Background Art In general, a wrap film is employed for sealing up a vessel of styrofoams material, used in an agricultural and marine products market or circulation market, so that food stuffs may not be taken out of the vessel.

In order to seal up a vessel with wrap films, there have been provided two ways. They are @ the hand-operated control sealing and @the mechanical sealing systems.

The former system has disadvantages that small adhesive strength of the wrap film results in a freshness loss of food stuffs in the vessel, and that great human efforts are

required for sealing, thereby increasing the unit cost of products.

The latter system, namely automatic wrap film applying apparatus has been used largely in recent years. Vessels are put on the apparatus one by one, and covered with the wrap film, before detached from the apparatus. Thereafter, a new vessel is laid on the apparatus for sealing. In this <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> connection, the working speed becomes low because the<BR> vessels are put on the apparatus, packaged, and then demounted from the apparatus. And in case that the working speed of an operator is lower than that of the apparatus, the operator may get hurt in the hand.

In addition, there is a special problem that a variety of apparatuses are required depending on the sizes of vessels, and that there are no suitable imports.

Disclosure of Invention Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for applying a wrap film, which simultaneously ensures automatic vessel supplying and continuous wrapping.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, there is provided an automatic wrap film applying apparatus including a vessel inlet, a vessel feed unit, a wrap film supply unit, a cutting unit, a contact unit, and a fusing unit, which are associated with one another.

Avesselputmtem-i-ersconveyertotiievessej- feed unit, before covered partially with a wrap film supplied from the wrap film supply unit. Thereafter, the wrap film is lengthwise cut by the cutting unit, before contacted with a lower portion of vessel and covering it by adhesive strength itself. The vessel feed unit directs the vessel outside while a lower portion of wrap film is slightly heated and fused fully by the fusing unit, thereby completing wrapping.

Brief Description of Drawinqs The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration

only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: Fig. 1 schematically shows a construction of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a vessel feed unit; Fig. 3 shows a construction of a vessel inlet; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a wrap film supply unit ; Fig. 5 is a side view of the wrap film supply unit ; Fig. 6 shows a wrap film feed and operation; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a cutting unit; and Fig. 8 is a side view of the cutting unit.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention An apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a vessel inlet 1, a vessel feed unit 13, a wrap film supply unit 30, a cutting unit 47, a contact unit 53, and a fusing unit 61, which are associated with one another.

The vessel inlet 1 is constructed such that a pushing piece 7 is operated by a power transmission means 2 located in a stand A. The power transmission means 2 has a motor 3,

a gear 4 mounted at the motor 3, and a rack gear 5 for engagement with the gear 4, which is connected to the pushing piece 7 by means of a fixed arm 6. As the rack gear 5 moves from side to side, the pushing piece 7 also moves from side to side.

On an outside surface 8 of the stand A, there is formed a length adjustment aperture 10 with a scale 9, to which a length adjustment bar 12 having a switch 11 is coupled to make the motor 3 rotate or rotate reversely when the rack gear 5 is being conveyed to operate the switch 11 fixed at the length adjustment bar 12.

In addition, the power transmission means 2 may vary, where appropriate, in construction. And a plurality of links and cams are designed to transfer the pushing piece at specific intervals. That is, a link is conveyed in accordance with the rotation of a cam so as to transfer the pushing piece at specific intervals. Here, an interval adjustment aperture is formed in the link fixed at the cam, to control a conveyance interval of the pushing piece depending on a fixed location thereof.

The vessel feed unit 13 is constructed of feed belts 14

and 15, that are positioned in front and in the rear, respectively, and secured to rollers 16 & 17 and 18 & 19 fixed on right and left, respectively.

The rollers 16 & 17 and 18 & 19 are fixed in bases 20 and 21, respectively. Under the bases 20 and 21, are fixed shaft fixing members 24 and 25 each having threads 22 and 23. The shaft fixing members 24 and 25 are fixed with a <BR> <BR> shaft 29 having opposite threads 26 and 27, and a handle 28,<BR> in a manner that an interval between the rollers 16 & 17 and 18 & 19 is adjusted according as the handle 28 is rotated.

The wrap film supply unit 30 is composed of a wrap film shaft pipe 31, a guide bar 32, and four guide rollers 33, 34,35 and 36. The guide rollers 33,34,35 and 36 are in pairs, around which guide belts 37 and 37a wind.

