Patent Description:
The invention generally relates to a strapping tool. More particularly, the invention relates to a strapping tool that is configured to notch or crimp a strapping seal member that secures end portions of the piece of strapping to one another.

Various tools are known in the packaging art for performing numerous functions related to the manipulation of strapping, which is commonly used as a closing mechanism for packages, and as a convenient means for easily attaching two objects to one another (e.g., attaching a box to a pallet). Some of these conventional tools are powered directly from a centralized system, such as a building electrical system or a central pneumatic system. Other conventional packaging tools have a power supply that is an integral part of the tool. Both of the aforementioned types of conventional packaging tools have numerous limitations and drawbacks. For example, conventional combination strapping tools, which perform both tensioning and sealing operations, utilize a vast array of intricate components, resulting in these tools being overly complicated, and quite expensive. Also, because these conventional tools comprise many intricate components subject to failure, they are often not as reliable as desired by the users thereof.

<CIT> discloses a pneumatically operable heavy duty strapping tool for tensioning a loop of steel strapping about an object, applying a seal to the overlapping portions of the strapping, crimping the seal to unite such portions, and severing the loop from the source of strapping. Upon initial depression of a single control lever, the tool body which carries a tensioning wheel shifts to a position wherein the wheel engages the strapping. At the same time a pair of seal-crimping jaws lightly engage the seal to hold it in position without crimping it while the tensioning wheel tightens the strapping loop. Upon a second depression of the lever, the jaws positively close upon the seal to crimp it, after which a shear blade severs the thus tensioned and sealed loop from the strapping source.

<CIT> discloses a device of the character described comprising, means for holding one end of a strap, and means for tensioning the strap by progressively pulling on the other end, said tensioning means including a mechanism for gripping the strap to permit forward movement but prevent rearward movement, reciprocable sliding mechanism which grips the strap while moving in a forward direction and releases the strap while moving in a rearward direction, and manual means having a gear tooth connection \vith said reciprocable mechanism for reciprocating it and _for separating its strap gripping elements to permit the strap to be brought into and out of functional relationship therewith prior to and subsequent to the tensioning of the strap.

Therefore, what is needed is a strapping tool that utilizes fewer and simpler components than conventional tools so as to reduce the overall complexity of the tool, and thereby provide a more cost effective alternative for performing strapping operations. Moreover, there is a need for a strapping tool that is more reliable than conventional strapping tools so as to minimize the disruption of strapping operations resulting from tool repairs and replacements. Furthermore, there is a need for a strapping tool that is easier to transport than conventional strapping tools.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a strapping tool that substantially obviates one or more problems resulting from the limitations and deficiencies of the related art.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a strapping tool. The strapping tool includes a motive power source; and a sealing assembly operatively coupled to the motive power source, the sealing assembly comprising at least one cam member, at least one follower member disposed around the at least one cam member, and at least one sealing jaw member, the at least one cam member and the at least one follower member operatively coupling the at least one sealing jaw member to the motive power source, and the at least one sealing jaw member of the sealing assembly configured to notch or crimp a strapping seal member so as to secure a piece of strapping around a package or bundle of items.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the at least one cam member of the sealing assembly comprises a first cam member and a second cam member and the at least one sealing jaw member of the sealing assembly comprises a first pair of sealing jaw members and a second pair of sealing jaw members, each of the first and second cam members being operatively coupled to the motive power source, the first cam member being operatively coupled to the first pair of sealing jaw members so as to selectively activate the first pair of sealing jaw members, and the second cam member being operatively coupled to the second pair of sealing jaw members so as to selectively activate the second pair of sealing jaw members.

In yet a further embodiment, the at least one follower member of the sealing assembly comprises a first follower member and a second follower member, and wherein the first pair of sealing jaw members are operatively coupled to the first cam member by the first follower member, and the second pair of sealing jaw members are operatively coupled to the second cam member by the second follower member.

In still a further embodiment, the strapping tool further comprises a tensioning assembly, the tensioning assembly configured to apply tension to the piece of strapping; and the motive power source supplies power to both the sealing assembly and the tensioning assembly by means of a drive shaft.

In yet a further embodiment, the strapping tool further comprises one or more one-way bearings disposed on the drive shaft so as to enable the tensioning assembly to be actuated by rotating the drive shaft in a first rotational direction and the sealing assembly to be actuated by rotating the drive shaft in a second rotational direction that is opposite to the first rotational direction.

In still a further embodiment, the sealing assembly further comprises a cutting blade for cutting the piece of strapping, the cutting blade being driven by the drive shaft that provides power to the sealing assembly and the tensioning assembly.

In yet a further embodiment, the strapping tool further comprises a single control button configured to control the operation of both the tensioning assembly and the sealing assembly.

In yet a further embodiment, the strapping tool further comprises a guide member for constraining a displacement of the at least one follower member to a direction normal to a surface of the piece of strapping.

In still a further embodiment, the strapping tool further comprises a jaw lifting assembly, the jaw lifting assembly configured to raise the at least one sealing jaw member out of a strapping pass line of the strapping tool so that the piece of strapping is capable of being inserted into the strapping tool; and a jaw locking mechanism configured to prevent the at least one sealing jaw member from being inadvertently lifted out of the strapping pass line.

In yet a further embodiment, the strapping tool further comprises a downwardly extending protrusion configured to prevent the at least one sealing jaw member from being inadvertently raised when an underside of the strapping tool contacts an object.

It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are merely exemplary and explanatory in nature. As such, the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the invention should not be construed to limit the scope of the appended claims in any sense.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

It should be understood all references to direction and position in the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, refer to the orientation of the strapping tools as presented in the drawings. For example, in <FIG> and other front end views depicted in the drawings, the left side of the tool refers to the left side of the front end view, and the right side of the tool refers to right side of the front end view.

Throughout the figures, the same parts are always denoted using the same reference characters so that, as a general rule, they will only be described once.

A first illustrative embodiment of the strapping tool is seen generally at <NUM> in <FIG>. An exploded perspective view of the assemblies that form the strapping tool <NUM> is depicted in <FIG>. Initially with reference to the illustrative embodiment of <FIG> and <FIG>, it can be seen that the strapping tool <NUM> generally comprises a motive power source <NUM>; a tensioning assembly <NUM> operatively coupled to the motive power source <NUM>, and configured to apply tension to a piece of strapping; and a sealing assembly <NUM> operatively coupled to the motive power source <NUM>, and configured to notch a strapping seal member <NUM> so as to secure a piece of strapping with strapping portions <NUM>, <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>) around a package or bundle of items. For example, as shown in <FIG>, first and second straps <NUM>, <NUM> may be secured around a package of wood timber members <NUM>. Initially, as shown in <FIG>, a user <NUM> utilizes the tensioning assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> for tensioning the strap <NUM> (e.g., in the direction indicated by arrow <NUM>). Then, after the strap is pulled tight using the tensioning assembly <NUM>, the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> is used to notch the strapping seal members <NUM> so as to secure the end portions of the straps <NUM>, <NUM> to one another. As shown in the detail view of <FIG>, the free end 130a of the strap <NUM> is secured using the seal member <NUM> by forming notched portions <NUM> in the strap <NUM> and seal member <NUM> by utilizing the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM>. In <FIG>, it can be seen that the notched portions <NUM> are bent upwardly so as to be separated from the unnotched edges <NUM> of the seal member <NUM>.

