Patent Publication Number: US-2023136959-A1

Title: Packaging apparatus for film inflation and method thereof

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE AND PRIORITY CLAIM UNDER 35 U.S.C. § 119 
     The present application for a patent is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/530,440, filed on Aug. 2, 2019 and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/714,853 entitled “AIR PILLOW MACHINE” filed on Aug. 6, 2018, and assigned to the assignees hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This application relates generally to the field of packaging apparatuses, and more particularly to a sealing apparatus with a sensor and a pinch roller apparatus for improved feeding and sealing of film material during operation of a packaging apparatus. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Packaging apparatuses utilize varying speeds and fluid inflation rates to fill chambers of film material (e.g., air pillows, bubble wrap, or the like) with the desired amount of fluid (e.g., air, gas, or the like) based on the film material and the application in which the inflated article (e.g., inflated film material) will be utilized. In order to fill the chambers for the desired application, proper filling and sealing of the chambers is required. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides apparatuses, systems, methods, and computer program products for packaging apparatuses and the use thereof. The packaging apparatus of the present disclosure comprises components that improve the delivery of the film material, filling of the film material with fluid (e.g., air, gas, or the like), and sealing of the inflated film material to create the inflated article. As such, a pinch roller apparatus (e.g., comprising one or more guide and/or pinch rollers) is used to deliver film material to a fluid supply apparatus (e.g., nozzle and blower apparatus, or the like) that fills one or more chambers of the film material with fluid (e.g., air, gas, or other like fluid), and the film material is then sealed by a sealing apparatus (e.g., using one or more heating elements with an improved temperature sensor configuration) that seals the fluid within the one or more chambers in order to form the inflated article (e.g., inflated packaging material). In particular, the sealing apparatus provides an improved apparatus for sealing the one or more inflated chambers of the film material by improving the accuracy of the temperature reading in the heating zone, and thus, providing improved control of the one or more heating elements within the sealing apparatus used for sealing the film material. Furthermore, the pinch roll apparatus improves the delivery of the film material to the fluid supply apparatus and the sealing apparatus by pinching at least a portion of the film material to resist the backflow of fluid to the film supply, and orienting the film material to improve the delivery of the film material to the sealing apparatus by reducing or removing the bunching (e.g., folds, wrinkles, or the like) in the film material. 
     The sealing apparatus of the present disclosure utilizes an improved sensor configuration (e.g., thermocouple configuration, or the like) in which a sensor is operatively coupled (e.g., spot welded, or the like) between a protective member (e.g., a thermally conductive metal shim, or the like) and a heating element (e.g., a resistive heater wire, or the like), as will be discussed in further detail herein. Typical sealing apparatuses have a problem capturing consistent temperature readings in order to accurately estimate the temperature in the sealing zone (e.g., heat sealing zone) in which the film material is sealed. The present invention locates one or more sensors in an improved location in order to more accurately determine temperature readings within the sealing zone, and furthermore, covers the one or more sensors using a protective member in order to minimize damaging the one or more sensors. 
     Additionally, the pinch roller apparatus (e.g., the two rollers, such as a guide roller, a pinch roller, or the like) compresses the film material and positions the film material (e.g., changes the plane of the film material) as it passes through the rollers to restrict bunching (e.g., folds, wrinkles, or the like) of the film material. This compression of the film material restricts (e.g., stops, impedes, or the like) the fluid from flowing along the one or more fill channels of the film material into the film supply (e.g., film roll, or the like), which could cause the film to move around and not feed onto the fluid supply apparatus properly. The pinch roller apparatus also creates a section of the film material between the fluid supply apparatus (e.g., fill nozzle, or the like) and/or the sealing apparatus, and the pinch roller apparatus, in order to seal off the fill channels of the film material to provide improved fluid inflation of the one or more chambers of the film material. The section of the film material created for inflation provides the fluid supply apparatus the ability to generate pressure to expand the one or more chambers of the film material with the fluid. Furthermore, the geometry and orientation of the pinch roller apparatus, and the rollers thereof (e.g., the pinch roller, the guide rollers, or the like), within the packaging apparatus stretches the film material out to provide for even expansion of the one or more chambers as they expand with fluid. For example, the out of plane orientation of the of the one or more rollers (e.g., the guide roller, the pinch roller) that changes the orientation of the film material and/or the curved and/or angled portions of the surfaces of the one more rollers allows for even tension of the film material, which may reduce bunching (e.g., wrinkles, folds, or the like) that can occur within the film material. 
