FILMS WITH STRESS RELIEF INTRA-CHAMBER SEALS
The present disclosure relates to an inflatable cushion including a first film ply and a second film ply that is sealed to the first ply. The first and second plies can define an inflation chamber therebetween that can be inflatable with a fluid and operable to contain the fluid. An interior seal can be disposed within the inflation chamber attaching the first and second plies together. The interior seal can include a perimeter seal that encloses an inner portion in which the first and second plies are unattached from one another.
The present application claims priority from U.S. Patent Application Nos. 61/944,515, filed Feb. 25, 2014; 62/077,815, filed Nov. 10, 2014; and 62/103,504, filed Jan. 14, 2015, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure is directed to flexible structures that may be inflated and used as cushioning or protection for packaging and shipping.
BACKGROUNDA variety of inflated cushions are well-known and used for sundry packaging applications. For example, inflated cushions are often used as void-fill packaging in a manner similar to or in place of foam peanuts, crumpled paper, and similar products. Also for example, inflated cushions are often used as protective packaging in place of molded or extruded packaging components.
Generally, inflated cushions are formed from films having two plies that are joined together by seals. The seals can be formed simultaneously with inflation, so as to capture air therein, or prior to inflation to define a film configuration having inflatable chambers. The inflatable chambers can be inflated with air or another gas or thereafter sealed to inhibit or prevent release of the air or gas.
Such film configurations can be stored in rolls or fan-folded boxes in which adjacent inflatable cushions are separated from each other by perforations. During use, a film configuration is inflated to form cushions and adjacent cushions or adjacent stands of cushions are separated from each other along the perforations.
A variety of film configurations are currently available. Many of these film configurations include seal configurations that tend to waste material, inhibit separation of adjacent inflated cushions, and/or form inflated cushions that are susceptible to under-inflation or leakage, thereby inhibiting utility.
The films are typically inflated by being pulled from a bulk quantity of the film and passed over or proximal to a nozzle. The nozzle blows air in between the films forming cushions. Heat is then used to bind two plies of the film together forming a seal which limits air from escaping. Frequently the films are poorly aligned or have too much freedom (e.g. slack) to be efficiently delivered to the nozzle for inflation. Additionally, due to the heat and pressures used in the process, the films may stick to machine surfaces or the plies may be pulled apart while still hot and exiting the mechanism.
SUMMARYIn one embodiment, the present disclosure relates generally to an inflatable flexible structure. The inflatable flexible structure may comprise a first film ply. The inflatable flexible structure may comprise a second film ply that is sealed to the first ply to define an inflation chamber therebetween that is inflatable with a fluid and operable to contain the fluid. The inflatable flexible structure may comprise an interior seal disposed within the inflation chamber attaching the first and second plies together, the interior seal including a perimeter seal that encloses an inner portion in which the first and second plies are unattached from one another.
In various embodiments, the perimeter seal may entirely enclose the inner portion, separating the inner portion from the inflation chamber. The interior seal may be disposed within the inflation chamber. The interior seal may be disposed entirely within the inflation chamber. The interior seal may include a first elongated portion extending from the perimeter seal. The interior seal may include another perimeter seal. The first elongated portion may extend from the perimeter seal to the other perimeter seal. The interior seal may include an intersection between the perimeter seal and the elongated portion, such that the intersection has three leg portions which are part of the perimeter seal and the elongated portion, the interior seal having an increased width at the intersection compared to the perimeter seal and elongated portion, thereby forming a gusset that resists localized stresses in the sealed film plies. The interior seal may include a second intersection between the perimeter seal and a second elongated portion, such that the second intersection has three second leg portions which are part of the perimeter seal and the second elongated portion, the interior seal having an increased width at the second intersection compared to the perimeter seal and second elongated portion, thereby forming a second gusset that resists localized stresses in the sealed film plies.
In various embodiments, the first elongated portion may extend from the perimeter seal to a second perimeter seal, and wherein the second elongated portion extends from the perimeter seal to a third perimeter seal. The inner portion may be at least 10 times wider than the elongated portion. The inflatable flexible structure may include a plurality of said interior seals. The first and second plies may be sealed to one another to define a plurality of inflation chambers therebetween, the plurality of inflation chambers including the inflation chamber and a second inflation chamber. The second inflation chamber may include a second interior seal attaching the first and second plies together. The second interior seal may include a second perimeter seal that encloses a second inner portion in which the first and second plies are unattached from one another. The inner portion may be configured to remain uninflated when the inflation chamber is inflated with the fluid. The first and second plies may be heat sealed together to form the interior seal. The first and second plies may be sealed together with an adhesive to form the interior seal.
