Patent Publication Number: US-2013248117-A1

Title: Laminator with improved heating structure

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     This invention relates to a laminator with an improved heating structure, in particular to a laminator with an improved heating structure which is able to directly heat a laminator to avoid waiting for heating and therefore improve the utilization efficiency of the laminator. 
     2. Description of Related Arts At present, the laminator is a common device on the market, which heats and rolls articles such as photos and certificates placed in a laminating film to seal those articles in the laminating film so as to protect those articles well, e.g.: damage of the photos and certificates caused by moisture or tearing is avoided. 
     See  FIGS. 1-3 .  FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional view of the laminator,  FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the laminator, and  FIG. 3  is an amplified view of the internal structure of the laminator. 
     The figure shows a laminator  9 , a roller  92  and a heating element  93  positioned in an internal accommodating space  91  of the laminator  9 , and the laminator  9  has an inlet  94  and an outlet  95  which are linked with the internal accommodating space  91 . 
     When the laminator  9  works, the heating element  93  heats the laminating film  96  entering from the inlet  94 , and the roller  92  rolls the laminating film  96  at the same time to seal articles such as photos and certificates in the laminating film  96 . 
     However, as shown in the figure, the heating element  93  of the traditional laminator is installed on one side of the roller  92 , and to carry out lamination, people have to wait for the lamination operation until the heating element  93  heats the roller  92  to the desired temperature, which means that the heating element  93  of the traditional laminator is in direct relationship with the laminating film  96 , so people have to wait for heating, which reduces the utilization efficiency of the laminator  9  and is therefore very undesirable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     A laminator with an improved heating structure comprises a machine body, an inlet roller unit, an outlet roller unit and a heating unit, wherein the machine body comprises an inlet, an internal accommodating space and an outlet, and the three are linked with each other; the inlet roller unit is positioned in the internal accommodating space of the machine body and comprises an inlet upper roller and an inlet lower roller which are configured opposite each other, a first channel is located between the inlet upper roller and the inlet lower roller and leads to the inlet of the machine body; the outlet roller unit is positioned in the internal accommodating space of the machine body and comprises an outlet roller and an outlet lower roller which are configured opposite each other, a second channel is located between the outlet upper roller and the outlet lower roller and leads to the outlet of the machine body; the heating unit is positioned in the internal accommodating space of the machine body and between the inlet roller unit and the outlet roller unit and comprises an upper heating element and a lower heating element which are configured opposite each other, a third channel is located between the upper heating element and the lower heating element and leads to the first and second channels. 
     Therefore, when the laminator works, the laminating film enters the internal accommodating space from the inlet and passages through the heating unit, then the heating unit directly heats the laminating element, and waiting is not required. In other words, the mentioned structure allows direct lamination heating, waiting for heating is avoided, and thus, the utilization efficiency of the laminator is improved. 
     The upper and lower heating elements of the heating unit may be a lamp tube or other heating device such as heater band (electric heater band). 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional view of the laminator. 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the laminator. 
         FIG. 3  is an amplified view of the internal structure in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a three-dimensional view of a laminator in a preferable embodiment of this invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of a laminator in a preferable embodiment of this invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an amplified view of the internal structure in  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     See  FIGS. 4-6 .  FIG. 4  is a three-dimensional view of the laminator in a preferable embodiment,  FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the laminator of the preferable embodiment, and  FIG. 6  is an amplified view of the internal structure of the laminator in  FIG. 5 . 
     The figures illustrate a laminator  1  with an improved heating structure, comprising a machine body  2 , an inlet roller unit  3 , an outlet roller unit  4  and a heating unit  5 , wherein, the machine body  2  comprises an inlet  21 , an internal accommodating space  22  and an outlet  23 , the three are linked with each other; the inlet roller unit  3  is positioned in the internal accommodating space  22  of the machine body  2  and comprises an inlet upper roller  31  and an inlet lower roller  32  which are configured opposite each other, a first channel  33  is located between the inlet upper roller  31  and the inlet lower roller  32  and leads to the inlet  21  of the machine body  2 ; the outlet roller unit  4  is positioned in the internal accommodating space  22  of the machine body  2  and comprises an outlet roller  41  and an outlet lower roller  42  which are configured opposite each other, a second channel  43  is located between the outlet upper roller  41  and the outlet lower roller  42  and leads to the outlet  23  of the machine body  2 ; the heating unit  5  is positioned in the internal accommodating space  22  and between the inlet roller unit  3  and the outlet roller unit  4  and comprises an upper heating element  51  and a lower heating element  52  which are configured opposite each other, a third channel  53  is located between the upper heating element  51  and the lower heating element  53  and leads to the first and second channels  33  and  43 . 
     When the laminator  1  works, the laminating film  6  enters the internal accommodating space  22  from the inlet  21  of the machine body, which means the laminating film  6  is moved by the inlet upper roller  31  and the inlet lower roller  32  of the inlet roller unit  3  from the first channel  33  between the inlet upper roller  31  and the inlet lower roller  32  to the heating unit  5  and moves on the third channel  53  between the upper heating element  51  and the lower heating element  52  of the heating unit  5 , at this time the upper heating element  51  and the lower heating element  52  of the heating unit  5  directly heat the laminating film  6 , then the laminating film  6  is driven by the outlet upper roller  41  and the outlet lower roller  42  of the outlet roller unit  4  to move on the second channel  43  between the outlet upper roller  41  and the outlet lower roller  42  and rolled by the outlet upper roller  41  and the outlet lower roller  42  at the same time, finally the heated and rolled heating laminating  6  is discharged from the outlet  23  of the machine body  2 , and thus, the whole lamination operation is completed. 
     As mentioned above, the laminating film  6  enters the internal accommodating space  22  from the inlet  21  of the machine body  2  and is directly heated by the upper heating element  51  and the lower heating element  52  of the heating unit  5  when passing through the heating unit  5 , therefore, waiting is not required. In other words, the mentioned structure design allows to directly heat the laminator and avoids waiting for heating, and thus, the utilization efficiency of the laminator is improved. 
     In this embodiment, the upper heating element  51  and the lower heating element  52  of the heating unit  5  are a lamp tube, or other heating devices such as heater band (electric heater band).