While the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> notches the strapping seal member <NUM> in the illustrative embodiment, it is to be understood that, in other embodiments, the sealing assembly of the strapping tool may crimp the seal member rather than notch the seal member. That is, in these other embodiments, the strapping tool may be used with a crimp-type seal member, rather than the illustrated notch-type seal member <NUM>.

In the illustrative embodiment, with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, it can be seen that the tensioning assembly <NUM> generally includes a tension cam member <NUM> and a tensioning leg <NUM> with a tensioning foot member <NUM> disposed at the bottom end thereof. The tension cam member <NUM> operatively couples the tensioning foot member <NUM> to the motive power source <NUM>. As will be described in detail hereinafter, the tensioning foot member <NUM> of the tensioning assembly <NUM> is configured to apply tension to a piece of strapping <NUM> (see <FIG>) while being driven in an oscillatory manner by the motive power source (e.g., motor <NUM>). As shown in the exploded view of <FIG> and the rear views of <FIG>, in the illustrative embodiment, the tensioning assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> further comprises a holding bar <NUM>, a holding bar foot <NUM>, a holding bar pin <NUM>, a tension frame housing <NUM>, a tension leg pin <NUM>, and a tension cam bracket <NUM>. When the piece of strapping <NUM> is being tensioned (as shown in <FIG>), the holding bar or leg <NUM> with associated foot <NUM> holds the strap <NUM> in place so that the strap is unable to slide in a direction opposite to the tensioning direction. In the illustrative embodiment, the holding leg <NUM> is pivotally mounted to the tension frame housing <NUM> by means of the holding bar pin <NUM>. During the tensioning of the strap <NUM>, the holding leg <NUM> is not driven by the motor <NUM>, but rather is manually pivotable about the holding bar pin <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the holding foot <NUM>, which is disposed at the bottom of the holding leg <NUM>, may be formed from a suitable rubber material so that the foot <NUM> is able to frictionally engage, and hold the strap <NUM> in place as it is being tensioned (see <FIG>). The tensioning foot member <NUM>, which is driven by the motor <NUM> during the tensioning of the strap <NUM>, is pivotable about the leg pin <NUM> during the tensioning of the strap <NUM>. The leg pin <NUM> connects the tensioning leg <NUM> to the tension cam bracket <NUM>, and is received within an oval-shaped aperture in the tension frame housing <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>).

Now, with reference primarily to <FIG>, the functionality of the tensioning assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> will be described. Initially, when the cam shaft <NUM> is driven in a tensioning direction by the motor <NUM>, the tension cam member <NUM> is rotated by the cam shaft <NUM>. As the tension cam member <NUM> rotates through its cycle, the tension cam bracket <NUM>, which acts as a cam follower (the cam <NUM> fits inside cam bracket <NUM>), is either driven up or down (see <FIG>) by the tension cam member <NUM>, which is in the form of an eccentric cam member in the illustrative embodiment. In turn, the up and down displacement of the tension cam bracket <NUM> causes the tensioning leg member <NUM>, which is operatively coupled to the tension cam bracket <NUM> by the pin <NUM>, to oscillate backwards and forwards so as to apply tension to the strap <NUM>. In other embodiments, the displacement of the tension cam bracket <NUM> may include lateral displacements as well as the generally vertical displacements of the illustrative embodiment (e.g., the tension cam bracket <NUM> may be diagonally displaced). In particular, referring to <FIG>, it can be seen that the end of the strap <NUM> being tensioned initially is disposed at the location E1 before tension has been applied thereto. Then, turning to <FIG>, as tension is being applied to the strap <NUM> during a first cycle by the tensioning foot <NUM> on the end of the tensioning leg member <NUM>, the end of the strap <NUM> has been displaced to the location E2 (i.e., the strap <NUM> has been displaced to the right in <FIG>). As shown in <FIG>, when the tensioning foot <NUM> is disposed in its tensioning position of <FIG>, the distance D1 defines the distance between the center of the cam shaft <NUM> and the location where the cam surface of tension cam member <NUM> contacts the bottom surface of the central recess of the tension cam bracket <NUM> (i.e., the tension cam bracket <NUM> is driven downwardly by the thick section of the cam <NUM> in <FIG> so that the tensioning foot <NUM> is pushed downwardly against the strap <NUM> for tensioning). <FIG> depicts the state of the cam <NUM> and tension cam bracket <NUM> when foot <NUM> is fully extended. Finally, referring to <FIG>, after tension has been applied to the strap <NUM> during the first cycle by the tensioning foot <NUM>, the tensioning foot <NUM> is shown resetting for the second cycle, as the holding foot <NUM> is shown pivoting so as to engage the tensioned strap <NUM> and maintain the tension force thereon throughout the tensioning operation until the strap <NUM> is cut by the cutting blade <NUM>, as described hereinafter. As shown in <FIG>, when the tensioning foot <NUM> is disposed in its resetting position of <FIG> during the resetting phase thereof, the distance D2 defines the distance between the center of the cam shaft <NUM> and the location where the cam surface of tension cam member <NUM> contacts the bottom surface of the central recess of the tension cam bracket <NUM> (i.e., the tension cam bracket <NUM> travels upwardly when the thin section of the cam <NUM> in <FIG> contacts the bottom surface of the central recess of the tension cam bracket <NUM> so that the tensioning foot <NUM> is reset for the tensioning cycle). In the illustrative embodiment, during the resetting of the tensioning foot <NUM>, the foot <NUM> may be held down against the strap <NUM> by a spring (i.e., a downward spring force is applied to the foot <NUM> to maintain the foot <NUM> in contact with the strap <NUM> during the resetting thereof). In <FIG>, the position of the foot <NUM> is exaggerated slightly to better distinguish the resetting stroke from the tensioning stroke. <FIG> depicts the state of the cam <NUM> and tension cam bracket <NUM> when the foot <NUM> is retracted back to start the cycle over. In <FIG>, location E3 designates the future location of the end of the strap <NUM> after the second cycle of tensioning has concluded (i.e., the strap <NUM> will be displaced to the right in <FIG> to the location E3 after the second tensioning cycle). In the illustrative embodiment, during the tensioning operation of the strapping tool <NUM>, the tensioning foot <NUM> advances the tensioned strap <NUM> a predetermined amount (e.g., one-eighth of an inch) during each cycle. During the tensioning operation, the tensioning foot <NUM> continually grabs and pulls a predetermined amount of strapping <NUM> through the seal member and the holding foot <NUM> prevents the strapping <NUM> from slipping back. During each tensioning cycle, the foot <NUM> resets and grabs another predetermined amount of strap <NUM> (e.g., one-eighth of an inch) as it is forced down and out the back of the tool <NUM>. After sufficient tension is applied to the strap, the tensioning operation is concluded, the motor <NUM> reverses, and the sealing operations described hereinafter are performed.

While only the tensioning foot <NUM> is driven in the illustrative embodiment, it is to be understood that, in other embodiments, both feet <NUM>, <NUM> may be driven by the motor <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM>.

In the illustrative embodiment, referring again to the exploded view of <FIG>, it can be seen that the tensioning assembly <NUM> may further include a plurality of cover plates <NUM>, <NUM> that attach to the tension frame housing <NUM> so as to cover portions of the tensioning assembly <NUM> components. In the illustrative embodiment, the plurality of cover plates <NUM>, <NUM> may be formed from a polymeric material or suitable plastic. In one or more embodiments, the cover plate <NUM> may be transparent (i.e., in the form of a clear window) so that internal components of the tensioning assembly <NUM> are visible to the user during the operation of the strapping tool <NUM> (e.g., so the feet <NUM>, <NUM> are visible to the user to facilitate the loading of the tool <NUM>).