The present disclosure is directed to flexible structures that may be inflated and used as cushioning or protection for packaging and shipping. Specifically, mechanisms prior to sealing and inflation and mechanisms post-sealing and inflation may improve the overall efficiency and speed of the process of forming the cushions. Prior to sealing and inflation, the system may include a material support element which better stores, controls, and delivers the material to the sealing and inflation mechanisms. After the sealing and inflation of the material, material control elements may better direct the material out of the system without damaging the seal or failing to release the heater material from the contact surfaces.
Illustrative embodiments will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the disclosed apparatus. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the disclosed apparatus can be adapted and modified to provide alternative embodiments of the apparatus for other applications, and that other additions and modifications can be made to the disclosed apparatus without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, features of the illustrative embodiments can be combined, separated, interchanged, and/or rearranged to generate other embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.
The web 100 can be formed from any of a variety of web materials known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such web materials may include ethylene vinyl acetates (EVAs), metallocenes, polyethylene resins such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), and high density polyethylene (HDPE), and blends thereof. Other materials and constructions can be used. The disclosed web 100 can be rolled on a hollow tube, a solid core, or folded in a fan folded box, or in another desired form for storage and shipment.
As shown in
Each transverse seal 118 embodied in
The transverse seals 118 as well as the sealed longitudinal edges 110,112 can be formed from any of a variety of techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such techniques include, but are not limited to, adhesion, friction, welding, fusion, heat sealing, laser sealing, and ultrasonic welding. An inflation region, such as a closed passageway, which can be a longitudinal inflation channel 114, can be provided. The longitudinal inflation channel 114, as shown in
The longitudinal seal 112 and transverse seals 118 cooperatively define boundaries of inflatable chambers 120. In one preferred embodiment, the inflatable chambers 120 may further include one or more interior seals 128. The interior seals 128 may seal the plies 105, 107 to one another at intermediate areas within the chamber 120. As shown in
As shown in
The interior seal 128 may be disposed within the inflation chamber 120. For example, the interior seal 128 may be disposed entirely within the inflation chamber 120, and is spaced and unconnected from the boundaries (e.g., 112, 118) of the inflation chamber 120 in which the interior seal 128 is disposed. In alternative embodiments, the interior seal 128 may be connected to a portion of the chamber boundary (e.g., a transverse seal 118 or a longitudinal seal 112). In cases where the interior seal 128 is a connected directly by a seal to a transverse seal 118, the interior seal 128 may be configured so that the inner portion/seal section 129 is transversely wider than the connection to the transverse seal 118, so that there is a pinched region between the wider area of the inner portion 129 and the transverse seal 118. In cases where the interior seal 128 forms a part of a longitudinal seal 112, the interior seal 128 may have one or more portions that are substantially wider than the connection to the transverse seal 118, so that there is a pinched region between the wider area of the inner portion 129 and the transverse seal 118.
The perimeter seal 132 may enclose an inner portion 129 of the plies 105, 107. Inner portion 129, defined by the perimeter seal 132, may have a larger width compared to the width of the elongated portion 131. For example, the inner portion 129 may be at least 5 times wider than the elongated portion 131. For example, the inner portion 129 may be at least 10 times wider than the elongated portion 131. For example, the inner portion 129 may be at least 15 times wider than the elongated portion 131. A solid seal across inner portion 129 (i.e. where the plies 105, 107 are attached) may form a stiffer section of the web 100. A non-solid seal across inner portion 129 (i.e. where the plies 105, 107 are unattached) may be a more flexible web 100.
