Abstract:
An air packaging device includes two layers of thermoplastic films, which form a sealable space where air is filled after first and second steps of heat-sealing process. The sealable space includes a number of independent sealed air chambers and a main air passage channel. The main channel has an air inlet. Each sealed air chamber is connected with the main channel by at least one one-way valve each including at least two layers of plastic films. At least two one-way valves are installed inside of the air chambers. This air packaging device increases the cushioning protection where the protection is most needed, but can reduce air chamber dimension at less important locations in order to reduce the volumetric size and, hence, reduce the shipping cost.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This is a Continuation application that claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to a non-provisional application, application Ser. No. 12/350,277, filed Jan. 8, 2009. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention provides a technical method to create a three-dimensional air sealable packaging material by using a self-adhesive non-reversible air blockage technique (one way valve) and multi-layered functional polyethylene soft plastic resins. This material can be used in areas such as consumer electronics, glassware, high precision instruments and meters, art crafts, printer cartridges and products that are fragile, have high consumer values and require high safety protection performances. The present invention integrates multiple functions such as for direct load resistance, for anti-vibration, for being sealable, for anti-humidity, and for good shock resistance, provides good protective performance and, yet, is considered environmental friendly packaging material. It can be used in product protection, space void filling, and product area protection or used as protective isolator cushions during shipping. Most importantly, it can also be designed as printable and, hence, can be directly used as sales packaging combining with protective performance. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Arts 
         [0005]    Globalization has increased the distance between product manufacturing and the product consumer market, and this trend has pushed the fast development of protective packaging in order to meet long distance protection shipping needs. Traditional Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) and Expanded Polyethylene (EPE) products are only shipped to users after foam molding or processing at the supplier&#39;s factory location. The formed, finished, EPS products are large in size and very inconvenient for transportation and storage. On-site foaming materials developed for convenience of transportation mainly use polyurethane foaming plastic materials to expand around the content article and form the protective mould around it. However, it is expensive to use and requires on-site equipment to process. That it also needs skilled workers as well as the working load makes it impossible for application for large scale product lines such as those for electronic products. Most importantly, the drawbacks of the Expandable Polystyrene products have caused many environmental concerns, and it is becoming the “white pollution” of this century. Considering the fact that protective products made of EPS material are used in a very short time span between manufacturing, shipping, and warehousing for commercial sales and finally to the consumer, EPS products are non-recyclable after use, and it is non-degradable lasting for hundreds of years once it is formed. The large volume of EPS packaging wastes has caused tremendous environmental damage. Incineration causes toxic gas to the atmosphere, and sending to a waste land fill will shorten the usage design of the waste land fill because these EPS products can not be decomposed for hundreds of years. With increasing concerns about environmental pollution issues, the development of this foam plastic material is greatly restricted by governmental regulation and public attentions. At the same time, products available to the protective packaging market are all limited by the large space volume needed to ship and to warehouse these packaging material. Shipping costs and warehouse handling costs have limited the sales of these products to within a short sales diameter distance. Hence, the present invention has focused on creating a marketable product that is easy for long distance transportation, on-site rapid formation, and good protective performance and, yet, that is of great benefit to the environment. 
         [0006]    With the rapid development of soft plastic material, more and more industries can benefit from the design and functional expendability by utilizing the properties of this material. Traditional air filling packaging generally uses a heat sealing technique to form simple round shape air bubbles (BUBBLE WRAP), blocks or columns. The bubble wrap can be transported in rolls. However, products in other shapes request the installation of complex heat-sealing equipment on site to produce the product. As the protective effects and the transforming shapes of such products are limited, they are often used as padding or for filling space only. At the same time, air cannot be kept inside for a long time due to the unstable heat sealing quality when produced on site. Therefore, the development of packaging products using air as cushioning media has long been limited. 
         [0007]    Literature, such as Walker (1981, U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,211) and Koyanagi (1987, U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,167), has recorded the use of valve structures made of soft plastic material such as rubber or latex. This valve material can be used in designs such as water bags, coffee bean bags and balloon toys. This soft plastic valve can provide a passage for air or liquid to enter but prevents the leakage of air and liquid. On the basis of such theory, using different materials may be applicable in different areas such as life-saving jackets and sealed devices to keep liquids in the bladder. In 2005, Fu Jinfang in “Packaging Engineering” and Liu Gong in “Packaging and Food Machinery” published articles on the feasibility study of using air for cushioning, providing the present invention a very good theoretical basis. 
