Patent ID: 7174699

Claim:
A combination sealing and cutting device for sealing and cutting a pair of overlying polymer films inserted therein comprising: A) an elongated anvil having an elongated slot therein; B) an elongated blade parallel to said elongated anvil having a tip and a longitudinal aperture therein; C) a heating element in said longitudinal aperture; and an actuator mechanism attached to said elongated blade for driving said blade toward and said tip into said longitudinal slot to accomplish simultaneous cutting and sealing of a pair of overlying polymer films inserted between said elongated anvil and said elongated blade, wherein said elongated blade has opposing lateral longitudinal edges and further including a pair of opposing longitudinal flanges extending from said opposing lateral longitudinal edges in the direction of said tip and having extremities remote from said opposing longitudinal edges, said tip terminating just below the extremities of said pair of opposing longitudinal flanges and at least one of said opposing longitudinal flanges is attached to one of said opposing lateral edges through at least a pair of attachment assemblies each comprising: i) a bracket having a top portion and a bottom portion attached to the cutting and sealing blade, said bracket including an open aperture therein; ii) a shaft fixedly extending from said top to said bottom portion through said open aperture; iii) a slide attached to one of said opposing longitudinal flanges within said aperture and including a vertical aperture therethrough having first and second ends allowing free movement of said slide along said shaft within said open aperture; iv) a first spring having opposing extremities, about said shaft and, one of said extremities engaging said top portion and the second engaging said first end of said vertical aperture; and v) a second spring having opposing extremities, about said shaft, one of said extremities engaging said bottom portion and the other of said extremities engaging said second end of said vertical aperture.