 30 Through hole

[0098] 31 No.3

[0099] 32th piece

[0100] 33 Thin part

[0101] 34 Through hole

[0102] 35th piece

[0103] 36th piece

[0104] 37 Rod-shaped body support

[0105] 38 Cover case inner material

[0106] 39 Heater

[0107] 40 Base plate parts

[0108] 41 Spring components

[0109] 42 Heater body

[0110] 43 Insert shaft

[0111] 44 Sealing force application surface

[0112] 45 Insert hole

[0113] 46 Clip parts

[0114] 471st connecting part

[0115] 48 2nd connecting part

[0116] 49 The 1st Moving Body

[0117] 50 The Second Moving Body

[0118] 51 front cover

[0119] 52 Handle

[0120] 53 1st rail

[0121] 54 2nd rail

[0122] 55 3rd rail

[0123] 56 The Third Moving Body

[0124] 57 Heavy Object

[0125] 58 Transfer parts

[0126] 59 Inspection Department DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0127] The specific implementation form of the sealing device of the utility model is as follows. The following is a detailed description of the sealing device structure of the utility model. The following description is made using drawings. It should be noted that the following description is an explanation of an example of a specific form of the sealing device of the utility model, and the content of the sealing device of the utility model is not limited to the scope of the following description. Therefore, the sealing device of the utility model. Appropriate changes can be made without departing from the intended scope of the utility model.

[0128] The following description is for the convenience of description and involves the directions of front and back, left and right, and up and down. However, the content of the utility model is not limited to these directions. In the following description, the Z-axis direction represents up and down, the X-axis direction represents front and back, and the Y-axis direction represents left and right. Figures 1 to 12 The size and thickness of the sealing device and its components shown in the figure are only for convenience of description, and the actual size relationship and proportion are not limited thereto.

[0129] [First embodiment]

[0130] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the sealing device 1 of this embodiment includes a main device 2 and a cover body 3. When provided to a user, the main device 2 is covered by the cover body 3. The main device 2 includes a box body 4, a support portion 5, a cover body positioning portion 6 (hereinafter also referred to as a holding portion), a sealing force providing portion 7, a moving mechanism 8 and an operating portion 9.

[0131] The housing 4 is composed of a bottom plate 10, a right side plate 11, a left side plate 12, an upper plate 13 and a rear plate 14, which form the outer frame of the device body 2. The bottom plate 10 is a plate-shaped component at the lower part of the device body 2. The bottom plate 10 is provided with a support portion 15 for placing the container 501. The support portion 15 is formed on the surface of the bottom plate 10. In the present embodiment, the support portion 15 is planar, and can also be made into a concave shape or a groove according to the shape of the bottom of the container 501. The right side plate 11 is vertically arranged from the right end along the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the bottom plate 10. In addition, the left side plate 12 is vertically arranged from the left end along the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the bottom plate 10. The right side plate 11 and the left side plate 12 are longitudinal plate-shaped components extending in the height direction (Z-axis direction). In addition, the right side plate 11 and the left side plate 12 are provided with a track fixing portion 16 for fixing the guide rail constituting the moving mechanism 8. The rail fixing part 16 only needs to be able to fix the guide rail on the right side plate 11 and the left side plate 12, and its shape can be determined arbitrarily. In addition, the right side plate 11 and the left side plate 12 are also designed to be able to install various components constituting the sealing force applying part 7. Figure 2 As shown, a structure capable of mounting various components constituting the sealing force applying portion 7 is formed above the right side plate 11 and the left side plate 12 , and a rail fixing portion 16 is formed below the right side plate 11 and the left side plate 12 .

[0132] The upper plate 13 is a plate-shaped member, the right end of which is fixed to the right plate 11 in the left-right direction (X-axis direction), and the left end of which is fixed to the left plate 12 in the left-right direction (X-axis direction). Various components constituting the sealing force applying unit 7 are mounted on the upper plate 13.

[0133] The rear plate 14 is a plate-like member installed at the rear ends of the right plate 11, the left plate 12 and the upper plate 13 in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction). The bottom of the rear plate 14 has a holding member mounting portion 17 for mounting and fixing the holding portion 5 mentioned later. It should be noted that the structure of the holding member connecting portion 17 can be any conventionally known method as long as the holding portion 5 can be mounted and fixed.

