Cubic cushioning material and production method thereof

#The present invention relates to a cubiform cushioning medium for containing articles to be protected such as bottles or electric appliances, while securing the article from damage.

#Air-inflated cushioning mediums having an air-encapsulating portion formed between overlying resin sheets have been widely used so far. They may protect articles to be protected against impact from outside by forming an air-inflated portion partially or entirely around the article.

#An air-inflated cushioning medium has been proposed, for example, by Japanese Utility Model Application Laid Open No. H06-35973. This proposes a cubiform cushioning medium comprising an opening for containing an article to be protected, which can be produced by steps of sealing airtight plastic films together for separate air-encapsulating cells and then forming said plastic films into a shape like an envelope.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view representing a cubiform cushioning medium in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a view representing a forming process for cubiform cushioning medium in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, and a plan view representing a planar cushioning medium;

#FIG. 3 is a view showing the forming process for cubiform cushioning medium in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, and a schematic perspective view representing the state of a folded planar cushioning medium;

#Embodiments of the cubiform cushioning medium according to this invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

#The first embodiment will be described.

#As a material of cubiform cushioning mediums 4 in accordance with the present invention, non-breathable flexible resin sheet of polyethylene or the like is used to make a planar cushioning medium 1. In this embodiment are used two substantially rectangular polyethylene sheets having an upper short side 1a, a lower short side 1b, and a left long side 1c and a right long side 1d positioned perpendicular to the short sides 1a, 1b respectively (see FIG. 2). A plurality of independent cells 12 and an air introduction passage 13 communicating with each cells 12 are formed by seals 11 on the overlying sheets by means of hot press or the like so as to make a planar cushioning medium 1 shown in FIG. 2.