Abstract:
A machine for producing a packaging filler material employing inflated pouches or cells fabricated from a tubular supply of plastic-like material having a top and bottom integral fold so that a pair of sheets are defined with their opposing inner surfaces establishing a compartment. Sealed strips, which are spaced apart in parallel relationship, define the sides of each pouch compartment. The machine includes a first work station having a source of tubular material that is introduced to a second or cutter station for severing the top fold of the tubular material followed by introduction to a third or inflation station where a source of pressurized fluid is fed to the pouch compartment. A sealing station follows the inflation station where the top opening to the pouch is closed such as by heat sealing. Idler rollers smoothly conduct the material past each of the respective work stations in a serial fashion and provide a gap for effecting inflation. An advancing system in the form of a rotary drive drum and a pressure belt cooperate to transport the supply material about the idler rollers with the pouches being introduced to each operational station.

Description:
Priority claimed as a continuation-in-part on Ser. No. 60/133,814 filed May 11, 1999 abandoned and Ser. No. 09/565,161 filed May 3, 2000 issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,313. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of packaging materials, and more particularly to a novel package filler material used in shipping or transporting fragile articles and which has shock-absorbing capabilities and a machine for making such packaging filler material whereby the user may readily dispense, on site, a quantity of such filler material from a machine which fabricates the filler material in the form of inflated pouches or cells detachably connected together in an in-line series for subsequent separation and use. 
     2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
     In the past, it has been the conventional practice to provide a packaging filler material for protecting fragile articles and composed of small masses of foam composition, such as composed from polystyrene or polyethylene. Such packaging material is used as fillers or stuffers in a storage compartment so as to protect fragile products when transported from one place to another either by commercial or government handling authorities. Such plastic-like pieces of foam are sometimes referred to as “peanuts” because of their peanut-like shape, and in other instances, the foam composition is of irregular form or of special form conforming in shape to the article being transported in the carton. In the instance of “peanuts”, such foam composition is purchased in large bags from a manufacturer and kept in inventory at the user&#39;s site of shipment until ready for usage. This represents a relatively uneconomical means for such packaging material since it requires space for storage at the site of usage and must be purchased before usage from the outside manufacturing sources. In some instances, problems have been encountered by the receiver of shipped packages containing such conventional foam material which stem from disposal problems since some plastic foam compositions are not acceptable for recycling procedures. 
     Another prior packaging filler material takes the form of a unitary sheet having singular or a multiplicity of integrally formed air bubbles or pouches that are connected together on the sheet and are not separable. Such sheets are manufactured off-site from their location of use and are generally stored in rolls at the location of use after purchase and supply by the manufacturer as noted above. Also, the user must either fold the sheet to fit the article to be shipped, or specifically cut the sheet to accommodate the package. 
     Most all presently availalbe package fillers, such as “Popcorn”, “Peanut” or “rows of bubbles” are made in factories requiring vast floor space to manufacture and inventory the volume of package filler material distribution. This procedure requires further processing energy as well as other resources that are wasted. Shipment and distribution to the using site requires packing in storage bags, barrels, cartons or the like. 
     Attempts to provide on-site fabrication machinery for producing a quantity of shock absorbing cells is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,868 while other machines and pouches are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,340,669; 4,747,253; and 5,552,003. Although successful for the machinery&#39;s intended purposes, the prior machines require considerable moving parts, timing functions and control stations. These create problems and difficulties that need to be avoided for on-site manufacture and use of package filler materials. Also, slippage of the bulk material in the advancing system of conventional machines causes problems in pouch inflation as well as in sealing of the pouches. 
     A conventional packaging filler product and a known machine for making the product is disclosed wherein the product includes a plurality of air-filled pouches defined between a pair of sheets in which each pouch includes sealed edges connecting the opposing sheets of the pouch together to provide a shock-absorbing “pillow” construction. The machine includes a pouch advancing system for moving a bulk sheet supply of pouched package material past an inflation device for serially inflating the interior of each pouch of the package material followed by employing a sealer system that seals the opening into the interior of each pouch to retain inflation. However, the advancing system fails to maintain pouch inflation during the inflation procedure as leakage occurs prior to sealing of the pouch. Also, speed of production is greatly limited since frequent stopping of the bulk supply advance is necessary in most conventional machines. 
     Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a novel packaging filler material which need not be stored in inventory at the point of manufacture and shipment, but which may be fabricated by the user on-site at the time that such material is needed. The on-site fabricated product will not only protect the object being shipped in the carton or package but can be disposed of by the recipient once the package has been opened and the shipped article removed. Furthermore, such a desired packaging material must be relatively inexpensive to manufacture as compared to foam or foam-like compositions. Preferably, the production of the packaging material should avoid the creation of waste or scrap and the inflation and sealing of individual pouches as well as the advancement system for the bulk supply must be kept to a simple and uncomplicated procedure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties are avoided by the present invention which provides a novel machine for producing a packaging filler material comprised of at least one or more inflated pouches or cells fabricated from a tubular supply of plastic-like material having a top and bottom integral fold so that a pair of sheets are defined therebetween with their opposing inner surfaces establishing the pouches or cells. Sealed strips, which are spaced apart in parallel relationship, define the sides of each pouch. Such a machine includes several processing or work stations with the first station being a source of tubular material that is introduced to a cutter station for severing the top fold of the tubular material followed by introduction to an inflation station where a source of pressurized fluid is fed to the top cut fold into the pouch defined by the opposing inner surfaces thereof. A sealing means follows the inflation station where the top opening to the pouch is closed such as by heat sealing and a plurality of idler rollers smoothly conduct the material past each of the respective stations in a serial fashion. An advancing system in the form of a rotary drum and belt drive cooperate to transport the supply material about the idler rollers with the respective pouches being introduced to each operational station. Individual pouches or cells may be separated from the bulk sheet material by separating the selected pouches or cells along perforations in the sealed strips. 
     In one form of the machine, the tubular supply of material with pre-formed pouches or cells is fed to the inventive machine sequenced so that the series of multiple stations will effect cutting of the top fold of the tubular supply, inflation of each pouch or cell followed by sealing each pouch or cell along its length to define a plurality of inflated pouches or cells. 
     Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a novel packaging or filler material which is an inflated pouch or cell and which may be combined with other separate pouches or cells to form a shock-absorbing and stuffing material to be carried in cartons or shipping containers about a fragile object to be transported. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel packaging material that may be readily produced at the site of shipping and which may comprise one or more air-filled pockets or cells in a strip for use in the shipping process. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel machine for producing a series of air-filled pouches, pockets or cells in a strip so that the user may dispense as many pouches as required for article protection purposes during a shipping. 
     Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel machine for producing a package material for article protection that is produced from a tubular supply having a continuous series of pouches that is initially opened, inflated and sealed to enclose air, followed by dividing the air-filled pouches into a plurality of inflated pouches in an end-to-end relationship. 
     Another object relates to the subsequent disposal of the inventive pouches, pockets or cells which permits ready deflation and destruction of used material for environmental purposes such as recycling. 
     A further object resides in using a tubular supply of material that is flattened with two material sheets joined at top and bottom edges by folds which is then formed into a series of pouches that are inflated and sealed and useful as filler material to protect fragile articles being shipped. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood with reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing the novel packaging machine for making a plurality of inflatable pouches or cells in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a plurality of pouches or cells as stored in bulk on a feed spindle preparatory for introduction to the inflation station of the machine; 
     FIG. 3 is a view similar to the view of FIG. 2 illustrating a series of inflated pouches or cells as a finished product discharged from the machine; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged top plan view of the machine for producing the inflatable package product illustrated in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the machine shown in FIG. 4 as taken in the direction of arrows  5 - 5  thereof; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the package material as it is introduced to the machine as shown in the direction of arrows  6 - 6  of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 7 is a view similar to the view of FIG. 6 illustrating engagement of the package material with a driving belt as being pressed against a rotatable drum taken in the direction of arrows  7 - 7  of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the package material in a position preparatory for inflation as taken in the direction of arrows  8 - 8  of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the package material at the top fold cutting and inflation station as shown in FIG. 4 as taken in the direction of arrows  9 - 9  thereof; 
     FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating advancement of the package material by the belt and rotatable drum system subsequent to inflation and advanced to a heat-sealing station as taken in the direction of arrows  10 - 10  in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the inflated package material advanced to a discharge station after heat-sealing, as shown in FIG. 4 in the direction of arrows  11 - 11  thereof; 
     FIG. 12 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a typical inflated pouch or cell taken in the direction of arrows  12 - 12  of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 13 is an enlarged side elevational view of the cutter and inflation devices; 
     FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cutter and inflation device; and 
     FIG. 15 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the cutter and inflation device as taken in the direction of arrows  15 - 15  of FIG.  14 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the novel packaging filler product machine is indicated in the general direction of arrow  10  which includes a base  11  on which a spool  12  is rotatably located. The spool serves to mount an elongated sheet of product material in a roll so that it can be withdrawn from the roll in the direction of arrow  13 . The elongated sheet of material is indicated by numeral  14  and a portion of the material is illustrated as being drawn from the roll and is trained past a various number of work stations for inflating and sealing a plurality of pouches or pockets formed in the sheet material  14 . As the sheet or product material enters the machine  10 , the plurality of pockets, such as a pouch or pocket  15 , are deflated and are separated from adjacent pouches, pockets or cells by means of a sealed seam, indicated by numerals  16  and  17  on opposite sides of the pouch  15 . The lower end of the product material is indicated by numeral  18  and represents a fold line while numeral  19  indicates an upper fold line. Therefore, the bulk supply of product material is a tubular construction illustrated in a flattened condition with opposite sheets joined by the upper and the lower fold lines. As the product material exits from the machine  10 , the respective cells are inflated and a typical inflated cell is indicated by numeral  21  defined between heat-sealed seams  22  and  23 . However, the exiting sheet material is sealed at the top and the sealed top is indicated by numeral  24 . 
     FIG. 1, in general, further discloses that the machine includes a idler roller  25  which is employed for tensioning purposes as the sheet material passes about the roller and is introduced to a top fold cutter and to an inflating station which includes a blade cutter and an inflation manifold  26  with an inflation tube or nozzle  27  positioned over the sheet material as it is drawn into the station by means of a belt  28  in combination with a rotatable drive drum  30 . Next, the sheet material and the individual pouches after inflation are passed to a sealing means  31  and eventually the inflated and sealed plurality of pouches or cells are passed about a roller  36  for discharge from the machine. Inflation occurs when a source of pressurized air is introduced to the manifold  20  by means of a hose  33  connected to the inflation tube  27 . 
     The sheet material advancing or drive mechanism for moving the supply sheet  14  from station to station about the rollers and between the supply and discharge ends of the machine are represented by a drive motor  34  operating through the drive drum  30  which bears against a portion of the material  14 . It is to be particularly noted that the belt  28  is trained about the major top edge portion or periphery of the material  14  urging the material against the drive drum. Therefore, as the upper edge of the sheet material  14  is pulled from the supply roll past the idlers, the belt  28  grips and presses the sheet material against the periphery of drum  30 . Drum  30  serves as a backing plate for heat sealer  31 . The cutter and manifold  26  are not fixed to the drum but are stationary and downwardly depending from the underside of a housing panel  29 . The inflation means via hose  33  is operably connected to the inflation tube  27  by conventional means. 
     A control panel  8  is illustrated behind which several controls are located. For example, a sliding control  9  may be employed for regulating power and may include a scale or the like. A temperature controller is illustrated by numeral  37  while a speed control is indicated by numeral  38 . Power switch  40  is operably connected to a source of power for energizing the motor  34  as wll as for supplying power to the heater  31  and inflation means. It is preferred that a separate start/stop button  41  by employed on the control panel  8  and all the electrical units may be carried on a circuit board  42  within the cabinet behind the panel  8 . 
     Referring in detail to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the supply sheet of material  14  is not inflated and that the seams  16  and  17  define an enclosed pouch  15  between the seams. The pouch is defined by a pair of sheet walls or layers  44  and  45  which are joined by upper fold  19  shown in FIG. 1, and lower fold  18 . 
