Packing material product and method and apparatus for making, monitoring and controlling the same

• US 20040259708A1
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph J. Harding, Richard O. Ratzel
• Original Assignee: Joseph J. Harding, Richard O. Ratzel
• Inventors: Harding, Joseph J., Ratzel, Richard O.
• Granted Patent: US 7,260,922 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 493/350
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 2205/0023 as web from a roll
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 2205/0047 Feeding, guiding or shaping the material
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 2205/0058 Cutting; Individualising the final products
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 2205/007 Delivering
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 2205/0088 Control means
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 5/0047 involving toothed wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 5/006 including controlled deformation of flat material, e.g. pleating, corrugating or embossing including crumpling flat material B31D5/0043
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0264 Control of logging system, e.g. decision on which data to store; time-stamping measurements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 493/967 Dunnage, wadding, stuffing, or filling excelsior

Abstract

A monitoring system for monitoring one or more packaging material conversion machines includes one or more sensors for monitoring one or more operating characteristics of the one or more conversion machines. The system also includes a controller in communication with the one or more sensors. The controller evaluates the one or more operating characteristics of the one or more conversion machines to thereby provide diagnostic, inventory and machine usage information. In addition, a method of monitoring one or more packaging material conversion machines includes sensing an operating characteristic of the one or more conversion machines and evaluating the operating characteristic of the one or more conversion machines. The sensed operating characteristics may be evaluated either local to the conversion machines or at a remote site, thereby providing a substantial amount of flexibility.

Claims

1-46. -46. (Canceled).

47. A system for providing dunnage to a container for packing an object placed in the container, comprising:

a supply of dunnage material including a conversion machine that converts sheet stock material into a dunnage product;

a probe for taking measurements of the container within which the object is placed for determining the void volume;

a controller in communication with the probe and the conversion machine that determines the void volume from measurement information communicated by the probe, determines the amount of dunnage required to fill the void volume, and controls the conversion machine to provide the dunnage needed to fill the void.

48. A system as set forth in claim 47, wherein the probe includes a mechanical low pressure probe.

49. A system as set forth in claim 48, wherein the probe includes a plunger or an air cylinder

50. A system as set forth in claim 47, wherein the probe includes a device selected from a group consisting of:

an optical device which optically senses the volume;

an ultrasonic device which senses the degree of fill of the container volume;

a machine vision device which senses the degree of fill of the container volume; and

a device which uses pattern recognition techniques to determine container volume.

51. A system as set forth in claim 47, wherein the conversion machine includes a conversion assembly that converts the sheet stock material into a three-dimensional strip of dunnage, the conversion assembly including a forming assembly which forms the sheet stock material into a strip of dunnage and a feed assembly which feeds the stock material through the forming assembly;

and

a stock supply assembly, positioned upstream of the conversion assembly, which supplies the stock material to the conversion assembly.

52. A system as set forth in claim 51, wherein the controller determines one or more lengths of dunnage necessary to fill the void volume;

and controls the conversion assembly to produce the necessary lengths of dunnage.

53. A system as set forth in claim 51, wherein the controller determines the number of dunnage products necessary to fill the void volume and controls the conversion assembly to produce the necessary number of dunnage products.

54. A system as set forth in claim 51, wherein the controller controls the feed assembly to produce the amount of dunnage necessary to fill the void volume.

55. A system as set forth in claim 51, wherein the conversion machine converts a supply of dunnage includes a supply of sheet kraft paper into a dunnage product.

56. A method of providing dunnage to a container for packing an object that is in the container, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring the void volume of the container within which the object is placed using a probe;

determining the void volume from measurement information output from the probe;

determining an amount of dunnage for packing the object in the container based on the void volume; and

dispensing the determined amount of dunnage from a supply of dunnage for packing the object in the container.

57. A method as set forth in claim 56, wherein the dispensing step includes controlling a conversion machine to convert sheet stock material into the determined amount of dunnage for the container.

58. A method as set forth in claim 57, further comprising providing a cushioning conversion machine having a conversion assembly which converts the sheet stock material into a three-dimensional strip of dunnage, the conversion assembly including a forming assembly which forms the sheet stock material into a strip of dunnage and a feed assembly which feeds the stock material through the forming assembly, a stock supply assembly, positioned upstream of the conversion assembly which supplies the stock material to the conversion assembly;

a cutting assembly, positioned downstream of the conversion assembly, which cuts a section of the strip of dunnage; and

controlling the feed assembly and the cutting assembly to produce the determined amount of dunnage.

59. A method as set forth in claim 56, further comprising senses a degree of fill of container volume;

senses a degree of fill of container volume;

senses a degree of fill of container volume; and

volume;

sensing a degree of fill of a container by at least one of;

optically sensing a degree of fill in container volume using an optical device;

ultrasonically sensing a degree of fill in container volume using an ultrasonic device;

sensing a degree of fill in container volume using machine vision; and

determining container volume using pattern recognition techniques.

60. A method as set forth in claim 56, further comprising the steps of:

providing a remotely located controller and a communication link between the controller of the machine and the remotely located controller;

establishing a temporary communication link between the controller of the machine and the remotely located controller; and

conveying machine information between the controller of the machine and the remotely located controller, wherein the machine information is selected from a group consisting of a request for information, a serial number of the conversion machine, software revision data for programmed logic for the conversion machine controller, a physical location indicator of the conversion machine, a customer indicator associated with a user of the conversion machine, a machine identifier, and status data.