[0134] The holding portion 5 is a main body part for holding the container 501 placed on the supporting portion 15. The holding portion 5 has one end and the other end, wherein one end is mounted on the rear plate 14 as a fixed end, and the other end is mounted on it as a free end that can extend forward. In addition, the holding portion 5 is installed with a connecting portion 18, an extending portion 19, a container holding portion 20 and a guiding portion 21 along the direction from one end to the other end. The connecting portion 168 is used to fix the holding portion 5 on the rear plate 14. In the present embodiment, the structure of the connecting portion 18 allows it to be fixed to the rear plate 14 by, for example, screws, but is not limited to this structure. The extending portion 19 is a portion extending from the connecting portion 18 to one end side, and its extension distance can be arbitrarily determined according to the size and / or shape of the container 501.

[0135] The container holding portion 20 is a component for holding the container 501 placed on the support portion 15. The container holding portion 20 is further extended from the front end of the extension portion 19 and has an arc shape that can be expanded in the left and right directions. The arc shape of the container holding portion 20 is formed along the outer peripheral edge of the container 501 on the placement portion 15. The guide portion 21 is used to insert the container 501 into the holding portion 5 ( Figure 1 Move the guide portion 21 in the direction of A and move the container 501 to the holding portion 5), so that the container 501 smoothly enters the container holding portion 20. The gap W1 between the end of the other end portion of the container holding portion 20 and the material constituting the container holding portion 20 is designed to be narrower than the outer diameter D1 of the container 501 at its position in the installation height direction and the corresponding position. In some cases, it may be difficult for the container 501 to smoothly enter the container holding portion 20. The front end gap of the guide portion 21 is made wider than the gap W1, so that its width gradually decreases until it reaches the gap W1 at the end of the container holding portion 20. Therefore, when the container 501 is moved along Figure 1 When the container 501 is inserted in the direction A of the container holder 20, the intervals between the components of the container holder 20 can be more easily expanded along with the insertion action, so that the container 501 can smoothly enter the container holder 20. This container holder 20 is preferably designed to accommodate a variety of containers of different sizes and / or shapes.

[0136] The cover body positioning part 6 is used to position the container 501 when the cover body is placed on the container 501 placed on the placement part 15. The cover body positioning part 6 is composed of the first cover body positioning part 22, the second cover body positioning part 23, the third cover body positioning part 24 and the fourth cover body positioning part 25. Among them, the first cover body positioning part 22 and the third cover body positioning part 24 are fixedly installed on the right side plate, and the second cover body positioning part 23 and the fourth cover body positioning part 25 are fixedly installed on the left side plate. These first cover body positioning part 22 to the fourth cover body positioning part 25 have the same structure. That is, the first cover body positioning part 22 to the fourth cover body positioning part 25 respectively have the first fixing parts 22A to 25A, the second fixing parts 22B to 25B, the first reversing parts 22C to 25C, the second reversing parts 22D to 25D and the rod-shaped bodies 22E to 25E. Since these 1st cover body positioning part 22 to 4th cover body positioning part 25 have the same structure, the following description of the structure will only use the 1st cover body positioning part 22 and the 2nd cover body positioning part 23, and the structural description of the 3rd cover body positioning part 24 and the 4th cover body positioning part 25 will be omitted.

[0137] The first fixing member 22A is an L-shaped member mounted on the right side plate 11, and includes a first piece 26 and a second piece 27 mounted on the right side plate 11 and extending to the inside of the chassis 4. The first piece 26 is formed with a concave portion 28 of a predetermined width at the center portion in the thickness direction (width direction) of the first fixing member 22A. In addition, the first piece 26 has convex portions 29 at both ends of the concave portion 28, and a through hole is formed in the thickness direction of the convex portion 29.