     In FIG. 3, the pouches have been inflated and the top openings to the pouches or cells have been sealed by the heat-sealing mechanism  31  along the upper edge  24 . The bottom fold joining the sheets  44  and  45  together is indicated by the numeral  18 . The array or series of pouches is ready for use singularly or in groups. 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, a diagrammatic view of the package filler machine is illustrated wherein the pre-formed pouch tubular supply material  14  is trained over a guide roller  46  where the material then progresses to the idler roller  25 . About the peripheral edge of the roller  25 , the sheet material is engaged by the pressure belt  28  which engages with the upper edge of the sheeting material and as the belt and sheeting material move from the idler  25 , the material upper fold edge is pressed against the peripheral side of the drive drum  30 . Therefore, as the belt provides pressure to force the sheeting against the periphery of drive drum  30 , a frictional engagement ensues and the sheeting material will move along accordingly. As the drum  30  rotates, the pressed together material and belt move. The extreme terminating and upper fold edge  19  of the sheeting material passes along a series of idlers, indicated by numerals  53 ,  51  and  52  respectively. Idler wheel or roller  52  is offset from the rollers  51  and  53  so as to permit the cutter and inflation manifold  26  to reside adjacent the upper fold edge of the sheeting material adjacent to the periphery of drum  30 . The idler  52  also permits separation of the belt  28  from the material sheeting  14  so that cutting of the top fold occurs and the inflation tube or nozzle  27  can introduce a pressurized fluid such as air into each of the respective cells or pouches in a serial sequence. Once a pouch has been filled with air, the belt  28  re-engages the exterior surface of the sheeting material and presses the top against the drum periphery so that the air cannot escape from the inflated cell or pouch. As the belt further drives the sheeting material which is now composed of a plurality of sequential inflated cells or the like, the sheeting material is introduced to a heat-sealing station and to the heater  31 . 
     According to a timing sequence, the heater  31  is moved rectilinearly by means of a cylinder  54 . When the piston  55  moves in and out of the cylinder  54 , the heating shoe  56  engages with or comes into contact with the upper edge of the sheeting material  14  and causes a heat seal across the top of the sheeting material to seal the air within each of the respective pouches or cells. It is an important feature to note that after inflation, the belt  28  re-engages with the top of the sheet material between roller  53  and the heater  31 . Thus, deflation of the cells or pouches is prevented since the cut top of the sheeting material is maintained closed as the material is pressed between the belt  28  and the peripheral surface of the drive drum  30 . 
     Once the sheeting material leaves the heater  31 , the pouches and cells are inflated and sealed and progress along against the peripheral surface of the drum  30  for discharge beyond the roller  32 . 
     Tension for the pressure belt  28  is achieved by means of a spring tension device taking the form of a roller  57  about which the belt is trained. The roller  57  is mounted on a plate  58  that is spring-loaded by means of coil spring  60 . Adjustment of the tension on spring  60  will place a tension on the endless belt  28 . The tension device for belt  28  is pivotally carried on the housing by pivot  61 . 
     Referring in detail to FIG. 5, it can be seen that the drum  30  is rotatably carried on the post  34  and that the supply of pressurized air is introduced to the manifold  26  by means of hose  33  which passes into operable engagement with the manifold  26 . Discharge of the pressurized air into the respective cells or pouches on the sheeting material is achieved vis inflation tube or nozzle  27 . During the inflation procedure at the inflation station, the belt  28  is separated from the sheeting material by idler roller  52 . The inflation nozzle  27  downwardly depends from the end of manifold  26  and is in alignment with the center idler roller  52 . It is to be kept in mind that the disposition of the nozzle during the inflation procedure is extremely short and that the sheet material  14  is moving rapidly from the inflation station to the heating station and that the injected air into the cells and pouches is maintained from leaking or discharging because of the subsequent engagement of belt  28  with the sheeting material after leaving the inflation station. Also, it can be seen that the idler roller  36  causes the pressure belt  28  to leave engagement with the inflated sheeting material  14  as the material passes beyond the roller  36 . 
     Referring now in detail to FIG. 6, the initial sheeting material  14  takes the form of a single unitary tubular sheet of flexible material which is folded at its top by fold  19  and at its bottom by fold  18  so as to provide an interior storage area  64  intended to be occupied by the pressurized fluid such as air. Front and back sheets  65  and  66  of the sheeting material  14  serve as sidewalls to maintain the cells inflated. However, initially, the folded sheet material is closed at the top and the bottom, as indicated by numerals  18  and  19 . 
     In FIG. 7, it can be seen that the belt  28  engages the outside upper surface of the sheet material  14  so as to press that portion of the supply or sheeting material against the outer periphery of the drum  30 . 
     FIG. 8 illustrates the inflation station wherein the sheeting material  14  has now been advanced past the roller  25  so as to enter a cutting and an inflation station via idler roller  51 . 