     In some embodiments, a packaging apparatus is provided, which comprises a sealing apparatus or a pinch roll apparatus. The sealing apparatus comprises a support member; a heating element operatively coupled to the support member; a protective member operatively coupled to the heating element; and a sensor operatively coupled to the heating element or the protective member, such that the sensor is configured to determine a temperature for sealing a film material. Moreover, the pinch roll apparatus comprises a first roller; and a second roller operatively coupled to the first roller such that the first roller is adjustable with respect to the second roller to guide the film material while the film material is inflated by a nozzle apparatus. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the packaging apparatus comprises the sealing apparatus and the pinch roll apparatus. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the sensor is operatively coupled between the heating element and the protective member, and the protective member interacts with the film material to seal the film material. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the packaging apparatus further comprises a film supply member with a supply longitudinal axis, such that the film supply member is confirmed to support a spool of film material that rotates around the longitudinal axis of the film supply. Here, the first roller or the second roller each have a roller longitudinal axis, wherein the roller longitudinal axis is angled with respect to the supply longitudinal axis. Moreover, the first roller is moveable with respect to the second roller. Also, the first roller or the second roller comprises a diverging portion in which a surface diverges from a first cross-sectional area to a second cross-sectional area that is smaller than the first cross-sectional area. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, a sealing apparatus is provided, which comprises a support member; a heating element operatively coupled to the support member; a protective member operatively coupled to the heating element; and a sensor operatively coupled to the heating element or the protective member; such that the sensor is configured to determine a temperature for sealing one or more chambers of a film material. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the sensor is a temperature sensor. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the temperature sensor is a thermocouple. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the sensor is operatively coupled between the heating element and the protective member, and the protective member interacts with the film material to seal the film material. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the protective member is a shim. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the protective member is operatively coupled to the support member using an adjustment element. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the protective member expands and contracts as a temperature of the heating element increases and decreases. The adjustment element adjusts the protective member due to the heating and cooling of the protective member element. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the adjustment element is a spring. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the support member comprises a first support member and the heating element is a first heating element. Here, the packaging apparatus further comprises a second support member, wherein the second support member comprises a second heating element, such that the film material passes between the protective member and the second heating element to seal the one or more chambers of the film material. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the packaging apparatus further comprises a film feeding component. The film feeding component comprises a first belt, a second belt, and one or more drive mechanisms, wherein the one or more drive mechanisms drive the first belt or the second belt to move the film material through the sealing component. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, a pinch roller apparatus is provided, which comprises a first roller; and a second roller operatively coupled to the first roller. The first roller is adjustable with respect to the second roller to guide the film while the film is inflated by a nozzle apparatus, 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the first roller comprises a pinch roller, and the second roller comprises a guide roller. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the first roller and the second roller are pinch rollers that are both adjustable with respect to each other. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, a film supply member a supply longitudinal axis, wherein the film supply member is confirmed to support a spool of film material that rotates around the longitudinal axis of the film supply. The first roller or the second roller each have a roller longitudinal axis, and the roller longitudinal axis is angled with respect to the supply longitudinal axis. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, the first roller or the second roller comprises a diverging portion in which a surface diverges from a first cross-sectional area to a second cross-sectional area that is smaller than the first cross-sectional area. 
     In some embodiments, or in combination with any of the above embodiments, a method of operating a package apparatus is provided. The method comprises the steps of identifying a temperature of a protective member of a sealing apparatus using a sensor; inflating one or more chambers of a film material with a fluid using a nozzle when the temperatures meets a desired temperature; and feeding the film material through the sealing apparatus; sealing the one or more chambers of the film material using the sealing apparatus. Here, the sealing apparatus comprises a support member; a heating element operatively coupled to the support member; the protective member operatively coupled to the heating element; and the sensor operatively coupled to the heating element or the protective member; such that the sensor is configured to determine a temperature for sealing a film material. Feeding the film material through the sealing apparatus is optionally perform using a pinch roll apparatus. The pinch roll apparatus comprises a first roller; and a second roller operatively coupled to the first roller; such that the first roller is adjustable with respect to the second roller to guide the film material while the film material is inflated by the nozzle apparatus 
     To the accomplishment of the foregoing and the related ends, the one or more embodiments of the invention comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth certain illustrative features of the one or more embodiments. These features are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of various embodiments may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such embodiments and their equivalents. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Having thus described embodiments of the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a perspective view of the package apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a perspective view of the package apparatus with the sealing apparatus covers removed, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates a perspective view of the sealing apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  4 A  illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the sealing apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  4 B  illustrates a front view of a portion of the sealing apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  4 C  illustrates a rear view of a portion of the sealing apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  4 D  illustrates an inlet side view of a portion of the sealing apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  4 E  illustrates an outlet side view of a portion of the sealing apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 A  illustrates a front perspective view of a first sealing block of the sealing apparatus with the protective member installed, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 B  illustrates a front perspective view of a first sealing block of the sealing apparatus with the protective member removed, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 C  illustrates a top view of a first sealing block of the sealing apparatus with the protective member installed, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 D  illustrates a bottom view of a first sealing block of the sealing apparatus with the protective member and sensor installed, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 E  illustrates a bottom view of a first sealing block of the sealing apparatus with the protective member removed, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 F  illustrates a perspective view of a first sealing block of the sealing apparatus with the protective member removed, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 G  illustrates a bottom view of a first sealing block of the sealing apparatus with the protective member removed, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  6 A  illustrates a perspective view of a first heating element and a second heating element with the protective member, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  6 B  illustrates a front view of a first heating element and a second heating element with the protective member, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  7 A  illustrates a perspective view of the pinch roller apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  7 B  illustrates a front view of the pinch roller apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  7 C  illustrates a top view of the pinch roller apparatus with a supply roller removed, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  7 D  illustrates a bottom view of the pinch roller apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    illustrates a packaging apparatus system environment, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  9    illustrates a process flow for the operation of the packaging apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure now may be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure may satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. 