         [0008]    China&#39;s Patent Application No. 200510025833.4 published in Nov. 22, 2006 demonstrated an air packaging material and its production method by using a self-adhesive, non-reversible, air blockage technique. Such packaging material, comprising 4 layers of plastic films, formed a space for air storage by heat-sealing at specified locations. Air can be preserved in the space in a long-lasting manner utilizing both the self-adhesive film and the function of air pressure. Air and soft plastic film form a functional material that could be designed to have different functions such as shock-resistance, compression-resistance and moisture blockage. 
         [0009]    China&#39;s Patent Application No. 200580016507.5 published in Nov. 21, 2007 demonstrated an air packaging device structure with improved shock absorption performance for the protection of products inside the container case. The air packaging device comprises first and second plastic films, adhered by heating at prefabricated locations to produce a number of air chambers. Each air container has a number of serially connected air chambers. A number of one-way valves established at the entrances of the corresponding air containers allow pressurized air to move forward. The air inlet is publicly connected with the one-way valves. Heat-sealing protrusions are formed at the lateral edges of the air packaging device. The prefabricated points of the air container are adhered to the heat-sealing edges. Thus, the open-mouth container part is created, which will wrap the product inside and which has the padding part in support of the container part when the air packaging device is filled with pressurized air. 
         [0010]    The air packaging device published by the above Chinese patent applications is as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Air, through the main channel  1  and the one-way valve  2 , gets into air chambers  3 . The air chambers  3  are roughly the same in diameter, and the maximum load bearing is uniformly distributed throughout the surface area. When the packaged object falls, all the air chambers are impacted simultaneously, which is the same as a flat surface. In this case, the pressure that can be withstood is relatively small, and the cushioning effects are not very satisfactory. 
         [0011]    On the other hand, after filling with air, the size of the object that can be contained in the internal space is basically defined. If the article is too big in size, it cannot be placed inside the air packaging device. On the contrary, if the article is too small in size, the article may be subject to motion and shock and may pierce of the air packaging device, resulting in the failure of the cushioning protection. In case of articles for packaging with slight differences in size (such as 14 inch and 15 inch laptop computers), two sets of production techniques and moulds are required, leading to greater production costs. Meanwhile, increasing packaging volume will increase transportation costs and will greatly increase the costs for end products in the case of globalized purchase, manufacturing, transportation and sales. 
         [0012]    The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in the prior art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0013]    To solve the above problem, the present invention provides an air packaging device with greatly enhanced cushioning effects applicable in packaging of articles of various sizes. The packaging device can reduce the volume of the packaged articles and, thus, can greatly cut down transportation costs. 
         [0014]    To achieve the above objectives, the present invention takes the technology program as follows: 
         [0015]    An air packaging device includes two layers of thermoplastic films. After two steps of heat sealing, the thermoplastic films form a space to store air, which space includes a number of independent sealed air chambers and one main channel. The main channel has an air inlet. Each sealed air chamber is connected with the main channel by a one-way valve made of at least two layers of films. It is featured that parts or all the air chambers are installed with two or more one-way valves. 
         [0016]    Load carrying capacity increases as the diameter of the air chamber increases, which means better protective effect. Therefore, increasing the air chamber diameter in a limited space can improve the load carrying capacity of the air packaging device. However, the increased air chamber diameter takes a long time to fill with air, which may affect the packaging working time needed. Therefore, installation of at least two one-way valves in an air chamber of a relatively larger diameter will solve the problem of the air filling time. 
         [0017]    The sealed air chambers have different main diameters. 
         [0018]    Due to the different main diameters of the air chambers, after being filled with air, the air chambers with a larger main diameter and the air chambers with a smaller main diameter on the same surface will take wave-like shapes just like a corrugated paper structure of the packaging cartons, to greatly improve the carrying capacity of the packaging device. 
         [0019]    A larger air chamber diameter makes a larger carrying capacity, which means better protective effect. Therefore, increasing the air chamber diameter in a limited space can improve the load carrying capacity of the air packaging device to achieve better protective effects. However, due to the limited space, the main diameters of air chambers in some major areas are increased to improve the load carrying capacity therein while the main diameters of the air chambers in less important areas are reduced correspondingly. Another main purpose to increase the air chamber diameter only in most important areas is to reduce the packaging volume. Increasing cushioning in major areas and reducing the air chamber diameters in areas requiring less protection can effectively reduce the volume to cut down transport costs correspondingly. The volume will be large if all the air chambers are the same in size. 
