Shrink wrap material and method for protecting articles
AssigneeTranshield, Inc.
InventorGregory L. Todt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and material for shrink wrapping articles includes wrapping the article with a shrink wrapping material having a shrink/stretch film outer layer and an inner layer of a non-woven fabric. The shrink/stretch film responds to heat by shrinking around the article being wrapped, while the non-woven material aerates to form bubbles thus acting as a cushion between the shrink/stretch film outer layer and the article being wrapped. Accordingly, the article being wrapped is protected during the shrinking process, and is also protected from hurled objects while the article is being transported. The non-woven layer may be treated with chemical additives to control the environment in which the article is wrapped and/or to indicate tampering.
Claims11
A material for shrink wrapping articles comprising a shrinkable, stretchable film first layer having a predetermined shrink response in response to heat applied to the film and a non-woven fabric second layer having raised and lowered portions, each of said first and second layers having surfaces engaging one another wherein said raised portions of said second layer form a surface of the fabric that bonds to the film surface by an adhesive to form intermittent bonds between the layers, said intermittent bonds being distributed across the engaging surface of the film.
Material for shrink wrapping articles as claimed in 1 wherein said second layer includes randomly arranged fibers forming said non-woven fabric, having fibers defining voids filled with air, said fabric having an irregular surface for bonding with the first layer.
A method of manufacturing a material for shrink wrapping articles comprising the steps of providing a shrinkable, stretchable film, providing a quantity of a non-woven fabric of randomly arranged fibers defining voids, said fabric including an irregular surface which engages said film on a surface thereof, said surface of the fabric being defined by raised and lowered portions, said method including the steps of applying an adhesive to said raised portions only without wetting said fabric with said adhesive and bonding said fabric to said film via said adhesive to form intermittent bonds distributed across the engaged surfaces of the fabric and film without substantially compressing said fabric.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.