[0138] The first return member 22C is an L-shaped member formed by bending and crossing the third piece 31 and the fourth piece 32. The third piece 31 gradually becomes thinner toward the end, and a through hole 34 that penetrates in the thickness direction is formed in the thin portion 33 of the end portion. It should be noted that the thickness of the thin portion 33 is almost the same as the width of the recessed portion 28 formed on the first piece 26 of the first fixed member 22A, or slightly thinner than the width of the recessed portion 28. The fourth piece 32 is formed in a direction almost perpendicular to the third piece 31, and the end is designed to be in contact with the second return member 22D mentioned later.

[0139] The second fixed member 22B is formed by bending a fifth piece 35 and a sixth piece 36 of a T-shaped plate-like member at a cross position. The fifth piece 35 is designed to be mounted on the right side plate 11, and the sixth piece 36 extends from a slightly central portion of the fifth piece 35 in the long direction. The sixth piece 36 is designed to support the rotation of the second movable member 22D at the rear side of the fifth piece 35.

[0140] The second reversing member 22D has a through hole formed in the thickness direction and a rod-shaped body support portion 37 for clamping the rod-shaped body 22E. The through hole is sized so that a shaft member (not shown) formed in the second fixed member 22B or a pin formed in the through hole in the second fixed member 22B can be inserted. The second reversing member 22D is supported by a shaft member inserted in the through hole or by a pin and can rotate around the shaft member or the pin. The rod-shaped body support portion 37 is designed to adjust the depth of the insertion hole (not shown), is fixed by a screw, and the force of clamping the rod-shaped body 22E can be adjusted by adjusting the tightening degree of the screw.

[0141] The rod-shaped body 22E has one end and the other end, and is fixed in the insertion hole of the rod-shaped body support part 37. The rod-shaped body 22E is suspended from one end of the rod-shaped body support part 37. The rod-shaped body 22E can be rotated along the second actuating member 22D. Figure 6 The first fixed part 22A and the second fixed part 22B are usually connected by an elastic part (not shown). Therefore, the second actuating part 22D is supported by the spring of the first actuating part 22C so that the other end of the rod-shaped body 22E is suspended toward the center of the X-axis direction.

[0142] It should be noted that the rod-shaped body 22E and the rod-shaped body 23E are relative along the X-axis direction. The spacing between these rod-shaped bodies 22E and 22E is smaller than the outer diameter of the container 501 on the placement portion 15. This is to make the rod-shaped body 22E contact the outer peripheral part of the container 501 when the container 501 is placed on the placement portion 15. When the container 501 is placed on the placement portion 15, since the spacing between the opposing rod-shaped bodies 22E is smaller than the outer diameter of the container 501, the opposing rod-shaped bodies 22E will contact one by one on the outer shape of the container 501, gradually expanding their spacing, so as to allow the entry of the container 501. When the container 501 enters the maximum point, the spacing between the rod-shaped bodies 22E and 22E is the largest. Thereafter, as the container 501 enters inwardly, each rod-shaped body 22E can adjust its spacing accordingly along the outer shape of the container 501, while gradually reducing the spacing between them.

[0143] It should be noted that the structures of the first fixed component 23A~25A, the second fixed component 23B~25B, the first reversing component 23C~25C and the second reversing component 23D~25D are the same as the structures of the first fixed component 22A, the second fixed component 22B, the first reversing component 22C and the second reversing component 22D described previously, so the description is omitted here.

[0144] The rod-shaped body 22E is provided with a cover guide member 38. When the cover 601 is placed on the container 501, it is positioned by the predetermined positions of the four rod-shaped bodies 22E to 25E, specifically, at a position where the center of the cover 601 is slightly the same as the center of the container 501. At this time, the cover is first inserted into the area surrounded by the four rod-shaped bodies 22E and then placed on the container 501. The cover guide member 38 is a member for guiding from which position in the Z-axis direction the cover is inserted when the cover is inserted into the area surrounded by the four rod-shaped bodies 22E. It is preferable to set the cover guide member 38 at a position higher than the top of the container 501 so that the cover can be placed on the container 501 more easily. In addition, in the sealing device 1, if the cover 601 is used to seal a plurality of containers 501 of different heights, the position in the Z-axis direction can be changed and a plurality of cover guide members 38 can be installed as needed. In addition, the cover guide member 38 can be formed in a clip shape, allowing the position in the Z-axis direction to be freely changed as needed. It should be noted that for the sake of convenience, Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 The cover guide member 38 is omitted in the figure.