In order to enclose inner portion 129, the interior seal 128 may have a transition. The transition can form an intersection between the perimeter seal 132 and the elongated portion 131, such that the intersection has three leg portions 134a-c, which are part of the perimeter seal 132 and elongated portion 131. The interior seal 128 may have an increased width at the intersection compared to the perimeter seal 132 and the elongated portion 131, to form a gusset 127. The gusset 127 may resist localized stresses in the sealed film plies 105, 107. The gusset 127 may have a width that is wider than the elongated portion 131. For example the elongated portion 131 may have a width of J. The gusset 127 may widen from width J to 1½ times wider to 10 times wider. For example the gusset 127 may be 5 times wider. The gusset may then narrow again to width K above and below the transition area. The gusset 127 may widen to the entire width of the transition area and then narrow back to width J as the interior seal 128 continues. The gusset 127 may be concave as viewed from the chamber 120. This may allow the transition to be gradual or not sharp. The gradual transition may reduce stresses at the inner portion 129. A sharp transition may be a stress riser such as if the inner portion 129 and the elongated portion formed a 90 degree angle.
In accordance with various embodiments, the perimeter seal 128 and/or the inner portion 129 may be circular, oval, triangular, or any other shape. As shown in
In accordance with various embodiments, the plies, walls, structures, etc., discussed herein may be sealed together (e.g., to form interior seals 128, longitudinal seals 110, 112, and/or transverse seals 118) to form the described structures with any process such as adhesively bonding, friction, welding, fusion, heat sealing, laser sealing, and ultrasonic welding. In various embodiments, an adhesive suitable to connect separate portions of the materials discussed herein may be utilized. The adhesive may be a pressure sensitive, time dependent, evaluative, radiation sensitive, or other forms of adhesives. For example, the adhesive may be cured by exposing the adhesive to an electromagnetic radiation. The adhesive may be sensitive to electromagnetic radiations in specific areas of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. For example, the adhesive may be a ultraviolet light (UV) curable adhesive. The adhesives may be applied to the plies, walls, or other structures discussed herein by painting, printing, rolling, etc. An adhesive that is operable to seal the inflation chambers sufficiently to contain gas under shipping pressures may be suitable. These pressures may be those formed by stacking the flexible structure under multiple layers of the shipped product or other environmental pressures on the flexible structure internal or external that would occur during shipping, storage, or use. As discussed herein any of the seals may be made by just heat sealing, just adhesive sealing, both types of sealing, or any other type of sealing.
In accordance with various examples, the plies 105, 107 may be sealed together forming an interior inflation chamber according to any suitable method. Furthermore, the flexible structure 100 already formed of plies 105, 107 may be sealed to itself or another portion of flexible structure 100 in order to form specific structures such as for example container 50 (see
As shown in
The plies 105, 107 or similar structures may be heat-sealed together. Alternatively the plies 105, 107 may be adhesively sealed together with a UV curable adhesive. The UV curable adhesive may be applied to one or both plies 105, 107, the plies may then be laid over top of one another and then sealed together by applying an ultraviolet light. In various embodiments, the adhesive may be printed onto one or both plies 105, 107 to form the various designs, patterns, or like that make up the internal structures such as the air chambers. The UV curable adhesively sealed plies 105, 107 may be folded over to form separate walls of container 50. The separate walls may also have a UV curable adhesive printed thereon and then be sealed together with the UV light to form the container 50. After forming the container 50, the inflation chambers formed between plies 105, 107 may be inflated and sealed off via heat sealing to keep the chambers inflated.
A series of lines of weaknesses 126 is disposed along the longitudinal extent of the film and extends transversely across the first and second plies of the film 100. Each transverse line of weakness 126 extends from the second longitudinal edge 112 and towards the first longitudinal edge 110. Each transverse lines of weakness 126 in the web 100 is disposed between a pair of adjacent chambers 120. Preferably, each line of weakness 126 is disposed between two adjacent transverse seals 118 and between two adjacent chambers 120, as depicted in
The transverse lines of weakness 126 can include a variety of lines of weakness known by those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, in some embodiments, the transverse lines of weakness 126 include rows of perforations, in which a row of perforations includes alternating lands and slits spaced along the transverse extent of the row. The lands and slits can occur at regular or irregular intervals along the transverse extent of the row. Alternatively, for example, in some embodiments, the transverse lines of weakness 126 include score lines or the like formed in the web material.