         [0020]    Preferably, the large and small air chambers of the packaging device are alternatively distributed. Such structure, after being filled with air, the large and small air chambers will take on wave-like forms with only the air chambers of a larger diameter in touch with the article being wrapped. Like corrugated paper packaging, its own load carrying capacity is larger than if in touch with the basic plane formed by air chambers with the same diameter. 
         [0021]    Preferably, the packaging device is a rectangle bag with opening at one end. 
         [0022]    In this way, two packaging devices are required to wrap both sides of the article respectively. Then, the packaging device is applicable only if one side of the rectangle article is suitable in measurements, making the range of application relatively wide. 
         [0023]    Preferably, the packaging device is bag-shaped. 
         [0024]    The bag-shaped packaging device is suitable for articles of relatively higher packaging requirements to provide good all-around protection for the articles. 
         [0025]    Preferably, the main diameters of the air chambers at both sides of the packaging device are relatively small, while the main diameter of the air chamber at the middle is relatively large. 
         [0026]    Preferably, the one-way valves sealed by heat plastic packaging may be used in one or more air chambers of a relatively small main diameter to block the air incoming channel therein. 
         [0027]    In this way, on the basis of the original products, adding a working procedure of plastic heat sealing of the small air chambers around the lateral pressurized air chamber will obtain a packaging device for articles in other measurements without the need for a new mould, greatly cutting down production costs. In addition, the working procedures may be adjusted from time to time according to demands, satisfying the actual needs and cutting down inventories. 
         [0028]    A packaging device production method, including a first step plastic heat sealing and a second step plastic heat sealing, is featured that the first step plastic heat sealing includes the following steps: 
         [0029]    A first heat sealing process produces semi-finished packaging products having air chambers with a number of one-way valves installed, and the semi-finished products are then stored in rolls for future use. 
         [0030]    The above semi-finished products undergo a second time heat sealing process by going through a one-step plastic heat sealing machine, further dividing some air chambers with multiple one-way valves into independent, small-diameter air chambers or connected spaces as required. 
         [0031]    Using the production method of the present invention, a one-step plastic packaging machine may be employed in preparation to process first step semi-finished products with a number of one-way valves of a large air chamber diameter of various universal standards. When receiving orders, directly process partition lines on the prepared semi-finished products divide the large air chambers into independent, small air chambers. With preparation in spare time, the efficiency of one-step plastic packaging production will be greatly improved when having orders, resulting in greatly improved production of finished products. This will also make it convenient for factories in making production arrangements. 
         [0032]    Using the on-site direct forming method can greatly reduce the package volume and, hence, the transportation costs, solving the problem of excessively high costs of long distance transportation of packaging materials. The products are made completely flat prior to use by using flexible plastic materials and prefabricated design. When using the products, such materials will be formed rapidly by air and will form a protective structure around the article to be protected. Comparing with existing technologies, the three-dimensional air packaging material of the present invention has excellent comprehensive protection functions such as anti-resistance, anti-vibration, anti-compression and cushioning. It can be used for padding packaging of articles, partition boards for local or major areas of articles, and the overall external packaging for articles. 
         [0033]    The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention described in connection with the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0034]    The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the preferred embodiments referring to the drawings. 
           [0035]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional air packaging device. 
           [0036]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the conventional air packaging device and an article contained with the air packaging device in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0037]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an air packaging device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention in a state prior to the second step heat-sealing process. 
           [0038]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an air packaging device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention in a state prior to the second step heat-sealing process. 
           [0039]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an air packaging device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention in a state prior to the second step heat-sealing process. 
           [0040]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an air packaging device in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention in a state prior to the second step heat-sealing process. 
           [0041]      FIG. 7  is another perspective view of the air packaging device in  FIG. 6  after folding and the second step heat-sealing process, illustrating a plurality of heat-sealing lines on the air packaging device. 
           [0042]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the air packaging device and an article contained with the air packaging device in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0043]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the air packaging device and an article contained with the air packaging device in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0044]      FIG. 10   a  is a perspective view of the air packaging device in accordance with the present invention, with the air packaging device filled with air. 
           [0045]      FIG. 10   b  is another perspective view of the air packaging device in accordance with the present invention, with the air. 