[0145] The sealing force applying part 7 is used to apply connection energy to the container 501 and the cover body. The sealing force applying part 7 includes a heater 39, a substrate part 40, and a spring part 41 as a sealing force control part. The heater 39 includes a heating body 42 and an insertion shaft 43. The heating body 42 has a heating element and a power supply terminal. The heating element is configured to be heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, from 100°C to 200°C by electricity supplied from a power supply. The power supplied to the heating body is supplied from the power supply through a cable connected to the power supply terminal. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the energy applied by the sealing force applying part 7 has at least thermal energy, but the energy applied by the sealing force applying part 7 can use electrical energy, compression energy, etc. in addition to thermal energy, and these energies can also be used in combination. In addition, in the present embodiment, the sealing force applying part 7 adopts a method of applying thermal energy by a heat sealing method, but methods other than heat sealing methods, such as ultrasonic welding methods, etc., can also be appropriately used.

[0146] The shape and size of the heater 39 are formed along the container 501 to be sealed and the cover 601. For example, the container 501 described in the present embodiment is circular in plan view, and the cover 601 is also formed along the size and shape of the container 501. Therefore, the shape of the heater 39 is formed into a circle that can heat the edge of the container 501 as a whole. Therefore, if the shape of the container 501 in plan view is a rectangle, the shape of the heater 39 can also be formed into a rectangle adapted to the container 501, and its shape and size can be determined arbitrarily. This heater 39 has a sealing force applying surface 44, which is a surface in contact with the surface of the cover. This sealing force applying surface 44 can be planar or a surface with radially and / or circumferentially gradually formed concave and convex, but from the perspective of a small sealing force connecting the container 501 and the cover, it is best that the sealing force applying surface 44 is planar.

[0147] The insertion shaft 43 is erected from the upper surface of the heater 39. In the present embodiment, there are four insertion shafts 43, but the number of the insertion shafts 43 is not limited to four. These insertion shafts 43 are arranged at positions corresponding to the positions of the insertion holes 45 of the substrate component 40. While maintaining the insertion state, the insertion shafts 43 enable the substrate component 40 to move in the up and down direction (Z-axis direction), and the movement of the substrate component 40 is performed between the top and base ends of the insertion shafts 43. In addition, a clamp component 46 is installed at a specific position near the top of the insertion shaft 43. The outer diameter of the clip component 46 is designed to be larger than the insertion hole 45 of the substrate component 40 to ensure that the substrate component 40 does not fall off the insertion shaft 43.

[0148] The substrate member 40 is connected to the upper part of the heater 39 via a spring member 41. The substrate member 40 is provided with a first connecting member 47, which is connected to the operation portion 9 described later, and a second connecting member 48, which is connected to the first moving body 49 and the second moving body 50 constituting the moving mechanism 8. The first connecting member 47 is connected to the substrate member 40 and the front cover body 51 constituting the operation portion 9, and is used to transmit the force in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) generated by the operation of the operation portion 9. In addition, the second connecting member 48 receives the up-down direction force transmitted by the first connecting member 47, and transmits this force to the first moving body 49 and the second moving body 50.

[0149] The spring member 41 is provided between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40. In the present embodiment, a coil spring is used as the spring member 41, but the spring member 41 used is not limited to the coil spring. The central portion of the coil spring as the spring member 41 is provided with a hollow portion, and the insertion shaft 43 passes through the hollow portion. When the interval between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40 is narrowed, the coil spring is compressed in a state where it is clamped by the heater 39 and the substrate member 40, and when the interval between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40 is widened, the compressed state of the coil spring is reduced.

