Cushioning conversion system for converting paper stock into cushioning material with a staging area and a pick and place assembly

• US 5,749,821 A
• Filed: 07/21/1995
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ranpak Corp. (Ranpak Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Ranpak Corp. (Ranpak Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Simmons, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lavinder, Jack W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAY, CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US08/505,108
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 493/3, 493/9, 493/10, 493/11, 493/13, 493/14, 493/17, 493/18, 493/19, 493/20, 493/25, 493/29, 493/33, 493/352, 493/464, 493/967, 493/8, 493/12, 493/15, 493/16, 493/27, 493/22, 493/34, 493/493, 198/464.2, 198/464.3, 198/572
• US Class Current: 493/3
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 2205/0047 Feeding, guiding or shaping the material
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 2205/0088 Control means
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 5/0047 involving toothed wheels
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 493/967 Dunnage, wadding, stuffing, or filling excelsior

Abstract

A cushioning conversion system includes a cushioning conversion machine which converts stock paper into cut pads, a conveyor system positioned to receive a pad produced by the cushioning conversion machine and to move the pad to a staging area, the staging area including a sensor for sensing the presence of a pad in the staging area and generating a representative signal, and a pad retrieval system for retrieving the pad from the staging area, wherein the cushioning conversion machine produces a pad when the representative signal indicates that a pad is not present in the staging area and the retrieval system retrieves a pad when the representative signal indicates a pad is in the staging area.

Claims

1. A cushioning conversion system, comprising:

a cushioning conversion machine including a conversion assembly which converts stock paper into pads;

a conveyor system positioned to receive a pad produced by the cushioning conversion machine and to move the pad to a staging area, the staging area including a first sensor for sensing a presence or absence of a pad in the staging area and generating a representative signal in response to the sensing;

a pick and place assembly for retrieving the pad from the staging area; and

a controller which receives the representative signal regarding the presence or absence of a pad in the staging area from the first sensor and which controls the operation of the cushioning conversion machine to produce a pad when a pad is absent from the staging area and controls the pick and place assembly to obtain a pad from the staging area when a pad is present in the staging area.

2. The system of claim 1, including a second sensor located upstream of the first sensor for detecting the presence of a pad in the staging area of at least a certain length.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the retrieval system retrieves a pad from the staging area when both the first and second sensors indicate the presence of a pad in the staging area.

4. The system of claim 1, including a stop at the end of the conveyor system opposite the cushioning conversion machine.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the conveyor system includes a conveyor belt.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the conveyor system includes a pair of conveyor belts of unequal lengths spaced to accept a pad therebetween.