Referring again to <FIG>, in the illustrative embodiment, the motor <NUM> supplies power to both the sealing assembly <NUM> and the tensioning assembly <NUM> by means of the single cam drive shaft <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, with reference to the cam and bearing subassembly <NUM> depicted in <FIG>, the strapping tool <NUM> further comprises a plurality of one-way bearings <NUM>, <NUM> disposed on the cam drive shaft <NUM> so as to enable the tensioning assembly <NUM> to be actuated by rotating the cam drive shaft <NUM> in a first rotational direction (e.g., a counterclockwise direction), and the sealing assembly <NUM> and the cutting operations to be actuated by rotating the drive shaft <NUM> in a second rotational direction (e.g., a clockwise direction) that is opposite to the first rotational direction. As a result of the one-way bearings <NUM>, <NUM>, the sealing cams <NUM>, <NUM> do not rotate when the cam drive shaft <NUM> rotates in the first rotational direction, and the tension cam member <NUM> does not rotate when the cam drive shaft <NUM> rotates in the second rotational direction. As shown in <FIG>, in addition to the one-way bearings <NUM>, <NUM>, the cam and bearing subassembly <NUM> further includes a front sealing cam <NUM>, a rear sealing cam <NUM>, a cut cam <NUM>, and the tension cam member <NUM> disposed on the one-way bearing <NUM>.

While one-way bearings <NUM>, <NUM> are utilized in the illustrative embodiment for regulating the tensioning, sealing, and cutting operations of the strapping tool <NUM>, other means for controlling the directional rotation of the cam drive shaft <NUM> may be used. For example, in one or more alternative embodiments, a clutch subassembly may be operatively coupled to the cam drive shaft <NUM> rather than the one-way bearings <NUM>, <NUM> so as to enable the tensioning assembly <NUM> to be actuated by rotating the drive shaft <NUM> in a first rotational direction and the sealing assembly <NUM> and the cutting operations to be actuated by rotating the drive shaft <NUM> in a second rotational direction that is opposite to the first rotational direction. As another example, in one or more other alternative embodiments, a one-way ratchet subassembly or one-way indexing subassembly may be operatively coupled to the cam drive shaft <NUM> rather than the one-way bearings <NUM>, <NUM> so as to enable the tensioning assembly <NUM> to be actuated by rotating the drive shaft <NUM> in a first rotational direction and the sealing assembly <NUM> and the cutting operations to be actuated by rotating the drive shaft <NUM> in a second rotational direction that is opposite to the first rotational direction.

In the illustrative embodiment, the motive power source <NUM> is in the form of electric motor powered by the battery pack <NUM>. However, in other embodiments, other types of motive power sources may be used, such as pneumatic motors, liquid fuel-based motors (e.g., gasoline-powered motors), motors driven by mechanical spring assemblies, and manually-actuated power sources (e.g., a power source driven by the turning of a crank by user, etc.).

Also, while a single electric motor <NUM> drives both the tensioning assembly <NUM> and the sealing assembly <NUM> in the illustrative embodiment, separate motors may be used for the tensioning and sealing assemblies <NUM>, <NUM> in alternative embodiments.

Next, with reference primarily to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, the sealing assembly <NUM> of the illustrative strapping tool <NUM> will be described in detail. In the illustrative embodiment, referring initially to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, it can be seen that the sealing assembly <NUM> generally includes a plurality of cam members <NUM>, <NUM>, a plurality of cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM>, and a plurality of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the plurality of cam members <NUM>, <NUM> of the sealing assembly <NUM> comprises a first cam member <NUM> (i.e., a front sealing cam <NUM>) and a second cam member <NUM> (i.e., a rear sealing cam <NUM>) disposed on the cam shaft <NUM> driven by motor <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, each of the cam members <NUM>, <NUM> is eccentric, and thus has a variable radii cam surface geometry. Also, in the illustrative embodiment, the plurality of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> of the sealing assembly <NUM> comprises a front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> and a rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, it can be seen that the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> each comprise respective sealing teeth for forming the notched portions <NUM> in the seal member <NUM> (see <FIG>). In addition, referring to <FIG>, <FIG>, each of the first and second cam members <NUM>, <NUM> is operatively coupled to the electric motor <NUM> by means of the cam shaft <NUM> (i.e., the cams <NUM>, <NUM> are both simultaneously rotated by the cam shaft <NUM>). The first cam member <NUM> is operatively coupled to the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> by the front cam follower member <NUM> so as to selectively activate the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> (see <FIG>). The second cam member <NUM> is operatively coupled to the rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> by the rear cam follower member <NUM> so as to selectively activate the rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> (see <FIG>, <FIG>). Turning again to <FIG>, <FIG>, it can be seen that the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are operatively coupled to the front cam follower member <NUM> by a first pair of cam bearings <NUM>, <NUM>, while the rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are operatively coupled to the rear cam follower member <NUM> by a second pair of cam bearings <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the front and rear cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM> are in form of front and rear sealing cam plate members with respective central apertures formed therein for receiving the respective first and second cam members <NUM>, <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the front and rear cam subassemblies of the sealing assembly <NUM> may be in the form of positive drive cams where the cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM> are disposed around, and circumscribe their respective cam members <NUM>, <NUM>.

In the illustrative embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, the sealing assembly <NUM> further comprises first and second sealing guide members <NUM>, <NUM> for constraining the displacement of the front and rear cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM> to a direction normal to a surface of the piece of strapping <NUM> (i.e., an upward/downward displacement). As best shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, the front and rear cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM> comprise grooves on the outer sides thereof that slidingly engage with protruding rails formed on the first and second sealing guide members <NUM>, <NUM> such that the front and rear cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM> slide up and down relative to the first and second sealing guide members <NUM>, <NUM> when follower members <NUM>, <NUM> are displaced by the cam members <NUM>, <NUM>.

Referring again to <FIG>, <FIG>, it can be seen that the lower end portions of the front sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are connected together by means of a front connector member <NUM>, while the lower end portions of the rear sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are connected together by means of a rear connector member <NUM>. The front and rear connector members <NUM>, <NUM> act as jaw spacer members. Elongate jaw pivot pins <NUM>, <NUM> extend in the front-to-back direction of the strapping tool <NUM>, and pass through spaced-apart apertures in the front and rear connector members <NUM>, <NUM> so as to couple the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> to the rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> (see <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>). The sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> disposed on the first side of the strapping tool <NUM> both pivot about the jaw pivot pin <NUM> during the notching of the seal member <NUM>, while the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> disposed on the second side of the strapping tool <NUM> both pivot about the jaw pivot pin <NUM> during the notching of the seal member <NUM>. Also, referring to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, it can be seen that the sealing assembly <NUM> further comprises a pair of center jaw spacer members <NUM> for providing front-to-back spacing between the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the first side of the strapping tool <NUM>, and front-to-back spacing between the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the second side of the strapping tool <NUM>.