       FIGS.  1  through  7 D  illustrate some embodiments of a packaging apparatus  10  comprising a controller  20  (e.g., control panel touchscreen, or the like) a sealing apparatus  100 , a pinch roller apparatus  200 , a film supply roller  240 , and/or fluid supply apparatus  300  (e.g., nozzle and/or blower apparatus, or the like), as well as other components of the packaging apparatus  10 , as will be described herein. Generally, film material in a roll located on a film supply roller  240  will pass through the pinch roller apparatus  200 , which will orient the film material and create a section of film material that can be inflated by the fluid supply apparatus  300 . The fluid supply apparatus  300  may include a nozzle that is inserted into a fill channel of the film material. The nozzle and a blower operatively coupled to the nozzle may fill one or more chambers of the film material (e.g., directly or through the intermediate connection with one or more fill channels) with fluid in order to inflate the film material. A knife operatively coupled to the fluid supply apparatus  300  and/or the sealing apparatus  100  may be utilized to cut a portion of the film material such that the inflated film material may be passed into an inlet of a sealing apparatus  100 , which is used to heat a portion of the inflated film material and melt the portion of the inflated seal material in order to seal the one or more chambers of the inflated seal material, thus forming the inflated packaging material. 
     With respect to the sealing apparatus  100 , the sealing apparatus utilizes an improved sensor configuration (e.g., thermocouple configuration, or the like) in which a small sensor  180  is operatively coupled (e.g., spot welded, or the like) between a protective member  160  (e.g., a thermally conductive metal shim, or the like) and one or more heating elements  112 ,  132 . Typical packaging apparatuses  10  have a problem capturing consistent temperature readings in order to accurately estimate the temperature in the sealing zone (e.g., heat sealing zone). The present invention locates the sensor in an improved location with a protective member  160  in order to more accurately capture temperature readings without damaging the sensor  180 , as will be described in further detail herein. 
     The sealing zone is the zone within the sealing apparatus  100  adjacent one or more support members  110 ,  130  (e.g., between two heating blocks, or the like) that support the one or more heating elements  112 ,  132  (e.g., resistive heater wires, or the like) that are used to melt the film material. Typically, sealing designs may use the heating elements themselves to measure a temperature (e.g., using the resistance changes in the heating elements to estimate a temperature of the heating elements  112 ,  132 ), but theses designs include a lot of noise within the temperature readings, are difficult to calibrate, and/or do not account for external factors (e.g., heat sinks, or the like), and thus, do not provide an accurate temperature reading. Other types of typical designs attached a temperature sensor to the structural support block or utilize an infra-red (IR) sensor to measure belt temperatures. These types of designs also have reduced accuracy, and further have poor response times, both of which lead to low accuracy for temperature readings when compared with invention of the present disclosure, as will be discussed in further detail herein. Generally, the sealing apparatus  100  of the present disclosure uses a protective member (e.g., the thermocouple shim, or other like design) that allows for a more accurate temperature reading due to the close proximity of the sensor  180  in the sealing zone, and provides a response time within milliseconds, both of which allow the packaging apparatus  10  to ramp up quickly and maintain better control over the temperature in the sealing zone. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates a perspective view of the packaging apparatus  10  with sealing apparatus covers  12  removed exposing the sealing apparatus  100 . Moreover,  FIG.  3    illustrates a perspective view of the sealing apparatus  100  of the packaging apparatus  10 . Furthermore,  FIGS.  4 A through  4 E  illustrate embodiments of a portion of the sealing apparatus  100 . As illustrated in  FIGS.  2  through  4 E , the sealing apparatus  100  comprises a first support member  110  (e.g., a first sealing block, or the like) and a second support member  130  (e.g., a second sealing block). It should be understood that the first sealing block  110  may comprise a first heating element  112  operatively coupled to the first sealing block  110 , while the second sealing block  130  may comprise a second heating element  132  operatively coupled to the second sealing block  130 . In some embodiments the first heating element  112  and/or the second heating element  132  may comprise heating ribbons. It should be understood that while the heating elements  112 ,  132  are illustrated in the figures as a heating ribbons, the heating elements  112 ,  132  can be any type of heating element of any size and/or shape. The first sealing block  110  and/or the second sealing block  130  may include a channel  118 ,  138  (e.g., groove, embossment, or the like) in which the heating elements  112 ,  132  (e.g., heating ribbons, or the like) may be located. First ends  114 ,  134  and second ends  116 ,  136  of each heating element  112 ,  132  may be operatively coupled to the first sealing block  110  and the second sealing block  130 , respectively, using a connector, such as a fastener  108  (e.g., a screw, bolt, rivet, or the like), as illustrated with respect to the second sealing block  130  illustrated in  FIGS.  4 A- 4 C . 