[0150] The operating portion 9 is used to operate in the up-down direction, that is, to operate between the first position where the distance between the sealing force applying portion 7 and the container 501 placed on the loading portion 15 is fixed and the position where the sealing force applying portion 7 applies a certain force to the container 501. This operating portion 9 includes a front cover 51 and a handle 52. The front cover 51 is installed on the first connecting member 47 to prevent the user from accidentally touching the heater 39 during operation and causing injury. The front cover 51 covers the sealing force applying portion 7 as a whole from the front, and its shape is slightly smaller than the width between the right side plate 11 and the left side plate 12 constituting the housing 4. A handle 52 is provided in front of the front cover 51 so that the user can hold and operate it.

[0151] The moving mechanism 8 is a device for moving the sealing force applying part 7 up and down by the force applied by the user through the operating part 9. The moving mechanism 8 includes a first guide rail 53, a second guide rail 54, a third guide rail 55, a first moving body 49, a second moving body 50, a third moving body 56, a weight 57 and a transmission part 58. The first guide rail 53 and the second guide rail 54 are used to guide the movement of the sealing force applying part 7 when it moves up and down. In the present embodiment, although the same first guide rail 53 and second guide rail 54 are used, different guide rails may also be used. The first guide rail 53 is mounted on the right side plate 11, and the second guide rail 54 is mounted on the left side plate 12. The first moving body 49 is fixed to the right side end of the second connecting part 48. In addition, the first moving body 49 is connected to the first guide rail 53 and can slide and move along the first guide rail 53. The second moving body 50 is fixed to the left side end of the second connecting part 48. Furthermore, the second moving body 50 is connected to the second guide rail 54 and can slide along the second guide rail 54 .

[0152] The third guide rail 55 is used to guide the movement of the weight 57 when it moves up and down, and it is fixed to the back of the rear plate 14. The third moving body 56 is fixed to the weight 57 and connected to the third guide rail 55, and can slide along the third guide rail 55. The weight 57 is installed behind the rear plate 14, and can slide along the third guide rail 55 through the third moving body 56. One end of the transmission component 58 is connected to the weight 57, and the other end is connected to the sealing force applying part 7. The transmission component 58 can choose to use parts such as chains. It should be noted that, for the convenience of description, the transmission component 58 is represented by a dotted line in the figure.

[0153] The detection part 59 is installed on the sealing force applying part 7. The detection part 59 is used to detect whether the pressure applied by the sealing force applying part 7 reaches a predetermined size. In this embodiment, an example of the detection part 59 uses a limit switch. When the pressure applied by the sealing force applying part 7 reaches a predetermined size, the switch will open (the contact is closed), and the light pattern or light color of the light 60 in the device can be arbitrarily changed to notify the user that no more sealing force needs to be applied.

[0154] Next, the function and effect of the sealing device in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, under normal circumstances, the sealing force applying part 7 is located at the first position. In addition, the heating body 42 of the sealing force applying part 7 has been powered and is in a state of being heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, a predetermined temperature of 100°C to 200°C). When a user attempts to apply the cover 601 to the container 501, the user first places the container 501 in the sealing device 1. At this time, the container 501 is held in the holding portion of the holding part 5. When the container 501 is held in the holding part 5, it first contacts the guide part 21 constituting the holding part 5. The guide part 21 is gradually formed to be narrowed in width from the front to the rear direction, and the width of the end thereof is formed to be larger than the outer diameter of the container 501. In addition, the shape of the container 501 is circular in a plan view. Therefore, when the container 501 moves in the A direction, the guide part 21 is elastically deformed so that the size of the container 501 gradually increases along the body 502. The elastic deformation at this time occurs in the direction in which the extension portion 19 and the container holding portion 20 gradually increase in width as the number of containers gradually increases when the containers enter. The container 501 reaches the container holding portion 20 of the holding portion 5 after passing through the guide portion 21. The container holding portion 20 is in the shape of an arc and is formed along the shape of the container 501. Therefore, the container 501 is held at the body 502 of the container holding portion 20. At this time, due to the entry of the container 501, the gap of the holding portion 5 is larger than when the container 501 does not enter. That is, the container holding portion 20 is such that the gap between the components constituting the container holding portion 20 is W2, and when the outer dimension of the position where the container 501 is held in the container holding portion 20 is D1, D1 is greater than W2. Therefore, when the container 501 enters and is held, the container holding portion 20 will be elastically deformed to a state corresponding to the outer dimension D1 of the container 501. Therefore, when the container holding portion 20 holds the container 501, it is always acted upon by a restoring force to restore to the original size W2, and holds the container 501 with the same magnitude as the restoring force. Therefore, the container holding portion 20 can firmly hold the container 501 after the container 501 enters. It should be noted that, by holding the container 501 in the container holding portion 20, the upper peripheral edge of the container 501 will contact the rod-shaped bodies 22E, 23E, 24E, 25E ​​of the cover body position determining portion 6.