As best shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, in the illustrative embodiment, the internal components of the sealing assembly <NUM> are housed within the front housing member <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> and rear housing member <NUM>. Collectively, the front and rear housing members <NUM>, <NUM> enclose the constituent components of the sealing assembly <NUM>. Also, as shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, it can be seen that that the strapping tool <NUM> is provided with a rechargeable battery pack <NUM> that is removable from its battery mount on the rear end portion of the strapping tool <NUM> so that the battery <NUM> can be easily charged. In the illustrative embodiment, the rechargeable battery pack <NUM> is capable of powering both the electric motor <NUM> that drives both the tensioning assembly <NUM> and the sealing assembly <NUM>.

Now, with reference primarily to <FIG>, the functionality of the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> will be described. Initially, when the cam shaft <NUM> is driven in a sealing direction by the motor <NUM>, the first and second cam members <NUM>, <NUM> are rotated by the cam shaft <NUM>. As the first and second cam members <NUM>, <NUM> rotate through their cycles, the front and rear cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM> are either raised or lowered by the cam members <NUM>, <NUM>, which are in the form of eccentric cam members in the illustrative embodiment. In turn, the up and down displacement of the cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM> causes sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> to rotate about jaw pivot pin <NUM> and the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> to rotate about jaw pivot pin <NUM>. The sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> rotate about the jaw pivot pin <NUM> in an oscillatory manner between engaged and disengaged positions, while the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> rotate about the jaw pivot pin <NUM> in an oscillatory manner between engaged and disengaged positions. Different operational positions of the sealing assembly <NUM> are illustrated in <FIG>. In <FIG>, both the front and rear pairs of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are in their disengaged positions. <FIG> depict the positions of the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> after the jaw lifting assembly (as will be described hereinafter) lifts the jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and strap and seal member <NUM> have been inserted into the strapping tool <NUM>. In <FIG>, the front sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are in their engaged sealing positions, while the rear sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are in their disengaged positions. In the operational state depicted in <FIG>, the front sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> notch the seal member <NUM> while the seal member <NUM> is held in place by the rear sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>. During the notching of the seal member <NUM>, the first and second cam members <NUM>, <NUM> rotate out of sync with one another (i.e., cam surface portions are not aligned) such that one of the cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM> is in a raised position and the other of the cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM> is in a lowered position. In the operational state depicted in <FIG>, the front cam follower member <NUM> is in a lowered position, while the rear cam follower member <NUM> is in a raised position. Finally, in <FIG>, the front sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are in their disengaged positions and the rear sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are in their engaged sealing positions. In the operational state depicted in <FIG>, the front sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> hold the seal member <NUM> while the seal member <NUM> is notched by the rear sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>. Also, in the operational state depicted in <FIG>, the front cam follower member <NUM> is in a raised position, while the rear cam follower member <NUM> is in a lowered position.

In the illustrative embodiment, the strapping tool <NUM> further comprises a control system operatively coupled to the electric motor <NUM> for controlling the operation of the tensioning and sealing assemblies <NUM>, <NUM>. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the control system of the illustrative strapping tool <NUM> includes a single control button <NUM> configured to control the operation of both the tensioning assembly <NUM> and the sealing assembly <NUM> (i.e., when depressed by a user, the control button <NUM> initiates the tensioning and sealing operations of the strapping tool <NUM>). Although, while a single control button <NUM> is used in the illustrative embodiment, in other alternative embodiments, the control system of the strapping tool <NUM> includes a plurality of control buttons for controlling the tensioning and sealing operations of the tool <NUM>. In these alternative embodiments, at least a first one of the control buttons may be configured to control the operation of the tensioning assembly <NUM>, while at least a second one of the control buttons may be configured to control the operation of the sealing assembly <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the control system of the strapping tool <NUM> further comprises a microcontroller for performing the central processing operations for the control of the strapping tool <NUM>.

Next, with reference to <FIG>, the jaw lifting assembly of the illustrative strapping tool <NUM> will be described. The jaw lifting assembly of the strapping tool <NUM> is configured to raise the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> out of a strapping pass line of the strapping tool <NUM> so that the piece of strapping <NUM>, <NUM> is capable of being inserted into the strapping tool <NUM> (see e.g., <FIG>). As will be described hereinafter, in the illustrative embodiment, the jaw lifting assembly raises a portion of the sealing assembly <NUM> that includes the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, but does not raise the entire sealing assembly <NUM>. As best shown in the exploded view of <FIG>, in the illustrative embodiment, each of the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> comprises a body portion with an elongate aperture formed therethrough. The diagonally-oriented elongate aperture of each sealing jaw member <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> enables the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to be retractably displaced into the strapping tool when the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are simultaneously raised by the jaw lifting assembly (as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>). As shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, the head portion of each cam bearing <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> is disposed in a respective diagonally-oriented elongate aperture of a respective sealing jaw member <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> so as to operatively couple the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to the front and rear cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM>. When the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are actuated by the electric motor <NUM> into a sealing position for notching the strapping seal member <NUM> (as described above), the cam bearing members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are displaced within their respective elongate apertures of their respective sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> while the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are pivoted about rotational axes passing through the center of the jaw pivot pins <NUM>, <NUM>.

Referring again to <FIG>, in the illustrative embodiment, the jaw lifting assembly further comprises a displaceable handle portion <NUM> operatively coupled to the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. As shown in these figures, the displaceable lower handle portion <NUM> is received within the upper handle portion <NUM> that is affixed to the housing of the strapping tool <NUM>. As shown in the exploded view of <FIG>, the front pin <NUM> attaches the immovable upper handle portion <NUM> to the front housing <NUM>, while the rear pin <NUM> forms the pivotal axis for the displaceable lower handle portion <NUM> relative to the immovable upper handle portion <NUM> (i.e., the rear pin <NUM> pivotably couples the rear end of the lower handle portion <NUM> to the upper handle portion <NUM>). When the handle portion <NUM> is depressed by a user, the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are raised out of the strapping pass line of the strapping tool <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> is not pivotably coupled to the tensioning assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM>, but rather the raising of the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> allows the strapping pass line to be cleared of the jaw obstruction so that the strapping can be loaded into the strapping tool <NUM>.

Now, with reference primarily to <FIG>, the functionality of the jaw lifting assembly of the strapping tool <NUM> will be described. Initially, when the displaceable lower handle portion <NUM> is depressed by a user, the jaw lifter arms <NUM>, <NUM>, which are coupled to the lower handle portion <NUM> by the jaw lifter connector bar <NUM>, are raised upwardly and the lower ends of the jaw lifter arms <NUM>, <NUM> are spread apart from one another (see <FIG>). As the jaw lifter arms <NUM>, <NUM> are raised and their lower ends are spread apart from one another, the jaw pivot pins <NUM>, <NUM> are displaced in a diagonally upward manner within the diagonally-oriented elongate apertures of front and rear connector members <NUM>, <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>). In turn, the upward and outward displacement of the jaw pivot pins <NUM>, <NUM> causes the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to be raised upwardly and out of the strapping pass line of the strapping tool <NUM> so that the piece of strapping <NUM>, <NUM> and seal member <NUM> is capable of being inserted into the strapping tool <NUM>. Different operational positions of the jaw lifting assembly are illustrated in <FIG>. In <FIG> and <FIG>, the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are depicted in their lowered, engaging state prior to a user squeezing the displaceable lower handle portion <NUM> to raise the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to load the strapping <NUM>, <NUM> and seal member <NUM> into the strapping tool <NUM>. In <FIG> and <FIG>, the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are depicted in their raised, disengaging state after the user has pulled up on the displaceable lower handle portion <NUM> (as diagrammatically indicated by the curved arrow <NUM> in <FIG>), so as to raise the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> so that the strapping <NUM>, <NUM> and seal member <NUM> is able to be loaded into the strapping tool <NUM> for the performance of the tensioning and sealing operations. In <FIG>, the loading of the strapping <NUM>, <NUM> and seal member <NUM> is diagrammatically illustrated by the curved arrow <NUM>, while the removal of the strapping <NUM>, <NUM> and seal member <NUM> after the tensioning and sealing operations have been performed is diagrammatically illustrated by the curved arrow <NUM>.