     In some embodiments of the invention at least one of the first sealing block  110  or the second sealing block  130  may comprise a protective member  160 . The protective member  160  may be a shim, such as a ribbon shim (e.g., same or similar size as the heating ribbon, or the like), which may be utilized to cover at least a portion a first heating element  112  or a second heating element  132 . The protective member  160  may be operatively coupled to the first sealing block  110  or the second sealing block  130  (e.g., depending on which sealing block has a sensor  180 ). In some embodiments, the protective member  160  may be operatively coupled to a sealing block  110 ,  130  using an adjustment member  168 . The adjustment member  168  may be a biasing member (e.g., a spring, or the like) that may operatively couple a first end  162  of a protective member  160  to a second end  164  of a protective member  160 . The adjustment member  168  may be utilized to account for heating and cooling of the protective member  160 , which may cause expansion and/or contraction of the protective member  160 . As such, the adjustment member  168  may compress when the protective member  160  is heated (and thus expands) and tensioned when the protective member cools (and thus contracts). In this way, the adjustment member  168  accounts for the heating and cooling cycles of the heating elements  112 ,  132  such that the protective member  160  remains operatively coupled to the sealing blocks  110 ,  130  and protects the sensor  180  during operation of the packaging apparatus  10 . It should be understood that in some embodiments at least a portion of the protective member  160  is located within a channel  118 ,  138  of the sealing blocks  110 ,  130 . 
     The sealing apparatus  100  further comprises a film feed mechanism  102 . The film feed mechanism  102  may comprise a first feed mechanism  120  that is operatively coupled to the first sealing block  110 . The first feed mechanism  120  may comprise a first belt  122  operatively coupled to one or more first belt rollers, such as one or more first belt drive rollers  124  and/or one or more first belt guide rollers  126 . The film feed mechanism  102  may further comprise a second feed mechanism  140  that is operatively coupled to the second sealing block  130 . The second feed mechanism  140  may comprise a second belt  142  operatively coupled to one or more second belt rollers, such as one or more second belt drive rollers  144  and/or one or more second belt guide rollers  146 . It should be understood that the one or more first belt rollers and/or the one or more second belt rollers may drive the first belt  122  and the second belt  142  in order to pass the film material between the belts  122 ,  142  between the heating elements  112 ,  132  of the first sealing block  110  and the second sealing block  130 . 
     A sensor  180  is operatively coupled between the protective member  160  and a heating element  112 ,  132 . The sensor  180  may be a temperature sensor, such as thermocouple, that is located between the protective member  160  and a heating element  112 ,  132 . For example, as illustrated in  FIGS.  5 D through  5 G  a single sensor  180  may be located between the first protective member  160  and the first heating element  112  of the first sealing block  110 . Alternatively, in other embodiments, multiple sensors  180  may be located between the first protective member  160  and the first heating element  112  along different locations of the foregoing (e.g., along the length of the heating element ribbon and protective ribbon shim, or the like). In this way multiple sensors  180  may be used to determine the sealing temperature (e.g., at different locations, and average temperature, or the like). In still other embodiments, one or more sensors  180  may also be used between a second protective member (not illustrated) and the second heating element  132  of the second sealing block  130 . The protective member  160  described herein is utilized, in part, to protect the sensor  180  from damage that might otherwise occur from the belts  122 ,  142  rubbing across the sensor  180  over time. As such, the protective member  160  is the component that interacts with the belts  122 ,  142  instead of the sensor  180 . 
     In some embodiments, the one or more sensors  180  may be operatively coupled between the protective member  160  and the heating element  112 ,  132  through the use of a spot weld of the one or more sensors  180  to the protective member  160  and/or the heating elements  112 ,  132 . 
     There are a number of issues with traditional film sealing devices, most notably, receiving accurate and timely temperature readings in order to accurately control the sealing of the film material in the heat sealing zone (e.g., in the gap between the first heating element  112  of the first heating block  132 , and the second heating element  132  of the second heating block  130 ) has been an issue. As previously discussed herein, the typical ways of determining the temperature in the sealing zone may introduce noise into the temperature signal, be difficult to calibrate, and be unable to account for factors outside of the heating element (e.g., when using the change in resistance of the heating elements  112 ,  132  to determine a temperature reading). Moreover, attaching a sensor to the sealing block (e.g., near the inward face of the heating elements  112 ,  132 ), may result in inaccurate temperature readings because the sensor is located away from the sealing zone, and moreover, the sealing blocks  110 ,  130  may act as a heat sinks. Furthermore, using an IR sensor instead of a thermocouple to measure the temperature of the belts  122 ,  142  through which the film material is passed may also result in errors. That is, the belts are constantly being moved in and out of the sealing zone and may be heated and/or cooled as the belts move in and out of the heating zone and/or through friction of the belts against the one or more rollers of the film feed mechanism  102 . As such, using an IR sensor to determine the temperature of the sealing zone may also provide for inaccurate readings. Moreover, the IR sensor readings may not be timely enough to make adjustments to the temperature of the heating elements as needed. 
     Alternatively, it should be understood that by locating the sensor  180  on the outside face of the heating element  112  the temperature registered by the sensor  180  is more accurate. As such, utilizing the sensor  180  between the heating element  112 ,  132  and the protective member  160  allows for much faster determination of the sealing temperature because the sensor remains close to the sealing zone. That is, the sensor  180  is closer to the film material upon sealing (e.g., as compared to a thermocouple sensor located on a support block). Moreover, the sensor  180  is located between two components (e.g., the heating elements  112  or  132  and the protective member  160 ), which have approximately the same temperature. That is, it should be understood that the protective member  160  may be made of a material that can quickly heat up and cool down as the same, or approximately the same, rate as the heating elements  112 ,  132 . As such, heat sinks around the sensor  180  are avoided because the materials with which the one or more sensors  180  contact are the same as, or similar to, each other and/or to the temperature of the sealing zone in which the film material is sealed. 