Additionally, a belt angle adjustment roller 38 is secured to the guide belt 37 to make it curved, moving in an adjustment aperture 38a, so that the wrap film is curvedly conveyed.

Behind the guide rollers 33,34,35 and 36 are formed wrap film guide bars 65 whose one ends are broader, and whose other ends cross. Under the end of guide bar 65 are

mounted compression rollers 39 and 39a for pressing a contact part where the wrap film is folded in half. The compression rollers 39 and 39a are connected to the rollers 16 and 18 by means of belts 16a and 18a. There are also provided fixing rollers 41,42,43 and 44, that are in pairs, for fixing a cut part of wrap film. The rollers 41 and 44 receive springs 45 and 46, to permit two pairs of <BR> <BR> rollers 41, 42, 43 and 44 to be in contact with each other.<BR>

The cutting unit 47 is interposed between and from the fixing roller 42 and the fixing roller 43 upward.

In addition, the cutting unit 47 includes a cutting blade 50 that vertically operates by a cam 49 of a driving motor 48, and pushing pieces 51 and 52 at both sides of cutting blade 50, that are put between the two pairs of rollers 41,42,43 and 44, to interpose the wrap film between the two pairs of rollers 41,42,43 and 44.

The contact unit 53 comprises an inclined contact plate 54, a working member 58 with a cam plate 56 and a cam groove 57 that are secured to a driving shaft of a motor 55, and a fixing base 60 for fixing the rollers 43 and 44.

The fusing unit 61 that is placed at the end where

vessels are discharged, is constructed such that a heater 63 is under a metal plate 62.

The following description will relate to the operation and effect of the present invention constructed above.

The wrap film is put in the shaft pipe 31 and passes through the guide bar 32, before its edge is caught in the guide belts 37 and 37a fixed on the guide rollers 33,34,35 and 36. Thereafter, the wrap film's end is made to be caught in the rollers 41 and 42 and then folded to be caught in the compression rollers 39 and 39a.

Subsequently, the belt angle adjustment roller 38 moves in the adjustment aperture 38a, to control curvature of the guide belts 37 and 37a.

Here, the curvature is adjusted depending on a projecting part of food stuffs in the vessel. In case that the curvature is not in accord, the wrap film expands or sags during wrapping.

Thereafter, the bases 20 and 21 become apart or adjacent according as the shaft 29 turns by rotation of the handle 28. At this state, an interval of feed belts 14 and 15 is adjusted to a width of vessel.

When a vessel containing food stuffs is put in front of the pushing piece 7, the rack gear 5 moves by the motor 3, allowing the pushing piece 7 to move. And the vessel is supplied into the wrap film, while caught between the feed belts 14 and 15.

The lower portion of wrap film being in contact by the compression rollers 39 and 39a is continuously conveyed <BR> <BR> while caught in the belts 14 and 15. The wrap film is taken<BR> t.. _., out of between and falls off the rollers 41 and 42. The fallen wrap film is folded and contacted to a bottom of vessel by the contact plate 54.

In this connection, the end and side of vessel are sealed up. At this time, the apparatus of the present invention is not temporarily operated, and the pushing piece 7 returns to its original position. In the same way, other vessels get to reach the place where their bottoms are in contact by the compression rollers 39 and 39a.

When the cutting blade 50 descends by the cam 49 of driving motor 48, lowering the pushing pieces 51 and 52, it cuts the wrap film and simultaneously the pushing pieces 51 and 52 put the cut wrap film between the two pairs of

rollers 41,42,43 and 44. Thereafter, the cutting blade 47 ascends.

Subsequently, the guide belts 37 and 37a enable the vessels to move to the fusing unit 61 Here, the working member 58 operated by the motor 55 moves faster than the guide belts 37 and 37a, in such a manner that the wrap film between the rollers 43 and 44 is folded and contacted to a bottom of vessel.

After this operation, the vessel reaches the fusing unit 61, where the wrap film in contact with the vessel is slightly heated to be completely fused.

The fusing unit varies in temperature according to a thickness of wrap film by a temperature regulator, so as to increase the efficiency of the fusing process.

As described above, the whole operations are continuously performed to reduce the wrapping time significantly, and the apparatus of the present invention is inexpensive and has an excellent safety in work operations as compared to conventional one, thereby expecting the acquisition of foreign currencies through exports.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as recited in the accompanying claims.