Turning to <FIG>, <FIG>, it can be seen that, in the illustrative embodiment, the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> further comprises a cutting blade <NUM> for cutting the piece of strapping (see <FIG>). As shown in <FIG>, the cutting cam <NUM> pushes down on the top edge of the cutting blade <NUM> so as to cut the piece of strapping. As such, when the cutting cam <NUM> reaches a predetermined rotational position, the cutting cam <NUM> drives the cutting blade <NUM> downwardly so as to slice through the piece of strapping (i.e., the cutting blade <NUM> is slidably displaced in a downward direction by the cutting cam <NUM> so as to assume its engaged, cutting position). As shown in <FIG>, the cutting blade <NUM> is enclosed within a cutting blade housing <NUM>, and the cutting blade <NUM> slides relative to the stationary cutting blade housing <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, it can be seen that the cutting blade <NUM> is disposed adjacent to the rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the cutting cam <NUM> is also driven by the cam drive shaft <NUM> that provides power to the sealing assembly <NUM> and the tensioning assembly <NUM>. After the rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> applies the notch to the rear portion of the seal member, the cutting cam <NUM> revolves around the drive shaft <NUM> and physically pushes the cutting blade <NUM> down through the strapping, thereby slicing the excess end portion of the strap so that it can be removed from the remainder of the strap.

Now, referring to <FIG>, the tensioning and sealing operation of the strapping tool <NUM> of the illustrative embodiment will now be described. Initially, a piece of strapping <NUM>, <NUM> (i.e., a piece of steel strapping, poly strapping, or cord strapping) of one of a number of sizes is looped around the package or bundle <NUM> that requires the restraint (see e.g., <FIG>). Then, the user threads a first free end of the strapping through a seal member or banding clip <NUM>. After which, the user bends the first free end of the strapping back so that it is not able to be pulled out of the seal member <NUM> (e.g., as shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>). Next, the user inserts the second free end of the strapping through the seal member <NUM> so that a continuous loop is formed around the bundle <NUM>. Then, the strapping <NUM>, <NUM> and seal member <NUM> are loaded into the strapping tool <NUM> by using the jaw lift assembly described above in conjunction with <FIG> to lift the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> out of the strapping pass line. The actuation of the jaw lifting assembly by the depressing of the handle portion <NUM> allows the strapping <NUM>, <NUM> and seal member <NUM> to be inserted into the tool <NUM> (see <FIG>). As shown in <FIG>, the strapping <NUM>, <NUM> is inserted into the slot of the tool <NUM> between the tensioning foot <NUM> and the wedge-shaped plate on the bottom of the tool <NUM>. Once the seal member <NUM> is in the correct position, the handle portion <NUM> is released by the user, the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> return back to their engaged position with the seal member <NUM>. At this point, the strapping <NUM>, <NUM> and seal member <NUM> is held in place prior to the initiation of the tensioning and sealing operations. Then, the control button <NUM> is depressed by the user so that the tension is applied to the strapping <NUM>, <NUM> by the tensioning assembly <NUM> in the manner described above in conjunction with <FIG>. Finally, once the strapping has been pulled tight by the tensioning assembly <NUM> of the tool <NUM>, the motor <NUM> reverses direction so that the sealing teeth of the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> notch the metal seal member or banding clip (see <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>) and the cutting blade <NUM> cuts the excess portion of the strap from the strapping around the bundle <NUM>. The notched seal member ensures that the strapping around the bundle <NUM> does not release its tension. Once the excess portion of the strap is cut by the cutting blade <NUM>, the user squeezes the handle portion <NUM> to retract the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, thereby freeing the strapping <NUM>, <NUM> and seal member <NUM> from the tool <NUM>.

A second illustrative embodiment <NUM> of a strapping tool is illustrated in <FIG>. Referring to these figures, it can be seen that, in many respects, the second illustrative embodiment of the strapping tool is similar to that of the first illustrative embodiment. Moreover, many elements are common to both such embodiments. For example, the tensioning assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> is generally the same as the tensioning assembly <NUM> described above with regard to the strapping tool <NUM>. However, the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> differs from the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> described above, and thus shall be described hereinafter. In particular, unlike the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM>, the sealing jaw members on only one side of the strapping tool <NUM> are lifted for the loading of the strapping.

Now, with reference to <FIG>, the sealing assembly <NUM> of the illustrative strapping tool <NUM> will be described in detail. Referring initially to <FIG>, in the second illustrative embodiment, the sealing assembly <NUM> generally includes a plurality of cam members (e.g., including front cam <NUM> and a similar rear cam), a plurality of cam follower members (e.g., including front cam follower member <NUM> and a similar rear cam follower member), and a plurality of sealing jaw members (e.g., including front sealing jaws <NUM>, <NUM> and similar rear sealing jaws). Similar to that described above for the first illustrative embodiment, the plurality of sealing cam members of the sealing assembly <NUM> are disposed on a cam shaft driven by motor <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, each of the sealing cam members is eccentric, and thus has a variable radii cam surface geometry. Also, similar to the aforedescribed first embodiment, the plurality of sealing jaw members of the sealing assembly <NUM> comprises a front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> and a similar rear pair of sealing jaw members. As shown in <FIG>, it can be seen that the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> each comprise respective sealing teeth for forming the notched portions in the seal member <NUM> (see e.g., <FIG>). The front cam member <NUM> is operatively coupled to the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> by the front cam follower member <NUM> so as to selectively activate the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, and the rear cam member is operatively coupled to the rear pair of sealing jaw members by the rear cam follower member so as to selectively activate the rear pair of sealing jaw members. Turning again to the front view of <FIG>, it can be seen that the front sealing jaw member <NUM> on the first side (i.e., the left side) is operatively coupled to the front cam follower member <NUM> by upper and lower roller members 214a, 214b, while the front sealing jaw member <NUM> on the second side (e.g., the right side) is operatively coupled to the front cam follower member <NUM> by upper and lower roller members 220a, 220b. The arcuate displacement of the front sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> during the notching of the seal member is represented diagrammatically by the curved arrows <NUM> in <FIG>. The rear pair of sealing jaw members is operatively coupled to the rear cam follower member by similar pairs of roller members. In the illustrative embodiment, the front cam follower member <NUM> and the rear cam follower member are in form of front and rear sealing cam plate members with respective central apertures formed therein for receiving the respective front and rear cam members. Also, in the illustrative embodiment, the front and rear sealing cam plate members forming front cam follower member <NUM> and the rear cam follower member may have a central slot-like cavity disposed therein with an interior face <NUM> for accommodating roller members 214a, 214b, 220a, 220b and the upper diagonal leg portions of the sealing jaw members (see <FIG> and <FIG>). Advantageously, because the cam members apply forces centrally to the cam follower members, and the cam follower members apply forces centrally to the jaw sealing members (by virtue of the roller members being centrally located in the cam follower plate members, generally symmetrical notches are formed in the sealing member during the sealing operation of the tool <NUM>. In addition, in the illustrative embodiment, the front and rear cam subassemblies of the sealing assembly <NUM> may be in the form of positive drive cams where the cam follower members are disposed around, and circumscribe their respective cam members.