           [0046]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of an air packaging device similar to the air packaging device in  FIGS. 10   a  and  10   b.    
           [0047]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of an air packaging device similar to the air packaging device in  FIG. 11 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0048]    The air packaging device of the present invention will be more readily understood upon a further deliberation of the following detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0049]    A first step heat sealing refers to forming a plane bag for air storage by heat sealing treatment of two layers of thermoplastic films and a one-way valve. A second time heat sealing process refers to forming a three-dimensional bag for storage by folding a semi-product obtained from the first step heat sealing and, then, further heat sealing along a heat sealing line for the second time heat sealing process. 
         [0050]      FIG. 3  depicts an embodiment of the air packaging device of the present invention before going through the second step heat sealing process. It differs from the existing technology in: first, the main diameters of the air chambers  3   a  at both sides are the same and are larger than the diameter of the air chambers  3   b  in the middle; secondly, each side air chamber  3   a  is connected with a main channel  1  with two one-way valves  2 , but each middle air chamber  3   b  is only installed with one air valve  2 ; and thirdly, the heat sealing line  5  created by the second step heat sealing is the sealing line between the first and second air chambers  3   a  at both sides, making the first air chamber  3   a  at each of both sides a side pressure chamber for lateral cushioning. During the second step heat process, the end of the main channel  1  of the semi-finished product depicted in  FIG. 3 , is closed and wrapped upward, similarly to  FIG. 7 , and the upper and lower parts of  FIG. 3  along the heat sealing line  5  are heat sealed, to form a bag with an upper opening. When using on site, air is filled into each air chamber  3   a ,  3   b  through an inlet  8  of the main channel  1 , and, then, the article  50  is wrapped at both ends by two such packaging devices for packaging. Installing two one-way valves  2  in one air chamber  3   a  makes it easy to increase the air chamber diameter, and the carrying capacity of the air chamber  3   a  is increased correspondingly. The diameters of air chambers  3   a  at both sides are larger than the diameter of the air chambers  3   a  in the middle, which is similar to the internal structure of alternatively distributed small and large air chambers depicted in  FIG. 9 . The contact surface in between the air chamber and the article  50  will take a wave-like form in structure similar to corrugated paper. This will greatly increase the carrying capacity of the packaging device in accordance with physics theory. Meanwhile, the design of the heat sealing line  5  during the second step heat sealing process on the sealing line of the first air chambers  3   a  at both sides (i.e. the left and right side pressure chambers  3   a ) and the second air chamber will protect the article  50  in all aspects as the side pressure air chambers  3   a  have the lateral cushioning effects. 
         [0051]      FIG. 4  depicts a second embodiment of the air packaging device of the present invention before going through the second step heat sealing process. It differs from the first embodiment in using purposely designed heat sealing lines of different shapes.  FIG. 3  adopts the round shape heat sealing line  7  while  FIG. 4  adopts a figure 8-shaped heat sealing line  17 . The heat sealing line will form one or more closed spaces. The air cannot penetrate into the enclosed air chamber but inflates air chambers  3   a ,  3   b  around these closed spaces. The sealed space is protected by the surrounding air chambers  3   a ,  3   b  and is free from external impact, being applicable to articles with parts of relatively higher requirements regarding impact. 
         [0052]      FIG. 5  depicts a third embodiment of the air packaging device of the present invention before the processing the second step heat sealing process. It differs from the first embodiment in: the diameters of the air chambers at both sides are larger and are provided with three one-way valves  2 . The increased main diameters of the air chambers at both sides will improve the maximum carrying capacity of the air chambers. 
         [0053]      FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  depict a fourth embodiment of the air packaging device.  FIG. 6  depicts the air packaging device before processing the second step of heat sealing procedure and  FIG. 7  depicts the air packaging device after the second step of heat sealing procedure. They differ from the previous three embodiments in: two small main diameter air chambers  67 ,  68  are next to the first air chambers at both sides, namely, the left pressure air chamber  65  and the right pressure air chamber  66 . Between the air chambers  67  and  68 , there are a number of air chambers of the same diameter as the left and right side pressure air chambers  65  and  66 . There is a heat sealing line  69  on the one-way valves of the small diameter air chambers  67  and  68  next to the left and right side pressure air chambers  65  and  66 , sealing off the one-way valves of the air chambers to make it unable to fill with air. After air inflation, its horizontal length is slightly larger than the length when all the air chambers are filled with air for packaging devices with variations in length such as the 14 inch and 15 inch laptop computers. As large diameter air chambers are on both sides of the small diameter air chambers, it bears on pressure of impact. The cushioning protection of the packaging device will not be affected if the small diameter air chambers are not filled with air. In this way, adding a working procedure of plastic packaging of sealing off the one-way valve of the small air chambers can produce packaging devices of two specifications. As no new moldings are needed, the production costs will be cut down greatly, and the products on the production line can be modified at any time in line with production without excessively more inventories. 
