Cubic cushioning material and production method thereof

• US 7,066,331 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2002
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kashiwara Seitai
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kashiwara Seitai
• Inventors: Koyanagi, Yoshihumi, Koyanagi, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): FIDEI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US10/250,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20040163991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 206/522, 206/591, 206/594, 206/521, 383/3, 428/69, 428/172
• US Class Current: 206/522
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/052 filled with fluid, e.g. inflatable elements

Abstract

A cubiform cushioning medium 4 comprises a planar cushioning medium 1 with a plurality of cells 12 formed by partially bonding non-breathable flexible resin sheets and the cells 12 which air is encapsulated thereinside, and the planar cushioning medium 1 is folded and bonded partially to complete an opening A to be protected for containing. The cubiform cushioning medium 4 thus has lateral cushioning faces 31, 34 disposed at the side of the opening 42 and an bottom cushioning portion 35 disposed at the bottom of the opening 42 by bending the planar cushioning medium 1 at the bottom end of the lateral cushioning mediums 31, 34 so that the end cushioning medium 35 is folded upward to the top of the lateral cushioning mediums 31, 34.

Claims

1. A cubiform cushioning medium for containing an article comprising:

a planar cushioning medium having a plurality of independent cells formed by partially sealing two opposite non-breathable flexible resin sheets together, said cells encapsulating air in order to cause a cushioning effect,

wherein said planar cushioning medium and each of the independent cells formed therein are folded in at least three places, the resulting structure having two lateral cushioning faces which are substantially equal in size with a bottom cushioning portion formed between the two lateral cushioning faces, each of the independent cells extending along one of the two lateral cushion faces, across the bottom cushion portion, and along the second of the two lateral cushioning faces, the bottom cushioning portion having at least one inward facing crease seal,

wherein an opening for inserting an article to be protected is formed between ends of the two lateral cushioning faces opposite to the bottom cushioning portion, and

wherein the ends of the cubiform cushioning medium opposite to the bottom cushioning portion are bonded, thereby enclosing the article to be protected inside the cubiform cushioning medium.

2. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the bottom cushioning portion is arranged to connect bottom ends of the lateral cushioning faces, and is folded to form a single inward facing crease seal, and

wherein the resulting structure with the two lateral cushioning faces and the bottom cushioning portion having the single inward facing crease seal has a shape of an inverted M when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the lateral cushioning faces.

3. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 1,

wherein the bottom cushioning portion is arranged to close the bottom end of the lateral cushioning faces by folding parts of said bottom cushioning portion along the two lateral cushioning faces, and by bonding the parts of the bottom cushioning portion to the lateral cushioning faces,

whereby the lateral cushioning faces are bonded together to form two crease seals at desired lengths above bottom ends of the lateral cushioning faces,

wherein the resulting structure with the two lateral cushioning faces and the bottom cushioning portion having the two crease seals is substantially H-shaped when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the lateral cushioning faces.

4. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 2, wherein after folding the planar cushioning medium, right and left sides of the lateral cushioning faces overlap each other and are bonded together.

5. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 2, wherein each of the cells is provided with an air inlet for introducing air into each of the cells, and said crease seals are formed by partially bonding each of the cells, the partial bonding allowing air to flow in within each of the cells.

6. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 3, wherein after folding the planar cushioning medium, right and left sides of the lateral cushioning faces overlap each other and are bonded together.

7. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 3, wherein each of the cells is provided with an air inlet for introducing air into each of the cells, and said crease seals are formed by partially bonding each of the cells, the partial bonding allowing air to flow in within each of the cells.

8. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 4, wherein each of the cells is provided with an air inlet for introducing air into each of the cells, and said crease seals are formed by partially bonding each of the cells, the partial bonding allowing air to flow in within each of the cells.

9. A cub cubiform cushioning medium for containing at least one end of an article, comprising:

a planar cushioning medium having a plurality of independent cells formed by partially sealing two opposite non-breathable flexible resin sheets together, said cells encapsulating air in order to cause a cushioning effect,

wherein said planar cushioning medium and each of the independent cells formed therein are folded in at least three places, the resulting structure having two opposite lateral cushioning faces which are substantially equal in size with a bottom cushioning portion formed between the two lateral cushioning faces, each of the independent cells extending along one of the two lateral cushion faces, across the bottom cushion portion, and along the second of the two lateral cushioning faces, the bottom cushioning portion having at least one inward facing crease seal,

wherein an opening for inserting at least one end of an article to be protected is formed between ends of the two lateral cushioning faces opposite to the bottom cushioning portion.

10. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 9, the bottom cushioning portion being arranged to connect bottom ends of the lateral cushioning faces, and being folded along the crease seals formed therein.

11. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 9, wherein each of the cells is provided with an air inlet for introducing air into each of the cells, and said crease seals are formed by partially bonding each of the cells, the partial bonding allowing air to flow within each of the cells.

12. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 9, wherein after folding the planar cushioning medium, right and left sides of the lateral cushioning faces overlap each other and are bonded together.

13. The cubiform cushioning medium as defined in claim 9, wherein said planar cushioning medium is folded in four places, the resulting structure having two opposite lateral cushioning faces with a bottom cushioning formed between the two lateral cushioning faces, the bottom cushioning portion having two inward facing crease seals.

14. A cubiform cushioning medium for containing an article comprising:

a planar cushioning medium having a plurality of independent cells formed by partially sealing two opposite non-breathable flexible resin sheets together, said cells encapsulating air in order to cause a cushioning,

wherein said planar cushioning medium is folded in at least three places, the resulting structure having two lateral cushioning faces with a bottom cushioning portion formed between the two lateral cushioning faces, the bottom cushioning portion having at least one inward facing crease seal,

wherein an opening for inserting an article to be protected is formed between ends of the two lateral cushioning faces opposite to the bottom cushioning portion, and

wherein the ends of the cubiform cushioning medium opposite to the bottom cushioning portion are bonded, thereby enclosing the article to be protected inside the cubiform cushioning medium,

wherein the bottom cushioning portion is arranged to close the bottom end of the lateral cushioning faces by folding parts of said bottom cushioning portion along the two lateral cushioning faces, and by bonding the parts of the bottom cushioning portion to the lateral cushioning faces,

whereby the lateral cushioning faces are bonded together to form two crease seals at desired lengths above bottom ends of the lateral cushioning faces,

wherein the resulting structure with the two lateral cushioning faces and the bottom cushioning portion having the two crease seals is substantially H-shaped when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the lateral cushioning faces.