The transverse lines of weakness 126 can be formed from a variety of techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such techniques include, but are not limited to, cutting (e.g., techniques that use a cutting or toothed element, such as a bar, blade, block, roller, wheel, or the like) and/or scoring (e.g., techniques that reduce the strength or thickness of material in the first and second plies, such as electromagnetic (e.g., laser) scoring and mechanical scoring).
In accordance with various embodiments, the inflatable flexible structure may be usable with variety of inflation and sealing devices. As an example, turning now to
The inflation and sealing device 101 may include a bulk material support 136. The bulk quantity of uninflated material may be supported by the bulk material support 136. For example, the bulk material support may be a tray operable to hold the uninflated material, which tray can be provided by a fixed surface or a plurality of rollers for example. To hold a roll of material the tray may be concave around the roll or the tray may convex with the roll suspended over the tray. The bulk material support may include multiple rollers which suspend the web. The bulk material support may include a single roller that accommodates the center of the roll of web material 134. As illustrated in
The web 100 may be suspended over a guide 138 after being pulled off of the supply of uninflated material (e.g., roll 134). The guide may provide support to the web 100 upon a transition from the bulk quantity of uninflated material to the sealing and inflation mechanism 103. The guide may be a stationary rod extending from a support member 141. The guide 138 directs the web 100 away from the bulk quantity of uninflated material (e.g. roll 134) and steadily along a material path “B” along which the material is processed in a longitudinal direction “A”. As the bulk quantity of uninflated material may change position or dimension as the web 100 is continuously pulled from it (e.g. the roll 134 may decrease in diameter as material is pulled off), the guide may maintain alignment with the sealing and inflation mechanism despite these changes, and preferably with the upstream end of inflation tip 142. The guide 138 can be configured to limit the material 134 from sagging between the inflation nozzle 140 and roll 134, and can help maintain any desired tension in the web 100 of the material.
In accordance with various embodiments, the web 100 may travel through the inflation and sealing device 101 along path E. As illustrated in
In various embodiments, the web 100 may pass above the guide 138. In such embodiments, the material support 136 and axis Y may be angled with respect to guide 138 such that the material support 136 and axis Y point in the same direction as the web 100 passes over guide 138. If web 100 passes over guide 138 then the material support 136 may point up relative to the guide 138. If web 100 passes under then guide 138, then the material support 136 may point down relative to guide 138.
In accordance with various embodiments, the web 100 passes through the inflation and sealing assembly 103 and extends away from the inflation and sealing device 101 in a transverse direction which is perpendicular to longitudinal direction A in which the web 100 exits the inflation and sealing device 101.
When the web 100 is removed from the material support 136 and is positioned at an angle different from the guide 138, the web 100 includes a slight twist as it is removed from the bulk quantity of uninflated material (e.g. roll 134) and re-aligned over and in contact with guide 138. The web 100 may roll off of material support 136 tangentially and thereby forming a plane (or a surface that approximates a plane tangential with the surface of the roll 134) that is parallel with the axis of material support 136. The web 100 may also engage guide 138 tangentially forming a different plane (or approximating a different plane tangent with the guide 138). The web may merely reflect tangential planes as if it maintained tangential contact with the material support 136 or guide 138 even if in practice there is tension on one transverse end of the web 100 and slack on the other transverse end of the web 100. In order to accommodate both tangential contacts the web 100 may realign or twist slightly between the material support 136 and guide 138.
In accordance with various embodiments, the nozzle 140 may inflate web 100 not only at a transverse edge but may engage an inflation channel located at any transverse distance between the longitudinal edges; i.e., the inflation and sealing device 101 fills a central channel with chambers on both transverse sides of the inflation channel. The web 100 may roll off of material support 136 and over guide 138 in a manner that aligns such a central inflation channel with the nozzle 140.