         [0054]    The number of the small diameter air chambers can vary according to the actual design. The sealed air chamber can be one or more according to the actual situation. 
         [0055]    More importantly, as depicted in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , in case of packaging devices with the same measurements, the one with small-diameter air chambers around the heat sealing line after the second step heat sealing process can contain an article  50  of large volumetric size than the one contained in the packaging device with equal size diameter air chambers. Adding cushioning in major parts and cutting down the air column size in areas without need of protection can effectively reduce volume and transportation costs. Although the volume reduction of single packaging is limited, the saved transportation costs will be considerable in case of a large batch of products for long distance transportation. 
         [0056]      FIGS. 10   a  and  10   b  depict the air packaging device after being filled with air.  FIG. 11  depicts an air packaging device similar to the one depicted in  FIGS. 10   a  and  10   b.    
         [0057]    All of the embodiments of the air packaging device as aforementioned can be made into a wrapping bag with an open end as depicted in the above embodiments. As illustrated in  FIGS. 10   a , 10 b  and  11 , the concurrent use of two same packaging devices can realize the cushioning protective function. In another example, the upper and lower parts of the semi-finished material are overlapped after the first step heat sealing process and then go through the second step heat sealing process to form a bag depicted in  FIG. 12 . In this way, only one packaging device is needed to have the cushioning protection. 
         [0058]    The production method of the present invention of air packaging device employs first step and second step heat sealing processes, wherein the first step heat sealing process includes the following steps: 
         [0059]    Use of the first heat sealing process to produce the semi-finished products having air chambers with a number of one-way valves, and the semi-finished products can be easily wound in rolls for future use; and 
         [0060]    Have the above semi-finished products undergone a heat sealing process again in one-step plastic packaging machine, further dividing some air chambers with multiple one-way valves into independent, small-diameter air chambers or connected spaces as required. 
         [0061]    Finally, use the second step heat sealing process machinery to form the finished products. 
         [0062]    As the air packaging devices are usually produced according to customers&#39; orders without a large number of inventories, the production time will be very short after receiving the orders. At the same time, the production of the heat sealing process is relatively slow. The production time will be long if the materials are processed by the first heat sealing and the second heat sealing process in sequence, making it hard for workers who may have to work extra hours for production deadlines. By the production method of the present invention, semi-finished products may be prepared for universally standard large diameter air chambers with a number of one-way valves. When receiving orders, partition lines may be directly processed on the prefabricated semi-finished products, dividing the large air chamber into independent small air chambers or adding local heat plastic sealing transformations for local protection. Thus, preparations can be made in free time in between orders, and the production efficiency can be greatly improved when the production volume increases suddenly to greatly speed up the production of finished products. This will also make the production arrangement easy for the factory. 
         [0063]    Applying the design of the above invention can produce functional packaging materials in various forms with lightproof, waterproof, moisture-proof, anti-wear, anti-compression, and shockproof properties, such as sealed bags and U-shaped bags. Meanwhile, features of plastic films can provide other features including anti-static, conductive, shock-cushioning, anti-wearing, anti-rusting and printable functions. Being different from the traditional air leakage-proof devices, the design of the present invention needs no external mechanical air stop device. Instead, relying on the specially treated internal and external functional films and by a series of simple local heat sealing processes, air can be kept in an enclosed space. According to this principle, a series of products and derivative products in relation to functional self-adhesive, non-reversible air blockage technology to form three dimensional packaging materials can be produced. Any change of product shape and function by changing the heat sealing shape, wrapping pattern, the heat sealing specifications and positions, by different cutting, or by selection of different plastic film features belong to the scope of the present invention, subject to the purpose of the present invention. 
         [0064]    Deliberative but not limiting descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention have been made. However, it should be understood that the technical staff in this field may make changes and/or modifications without being away from the related scope of protection as defined in the Claims.