[0155] The container retaining portion 20 is capable of retaining multiple types of containers with different outer sizes. For example, when the outer size of the container to be retained is larger than the container described above, the container retaining portion 20 will undergo a larger range of elastic deformation. When the outer size of the container becomes larger, there may be a difference between the curvature of the components of the container retaining portion 20 and the curvature of the body 502 forming the container 501. According to the sealing device of this embodiment, even if there is a difference in curvature between the container retaining portion 20 and the body 502 of the container 501, the container can still be retained due to the restoring force of the container retaining portion 20. In other words, according to the sealing device of this embodiment, even multiple types of containers 501 with different outer sizes can be accommodated by one retaining portion 5, thereby significantly improving the versatility of the sealing device 1.

[0156] After the user places the container 501 into the container holding portion 20, Fig.10 As shown, the cover 501 is placed above the container 501. At this time, the cover case inner material 38 is installed on each rod-shaped body 22E and 23E of the cover positioning part 6. The cover case inner material 38 is located below the sealing force applying part 7 when the container 501 is placed on the loading part 15, and is located above the container 501. Therefore, the user can insert the cover 601 into the area surrounded by the rod-shaped bodies 22E, 23E, 24E, and 25E of the cover positioning part 6 while observing the cover case inner material 38, so that the user can safely place the cover 601 above the container 501. In addition, the cover 601 placed above the container 501 in this way is adjusted by the rod-shaped bodies 22E, 23E, 24E, and 25E of the cover positioning part 6, and the position of the container 501 is predetermined. The predetermined position here is not limited to such a central position. As long as the position where the cover 601 is sealed on the container 501, even if there is a slight position deviation, it will be included in the predetermined position.

[0157] The position of the cover case inner material 38 is preferably above the container 501, but is better near the container 501. By arranging the cover case inner material 38 at such a position, the user can place the cover 601 more easily when placing it on the container 501, making the operation easier.

[0158] Next, the user Fig.11A force in the B direction is applied to the operating portion 9. After the force in the B direction is applied to the operating portion 9, the moving mechanism 8 applies a force in the B direction through the second connecting member 48. Then, the first moving body 49 begins to slide along the first guide rail 53 in the B direction, and the second moving body 50 begins to slide along the second guide rail 54 in the B direction. When the first moving body 49 and the second moving body 50 begin to slide in the B direction, these first moving bodies 49 and the second moving bodies 50, as well as the first connecting member 47 fixedly connected thereto, and the heater 39 and the like connected to the first connecting member 47 all begin to move in the B direction. When the heater 39 and the like begin to move in the B direction, the gravity 57 connected through the transmission member 58 begins to move. Fig.11 That is, when the heater 39 starts to descend, the gravity 57 starts to rise.

[0159] The user operates the operating portion 9 to move the sealing force imparting portion 7 along the Fig.11 The heater 39 is moved to a predetermined position in the direction B in the middle, so that the sealing force imparting surface 44 of the heater 39 contacts the surface of the cover 601. Since the heater 39 of the sealing force imparting surface 44 has been heated to a predetermined temperature, when the sealing force imparting surface 44 contacts the surface of the cover 601, the heat energy of the heater 39 is transferred to the sealing force imparting surface 44, so that the cover 601 is heated. At this time, the contact state of the heater 39 and the cover 601 can be maintained, or it can be configured to apply a sealing force of a predetermined size after contact. In this way, when the sealing force imparting surface 44 of the heater 39 contacts the surface of the cover 601, or the sealing force is further applied after the sealing force imparting surface 44 contacts the surface of the cover 601, the limit switch as the detection part 59 will be triggered. When the limit switch is triggered, the locking mechanism not shown will start to operate to maintain the heat energy transferred from the heater 39, or for a predetermined time in the state of applying heat energy and sealing force. This locking mechanism will be unlocked after a predetermined time. Then, the sealing force applying portion located at the second position rises due to the force applied by the transmission member 58 in the direction opposite to the gravity of the rising weight 57, which is caused by the descent from the first position to the second position.