     It should be understood that in some embodiments the sealing apparatus  100  may comprise the sealing blocks  110 ,  130  as described and illustrated herein. Moreover, the sealing apparatus  100  may utilize multiple heating elements  112 ,  132 , one or more sensors  180  and/or one or more protective members  160 . However, in other embodiments the sealing apparatus  100  may comprise a single sealing block  110  with a single heating element  112  to which one or more sensors  180  are operatively coupled and protected by the protective member  160 . 
     Regardless of the configuration of the sealing apparatus  100 , during operation, the film material may be feed through the sealing apparatus  100  through the use of the film feed mechanism  102 . The heating elements  112 ,  132  may be engaged, such as by heating the heating elements  112 ,  132 . The first sealing block  110  and the second sealing block  130  and/or the heating elements  112 ,  132  thereof may static, or alternatively, the first sealing block  110  and/or the second sealing block  130  and/or the heating elements  112 ,  132  thereof may be moved into position (e.g., one block or both blocks, or one heater or both heaters, may move towards and away from each other). For example, a component of the blocks  110 ,  130  may move the heating elements  112 ,  132  towards each other without moving the entire block  110 ,  130 . In response to activating and/or moving the heating elements  112 ,  132  into position, the heating elements  112 ,  132  may melt at least a portion of the film material in order to seal the one or more chambers that have been filled with a fluid by the fluid supply apparatus  300 . 
     In addition to the sealing apparatus  100 , the packaging apparatus  10  may further comprise a pinch roller apparatus  200 , which is used to provide an improved way to feed the film material to the sealing apparatus  100 , which allows for more efficiently and effectively filing the one or more chambers of the film material. In general, the pinch roller apparatus  200  may receive film material from a film supply (e.g., a supply roller  240 ), and may compresses the film material as it passes through the pinch roller apparatus  200 . This compression of the film restricts (e.g., stops, impedes, or the like) fluid from flowing within the film material past the pinch roller apparatus  200  back to the supply of film material, which could cause the film material to move around (e.g., slide off of a roll of film material, or the like) and not feed onto the sealing apparatus  100  correctly. Moreover, the pinch roller apparatus  200  creates a sealed portion of the film material such that a fluid supply assembly  300  (e.g., a nozzle and/or blower) can generate pressure to fill and expand the one or more chambers in the film material between the sealing apparatus  100  (or the fluid supply apparatus  300 ) and the pinch roller apparatus  200 . As will be described in further detail herein, the geometry of the one or more rollers  202  (e.g., the one or more pinch rollers  212 , the one or more guide rollers  222 , or the like), and/or the orientation of the one or more rollers  202  with respect to the film supply (e.g., the orientation of the film supply roller  240 ) and/or with respect to the inlet of the sealing apparatus  100 , may be used to evenly stretch the film material. For example, the film material may be stretched as the one or more chambers expand in order to allow for even tension of the film material, and to reduce the bunching (e.g., the folds, wrinkles, or the like) that can occur within the film material, both of which provide proper feeding of the film material to the fluid supply apparatus  200  and/or the sealing apparatus  100 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  7 A through  7 D , the pitch roller apparatus  200  may comprise a plurality of rollers  202 , such as first roller  210 , a second roller  210 , or the like. The first roller  210  may comprise a pinch roller  212 , while the second roller  220  may comprise a guide roller  222 . However, it should be understood that is some embodiments the first roller  210  and the second roller  220  may both be pinch rollers  212  (e.g., may both rotate around an arm as well as spin around a longitudinal axis). It should be understood that one or more of the rollers  202  may be moveable to allow for threading of the film material within the pinch roller apparatus  200 . As illustrated in  FIGS.  7 A through  7 D , a pinch roller  212  may be moveable, such as rotatable around a pivot  214  located a distance away from a longitudinal access of the pinch roller  212 . Alternatively, the guide roller  222  may be static such that a longitudinal access of the guide roller  222  does not change position. Both the pinch roller  212  and the guide roller  222  may rotate around their longitudinal axes (e.g., spin), respectively. 
     In some embodiments, the one or more rollers  202  may have a uniform surface (e.g., cylindrical, or the like), a non-uniform surface, or the like. As illustrated in  FIGS.  7 A  through  7 D, a first roller  210  (e.g., a pinch roller  212 ) may have a uniform cylindrical surface, while a second roller  220  (e.g., a guide roller  222 ) may have a non-uniform surface that may include a portion that is diverging. For example, the non-uniform second roller  220  may have a uniform portion  224  (e.g., a cylindrical portion, or the like) and a non-uniform portion  226  (e.g., a diverging portion extending from the uniform portion  224 ). The non-uniform surface may include any type of surface, such as, a portion (or all of the roller) that may be converging, diverging, curved, angled, convex, concave, hyperbolic, parabolic, sinusoidal, or the like. While the illustrated embodiments indicate only one of the rollers  202  have a non-uniform surface, it should be understood that both, or neither, of the rollers  202  may have a non-uniform surface. 
