US 4,017,351 AGranted

System and device for inflating and sealing air inflated cushioning material

AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

InventorsCurtis L. Larson, John R. Ward

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An improved system and a device for providing air inflated cushioning material which is filled and sealed at the site of its intended use, such as at a packaging line. Included is an elongate flexible layered strip material comprising two heat sealable films fused together in discrete areas to form two rows of inflatable chambers along the strip and a passageway extending the length of the strip between the rows, with each of the chambers having an inlet opening narrower than the main portion of the chamber communicating with the passageway. The strip is shipped uninflated to the site where the cushioning material is to be used, and is then inflated on the device through which the passageway in the strip is propelled over an air nozzle to inflate the chambers through their inlet openings. The device heat seals the inlet openings after first pressing together and tensioning the films around the area to be sealed to both insure a wrinkle free seal and insure that air pressure in the chamber will not rupture the sealed area while it is hot.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A device adapted for inflating and sealing a strip material comprising two thin elongate flexible films, each film comprising a heat sealable thermoplastic material forming at least one surface of the film, said films being positioned with their thermoplastic surfaces adjacent and with adjacent portions of their thermoplastic surfaces in face-to-face contact and being fused together in discrete areas to define a plurality of unsealed adjacent surface areas in a pattern providing two rows of inflatable chambers and a passageway between the rows extending the length of the strip, with each of said chambers having an inlet opening communicating with the passageway, wherein said device comprises:

means adapted to defining a strip path for a said strip material through said device extending from a inlet to an outlet end;
means along said strip path adapted for defining an inflation station for the uninflated chambers of a said strip material comprising an elongate nozzle having a terminal end portion directed toward the inlet end of said path and positioned to afford movement of the portion of the strip material along said strip path over said nozzle with said nozzle in its passageway;
means spaced from the terminal end of said nozzle toward the outlet end of said strip path adapted for opening one of the films of a said strip material along its passageway to afford movement of the strip material along said strip path;
means along the strip path subsequent to the inflation station adapted for applying heat to seal the inlet openings of a said strip material along predetermined sealing paths longitudinally of the strip material;
tensioning means adapted for tensioning a said strip material along the strip path through said means for applying heat, said tensioning means being adapted to remove wrinkles across the inlet openings;
means along said strip path adapted for pressing together the films of a said strip material along the sealing paths and in areas on the sides of the sealing paths adjacent the rows of chambers from a first position in advance of said means for applying heat to a second position between said means for applying heat and the outlet end of said strip path;
and
means adapted for affording cooling of sealed inlet openings on a said strip material between said means for applying heat and said second position.

5 more elements

A system for affording on site inflation of cushioning material, said system comprising:

a strip material comprising two thin elongate flexible films, each film comprising a heat sealable thermoplastic material forming at least one surface of the film, said films being positioned with their thermoplastic surfaces adjacent and with adjacent portions of their thermoplastic surfaces in face-to-face contact and being fused together in discrete areas to define a plurality of unsealed adjacent surface areas in a pattern comprising two rows of inflatable chambers and a passageway between the rows extending the length of the strip, with each of said chambers having an inlet opening communicating with the passageway;
a device for inflating and sealing said strip material comprising:
means for defining a strip path for said strip material through the device;
means along the strip path defining an inflation station for inflating the chambers of said strip material with gas;
means along the path subsequent to the inflation station defining a heat sealing station for applying heat and pressure to seal the inlet openings of said strip material along a predetermined sealing path longitudinal of the strip material;
means for tensioning a said strip material along the strip path through said heat sealing station to remove wrinkles across the inlet openings;
and
means for pressing together the films of said strip material along the sealing path and in an area on the side of the sealing path adjacent the row of chambers both during the sealing of the inlet openings and subsequent thereto while the films along the sealing path are cooled to prevent gas pressure in the chambers from rupturing heated film along the sealing path.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.