Patent ID: 7040073

Claim:
A machine for inflating and sealing a preconfigured cushioning material which is wound in a roll on a hollow cylindrical core and has superposed layers of plastic film sealed together to form rows of interconnected, inflatable cells, a longitudinally extending inflation channel near one edge of the material and inlet passageways interconnecting the inflation channel and the rows of cells, comprising: a rotatively mounted roll support shaft having a fixed end and a free end, a hub mounted on the shaft near the fixed end for engagement with the core at the end of the roll near the inflation channel, a circumferentially expandable roll gripper at the free end of the shaft for locking engagement with the inner wall of the cylindrical core, means for drawing the material from the roll and feeding it along a predetermined path, an inflator having a conically tapered tip and a plurality of outlet openings adapted to be received in the inflation channel for injecting air into the cells as the material travels along the path, a nip roller, means for pressing the nip roller against the roll of film material to block the inflation channel and thereby limit the flow of air into the material on the roll and to provide rolling resistance to rotation of the roll, and means for sealing the inlet passageways to retain the air in the cells.