# US 7,464,520 B2 · Packing method, packing member and manufacturing method therefor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,464,520 B2 - Document ID: US7464520B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/410,891 - Filed: 2006-04-26 - Published: 2006-08-31 - Granted: 2008-12-16 - Earliest claimed: 2003-05-19 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yasuhiro Nishi; Atsushi Goto; Taiji Watanabe - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7464520B2 ## CPC - B31D 5/0073: {including pillow forming} - B65D 81/052: {filled with fluid, e.g. inflatable elements} - B65D 81/058: {Protectors contacting five surfaces of the packaged article, e.g. five-sided end protectors} - B65B 55/20: Embedding contents in shock-absorbing media, e.g. plastic foam, granular material - B31D: MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C (manufacture by dry processes of articles made from particles or fibres consisting of wood or other lignocellulosic or like organic material B27N; making layered products not composed wholly of paper or cardboard B32B; making articles from cellulosic fibrous suspensions, e.g. wood pulp, D21J) - B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES - B65B: MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING (bundling and pressing devices for cigars A24C1/44; devices for tensioning and securing binders adapted to be supported by the article or articles to be bound B25B25/00; applying closure members to bottles, jars or similar containers B67B1/00-B67B6/00; concurrent cleaning, filling and closing of bottles B67C7/00; emptying bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels or similar containers B67C9/00) ## Abstract A packing member for packing an article, includes a medium accommodating portion for accommodating medium; a non-return valve for passing the medium to the medium accommodating portion and stopping the medium away from the medium accommodating portion; an introducing portion for introducing the medium into the medium accommodating portion with the non-return valve from an outside of the packing member to balloon the medium accommodating portion; and a sealing region, disposed upstream of the non-return valve with respect to a direction of the introduction of the medium from the introducing portion toward the non-return valve, for sealing against the introduction of the medium to prevent leakage from the introducing portion to an outside of the packing member, the sealing region being sealed to keep the medium in the medium accommodating portion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A manufacturing method for a packing member for packing an article, comprising: an overlapping step of overlapping flexible sheets; a medium accommodating portion forming step of sealing the sheets at a plurality of positions while they are overlapped to provide a plurality of medium accommodating portions arranged in the form of an array; a medium accommodating portion sealing step of sealing the sheets sealed by said medium accommodating portion forming step, at one longitudinal end of the packing member; a non-return valve mounting step of mounting a non-return valve to another longitudinal end of the packing member sealed by said medium accommodating portion forming step, wherein the non-return valve is effective to permit flow of the medium to each of the medium accommodating portions and to limit flow of the medium in an opposite direction, wherein the non-return valve is provided for each of the medium accommodating portions, wherein said non-return valve mounting step comprises the steps of: mounting a sealing portion of the non-return valve between the flexible sheets having a melting temperature above the melting temperature of the flexible sheets; sealing the flexible sheets in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the medium accommodating portions without sealing the portion of the flexible sheets located across the non-return valve sealing portion; and an introducing portion forming step of sealing the flexible sheets overlapped by said overlapping step at the one longitudinal end to form a plurality of introducing portions for permitting introduction of the medium into each of the medium accommodating portions, wherein each of the introducing portions is independently provided for each of the medium accommodating portions, wherein each of said introducing portions has an injection port configured and positioned to permit the introduction of the medium from outside of said packing member at an upstream end with respect to the direction of the introduction of the medium, wherein each of said injection ports has a width that is narrower than a connection portion between an associated non-return valve and its associated introducing portion provided downstream of its associated introducing portion with respect to the direction of the introduction of the medium, and wherein each of said injection ports is adjacent to another injection port. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of preparing a plurality of the packing members in the form of a roll elongated in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A method according to claim 2, further comprising a cutting step of cutting the roll in a widthwise direction of said roll to prepare at least one of the packing members. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, further comprising: a fold-back step of folding back at least one packing member cut from the roll by said cutting step in a direction perpendicular to a widthwise direction of said at least one packing member; and a bag forming step of forming the thus folded-back at least one packing member into a bag form by sealing edges thereof except for one edge. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A method according to claim 4, further comprising: an article accommodating step of accommodating an article in the bag formed by said bag forming step; and a medium introduction step of introducing the medium into each of the medium accommodating portions with the introducing portions after said article accommodating step, wherein the packing member includes a sealing region, disposed upstream of the non-return valve with respect to a direction of the introduction of the medium from the introducing portion toward the non-return valve, for sealing each of the introducing portions to prevent the medium from leaking to an outside of the packing member, the sealing region being sealed to keep the medium in each of the introducing portions, wherein the sealing region is sealed after said article accommodating step and said medium introducing step.