Structure of air-packing device

• US 7,422,109 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2006
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Air-Paq Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Air-Paq Incorporated
• Inventors: Yoshifusa, Kark K.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, LUAN KIM
• Application Number:
  US11/410,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20070246394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 206/521, 206/522, 206/583, 206/591, 206/592, 206/593, 206/594, 383/3
• US Class Current: 206/522
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/052 filled with fluid, e.g. inflatable elements

Abstract

An air-packing device has an improved shock absorbing capability to protect a product in a container box. The air-packing device is comprised of a plurality of edge air-packing blocks. Each edge air-packing device includes a wall portion that surrounds and supports a pocket portion that holds an edge of the product to be protected such that the pocket portion does not contact the ground when shocks are applied to the air-packing device. Each of the enclosure portion and the pocket portion is configured by first and second thermoplastic films which are bonded at predetermined portions thereby creating a plurality of air containers. Each of the air containers has a check valve for allowing the compressed air to flow only in a forward direction.

Claims

1. An air-packing device for protecting a product therein when stored in a container box, comprising:

a plurality of edge air-packing blocks each packing an opposite edge or corner of the product, said each edge air-packing block comprising;

a pocket portion having an upper sheet and a lower sheet to create an opening into which said edge of the product is inserted;

a wall portion having a plurality of air containers and configuring vertical walls that surround said pocket portion therein;

wherein said pocket portion is supported by said wall portion at about an intermediate height of said wall portion such that said product will not contact with a bottom or top of the container box when shocks are applied to the air-packing device; and

wherein each of said air containers of said wall portion has a check valve for allowing air to flow in a forward direction while preventing the air from flowing in a reverse direction.

2. An air-packing device, as defined in claim 1, wherein each air container of said wall portion has a multiplicity of air cells serially connected with one another thereby allowing the air to flow through the air cells of the same air container.

3. An air-packing device, as defined in claim 2, wherein each air cell is separated from the other air cells on the same air container by a heat-seal separator at which thermoplastic films forming the air-packing device are heat-sealed, and wherein the air flows through a passage created on a side of the heat-seal separator toward the next air cell on the same air container.

4. An air-packing device, as defined in claim 2, wherein each air cell is separated from the other air cells on the same air container by a heat-seal separator at which thermoplastic films forming the air-packing device are heat-sealed, and wherein the heat-seal separator on the air container function as folding points of the walls of the enclosure portion.

5. An air-packing device, as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said upper sheet portion and said lower sheet portion has a plurality of air containers, and wherein each of said air containers of said pocket portion has a check valve for allowing air to flow in a forward direction while preventing the air from flowing in a reverse direction.

6. An air-packing device, as defined in claim 1, wherein each air container of said pocket portion has a multiplicity of air cells serially connected with one another thereby allowing the air to flow through the air cells of the same air container.

7. An air-packing device as defined in claim 1, wherein said wall portion is configured by three side walls so that the pocket portion is exposed to receive the edge of the product.

8. An air-packing device as defined in claim 1, wherein said wall portion is configured by two side walls so that the pocket portion is exposed to receive the corner of the product.

9. An air-packing device as defined in claim 5, wherein each of said pocket portion and said wall portion is comprised of first and second thermoplastic films superposed with each other where predetermined portions of the first and second thermoplastic films are bonded, thereby creating the plurality of air containers, and wherein said check valves are established between the first and second thermoplastic films.

10. An air-packing device as defined in claim 5, further comprising an air input commonly connected to the plurality of check valves to supply the compressed air to all of the air containers.

11. An air-packing device as defined in claim 1, wherein at least two side edges of said pocket portion are attached to said wall portion in such a manner that each side edge is heat-sealed to an area which is a boundary between two adjacent air containers of the wall portion through a heat-seal treatment.

12. An air-packing device as defined in claim 1, wherein edges of an upper sheet of said pocket portion are attached to said wall portion where each edge is heat-sealed to an area between two adjacent air containers, and edges of a lower sheet of said pocket portion are attached to said wall portion where each edge is heat-sealed to the same area between two air containers where the corresponding edge of the upper sheet is attached.

13. An air-packing device as defined in claim 1, wherein edges of an upper sheet of said pocket portion are attached to said wall portion where each edge is heat-sealed to an area between two adjacent air containers, and edges of a lower sheet of said pocket portion are attached to said wall portion where each edge is heat-sealed to an area between two air containers which is vertically different from the area where the corresponding edge of the upper sheet is attached.

14. An air-packing device as defined in claim 5, wherein said check valve includes sealed portions which are fixed to one of thermoplastic films configuring the air-packing device, wherein the sealed portions include:

an inlet portion which introduces the air into the check valve;

a pair of narrow down portions creating a narrow down passage connected to the inlet portion;

an extended portion which diverts the air flows coming through the narrow down passage; and

a plurality of outlet portions which introduce the air from the extended portion to the air container.

15. An air-packing device as defined in claim 14, wherein reinforcing seal portions are formed close to the inlet portion to reinforce the bonding between the check valve and one of the first and second thermoplastic films.

16. An air-packing device as defined in claim 5, wherein the check valve is comprised of:

a check valve film on which peeling agents of predetermined pattern are printed, said check valve film being attached to one of first and second thermoplastic films configuring the air-packing device;

an air input established by one of the peeling agents on the air-packing device for receiving an air from an air source;

an air flow maze portion forming an air passage of a zig-zag shape, said air flow maze portion having an exit at an end thereof for supplying the air from the air passage to a corresponding air container having one or more series connected air cells; and

a common air duct portion which provides the air from the air input to the air flow maze portion of a current air container as well as to the air flow maze portion of a next air container having one or more series connected air cells;

wherein heat-sealing between the first and second thermoplastic films for separating two adjacent air containers is prevented in a range where said peeling agent is printed.

17. An air-packing device as defined in claim 16, wherein said check valves are formed at any desired position on the air-packing device where the air from the check valve flows in both forward and backward directions in the air container to fill all of the series connected air cells therein.

18. An air-packing device as defined in claim 16, wherein an additional film is provided between the check valve film and one of said first and second thermoplastic films.

19. An air-packing device as defined in claim 16, wherein the check valve film is attached to one of said first and second thermoplastic films at any desired locations of the air-packing device.

20. An air-packing device as defined in claim 16, wherein at least the air passage in said air flow maze portion is closed by air tightly contacting the check valve film with one of said first and second thermoplastic films by the air pressure within the air cell when the air-packing device is filled with the compressed air to a sufficient degree.