With reference again to <FIG>, elongate jaw pivot pins <NUM>, <NUM> extend in the front-to-back direction of the strapping tool <NUM>, and pass through apertures in the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> and the rear pair of sealing jaw members so as to define axes of rotation for the sealing jaw members. The sealing jaw members disposed on the first side (i.e., the left side) of the strapping tool <NUM> both pivot about the jaw pivot pin <NUM> during the notching of the seal member <NUM>, while the sealing jaw members disposed on the second side (e.g., the right side) of the strapping tool <NUM> both pivot about the jaw pivot pin <NUM> during the notching of the seal member <NUM>.

In the second illustrative embodiment, similar to the first illustrative embodiment described above, the internal components of the sealing assembly <NUM> are housed within a front housing member (not shown) of the strapping tool <NUM> and rear housing member <NUM> (see <FIG>). Collectively, the front and rear housing members enclose the constituent components of the sealing assembly <NUM>. Also, as shown in <FIG>, it can be seen that that the strapping tool <NUM> is provided with a rechargeable battery pack <NUM> that is removable from its battery mount on the rear end portion of the strapping tool <NUM> so that the battery <NUM> can be easily charged. In the illustrative embodiment, the rechargeable battery pack <NUM> is capable of powering both the electric motor <NUM> that drives both the tensioning assembly <NUM> and the sealing assembly <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, similar to that described above for the first embodiment, the control system of the illustrative strapping tool <NUM> may include a single control button <NUM> (or start button <NUM>) configured to control the operation of both the tensioning assembly <NUM> and the sealing assembly <NUM> (i.e., when depressed by a user, the start button <NUM> initiates the tensioning and sealing operations of the strapping tool <NUM>). In addition, as shown in <FIG>, the illustrative strapping tool <NUM> may further include a rocker switch <NUM> that allows the tool <NUM> to be used in a manual tension and seal mode. Because the notching functionality of the sealing assembly <NUM> is similar to the sealing assembly <NUM> described above, a description of the sealing assembly will not be repeated with regard to the second illustrative embodiment.

Next, with reference to <FIG>, the jaw lifting assembly of the illustrative strapping tool <NUM> will be described. In the second illustrative embodiment, the jaw lifting assembly of the strapping tool <NUM> is configured to raise the sealing jaw members on one side of the tool (e.g., on the right side) out of a strapping pass line of the strapping tool <NUM> so that the piece of strapping <NUM>, <NUM> is capable of being inserted into the strapping tool <NUM>. As will be described hereinafter, in the second illustrative embodiment, the jaw lifting assembly raises a portion of the sealing assembly <NUM> that includes the sealing jaw members on one side (e.g., the right side), but does not raise the sealing jaw members on the other side (e.g., the left side) of the sealing assembly <NUM>. As best shown in <FIG>, in the illustrative embodiment, the bracket member <NUM> is provided with a circular aperture <NUM> on the left side, and diagonally-oriented elongate aperture <NUM> on the right side. The diagonally-oriented elongate aperture <NUM> of the bracket member <NUM> enables the jaw pivot pin <NUM> on the right side to travel upwardly in the elongate aperture <NUM> when it is desired to raise the sealing jaw members on the right side, but the circular aperture <NUM> on the left side of the bracket member <NUM> constrains the jaw pivot pin <NUM> on the left side such that the sealing jaw members on the left side are not able to be raised. The sealing jaw members on the right side are retractably displaced into the strapping tool <NUM> when the sealing jaw members are raised by the jaw lifting assembly (as shown in <FIG>).

Referring again to the perspective view of <FIG>, in the illustrative embodiment, the jaw lifting assembly further comprises a displaceable upper handle portion <NUM> operatively coupled to the sealing jaw members on the right side of the tool <NUM>. As shown in these figures, the displaceable upper handle portion <NUM> is pivotally coupled to the lower handle portion <NUM> by means of a pivot pin <NUM>, which forms the pivotal axis for the displaceable upper handle portion <NUM> relative to the immovable lower handle portion <NUM> (i.e., the rear pin <NUM> pivotably couples the middle of the upper handle portion <NUM> to the lower handle portion <NUM>). With combined reference to <FIG>, it can be seen that the front pin <NUM> couples the displaceable upper handle portion <NUM> to the linking components of the jaw lifting assembly. In the illustrative embodiment, with combined reference to <FIG>, it can be seen that the displaceable upper handle portion <NUM> is operatively coupled to the displaceable jaws on the right side of the tool <NUM> by rod end body <NUM>, jaw lifter bracket <NUM>, and jaw lifter vertical link <NUM>. When the upper handle portion <NUM> is pressed down by a user (as diagrammatically indicated by the downward arrow <NUM> in <FIG>), the jaw lifting assembly components <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are displaced (as diagrammatically indicated by the curved arrow <NUM> in <FIG>), and the sealing jaw members on the right side of the tool <NUM> are raised out of the strapping pass line of the strapping tool <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> is not pivotably coupled to the tensioning assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM>, but rather the raising of the sealing jaw members on the right side of the tool <NUM> allows the strapping pass line to be cleared of the jaw obstruction so that the strapping can be loaded into the strapping tool <NUM>.

In the illustrative embodiment, the tool <NUM> advantageously is provided with several features to prevent the inadvertent lifting of the sealing jaw members on the right side of the tool <NUM>. First of all, with reference to <FIG>, it can be seen that the bracket member <NUM> is provided with a downwardly extending protrusion <NUM> that prevents the sealing jaw members on the right side of the tool <NUM> from inadvertently opening when the tool is placed against a surface (e.g., against the package on which the strapping or banding is being applied). For example, in the case where the tool <NUM> is placed against a package surface, the downwardly extending protrusion <NUM> of the bracket member <NUM> contacts the package surface, rather than the sealing jaw members on the right side, thus preventing the inadvertent lifting of the sealing jaws on the right side. In addition, the downwardly extending protrusion <NUM> of the bracket member <NUM> also prevents the sealing jaw members on the right side from inadvertently opening when the tool <NUM> is rested on a floor or other surface. In addition, with reference to <FIG>, as another way to prevent the inadvertent lifting of the sealing jaw members on the right side of the tool <NUM>, the geometry of the jaw face <NUM> of each right side sealing jaw member is configured such that it forms a first predetermined angle θ<NUM> relative to the centerline of the diagonally-oriented elongate aperture <NUM> in the bracket member <NUM>, and a second predetermined angle θ<NUM> relative to a vertical reference line. In addition, as shown in <FIG>, the sealing jaw members on the right side are configured such that there is predetermined spacing distance D3 between the centerline of the pivot pin <NUM> and the upper face <NUM> of each sealing jaw member <NUM> that contacts the upper roller members 220a. In the illustrative embodiment, the first predetermined angle θ<NUM> between the jaw face <NUM> and the centerline of the diagonally-oriented elongate aperture <NUM> may be approximately <NUM> degrees, the second predetermined angle θ<NUM> between the jaw face <NUM> and the vertical reference line may be approximately <NUM> degrees, and the determined spacing distance D3 between the centerline of the pivot pin <NUM> and the upper jaw face <NUM> may be approximately <NUM>. Advantageously, these geometric parameters (i.e., θ<NUM>, θ<NUM>, D3) of the sealing jaw members on the right side of the tool <NUM> holds the sealing jaw members in a locked position during the notching of the seal member, and prevents inadvertent lifting of the sealing jaw members on the right side of the tool <NUM> (i.e., because of these geometric parameters, the pivot pin <NUM> is maintained in its "sealing home position" where it is pushed against the lower curved end of the elongate aperture <NUM> during sealing). Further, as yet another way to prevent the inadvertent lifting of the sealing jaw members on the right side of the tool <NUM>, in the illustrative embodiment, the tool <NUM> is provided with a pre-grip cycle prior to the execution of the tensioning cycle described above. After the user presses the start button <NUM> on the tool <NUM>, the pre-grip cycle is initiated (e.g., in the first <NUM>/<NUM> second of the tool operational sequence), and the sealing jaw members rotate and slightly pinch the sealing member. Then, the tool operational sequence follows with the aforedescribed tensioning cycle, and then the aforedescribed sealing cycle. In the illustrative embodiment, once the rotation starts for actuating the sealing jaw members, the pivot pin <NUM> is pulled tight into its "sealing home position" against the lower curved end of the elongate aperture <NUM>, and it remains in tight engagement with the lower curved end of the elongate aperture <NUM> during the entire sealing operation.

