Patent ID: 8388508

Claim:
A dunnage crumpling apparatus, comprising: first and second entry-side crumpling members defining an entry therebetween, the first entry-side crumpling member being configured for moving at a first rate and being associated with the second entry-side crumpling member for moving sheet material through the entry in a first direction along a longitudinal path at a entry rate; and first and second exit-side crumpling members defining an exit therebetween that is disposed along the path downstream of the entry in the first direction, a crumpling zone being defined between the entry and exit and having a longitudinal length along the path, the first exit-side crumpling member being configured for moving at a second rate less than the first rate and being associated with the second exit-side crumpling member for moving the sheet material through the exit in the first direction along the path at an exit rate that is slower than the entry rate to crumple the sheet material for producing dunnage; a reduction mechanism associated with the first entry-side crumpling member and the second entry-side crumpling member to transfer a drive energy from the first entry-side crumpling member for driving the first entry-side crumpling member at the first rate to the first exit-side crumpling member at the second rate, wherein the reduction mechanism comprises: a crank associating the entry-side crumpling members with the exit-side crumpling members for rotationally driving the exit-side members; a first one-way clutch bearing mounted on a first exit-side member shaft; an oscillating crank associated with the first one-way clutch bearing, wherein the first one-way clutch bearing allows relative rotation between the oscillating crank and a first entry-side member shaft when the oscillating crank rotates with respect to the first entry-side member shaft in a direction opposite from the direction the first entry-side member shaft rotates to move the sheet along the path, and wherein the first-one way clutch bearing restricts relative rotation of the oscillating crank with respect to the first entry-side member shaft when the first entry-side member shaft rotates in the direction to move the sheet along the path; and a second one-way clutch bearing associated with the first exit-side member shaft to connect the first exit-side member to the first exit-side member shaft, the second one-way clutch bearing being configured to allow the first exit-side member shaft to rotate in the direction to move sheet along the path and to restrict rotation of the oscillating crank with respect to the first exit-side member shaft when the first exit-side member shaft rotates in a direction opposite from the direction the first exit-side member shaft rotates to move the sheet along the path.