     As previously referenced herein, the one or more rollers  202  may be positioned at an angled orientation with respect to the plane of the inlet of the sealing apparatus  100  and/or the longitudinal axis of the film supply roller  240  that holds a supply of film material (e.g., roll of film material). As illustrated in  FIG.  7 C  the one or more rollers  202 , in particular the second roller  220 , may be orientated at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the film supply roller  240  (and/or with respect to the plane of the inlet of the sealing apparatus  100 ). The “a” angle may be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, or other like degree. Moreover, the angle “a” may range between, overlap, fall within, or fall outside of any of these degree values. As illustrated in  FIG.  7 D , the one or more rollers  202 , in particular the first roller  210 , may be orientated at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the film supply roller  240  (and/or with respect to the plane of the inlet of the sealing apparatus  100 ). The “b” angle may be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, or other like degree. Moreover, the angle “b” may range between, overlap, fall within, or fall outside of any of these degree values. It should be understood that the “a” angle and the “b” angle may be the same or different in various embodiments of the invention (e.g., based on the shapes of the rollers). For example, in some embodiments a first roller  210  may have a converging surface, while a second roller  220  may have a diverging surface. As such, in this embodiment while the longitudinal axes of the first roller  210  and the second roller  220  may be in plane (e.g., parallel) with the film supply (e.g., film supply roller  240 ) and/or the inlet of the sealing apparatus  100 , the surfaces of the first roller  210  and the second roller  220  may change the angle of orientation of the film material such that it is out of plan with respect to the film material exiting the film supply (e.g., film supply roller  240 ) and/or the inlet of the sealing apparatus  100 . 
     Consequently, regardless of the configuration of the first roller  210  and the second roller  220 , the film material exiting a film supply on the film supply roller  240  may be located in the same plane (e.g., longitudinally parallel with the film supply roller  240 ) with the film material entering into the inlet of the sealing apparatus  100  (e.g., longitudinally parallel with the belts of the film feed mechanism  202 . Alternatively, the film material passing through the pinch roller apparatus  200  is out of plane with respect to the longitudinal axis of the supply roller  240  and the plane of the belts  122 ,  142  in the sealing apparatus  100 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  8   , the packaging apparatus  10  may further comprise a controller  20  that is used to operate the packaging apparatus  10 , in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. The controller  20  may comprise one or more communication components  22 , one or more processing components  24 , and/or one or more memory components  26 . The one or more processing components  24  are operatively coupled to the one or more communication components  22  and the one or more memory components  16 . As used herein, the term “processing component” generally includes circuitry used for implementing the communication and/or logic functions of a particular system. For example, a processing component  24  may include a digital signal processor component, a microprocessor component, and various analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, and other support circuits and/or combinations of the foregoing. Control and signal processing functions of the system are allocated between these processing components according to their respective capabilities. The one or more processing components  24  may include functionality to operate one or more software programs based on computer-readable instructions  28  thereof, which may be stored in the one or more memory components  26 . 
     The one or more processing components  24  use the one or more communication components  22  to communicate with an operator. The one or more communication components  22  may include a keypad, keyboard, touchscreen, touchpad, microphone, mouse, joystick, other pointer component, button, soft key, speaker, and/or other input/output component(s) for communicating with an operator through input and/or output signals. Alternatively, and/or additionally, the one or more communication components  22  may generally comprise a wireless transceiver, modem, server, electrical connection, electrical circuit, or other component for communicating with other components on the network  2 . Additionally, and/or alternatively, the one or more communication components  22  may further include an interface that accepts one or more network interface cards, ports for connection of network components, Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors, or the like to provide for a wired communication, removable device communication, or the like. As such, communication may be made with an operator through an operator computer system. The operator computer system may be a desktop, mobile device (e.g., laptop, smartphone device, PDA, tablet, or other mobile device), control station, or any other type of computer that generally comprises one or more communication components, one or more processing components, and one or more memory components. As such, an operator may communicate with the controller  20  of the packaging apparatus  10  directly (e.g., through a touchscreen, or the like) or indirectly (e.g., through an operator mobile device) in order to operate the controller  20 . 
     The controller  20  may have computer-readable instructions  28  stored in the one or more memory components  26 , which in one embodiment includes the computer-readable instructions  28  for controller applications  29 , such as dedicated applications (e.g., apps, applet, or the like), portions of dedicated applications, a web browser or other apps that allow an operator to take various actions, including allowing the operator to control the packaging apparatus  10  through the controller  20 . For example, the operator may select the type of film material (e.g., pillow cushions, bubble wrap, or the like), the velocity of fluid to fill the one or more chambers of the film material, the speed at which the film material will pass through the sealing apparatus  100 , the time at which the packaging apparatus  10  will run, or the like. It should be understood that the operating parameters that may be selected by an operator may be stored in a datastore  27  and accessed by the controller application  29 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  8   , the controller  20  is operatively coupled to the one or more heating elements  112 ,  132 , the one or more sensors  180 , the fluid supply apparatus  300  (e.g., a blower, or the like operatively coupled to the nozzle), and/or the film feed mechanism  202  (e.g., a motor thereof), and is configured to send information to and/or receive information from each of the foregoing and/or other components in order to operate the packaging apparatus  10  as described herein. 
