# US 11,865,807 B2 · Packaging station for producing cushioning material > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,865,807 B2 - Document ID: US11865807B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/746,953 - Filed: 2016-07-22 - Published: 2020-03-19 - Granted: 2024-01-09 - Earliest claimed: 2015-07-24 - Assignees: Sprick GmbH Bielefelder Papier- und Wellpappenwerke & Co. - Applicants: Sprick GmbH Bielefelder Papier—und Wellpappenwerke & Co. - Inventors: Bastian Schalk; Oliver Schmidt - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11865807B2 ## CPC - B31D 5/0043: {including crumpling flat material} - B31D 5/0056: {involving belts} - B31D 2205/0023: as web from a roll - B31D 2205/0035: as fan folded web - B31D 2205/0047: Feeding, guiding or shaping the material - B31D: MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C (manufacture by dry processes of articles made from particles or fibres consisting of wood or other lignocellulosic or like organic material B27N; making layered products not composed wholly of paper or cardboard B32B; making articles from cellulosic fibrous suspensions, e.g. wood pulp, D21J) ## Abstract A packaging station comprising a deformation device for converting a web of packaging material drawn from a supply of packaging material web, such as a leporello folded stacked web, into a dunnage material and a conveyor structure for receiving the drawn web of packaging material and for feeding the drawn web of packaging material into the deformation device, wherein the conveyor structure comprises a conveyor track extending from a reception of the conveyor structure to the deformation device and being dimensioned such that, after passing the reception, the web of packaging material is able to bear over its entire surface on the conveyor track in the conveying direction for at least the twofold of the width of the web. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A packaging station comprising: a deformation device configured to convert a web of packaging material drawn from a supply of packaging web into a dunnage material, the deformation device being channel-shaped having a concavely planar channel bottom surface; and a conveyor structure configured to: receive the drawn web of packaging material, and feed the drawn web of packaging material into the deformation device, wherein the conveyor structure includes a conveyor track having a surface extending from a reception of the conveyor structure to an entrance of the deformation device in a conveying direction, the conveyor track being configured such that after passing the reception, the web of packaging material travels over the surface in the conveying direction, wherein the deformation device adjoins the conveyor structure such that the surface of the conveyor track and the channel bottom surface of the deformation device collectively form an arc-shaped structure having a uniform radius of curvature from the reception of the conveyor structure to a disposal opening of the deformation device in the conveying direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor structure comprises a plane sliding support that is formed by a sheet or a mesh and facing the web of packaging material, wherein the reception of the conveyor track is formed by a rectilinear edge extending essentially perpendicular with respect to the conveying direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor structure comprises a plane sliding support having a sliding support length. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor track comprises a bridge arc connecting the supply of packaging material web with the deformation device, wherein an inclination of the bridge arc decreases from the reception to an apex of the conveyor track, and, starting from the apex of the conveyor track, the conveyor track descends towards the deformation device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The packaging station according to claim 4, wherein a tangent direction forms an angle of reception smaller than 20° and larger than 0°, relative to a vertical direction at the reception of the sliding support of the bridge arc, wherein a tangent direction forms an angle of disposal smaller than 20° and larger than 0° relative to the vertical direction at the disposal opening of the sliding support of the bridge arc. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The packaging station according to claim 1, wherein: the deformation device comprises a channel-shaped deformation device that connects to the conveyor track, wherein the channel-shaped deformation device comprises the concavely planar channel bottom surface, the radius of curvature of which corresponds to the radius of curvature of the conveyor track to provide the uniform radius of curvature of the arc-shaped structure; a width transverse to the conveying direction of a channel cross section, at the channel bottom surface, continuously decreases from the entrance of the deformation device to the disposal opening of the deformation device in the conveying direction; and a height of the channel cross section continuously increases from the entrance of the deformation device to the disposal opening in the conveying direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the deformation device comprises a tapering channel corridor opening into the disposal opening, wherein within the channel corridor, a deformation of the web of packaging material is realized by walls of the channel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor track is dimensioned such that, after passing the reception, the web of packaging material can bear its entire surface, along an entire width of the web in the direction transverse to the conveying direction, on the conveyor structure. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the deformation device is oriented relative to a vertical direction in a fixed manner with an inclination angle, such that the dunnage material leaving the deformation device is oriented vertically downward at the disposal opening, wherein an apex of the conveyor structure is positioned in a direction of gravity above the disposal opening, the reception of the conveyor structure being arranged essentially on a same height as the disposal opening. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor track comprises a bridge arc connecting the supply of packaging material web with the deformation device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor track comprises a bridge arc connecting the supply of packaging material web with the deformation device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The packaging station according to claim 1, wherein the channel bottom has a radius of curvature that corresponds to a radius of curvature of the conveyor track to provide the uniform radius of curvature of the arc-shaped structure. ### Claim 13 A packaging station comprising: a deformation device configured to convert a web of packaging material drawn from a supply of packaging web into a dunnage material, the deformation device being channel-shaped having a concavely planar channel bottom surface; and a conveyor structure configured to: receive the drawn web of packaging material, and feed the drawn web of packaging material into the deformation device, wherein the conveyor structure comprises: a conveyor track comprising a plane sliding support having a surface extending from a reception of the conveyor structure to an entrance of the deformation device in a conveying direction, the conveyor track being configured so that after passing the reception, the web of packaging material travels over the surface in the conveying direction and the conveyor track comprises a bridge arc connecting the supply of packaging material web with the deformation device, wherein: the deformation device adjoins the conveyor track such that the surface of the conveyor track and the channel bottom collectively form an arc-shaped structure having a uniform radius of curvature from the reception of the conveyor structure to a disposal opening of the deformation device in the conveying direction, the arc-shaped structure including the bridge arc of the conveyor track, and an inclination of the bridge arc is configured to decrease from the reception to an apex of the conveyor track, and starting from the apex of the conveyor track, the conveyor track is configured to descend towards the deformation device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The packaging station according to claim 13, wherein the plane sliding support is formed by a sheet or a mesh and facing the web of packaging material, wherein the reception of the conveyor track is formed by a rectilinear edge extending essentially perpendicular with respect to the conveying direction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The packaging station according to claim 13, wherein the plane sliding support of the conveyor track comprises a sliding support length. ### Claim 16 A packaging station comprising: a deformation device including a deformation channel and being configured to convert a web of packaging material drawn from a supply of packaging web into a dunnage material; and a conveyor structure configured to: receive the drawn web of packaging material, and feed the drawn web of packaging material into the deformation device, wherein the conveyor structure includes a conveyor track configured to descend towards the deformation device, the conveyor track including: a plane sliding support having a surface extending from a reception of the conveyor structure to an entrance of the deformation device, the conveyor track being configured such that after passing the reception, the web of packaging material travels over the surface of the plane sliding support in a conveying direction, the plane sliding support forming a bridge arc connecting the supply of packaging material web with the deformation device, an inclination of the bridge arc being configured to decrease from the reception until an apex of the conveyor track in the conveying direction, wherein a width of a base of the deformation channel transverse to the conveying direction of the deformation channel continuously decreases in the conveying direction from the entrance of the deformation channel to a disposal opening of the deformation channel and a height of the deformation channel between the base of the deformation channel and a channel cover continuously increases in the conveying direction from the entrance of the deformation channel to the disposal opening of the deformation channel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The packaging station according to claim 16, wherein the deformation device and the conveyor track collectively form an arc-shaped structure having a uniform radius of curvature from the reception of the conveyor structure to the disposal opening of the deformation device in the conveying direction.