Continuous, inflatable plastic wrapping material

An inflatable wrapping material for wrapping a product, said wrapping material comprising:

• a plurality of thermoplastic, flexible, elongate film plies disposed in overlying relationship to each other, said plies being formed with:
• a pattern of heat seals defining a plurality of chambers along the length of said plies;
• a primary channel extending between said plies along the length thereof through which an inflation medium is transmitted along the length of said plies;
• and
• one-way valve means connecting said primary channel to each of said chambers;
• whereby:
• said wrapping material can be stored and shipped uninflated and any desired length thereof can be selected for wrapping a product and inflated by said inflation medium, said wrapping material therefore occupying relatively little space during storing and shipping and in use protecting the wrapped product by providing a cushion including the inflation medium;
• further comprising a heat-resistent material applied to said plies to prevent said heat-seals from forming at specified locations along said plies.

A method of forming an inflatable wrapping material, uninflated and in roll form for customized use at a user's packaging station, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing two plies of superimposed, thermoplastic, flexible films, each film having a thickness within the range of 0.005" to 0.060";
• forming a continuous heat-seal pattern that segments the plies into a plurality of separate chambers;
• forming a primary channel through which injected air is transmitted along an unlimited length of said plies;
• and
• forming one-way valve means for diverting portions of said air into the individual chambers so that at least one of said chambers is prevented from fluid communication with at least one other of said chambers;
• whereby a user can select a length of roll stock when packaging a product, wrap the selected length of roll stock around the product in one or more directions, and inflate the selected length of roll stock to provide an air cushion for protecting the product.

A method of forming an inflatable wrapping material comprising the steps of:

• stacking a plurality of piles of elongate, thermoplastic, flexible film to form a composite elongate structure;
• forming a continuous heat-seal pattern segmenting the composite structure into separate, inflatable chambers disposed serially along the length of the composite elongate structure;
• forming a channel along the length of the composite elongate structure;
• and
• forming one-way valve means connecting the channel to each of the chambers so that at least one of said chambers is prevented from fluid communication with at least one other of said chambers;
• whereby:
• the composite elongate structure can be separated at a selected location to provide a desired length of wrapping material for wrapping a product, said length of wrapping material including at least one of said chambers;
• and
• said at least one chamber can be inflated to provide a cushion for protecting the product.