       FIG.  9    illustrates a process flow  400  for the operation of the packaging apparatus  10 . As illustrated by block  410  in  FIG.  9    the film supply (e.g., roll of film) is assembled onto the film supply roller  240 . Moreover, a first roller  210 , such as the pinch roller  212 , may be moved away from (e.g., pivoted away from) a second roller  220 , such as the guide roller  222 , in order to create a gap (e.g., a space, or the like) between the first roller  210  and the second roller  220 . The film material may be pulled away from the film supply (e.g., unroll the film roll, or the like) and threaded through the space between the first roller  210  and the second roller  220 . The film material may then be operatively coupled to the nozzle and/or the sealing apparatus  100 . For example, at least a portion of the film material may be slid over the nozzle. That is, a fill channel within the film material is slid over the end of the nozzle and at least a portion of the film material (e.g., an end of the film material) is inserted into the inlet of the sealing apparatus  100 . The first roller  210  (e.g., the pinch roller  212 ) may be moved back towards the second roller  220  (e.g., the guide roller  222 ) to pinch the film material between the first roller  210  and the second roller  220 . 
     Block  420  of  FIG.  9    illustrates that the controller  20  of the packaging apparatus  10  receives a selection of one or more operating parameters for the operation of the packaging apparatus  10  (e.g., through a touchscreen, or the like). For example, an operator may select the type of film material being used (e.g., cushion pillows, bubble wrap, or the like), a film material size (e.g., thickness, or the like), the fluid flow (e.g., air flow volume and/or air speed provided by the blower and/or exiting the nozzle outlet) for filling the one or more chambers of the film material, the speed of the feed of the film material into the sealing apparatus  100  (e.g., speed of the film feed mechanism  102 ), the duration of the operation of the packaging apparatus (e.g., time of operation), the length of the film material to inflate (e.g. feet, yards, or the like), or other like operating parameters of the packaging apparatus  10 . The operator may input the operating parameters into the controller  20  (e.g., through a touchscreen) such that the controller  20  may operate the packaging apparatus  10  in accordance with the inputted operating parameters. 
     Block  430  of  FIG.  9    illustrates that a sealing temperature for the sealing apparatus  100  is determined for the operation of the sealing apparatus  100  based on the operating parameters selected by the operator, as described with respect to block  420  of  FIG.  9   . It should be understood that the sealing temperature at which to seal the film material is based on stored temperature values that are determined based on the operating parameters input into the sealing apparatus  100 . For example, the sealing temperature may be looked up in a reference table based on the selection of the film material type, the film thickness, the fluid flow, duration of the operation of the packaging apparatus, the length of film material to inflate, and/or the like. 
       FIG.  9    further illustrates in block  440  that the packaging apparatus  100  is activated for operation based on the selected operating parameters, as described with respect to blocks  420  and  430  of  FIG.  9   . That is, the controller  20  first activates the one or more heating elements  112 ,  132  in order to heat the one or more heating elements  112 ,  132  to the determined sealing temperature. 
     Block  450  of  FIG.  9    illustrates that the controller  20  may monitor the temperature reading of the one or more sensors  180  (e.g., located between the one or more heating elements  112 ,  132  and the one or more protective members  160 ), and thus, the temperature of the one or more heating elements  112 ,  132  and/or the sealing zone in which the film material will be sealed. The controller  20  monitors the temperature reading of the one or more sensors  180  in order to determine when the packaging apparatus  10  is ready to inflate the one or more chambers of the film material and seal the one or more chambers. 
       FIG.  9    further illustrates in block  460  that once the sealing temperature determined by the controller  20 , as described with respect to block  430 , meets the operating temperature measured by the one or more sensors  180 , the fluid supply apparatus  300  (e.g., the blower) and/or the film feed mechanism  102  are activated. For example, the fluid supply apparatus (e.g., blower) will begin to inflate the one or more chambers of the film material, and the film feed mechanism  102  will begin to feed the film material into the sealing apparatus  100  to seal the one or more chambers that have been inflated by the fluid supply apparatus  300  (e.g., blower and nozzle). Additionally, the controller  20  will continue to monitor the readings from the one or more sensors  180 , and thereafter, adjust the one or more heating elements  112 ,  132  should the operating temperature not meet the sealing temperature (or fall within a range for the sealing temperature). 
     Block  370  of  FIG.  9    further illustrates that once the packaging apparatus  10  has inflated the film material and sealed the one or more inflated chambers of the fill material to form the inflated article (e.g., packaging material) in accordance with the operating parameters entered into the controller  20 , the operation of the packaging apparatus  10  may be ceased. 
     The present invention provides improvements over traditional packaging apparatuses, due at least in part to the improved sealing apparatus  100  and the pinch roller apparatus  200 . As such, due to the shape of the one or more rollers  202  and/or angle of orientation of the one or more rollers  202  with respect to the plane of the film material being received from the film supply (e.g., film supply roller  240 ) and/or the film material being feed into to the inlet of the sealing apparatus  100 , improved filling of the one or more chambers may be achieved. For example, the film entering and exiting the pinch roller apparatus  200  may be twisted out of plane with respect to the orientation of the film material being received from the film supply (e.g., film supply roll  240 ) and/or the film material being fed into to the inlet of the sealing apparatus  100 . As previously discussed herein, the pinch assembly  100  stretches out the film material to restrict bunching (e.g. folding, wrinkling, or the like) of the film material before being filled with fluid and/or sealed. Moreover, the sealing apparatus  100  of the present disclosure provides an improved sealing of the one or more inflated chambers by more accurately determining the sealing temperature within the sealing zone in order to more accurately control the sealing of the one or more chambers to provide a desired seal within the inflated fill material. It should be understood that by more accurately being able to measure the temperature of the sealing zone, the sealing apparatus  100  may avoid over-heating and/or under-heating of the film material, either of which could result in an improper seal of the one or more chambers. An improper seal may be an underseal (e.g., the film material is unsealed) or an overseal (e.g., the film material is over melted such that burn through of the film material occurs), both of which could result in fluid leaking from the one more of the chambers, and thus, resulting in defective packaging material. 