A third illustrative embodiment <NUM> of a strapping tool is illustrated in <FIG>. Referring to these figures, it can be seen that, in many respects, the third illustrative embodiment is similar to that of the first and second illustrative embodiments. Moreover, many elements are common to all of the embodiments. For example, the tensioning assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> is generally the same as the tensioning assemblies <NUM>, <NUM> described above with regard to the strapping tools <NUM>, <NUM>. However, the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> differs from the sealing assemblies <NUM>, <NUM> of the strapping tools <NUM>, <NUM> described above, and thus shall be described hereinafter. Although, similar to the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM>, the sealing jaw members on only one side of the strapping tool <NUM> are lifted for the loading of the strapping.

Now, with reference to <FIG>, the sealing assembly <NUM> of the illustrative strapping tool <NUM> will be described in detail. Referring initially to the exploded view of <FIG>, in the second illustrative embodiment, the sealing assembly <NUM> generally includes a plurality of cam members <NUM>, <NUM>, a plurality of cam follower ring members <NUM>, <NUM>, and a plurality of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the plurality of cam members <NUM>, <NUM> of the sealing assembly <NUM> comprises a first cam member <NUM> (i.e., a front sealing cam <NUM>) and a second cam member <NUM> (i.e., a rear sealing cam <NUM>) disposed on the cam shaft driven by a motor <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, each of the cam members <NUM>, <NUM> is eccentric, and thus has a variable radii cam surface geometry. Also, in the illustrative embodiment, the plurality of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> of the sealing assembly <NUM> comprises a front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> and a rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, it can be seen that the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> each comprise respective sealing teeth for forming the notched portions <NUM> in the seal member <NUM> (see <FIG>). In addition, similar to that described above for the first two embodiments, each of the first and second cam members <NUM>, <NUM> is operatively coupled to the electric motor <NUM> by means of a cam shaft (i.e., the cams <NUM>, <NUM> are both simultaneously rotated by the cam shaft about a rotational axis passing through the center of the hexagonal fastener of the cam shaft in <FIG>). The end of the cam shaft is rotatably supported by a roller bearing <NUM> (see <FIG>). The first cam member <NUM> is operatively coupled to the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> by the front cam follower ring member <NUM> so as to selectively activate the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>). The second cam member <NUM> is operatively coupled to the rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> by the rear cam follower ring member <NUM> so as to selectively activate the rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>). Turning again to <FIG> and <FIG>, it can be seen that the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are operatively coupled to the front cam follower ring member <NUM> by a first pair of linkage arm members <NUM>, <NUM>, while the rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are operatively coupled to the rear cam follower ring member <NUM> by a second pair of linkage arm members <NUM>, <NUM>. The upper ends of the linkage arm members <NUM>, <NUM> are coupled to the front cam follower ring member <NUM> by means of a ring pin <NUM>, while the lower ends of the linkage arm members <NUM>, <NUM> are coupled to respective sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> by respective jaw pins <NUM>. Similarly, the upper ends of the linkage arm members <NUM>, <NUM> are coupled to the rear cam follower ring member <NUM> by means of a ring pin <NUM>, while the lower ends of the linkage arm members <NUM>, <NUM> are coupled to respective sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> by respective jaw pins <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the front and rear cam follower ring members <NUM>, <NUM> are in form of ring members with respective central apertures formed therein for receiving the respective first and second cam members <NUM>, <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the front and rear cam subassemblies of the sealing assembly <NUM> may be in the form of positive drive cams where the cam follower members <NUM>, <NUM> are disposed around, and circumscribe their respective cam members <NUM>, <NUM>.

In the illustrative embodiment, as best shown in the exploded view of <FIG>, the sealing assembly <NUM> further comprises first and second bracket members <NUM>, <NUM> for constraining the displacement of the ring pins <NUM> at the upper ends of the linkage arm members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to a direction normal to a surface of the piece of strapping <NUM> (i.e., an upward/downward displacement). As shown in <FIG>, the front and rear bracket members <NUM>, <NUM> comprise vertical elongate slots <NUM>, <NUM> formed therein such that the ring pins <NUM> are guided up and down within the slots <NUM>, <NUM> when follower ring members <NUM>, <NUM> are displaced by the cam members <NUM>, <NUM>.

With reference again to <FIG> and <FIG>, elongate jaw pivot pins <NUM>, <NUM> extend in the front-to-back direction of the strapping tool <NUM>, and pass through apertures in the front pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> and the rear pair of sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> so as to define axes of rotation for the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. The sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> disposed on the first side (i.e., the left side) of the strapping tool <NUM> both pivot about the jaw pivot pin <NUM> during the notching of the seal member <NUM>, while the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> disposed on the second side (e.g., the right side) of the strapping tool <NUM> both pivot about the jaw pivot pin <NUM> during the notching of the seal member <NUM>.

In the third illustrative embodiment, similar to the first and second illustrative embodiments described above, the internal components of the sealing assembly <NUM> are housed within a front housing member <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> and a rear housing member <NUM> (see <FIG>). Also, in the third illustrative embodiment, a top housing member <NUM> covers the top portion of the sealing assembly <NUM>. The top housing member <NUM> may be secured using fastener members <NUM> (e.g., cap screws <NUM>). Collectively, the front, rear, and top housing members <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> enclose the constituent components of the sealing assembly <NUM>. Also, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, it can be seen that that the strapping tool <NUM> is provided with a rechargeable battery pack <NUM> that is removable from its battery mount on the rear end portion of the strapping tool <NUM> so that the battery <NUM> can be easily charged. In the illustrative embodiment, the rechargeable battery pack <NUM> is capable of powering both the electric motor <NUM> that drives both the tensioning assembly <NUM> and the sealing assembly <NUM>. Also, similar to the first two embodiments described above, the control system of the illustrative strapping tool <NUM> may include a single control button (or start button) configured to control the operation of both the tensioning assembly <NUM> and the sealing assembly <NUM> (i.e., when depressed by a user, the start button initiates the tensioning and sealing operations of the strapping tool <NUM>). Because the notching functionality of the sealing assembly <NUM> is similar to the sealing assembly <NUM> described above, a description of the sealing assembly will not be repeated with regard to the third illustrative embodiment.