     Next, in FIG. 9, the belt  28  is released from engagement with the sheeting material  14  by passing about idler  52  so a cutting blade  39  immediately ahead of the nozzle  27  can sever the top fold  19 . FIG. 14 shows the cutter  39 . The inflation nozzle  27  inserts in the slit created by the cutter and introduces pressurized air into the storage compartment  64  between sheets  65  and  66 , as shown in FIG.  9 . As the sheeting material  14 , which now has inflated pouches or cells, moves from the inflation station to the sealing station, as shown in FIG. 10, the shoe  56  of the heater  31  engages the uppermost edge of the sheet material  14  to effect a sealing closure to encapsulate or fully enclose the pressurized compartment  64 . In this fashion, the pressurized air within storage compartment  64  is prevented from leaking or exhausting from the respective pouches or cells. 
     In FIG. 11, the series of inflated cells of the sheet material  14  now travel beyond the idler roller  35  for the belt  28  so that the sheeting material can readily be discharged from the housing. The upper edge of the sheeting material  14  is identified by numeral  67  which represents a sealed closure for each of the respective cells or pockets. 
     In FIG. 12, a completed product is illustrated which is heat-sealed, as indicated by numeral  67 , and wherein pressurized air is within the storage compartment  64 , defined by opposite sidewalls or sheets  65  and  66 . The fold  18  seals or prevents evacuation of pressurized air in the storage compartment  64 . The cutter and inflation means  39  and  27  downwardly depend from a housing cover or panel that is mounted ahead of the panel  8  and is indicated by numeral  29  in FIG.  1 . Both the cutter  39  and inflation tube or nozzle  27  are disposed on a support  49  attached to the underside of the panel  29  as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. The cutter means include a blade  39  and a guide  59  that not only cuts the fold  19  but separates the top of sheets  65  and  66 . 
     In FIG. 15, the drum  30  and pressure belt  28  drives the supply sheet material  14  in the direction of arrow  69  so that the upper fold  19  is introduced to first the cutter  39  and then as the slit widens, to the nozzle  27  for inflation. 
     In view of the foregoing, it can be seen that the package filler material machine of the present invention provides a new, novel and improved apparatus and method for inflating a plurality of cells or pouches so that individual pouches or a series of pouches may be separated from a sheet and used for packing purposes in connection with shipping or transporting products. The invention includes a tubular sheet of material which is folded or partially flattened to provide a compartment  64  intended to be inflated with a pressurized fluid and which is further intended to be completely sealed so as to enclose the pressurized compartment. The machine for effecting such inflated cells or pouches includes a storage reel for the sheet material  14  which is then introduced to an upper fold cutting station and to an inflation station by grasping and driving the sheet material  14  via a powered drum and endless belt  28 . During the moving, advancement or positioning of the sheet material, the belt presses against the external surface along the top of the sheet material  14  immediately beneath the upper fold  19  so as to force the back side of the material into a gripping connection with the peripheral edge of a drum  30  as shown in FIG.  7 . As the pressure belt moves the sheet material against the rotatable drum, the material is temporarily gripped until such time as it reaches the cutter  39  as shown in FIG.  15  and then to the inflation station where idler wheels cause a temporary withdrawal or removal of the belt from engagement with the top of the sheet material so that the inflation means such as nozzle  27  can inflate individual and sequential cells or pouches as the sheet material is moved along. Immediately upon inflation, the belt  28  re-engages with the top edge of the sheet material by idler  53  so that the inflated internal compartments are closed. Next, the sheet material is moved to a sealing station where sealing apparatus effectively seals the top edge marginal region of the sheet material by heat seal or sonic seal to permanently close and seal the internal cell or pouch compartments. As the inflated sheet material is advanced to a discharge station, the belt is taken out of engagement with the inflated sheet material and the inflated sheet material continues to exit or be discharged from the machine for use. Initially, the sheet material includes a plurality of cells or pouches which are separated by seams in order to define the internal storage compartment. It is to be understood that other sealing or closure means can be provided for the plurality of pouches so as to permit introduction of the pressurized fluid into the storage compartment followed by suitable sealing. Tension control is provided for the endless belt and suitable timers, switches, and temperature controls are incorporated into the drive system for the drum and the endless pressure belt. Such components are also tied into the cutting, inflation and sealing stations so that proper control of temperature and timing is provided. 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.