In various embodiments the material support 136 may include a spindle 200. The spindle 200 may be axially aligned along axis Y with a motor 220. The motor 220 and the spindle 200 may be attached via a bulkhead connector 222. The bulk head connector 222 may have a mounting surface 223. The mounting surface may attach to the backside of the support member 141 such that the motor 220 may be positioned on one side and the spindle 200 may be positioned on the other side as illustrated in
The spindle 200 may include two sections, a body portion 202 and a tip portion 204. The body portion 202 and the tip portion 204 may be formed of different materials. 6. The spindle 200 preferably has core support portions 206, which are outwardly facing surfaces spaced circumferentially about axis Y from each other to provide radially recessed areas 208 therebetween. The core support portions 206 protrude radially from the axis Y higher than the surfaces of the spindle 200 in the radially recessed areas 208. The core support portions can collectively define and be positioned along a phantom cylindrical surface that will correspond closely to the interior, hollow, surface within a supply roll 134. If other shaped cores are to be used, the core support portions can be arranged in other shapes. The core support portions 206 can be curved circumferentially along this phantom cylindrical surface or can be flat or have other shapes. The recessed areas 208 are positioned radially inward of the phantom cylinder, so that they entirely or in large part do not contact the interior of a supply roll mounted on the spindle 200. The recessed areas 208 have substantially flat surfaces in the embodiment shown, but other configurations can be used.
In the embodiment of
By providing the recessed areas between the core support portions 206 provides the spindle with a discontinuous support surface in which the contact area it has with a core 133 of a supply web roll 134 can be reduced compared to traditional, continuous-surface cylindrical spindles. This reduces the friction between the spindle 200 and core 133, allowing the core 133 to be more easily inserted and slid off from the spindle 200. Additionally, as is common and can be seen in
Referring back to
Preferably, the inflation and sealing device 101 is configured for continuous inflation of the web 100 as it is unraveled from the roll 134. The roll 134, preferably, comprises a plurality of chain of chambers 120 that are arranged in series. To begin manufacturing the inflated pillows from the web material 100, the inflation opening 116 of the web 100 is inserted around an inflation assembly, such as an inflation nozzle 140. In the embodiment shown in
The side inflation area 168 in the embodiment of
In accordance with various embodiments, the nozzle, blower sealing assembly, and drive mechanisms, and their various components or related systems may be structured, positioned, and operated as disclosed in any of the various embodiments described in the incorporated references such as for example U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/844,741. Each of these embodiments may be incorporated to the inflation and sealing device 101 as discussed herein.
After being fed through the web feed area 164, the first and second plies 105,107 are sealed together by the sealing assembly and exit the sealing drum 166. The sealing drum 166 includes heating elements, such as thermocouples, which melt, fuse, join, bind, or unite together the two plies 105,107, or other types of welding or sealing elements. The web 100 is continuously advanced through the sealing assembly along the material path “E” and past the sealing drum 166 at a sealing area 174 to form a continuous longitudinal seal 170 along the web by sealing the first and second web plies 105,107 together, and exits the sealing area at an exit pinch area 178. The exit pinch area 178 is the area disposed downstream the entry pinch area 164 between the belt 162 and the sealing drum 166, as shown in
As shown in
In the embodiment shown, the web 100 enters the sealing assembly at the entry pinch area 176 at an angle sloping downward with respect to the horizontal. Additionally, the web 100 exits the sealing area 174 at an angle sloping upward with the respect to the horizontal so that the web 100 is exiting facing upwards toward the user. By having the intake and outtake sloped as described herein, the inflation and sealing device 101 allows for easy loading and extracting of the web as well as easy access to the web. Thus, the inflation and sealing device 101 can be positioned below eye level, such as on a table top, without the need of a high stand. The sloping downward intake and sloping upward outtake of the web 100 from the sealing assembly provides for the material path “E” to be bent at an angle a between the entry pinch area 176 and the exit pinch area 174 (the entry pinch area 176 and exit pinch area 174 are further described below). The angle α between the entry pinch area 176 and exit pinch area 174 is, for example, at least about 40 degrees up to at most about 180 degrees. The angle α may be about 90 degrees. Other entry and exit angles can be employed as known in the art in alternative embodiments.
In accordance with various embodiments, the sealing assembly may be protected by a removable cover. Likewise, the belt mechanism, e.g. belt 162, tension roller 156, and feed roller 158 may also include a removable cover 173. This allows for a user to easily remove the web or clear up or fix jams within the machine.