Next, with reference to <FIG>, the jaw lifting assembly of the illustrative strapping tool <NUM> will be described. In the third illustrative embodiment, similar to the second embodiment described above, the jaw lifting assembly of the strapping tool <NUM> is configured to raise the sealing jaw members on one side of the tool (e.g., on the right side) out of a strapping pass line of the strapping tool <NUM> so that the piece of strapping <NUM>, <NUM> is capable of being inserted into the strapping tool <NUM>. As will be described hereinafter, in the third illustrative embodiment, the jaw lifting assembly raises a portion of the sealing assembly <NUM> that includes the sealing jaw members on one side (e.g., the right side), but does not raise the sealing jaw members on the other side (e.g., the left side) of the sealing assembly <NUM>. As best shown in the exploded view of <FIG>, in the illustrative embodiment, first and second bracket members <NUM>, <NUM> are provided with a circular aperture <NUM>, <NUM> on the left sides thereof, and a diagonally-oriented elongate aperture <NUM>, <NUM> on the right sides thereof. The diagonally-oriented elongate apertures <NUM>, <NUM> of the first and second bracket members <NUM>, <NUM> enable the jaw pivot pin <NUM> on the right side to travel upwardly in the elongate apertures <NUM>, <NUM> when it is desired to raise the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the right side (i.e., after the jaw locking arm <NUM> is disengaged, which will be explained hereinafter), but the circular apertures <NUM>, <NUM> on the left sides of the first and second bracket members <NUM>, <NUM> constrain the jaw pivot pin <NUM> on the left side such that the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the left side are not able to be raised. The sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the right side are retractably displaced into the strapping tool <NUM> when the sealing jaw members are raised by the jaw lifting assembly (as shown in <FIG>).

Referring again to <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrative embodiment, the jaw lifting assembly further comprises a displaceable upper handle portion <NUM> operatively coupled to the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the right side of the tool <NUM>. As shown in these figures, the displaceable upper handle portion <NUM> is pivotally coupled to the lower handle portion <NUM> by means of a pivot pin <NUM>, which forms the pivotal axis for the displaceable upper handle portion <NUM> relative to the immovable lower handle portion <NUM> (i.e., the rear pin <NUM> pivotably couples the middle of the upper handle portion <NUM> to the lower handle portion <NUM>). With combined reference to <FIG>, it can be seen that the fastener member <NUM> (e.g., cap screw <NUM>) couples the displaceable upper handle portion <NUM> to the linking components of the jaw lifting assembly. In the illustrative embodiment, with combined reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, it can be seen that the displaceable upper handle portion <NUM> is operatively coupled to the displaceable jaws <NUM>, <NUM> on the right side of the tool <NUM> by bracket member <NUM>, slidable carriage member <NUM> with flat washer <NUM>, and jaw lifter vertical link <NUM>. When the upper handle portion <NUM> is pressed down by a user (as diagrammatically indicated by the downward arrow <NUM> in <FIG>), the jaw lifting assembly components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are displaced (as diagrammatically indicated by the curved arrow <NUM> in <FIG>), and the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the right side of the tool <NUM> are raised out of the strapping pass line of the strapping tool <NUM>. When the upper handle portion <NUM> is pressed down by the user, the slidable carriage member <NUM> slides vertically upward in the vertical slot of L-shaped bracket <NUM> so as to raise the jaw lifter vertical link <NUM>, and to lift the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> operatively coupled to the jaw lifter vertical link <NUM>. In the illustrative embodiment, the sealing assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM> is not pivotably coupled to the tensioning assembly <NUM> of the strapping tool <NUM>, but rather the raising of the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the right side of the tool <NUM> allows the strapping pass line to be cleared of the jaw obstruction so that the strapping can be loaded into the strapping tool <NUM>.

In the third illustrative embodiment, similar to the second illustrative embodiment, the tool <NUM> advantageously is provided with several features to prevent the inadvertent lifting of the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the right side of the tool <NUM>. First of all, with reference to <FIG>, it can be seen that the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the right side of the tool <NUM> are provided with a jaw locking mechanism <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> (e.g., in the form of a knuckle press joint) that locks the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> in the down position so as to prevent the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> from inadvertently raising from their engaged sealing position. As such, in the third embodiment, before a user is able to lift the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> by pressing the upper handle portion <NUM>, he or she must manually disengage the jaw locking arm <NUM>, which then allows the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> to be raised. As best shown in the exploded view of <FIG>, in addition to the jaw locking arm <NUM>, the jaw locking mechanism of the tool <NUM> further comprises the center spacer member <NUM>, small lock pin members <NUM>, rotating arm <NUM>, and large lock pin member <NUM>. The center spacer member <NUM> is connected to first and second bracket members <NUM>, <NUM> by elongate fastener members <NUM> (e.g., elongate screws <NUM>). When the jaw locking arm <NUM> is disengaged by the user, the rotating arm <NUM> is able to rotate clockwise and the lower end of the jaw lifter vertical link <NUM> is able to be raised upward so that the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> are able to be lifted once the user presses down on the upper handle portion <NUM>. The locked position of the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> is depicted in <FIG>, and the unlocked position of the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> is depicted in <FIG>. In addition, as another way to prevent the inadvertent lifting of the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the right side of the tool <NUM>, the geometry of the jaw faces of the right side sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> may be geometrically configured in the same manner as described above for the second embodiment (e.g., using a first predetermined angle θ<NUM> of approximately <NUM> degrees, a second predetermined angle θ<NUM> of approximately <NUM> degrees, and a predetermined spacing distance D3 of approximately <NUM>). Further, as yet another way to prevent the inadvertent lifting of the sealing jaw members <NUM>, <NUM> on the right side of the tool <NUM>, the tool <NUM> also may be provided with the pre-grip cycle described above with regard to the second embodiment.

Any of the features or attributes of the above described embodiments and variations can be used in combination with any of the other features and attributes of the above described embodiments and variations as desired.

It is readily apparent that the aforedescribed strapping tools <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> offer numerous advantages. First, the strapping tools <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> utilize fewer and simpler components than conventional tools so as to reduce the overall complexity of the tool, and thereby provide a more cost effective alternative for performing strapping operations. Secondly, the strapping tools <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are more reliable than conventional strapping tools so as to minimize the disruption of strapping operations resulting from tool repairs and replacements. Thirdly, the aforedescribed strapping tools <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are easier to transport than conventional strapping tools (i.e., the strapping tools <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are more mobile than conventional strapping tools).

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a certain embodiment or embodiments, it is apparent that this invention can be embodied in many different forms and that many other modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of this invention.

Claim 1:
A strapping tool (<NUM>), comprising:
a motive power source (<NUM>); and
a sealing assembly operatively (<NUM>) coupled to the motive power source (<NUM>), the sealing assembly (<NUM>) comprising at least one cam member (<NUM>), at least one follower member (<NUM>, <NUM>) disposed around the at least one cam member, and at least one sealing jaw member, the at least one cam member and the at least one follower member (<NUM>, <NUM>) operatively coupling the at least one sealing jaw member (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) to the motive power source (<NUM>), and the at least one sealing jaw member (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) of the sealing assembly (<NUM>) configured to notch or crimp a strapping seal member (<NUM>) so as to secure a piece of strapping around a package or bundle of items.