Air bags
AssigneeEasypack Limited
InventorTrevor John Davey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tube of film 12 is pierced by an injection needle 18 that fills the tube with air as the film and needle move. Two spaced heat seal wires 22 seal longitudinal extents of the tube from each other. A piston shaft 100 is constrained to move with a carriage 56 to compress and expel air from a cylinder, which air is supplied to the space within the tubular bag. An air paddle 92 pushes on the outer side of the bags to cause air that has recently been injected to be urged forwardly, within the bag, and through the space between an anvil 23 and the sealing wires 22 into the bag that is formed moments later by heat sealing.
Claims25
An air bag packaging machine comprising stock supply means, an air supply station and a sealing station, the stock supply means being arranged, in use, to supply a stock of material to be formed into bags to the air supply station, the air supply station being arranged, in use, to at least partially fill a space between opposing portions of material to be formed into bags with air, the sealing station being arranged, in use, to seal the material to encapsulate air, the machine being characterised in that the air supply station is arranged to move with the stock of material along at least part of the extent of travel of the stock as the air supply station at least partially fills the space between opposing portions of material.
An air bag manufacturing means including stock supply means, an air supply station, a sealing station and air displacement means, said stock supply means being arranged, in use, to supply a stock of material to be formed into bags to the air supply station arranged in use to at least partially fill a space between opposing portions of material to be formed into bags with air, the sealing station being arranged, in use, to seal the material to encapsulate air within opposed portions of material, the machine being characterised in that the air displacement means that is arranged to supply at least part of the air that is supplied to the air supply means is caused to move with part of the force that is also used to power the stock supply means.
An air bag manufacturing means comprising stock supply means, a sealing station and air movement means, said stock supply means being arranged, in use, to supply a stock of material to be formed into bags to the air supply station, the air supply station being arranged, in use, to at least partially fill a space between opposing portions of material to be formed into bags with air, the sealing station being arranged, in use, to seal the material to encapsulate air in the sealed material, the air movement means being arranged, in use, to cause air to flow along the stock and within the stock in the direction of travel of the stock.
A method of forming a sealed air bag comprising moving sheet material to be formed into the bag and supplying air to a space between material to be formed into the bag whilst moving the air supply with the material.
A method of making air bags that are substantially sealed comprising supplying air by causing mechanical movement of a part that displaces air with the mechanical movement being caused by mechanical movement of other parts of the machine.
A method of making sealed air bags comprising pushing air that is located between opposed portions of material along the material prior to the material being sealed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.