In accordance with various embodiments, one or more of the elements of inflation and sealing device 101 may drive web 100 through the system. For example, the sealing drum 166 may be connected to a motor which rotates it in a direction “F”. As described in various embodiments (see e.g. application Ser. No. 13/844,741), other elements may also drive the system, such as roller 160. In other embodiments discussed in the incorporated references, roller 160 is indicated as a drive roller; however, it may be noted that roller 160 may be either an idler roller or an active drive roller. For example, roller 160 may be connected to the same motor or the same drive mechanism associated with the sealer drum 166 that causes the drum to rotate. In other configurations, the sealing drum 166 may be passive (e.g. an idler) or actively driven by a motor. In one example, the sealing drum 166 may be passive and merely be rotated in response to the advancing web 100 or belt 162.
In accordance with various embodiments, the inflation and sealing device can have more than one belt. For example one belt may drive the various rollers and a second belt may pinch the web against the sealing drum. In various embodiments, the inflation and sealing device may have no belts. For example the sealing drum may pinch the web against a stationary platform and drive the web thorough the inflation and sealing device at the same time. Additional description and embodiments of such structures may be disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,061,110 and 8,128,770 and Publication No. 2011/0172072 each of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Although some embodiments do not have a post-seal control element, the inflation and sealing assembly 103 shown in
The two post-seal control elements (e.g. two rollers 160,172) pinch or press the web 100 so that the belt 162 abuts one or both of the surfaces of the elements. As the rollers 160,173 are disposed immediately downstream of the heating drum (or other heating mechanism in other embodiments), they provide a cooling region 179 disposed between two rollers 160,172. Roller 160 in this embodiment acts as a principle cooling roller, since the sealed and cooling film is drawn around this roller 160. Pinch roller 172 maintains the web in contact with the principle cooling roller 160 to help maintain the pressure between the two film plies as the seal cools to support the seal and surrounding area mechanically. In embodiments, such as the one shown, in which the belt 162 extends around roller 160, the outer surface of this roller remain substantially stationary with respect to the web 100, further helping support the seal in it's delicate state before it has cooled sufficiently. Roller 160 is typically made of a hard and tough material, such as steel or aluminum, to withstand the pressures and heat from the belt 162, although a plastic or other material could be used in some embodiments.
In various embodiments, the post-seal control element such as roller 172 may have a larger-diameter area 171 opposing the belt than in adjacent parts of pinch roller 172. This annular ridge 171 allows contact against the web 100, while an adjacent smaller-diameter portion of roller 172 can remain out of contact therewith to help prevent sticking to the hot web. The roller 172 may be biased against the belt 162, web 100, and roller 160 by a spring-loaded tensioner 169. The tension provided by the tensioner 169 may further hold the seal closed by the post-seal control element, and can allow the pinch roller 172 to be lifted off the web when needed.
To prevent or reduce sticking of the hot web 100 to the pinch roller 172, the pinch roller is preferably made of, or has a surface of, a non-stick or low adhesion material such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or other suitable material as discussed below. In accordance with various embodiments, the post-seal control element such as roller 160 may include a recessed annular surface 163. The recessed annular surface 163 may receive the belt 162.
When the web exits pinch area 178 between rollers 160 and 172 (these two rollers 160, 172 are at the exit of the sealing mechanism, such as the downstream exit from the device) there is a possibility that the hot film will stick to one of these rollers instead of cleanly exiting the device. In various embodiments, an element can be provided to help separate the film from the post-seal control elements. For example, roller 172 can have an annular ridge 161 extending proud the belt 162 or outer surface 167 of the roller 160 that supports the belt 162 against the web 100, or that contacts the web 100. This ridge 161 can be annular or have another suitable shape and can run around the roller to contact the web 100, preferably transversely adjacent the longitudinal seal on the inflated web 100, such as against the transverse end of the inflated chambers 120 adjacent the longitudinal seal 112. At the pinch area 178, the annular ridge 161 contacts the web 100, typically against a transverse side of the inflated chambers 120 where due to the inflated shape, the chambers 120 have a degree of rigidity compared to the uninflated film. The elevated ridge provides a bump-off element that forcing the web 100 to deflect off the roller 160. The annular ridge 161 is a second surface that causes the web to bend. The bend may cause a portion of the web 100, located in the lateral direction relative to a first portion of the web 100 that is pressed between the first post-seal control element (e.g. roller 172) and the second post-seal control element (e.g. roller 160), to not stay in the same plane as the first portion of the web. Forcing different portions of web 100 into different planes may cause the web 100 to unseat, and often unstick, from the belt and/or the roller 160. As such, the annular ridge 161 aids in automatically peeling the web 100 off the post-seal control elements. While described with respect to a roller, alternative embodiments can have a stationary ridge provided adjacent the roller 160 to guide the web off the cylinder.