[0160] According to the sealing device 1 of the present invention, the container 501 is first held in the body 502, so when the sealing force is applied by the heater 39 of the sealing force applying part 7, the protrusion at the upper end of the container 501 is more likely to maintain a changeable state as a whole. Therefore, even if the container 501 is subjected to the sealing force by the heater 39, it can not only accept all the applied sealing forces, but also only accept a force of a specific size, and the rest of the force can be released. Therefore, when the cover 601 is sealed on the container 501, it can be easily sealed.

[0161] In addition, according to the sealing device 1 of the present invention, since the container 501 is directly placed on the mounting portion 15, it is not necessary to provide a holding device for holding the upper end of the container or a driving mechanism for operating in the front-rear direction, etc., as in conventional known sealing devices. This makes the overall structure of the sealing device 1 simpler. Therefore, the sealing device according to the present invention can greatly reduce the number of parts, achieve miniaturization and lightness, and can significantly reduce various costs, including manufacturing costs.

[0162] In recent years, in stores, from the perspective of more effectively utilizing limited store space, it is desired that the equipment installed be more compact and lightweight. Therefore, the sealing device according to the utility model can be easily miniaturized, and thus can be more effectively provided to stores that are more important for space efficiency, such as convenience stores and fast food restaurants that have paid special attention to small stores in recent years.

[0163] In summary, although the embodiment of the sealing device of the utility model has been described in detail, the above is only an example of the sealing device of the utility model. Therefore, the utility model is not limited to the above example, and can be appropriately modified as long as it is within the scope of the intent of the utility model.

[0164] The sealing device involved in the utility model includes the following technical ideas.

[0165] (A1) A sealing device for sealing the mouth of a container with a cover, comprising a supporting portion for supporting the container, a sealing force applying portion for applying energy required for the cover to seal the container, and a first position between the sealing force applying portion and the container on the supporting portion, wherein they are a set distance apart, and a second position where the sealing force applying portion applies a certain force to the cover when the cover is placed on the container, and also includes a moving mechanism for moving the sealing force applying portion and / or the container.

[0166] (A2) A sealing device for sealing the mouth of a container with a cover, comprising a supporting portion for supporting the container, a sealing force applying portion for applying energy required for the cover to seal the container, and a first position between the sealing force applying portion and the container on the supporting portion, wherein they are a set distance apart, and a second position where the sealing force applying portion applies a certain force to the cover when the cover is placed on the container, and also includes a moving mechanism for moving the sealing force applying portion and / or the container, wherein the sealing force applying portion releases the application of the sealing force to the container when certain conditions are met.

[0167] The certain condition described in (A3) is that the sealing force of the sealing force applying portion reaches a certain magnitude, such as the sealing device described in (A2).

[0168] The certain condition described in (A4) is that a certain time has passed after the sealing force of the sealing force applying portion reaches a certain magnitude, such as the sealing device described in (A2).

[0169] (A5) When the container is placed on the support, it has a holding portion for holding the container at a specific position on the support, such as any sealing device described in (A1) to (A4).

[0170] (A6) The energy includes at least thermal energy, such as any sealing device described in (A1) to (A5).

[0171] (A7) The container and the cover body have facing surfaces, which have resin material, and the sealing force applying part applies at least thermal energy, the temperature of which exceeds the softening temperature of the resin material, such as any sealing device described in (A1) to (A6).

[0172] (A8) The sealing force applying portion applies pressure energy in addition to thermal energy, such as the sealing device described in (A7).

[0173] (A9) When the container is placed on the support, it has a holding portion for holding the container at a specific position on the support, such as any sealing device described in (A1) to (A8).