     It should be understood, that the systems, devices, and components described in herein may be configured to operate through the use of the controller  20  and/or the components thereof by establishing an electronic communications link between components and sending signals in order to accomplish the steps of the processes described herein. Moreover, it should be understood that the process flows described herein include transforming the information sent to and/or received from the controller application  29  from one or more data formats into a data format associated with each individual component. There are many ways in which information is converted within the controller  20 . This may be seamless, as in the case of receiving continuous information. Alternatively, the conversion may require processing by the use of a special conversion program, or it may involve a complex process of going through intermediary stages, or involving complex “exporting” and “importing” procedures, which may convert to and from a tab-delimited or comma-separated text files. In some cases, the operator application  29  may recognize several data file formats at the data input stage and then is also capable of storing the output data in a number of different formats. Such an operator application  29  may be used to convert a file format. If the source format or target format is not recognized, then at times a third program may be available which permits the conversion to an intermediate format, which can then be reformatted by the operator application  29 . 
     As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the present disclosure may be embodied as a method (including, for example, a computer-implemented process), apparatus (including, for example, a system, machine, device, computer program product, and/or the like), or a combination of the foregoing. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may generally be referred to herein as a “system.” Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable program code embodied in the medium. 
     Any suitable transitory or non-transitory computer readable medium may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples of the computer readable medium include, but are not limited to, the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires; a tangible storage medium such as a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other optical or magnetic storage device. 
     In the context of this document, a computer readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer usable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to the Internet, wireline, optical fiber cable, radio frequency (RF) signals, or other mediums. 
     Computer-executable program code for carrying out operations of embodiments of the present disclosure may be written in an object oriented, scripted or unscripted programming language such as Java, Perl, Smalltalk, C++, or the like. However, the computer program code for carrying out operations of embodiments of the present disclosure may also be written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure are described above with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses (systems), and computer program products. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and/or combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable program code portions. These computer-executable program code portions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that the code portions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create mechanisms for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     These computer-executable program code portions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the code portions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction mechanisms which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block(s). 
     The computer-executable program code may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the code portions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block(s). Alternatively, computer program implemented steps or acts may be combined with operator or human implemented steps or acts in order to carry out an embodiment of the invention. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure are described above with reference to flowcharts and/or block diagrams. It will be understood that steps of the processes described herein may be performed in orders different than those illustrated in the flowcharts. In other words, the processes represented by the blocks of a flowchart may, in some embodiments, be in performed in an order other that the order illustrated, may be combined or divided, or may be performed simultaneously. It will also be understood that the blocks of the block diagrams illustrated, in some embodiments, merely provide conceptual delineations between components and that one or more of the components illustrated by a block in the block diagrams may be combined or share hardware and/or software with another one or more of the components illustrated by a block in the block diagrams. Likewise, a component, device, system, apparatus, and/or the like may be made up of one or more components, devices, systems, apparatuses, and/or the like. For example, where a processor is illustrated or described herein, the processor may be made up of a plurality of microprocessors or other processing devices which may or may not be coupled to one another. Likewise, where a memory is illustrated or described herein, the memory may be made up of a plurality of memory devices which may or may not be coupled to one another. 
     It will be understood that, where possible, any of the advantages, features, functions, devices, and/or operational aspects of any of the embodiments of the present disclosure described and/or contemplated herein may be included in any of the other embodiments of the present disclosure described and/or contemplated herein, and/or vice versa. 
     Where possible, any terms expressed in the singular form herein are meant to also include the plural form and/or vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Accordingly, the terms “a” and/or “an” shall mean “one or more.” As the phrase is used herein, a processor may be “configured to” perform a certain function in a variety of ways, including, for example, by having one or more general-purpose circuits perform the function by executing particular computer-executable program code embodied in computer-readable medium, and/or by having one or more application-specific circuits perform the function. 
     Moreover, it should be understood that “operatively coupled,” when used herein, means that the components may be formed integrally with each other, or may be formed separately and coupled together. Furthermore, “operatively coupled” means that the components may be coupled directly to each other, or to each other with one or more components located between the components that are operatively coupled together. Furthermore, “operatively coupled” may mean that the components are detachable from each other, or that they are permanently coupled together. 
     Furthermore, certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limiting, unless such terminology is specifically described herein for specific embodiments. Indeed, the components may be oriented in any direction and the terminology, therefore, should be understood as encompassing such variations unless specified otherwise. The terminology includes the words specifically mentioned herein, derivatives thereof and words of similar import. For example, words such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “longitudinal,” “top,” “bottom,” “side,” “upper,” “lower,” or the like are used to describe the orientation of the components described herein. 
     While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other changes, combinations, omissions, modifications and substitutions, in addition to those set forth in the above paragraphs, are possible. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations, modifications, and combinations of the just described embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.