Cushioning material

Abstract: A tube-shaped cushioning material in which an air bag (10) is continuously connected in line or mat-shaped cushioning material in which an air bag (10) is continuously connected in two dimensions, in which a cutout notch (12,13,15) is formed at a given space or continuously in a side edge (3,4) and/or connecting part of the air bag (10), thereby facilitating a separating-dividing operation of the air bag (10) in a size suitable for an article to be packed and a volume reduction operation of the air bag (10) discarded after opening a package.

Description: This invention relates to a cushioning material for packing comprising an air hag made of heat-fusible laminated film which is divided in a form of rectangle and continuously connected in a foam of tube or mat. In order to wrap a package or fill around a packed article, a cushioning material has been used which is made of an air bag (air-filled chamber) made of synthetic resin continuously connected in a form of tube or mat. As shown in Fig. 8, an example of the conventional mat-shaped cushioning material according to the preamble of claim 1 is formed by superimposing oppositely two sheets of laminated films the fusion temperatures of inner and outer surfaces of which are different, dividing in a form of rectangle by means of welding by plural first and second rectangular sealing lines 5, 6, connecting continuously its inside in two dimensions to form air bags 10, and it is used by dividing in required size and shape along a perforated line M perforated in the second sealing line 6 corresponding to an article to be packed. The first sealing line is formed lengthwise by means of roller-heating when the cushioning material is produced, and the second sealing line is formed wide accompanying with a strap-shaped non-sealed area between two parallel sealing lines, and a perforated line M is formed in the non-sealed are a. However, as a heat-fusible film used for the cushioning material of this type is used a laminated film having no directional property formed by laminating films having no directional property in order to give uniform strength in all directions of the laminated film. Therefore, when tearing the cushioning material of this type from its side edge in the direction of the arrow A along the perforated line, there occurs frequently a case where the tearing portion B departs from the perforated line, thereby tearing an air bag. And accordingly, tearing work must be carried out carefully and cautiously. Furthermore, since volume reduction work has been required after opening a package in order to reduce the bulk of the cushioning material in which each of the air bag is punctured by a tip of, for example, ball-point pen and the like to press air out of the air bag, the work takes a lot of time and is poor efficient, such properties arid defects are true for the tube-shaped cushioning material. US-A-5,445,454 shows a tubular bag packaging, for medicinal supply articles such as bandages or rigid dressings, in particular, consisting of a tough film web made up of several layers in a composite structure whose opposite borders are glued or welded together along a longitudinal seam to form a tube enveloping the material to be packed and which is sealed at its ends by means of two parallel transverse seams and which exhibits at least one aid to opening, enabling it to be torn open quickly and completely in order to remove die contents, whereby at least one of die transverse seams exhibits controllable, given weakening in the form of an incision, which only divides die transverse seam, in an outer part of its width, and that a line of weakening running across die length of die packaging is intended for die tear, during die course of which at least one layer of die composite structure making up die film is provided with aids to tearing such as incisions, perforations or thermal brittleness and impression and at least the cover layer is not weakened. It is an object of the invention to provided a tube-shaped or mat-shaped cushioning material in which air bags can be cut off easily without recourse to perforated line, thereby making the packaging-charging work efficient and carrying out easily the volume-reducing work after opening a package by similar operation. This object is solved by the cushioning material of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims. According to this invention, there is provided a cushioning material having air bags divided and continuously connected by rectangular first and second sealing lines, in which a cutout making serve a double purpose of cutting off and tearing is formed continuously or at a given space in at least one side edge of a film constituting the cushioning material or at least one side of a rectangular air bag, thereby performing each of cutting-off of the air bag at the time of the packing operation and the volume reduction operation at the time of opening a package, continuously. According to this invention, when a cutout making serve a double purpose of cutting off and tearing is formed to at least one side of the rectangle-shaped air hag, serrated cutouts or V-shaped cutout (notch) may be perforated in a part or whole area of the non-sealed area in the sealing line with or without a perforated line. The terminology "cutout" used herein means a single or serrated cutout of straight cutout and V-shaped cutout (notch). For a more complete understanding of this invention may be had to the following detailed explanations in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cushioning material of this invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an air bag and a state in which its volume is reduced. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a second sealing line. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a main part showing another example of structure of a second sealing line. Fig. 5 is a side view of a main part of a tube-shaped cushioning material. Fig. 6 is a side view of another example. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a body of air bag. Fig. 8 is a plan view showing a conventional cushioning material. Examples of this invention are described in more detail on the basis of figures. Figs. 1 to 4 show a mat-shaped cushioning material. In Figs., 1, 2 are non-directional heat-fusible laminated films, 3, 4 are side edges of a superimposed film, 5a is an outermost first sealing line, 6 is a second sealing line and is provided with two parallel sealed part 7, 8 and middle non-sealed area 9 except for a case shown in Fig. 1. 10 is a divided air bag (air chamber) in which air is trapped, and has a cross section shown in Fig. 2 and is continuously connected through a second sealing line 6 to form a mat-shaped cushioning material 11. 12 are serrated notches formed continuously to the side edges 3, 4 of the cushioning material and may be formed in a given space. This cushioning material can be torn easily from a valley A of the notch 12 by force of a fingertip. The cleft B travels as shown by a broken line in Fig 1 bursting in turn air bags 10 of a first line and brings to a state shown at right in Fig. 2, thereby performing volume reduction and separation of the ai bags at the same time. Such an operation as described above may be applied also to a volume reduction operation of the cushioning material after opening a package, thereby reducing the volume of the continuously connected air bag 10 to evacuate by a single action for each line. Fig. 3 shows an example in which a serrated cutout 13 is formed in the non-sealed area 9 and Fig. 4 shows an example in which a V-shaped cutout 15 is formed with the direction changed alternately in place of the serrated cutout. Both examples shown by Figs. 3 and 4 can facilitate an operation performing double purpose of lateral continuous volume reduction and separation. 14 is a cutout exclusively used for separating, the tip 14a of which is made to exceed the outermost first sealing line 5a or at least to enter the outermost first sealing line 5a from side edges 3, 4 inside the non-sealed area 9. Figs. 5 to 7 show an example of a tube-shaped cushioning material in which air bags are continuously connected in the shape of tube. In Fig. 5, 21 is a sheet of film, and inner surfaces of both side edges 22, 23 of the film are superimposed and heat-fused (heat-sealed) 24 to form a tube-shaped cushioning material 25 in which air is trapped. 26 is an exterior edge of film. Each air bag 10 is divided by a two parallel sealed part 7, 8 corresponding to a second sealing line and non-sealed area 9 and continuously connected. M is a perforated line for cutting off formed in non-sealed area 9, and 27 is a cutout for volume reducing and tearing formed so as to stride over the perforated line. The perforated line M and cutout 27 are formed at the same time. 28 is a cutout exclusively used for volume reduction formed in the exterior edge 26 and is formed previously in the film or formed simultaneously with seal 24 of tube 25. While there occurs a case where the position of the notch is displaced when the notch is formed previously in the film exterior edge 26, tearing effect changes hardly. Fig. 6 shows a cushioning material in which serrated notches 27a, 28a are continuously formed in the film exterior edge 26 and non-sealed area 9, respectively and can perform volume reduction and tearing work more easily. It goes without saying that the cutout formed in non-sealed area 9 must be formed to such an extent that the continuously connected air bags are not separated easily thereby. The cushioning material of this invention can facilitate tearing and separating of the continuously connected air bags by notches for cutting off and makes smooth work possible regardless of the presence or absence of perforated line at the time of packaging, and can reduce continuously the volume of each air bag in both directions of lengthwise and crosswise directions by notches for volume reduction and tearing formed to one side of the continuously connected air bags taken out when opening the package. The cushioning material of this invention does not require an air evacuating operation because the volume reduction of the air bag can not be carried out by a conventionally used means, that is, forming a small hole by a pen tip, but carried out without a tool, and can improve remarkably the package-opening operation because the air bag becomes a mere film chip simultaneously with tearing, thereby facilitating disposal including transportation and the like.

Claims: A cushioning material made of heat-fusible laminated film (1,2) comprising an air bag (10) which is divided in a form of rectangle by plural rectangular sealing lines (5,6) and continuously connected in a form of a tube or mat (11), characterised in that one of the rectangular sealing lines (5,6) dividing said air bag (10) is formed by two parallel sealed parts (6,7,8) having a non-sealed area (9) between them, and a V-shaped notch (27a) serving a double purpose of separating and tearing the air bag (10) is formed in the non-sealed area (9). The cushioning material of claim 1, wherein the cutouts (27,28) or V-shaped notches (12,13,15,27a,28a) for separating or tearing are formed continuously or in a given space to at least one side of the air bag (10). The cushioning material of claim 1 or 2, wherein said cutouts or V-shaped notches are formed by a perforated lines.

Inventors: SUZUKI KEN-ICHI, SUZUKI, KEN-ICHI, Suzuki, Ken-ichi c/o Tsukasa Kasei Kogyo K.K.
Applicants: TSUKASA KASEI KOGYOKABUSHIKI K, TSUKASA KASEI KOGYOKABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B65D81
IPC codes: B32B7, B65D81