[0174] (A10) The holding portion has a positioning portion for placing the container at a specific position on the support portion when the container is held, such as any sealing device described in (A1) to (A9).

[0175] (A11) The retaining portion is used to retain the cylindrical portion of the container, such as any of the sealing devices described in (A1) to (A10).

[0176] (A12) The holding portion is formed to be able to hold a plurality of types of containers of different sizes, such as any of the sealing devices described in (A1) to (A11).

[0177] (A13) The holding portion is formed so as to be able to hold a plurality of types of containers having different shapes, such as any of the sealing devices described in (A1) to (A12).

[0178] (A14) The moving mechanism has an operation portion operated by a user and is configured to be moved between a first position and a second position by the user's operation, such as any of the sealing devices described in (A1) to (A13).

[0179] (A15) The moving mechanism has a moving force applying portion for moving the sealing force applying portion from the second position to the first position, such as any one of the sealing devices described in (A1) to (A14).

[0180] (A16) The support portion is located below the sealing force applying portion, such as any sealing device described in (A1) to (A15).

[0181] (A17) When the container is placed on the support portion, there is a cover guide portion for guiding the insertion of the cover body below the sealing force applying portion and above the upper end of the container, such as any sealing device described in (A1) to (A16).

[0182] (A18) The sealing force applying portion applies a first energy as energy to at least a portion of the face-to-face surface of the container and the cover body when in the second position, and applies a second energy smaller than the first energy to a non-contact portion that is not in contact with the face-to-face surface, such as any sealing device described in (A1) to (A17).

Claims

1. A sealing device for sealing an opening of a container, wherein: The invention comprises a supporting part for supporting a container, a sealing force applying part for applying a sealing force to the container, and a moving mechanism between a first position as a position where the sealing force applying part and / or the container are a set distance away from the container placed on the placing part, and a second position as a position where the sealing force applying part applies energy and a predetermined amount of force to a cover body placed on the container.

2. A sealing device for sealing an opening of a container, wherein: The invention comprises a supporting part for supporting a container, a sealing force applying part for applying a sealing force to the container, and a moving mechanism between a first position as a position where the sealing force applying part and / or the container are a set distance away from the container placed on the placing part, and a second position as a position where the sealing force applying part applies energy and a predetermined amount of force to a cover body placed on the container, and the sealing force applying part releases the sealing force applied to the container when specific conditions are met.

3. The sealing device according to claim 2, wherein: The specific condition means that the sealing force applied by the sealing force applying portion reaches a predetermined magnitude.

4. The sealing device according to claim 2, wherein: The specific condition refers to a predetermined time period after the sealing force applied by the sealing force applying unit reaches a predetermined magnitude.

5. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the container is placed on the placement portion, a holding portion is provided to hold the container at a specific position on the placement portion.

6. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The energy includes at least thermal energy.

7. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A facing surface is provided between the container and the cover body, on which a resin material is present, and the sealing force applying part applies heat energy at least to the facing surface, wherein the heat energy exceeds a softening temperature of the resin material.

8. The sealing device according to claim 7, wherein: The sealing force applying portion applies pressure energy in addition to thermal energy.

9. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the container is placed on the placement portion, a holding portion is provided to hold the container at a specific position on the placement portion.

10. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The holding portion has a position positioning portion for placing the container at a specific position of the placement portion when holding the container.

11. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The holding portion is used to hold the body of the container.

12. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The holding portion is designed to be able to hold multiple types of containers of different sizes.

13. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The holding portion is designed to be able to hold various types of containers of different shapes.

14. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The moving mechanism has an operation portion that is manipulated by a user.

15. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The moving mechanism includes a moving force applying portion for applying a moving force to move the sealing force applying portion from the second position to the first position.

16. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The placement portion is located below the sealing force applying portion.

17. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the container is placed on the placement portion, a cover guide portion for guiding the insertion of the cover is provided below the sealing force applying portion and at a position above the upper end of the container.

18. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the sealing force applying portion is at the second position, the first energy is applied as energy to at least a portion of the contact surface, and the second energy having a smaller magnitude than the first energy is applied to the non-contact surface.

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