As the heated web 100 may have a tendency to stick to the post-seal control elements, non-stick materials may mitigate this issue. For example, one or both post-seal control elements may be made from of coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), anodized aluminum, ceramic, silicone, or like non-stick/low-adhesion materials.
In the embodiments shown, the inflation and sealing device 101 further includes a cutting assembly 186 to cut the web off the inflation nozzle when an inflation channel that receives and is closed around a longitudinal inflation nozzle 140 is used. As with other system components discussed herein, the cutting assembly may also be structured, provided, or included in accordance with the various embodiments described by the incorporated references discussed above.
While the inflatable packaging product 100 may be formed using the disclosed inflation and sealing device 101, the inflation and sealing device is exemplary, and it should be well understood that other devices can be used to form the inflatable packaging product 100, instead of or in addition to the sealing device 101.
Any and all references specifically identified in the specification of the present application are expressly incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto. The term “about,” as used herein, should generally be understood to refer to both the corresponding number and a range of numbers. Moreover, all numerical ranges herein should be understood to include each whole integer within the range. The content of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/844,741 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. While useful features of the disclosure are discussed above, it will be appreciated that such features can be provided in ornamental arrangements on a web material.
While illustrative embodiments of the invention are disclosed herein, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and other embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, the features for the various embodiments can be used in other embodiments. Therefore, it will be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and embodiments that come within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An inflatable flexible structure, comprising:
- a first film ply;
- a second film ply that is sealed to the first ply to define an inflation chamber therebetween that is inflatable with a fluid and operable to contain the fluid; and
- an interior seal disposed within the inflation chamber attaching the first and second plies together, the interior seal including a perimeter seal that encloses an inner portion in which the first and second plies are unattached from one another.
2. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 1, wherein the perimeter seal entirely encloses the inner portion, separating the inner portion from the inflation chamber.
3. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 1, wherein the interior seal is disposed within the inflation chamber.
4. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 3, wherein the interior seal is disposed entirely within the inflation chamber.
5. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 1, wherein the interior seal includes a first elongated portion extending from the perimeter seal.
6. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 5, wherein the interior seal includes another perimeter seal, and wherein the first elongated portion extends from the perimeter seal to the other perimeter seal.
7. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 5, wherein the interior seal includes an intersection between the perimeter seal and the elongated portion, such that the intersection has three leg portions which are part of the perimeter seal and the elongated portion, the interior seal having an increased width at the intersection compared to the perimeter seal and elongated portion, thereby forming a gusset that resists localized stresses in the sealed film plies.
8. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 7, wherein the interior seal includes a second intersection between the perimeter seal and a second elongated portion, such that the second intersection has three second leg portions which are part of the perimeter seal and the second elongated portion, the interior seal having an increased width at the second intersection compared to the perimeter seal and second elongated portion, thereby forming a second gusset that resists localized stresses in the sealed film plies.
9. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 8, wherein the first elongated portion extends from the perimeter seal to a second perimeter seal, and wherein the second elongated portion extends from the perimeter seal to a third perimeter seal.
10. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 5, wherein the inner portion is at least 10 times wider than the elongated portion.
11. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 1, comprising a plurality of said interior seals.
12. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 1, wherein the first and second plies are sealed to one another to define a plurality of inflation chambers therebetween, the plurality of inflation chambers including the inflation chamber and a second inflation chamber.
13. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 12, wherein the second inflation chamber includes a second interior seal attaching the first and second plies together, the second interior seal including a second perimeter seal that encloses a second inner portion in which the first and second plies are unattached from one another.
14. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 1, wherein the inner portion is configured to remain uninflated when the inflation chamber is inflated with the fluid.
15. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 1, wherein the first and second plies are heat sealed together to form the interior seal.
16. The inflatable flexible structure of claim 1, wherein the first and second plies are sealed together with an adhesive to form the interior seal.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 24, 2015
Publication Date: Aug 27, 2015
Inventor: Thomas D. Wetsch (St. Charles, IL)
Application Number: 14/630,594