Layered packaging cushion

• US 8,763,667 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sealed Air Corporation US (Sealed Air)
• Original Assignee: Sealed Air Corporation US (Sealed Air)
• Inventors: De Luca, Nicholas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tucker, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): WU, VICKI H
• Application Number:
  US10/532,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20060127648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,896 Days
• Field of Search: 156/523
• US Class Current: 156/523
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00022 Sensing or detecting at the treatment site
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2274/00 Thermoplastic elastomer material thermoplastic elastomer fibres B32B2262/0215, thermoplastic elastomer particles B32B2264/0221, thermoplastic elastomer foam B32B2266/0292
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/31 Heat sealable
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/546 Flexural strength; Flexion stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2553/02 Shock absorbing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2553/026 Bubble films
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/065 of foam
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/10 of paper or cardboard
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/32 comprising polyolefins comprising vinyl (co)polymers or acrylic (co)polymers B32B27/30
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/34 comprising polyamides
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 29/007 next to a foam layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 29/08 Corrugated paper or cardboard
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/12 characterised by a layer of regularly- arranged cells, e.g. a honeycomb structure
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/263 characterised by a layer having non-uniform thickness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/266 characterised by an apertured layer, the apertures going through the whole thickness of the layer, e.g. expanded metal, perforated layer, slit layer regular cells B32B3/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/28 characterised by a layer comprising a deformed thin sheet , i.e. the layer having its entire thickness deformed out of the plane, e.g. corrugated, crumpled B32B29/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/18 characterised by features of a layer of foamed material
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/32 : at least two layers being foamed and next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/113 : of a shape specially adapted to accommodate contents B65D81/053 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/16 : Cables, cable trees or wire harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/20 : Packaging, e.g. boxes or containers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 : Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1062 : Prior to assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1075 : of plural laminae from single stock and assembling to each other or to additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1077 : Applying plural cut laminae to single face of additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/108 : Flash, trim or excess removal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/13 : Severing followed by associating with part from same source
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1304 : Means making hole or aperture in part to be laminated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1317 : Means feeding plural workpieces to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1322 : Severing before bonding or assembling of parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1348 : Work traversing type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24628 : Nonplanar uniform thickness material

Abstract

A packaging cushion insert is useful for cushioning a packaged object. The insert comprises a top sheet, a bottom sheet; and a plurality of interior sheets between the top and bottom sheets. The top sheet, the bottom sheet, and the plurality of interior sheets are in stacked and laminated arrangement. The top sheet, bottom sheet, and plurality of interior sheets each comprise one or more materials selected from an air-cellular cushioning material, cellular foam material, and crumpled paper material.

Claims

1. A machine for making a packaging cushion insert from sheet stock of cushioning material, the machine comprising:

a conveyor adapted to movably support the sheet stock and sequential discrete sheets of desired shapes;

one or more fluid jet cutting heads movable transversely and longitudinally relative to the conveyor and adapted to cut the sheet stock supported by the conveyor into the discrete sheets; and

a platform below the conveyor adapted to receive the discrete sheets from the conveyor, wherein the platform and conveyor are movable relative each other;

i) to place the discrete sheets in stacked arrangement on the platform when receiving the discrete sheets from the conveyor; and

ii) to compress the stacked arrangement of discrete sheets between the platform and the conveyor to produce the packaging cushion insert.

2. The machine of claim 1 further comprising a computerized controller for controlling the movements of the conveyor, the one or more cutting heads, and the platform.

3. The machine of claim 1 wherein the conveyor comprises a vacuum conveyor.

4. The machine of claim 1 further comprising an adhesion station upstream from the platform and adapted to apply an adhesive to the discrete sheets.

5. The machine of claim 1 further comprising a heating station upstream from the platform and adapted to heat the discrete sheets.

7. The machine of claim 1 wherein the one or more cutting heads are movably supported above the conveyor by rails.

9. The machine of claim 1 wherein the platform is movable upwardly toward the conveyor to compress the stacked arrangement of discrete sheets between the platform and the conveyor to produce the packaging cushion insert.

10. The machine of claim 1 further comprising a sheet stock feeding system upstream of the conveyor.

11. The machine of claim 10 wherein the sheet stock feeding system is adapted to supply a continuous sheet of sheet stock of cushioning material to the conveyor.

12. The machine of claim 10 wherein the sheet stock feeding system is adapted to supply individual portions of sheet stock of cushioning material to the conveyor.

6. A machine for making a packaging cushion insert from sheet stock of cushioning material, the machine comprising:

a conveyor adapted to movably support the sheet stock and sequential discrete sheets of desired shapes;

one or more cutting heads movable transversely and longitudinally relative to the conveyor and adapted to cut the sheet stock supported by the conveyor into the discrete sheets, wherein the one or more cutting heads comprise;

a first set of one or more cutting heads movable transversely and longitudinally relative to the conveyor and adapted to cut inner scrap cutouts from the sheet stock supported by the conveyor; and

a second set of one or more cutting heads movable transversely and longitudinally relative to the conveyor and adapted to cut the sheet stock supported by the conveyor into sequential discrete sheets of desired shapes, wherein the second set of one or more cutting heads is downstream from the first set of one or more cutting heads;

a platform below the conveyor adapted to receive the discrete sheets from the conveyor, wherein the platform and conveyor are movable relative each other;

i) to place the discrete sheets in stacked arrangement on the platform when receiving the discrete sheets from the conveyor; and

ii) to compress the stacked arrangement of discrete sheets between the platform and the conveyor to produce the packaging cushion insert; and

a vacuum head adapted to lift the inner scrap cutouts from the conveyor, wherein the vacuum head is downstream from the first set of one or more cutting heads and upstream from the second set of one or more cutting heads.

8. A machine for making a packaging cushion insert from sheet stock of cushioning material, the machine comprising:

a conveyor adapted to movably support the sheet stock and sequential discrete sheets of desired shapes;

a plurality of cutting heads movable transversely and longitudinally relative to the conveyor and adapted to cut the sheet stock supported by the conveyor into the discrete sheets, wherein the plurality of cutting heads are adapted to cut multiple sheets of the same shape oriented across the conveyor perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor; and

a platform below the conveyor adapted to receive the discrete sheets from the conveyor, wherein the platform and conveyor are movable relative each other;

i) to place the discrete sheets in stacked arrangement on the platform when receiving the discrete sheets from the conveyor; and

ii) to compress the stacked arrangement of discrete sheets between the platform and the conveyor to produce the packaging cushion insert.

13. A machine for making a packaging cushion insert from sheet stock of cushioning material, the machine comprising:

a conveyor adapted to movably support the sheet stock;

one or more cutting heads movable transversely and longitudinally relative to the conveyor to define a cutting area over the conveyor, and adapted to cut the sheet stock in the cutting area over the conveyor while the sheet stock is supported by the conveyor into sequential discrete sheets of desired shapes; and

a platform adapted to receive the discrete sheets from the conveyor, wherein the platform and conveyor are movable relative each other;

i) to place the discrete sheets in stacked arrangement on the platform when receiving the discrete sheets from the conveyor; and

ii) to compress the stacked arrangement of discrete sheets to produce the packaging cushion insert.

14. The machine of claim 13 wherein the platform and conveyor are movable relative each other to compress the stacked arrangement of discrete sheets between the platform and the conveyor to produce the packaging cushion insert.

15. The machine of claim 13 wherein the conveyor comprises a vacuum conveyor.

16. A machine for making a packaging cushion insert from sheet stock of cushioning material, the machine comprising:

a plurality of cutting heads movable transversely and longitudinally relative to the sheet stock and adapted to cut the sheet stock into discrete sheets of desired shapes;

a conveyor belt adapted to movably support the discrete sheets, wherein the plurality of cutting heads are adapted to cut multiple sheets of the same shape oriented across the conveyor belt perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor belt; and

a platform adapted to receive the discrete sheets from the conveyor belt, wherein the platform and conveyor belt are movable relative each other;

i) to place the discrete sheets in stacked arrangement on the platform when receiving the discrete sheets from the conveyor belt; and

ii) to compress the stacked arrangement of discrete sheets to produce the packaging cushion insert.

17. The machine of claim 16 wherein the platform is below the conveyor belt.

18. The machine of claim 16 wherein the platform and conveyor belt are movable relative each other to compress the stacked arrangement of discrete sheets between the platform and the conveyor belt to produce the packaging cushion insert.

19. The machine of claim 16 wherein the plurality of cutting heads comprise fluid jet cutting heads.