Dunnage conversion machine with translating grippers, and...

Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturi – Bending – Crushing or crumpling

Reexamination Certificate

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

C493S967000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06676589

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a dunnage conversion machine with translating grippers, and a method of converting sheet material into a dunnage product using the translating grippers, and a dunnage product.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various types of conversion machines heretofore have been used to convert sheet stock material composed of one or more plies of sheet material into a dunnage product. Some machines function solely to produce a void fill dunnage product, used primarily to fill voids in a packaging container to prevent the contents thereof from shifting during shipment. One objective in the design of these machines is to produce the void fill dunnage product very rapidly. Accordingly, these machines are designed to operate at relatively high speeds.
Other machines function to produce a dunnage product having cushioning characteristics which enable the dunnage product to, for example, cushion or secure an article in a container from damage which may not otherwise be obtainable from a void fill dunnage product. Such machines usually produce the dunnage product at a relatively slower rate than void fill producing conversion machines to enable deforming or shaping of the sheet material to, for example, impart adequate loft into the resulting dunnage product. Thus, with these machines often speed is sacrificed to achieve a dunnage product characterized by substantial cushioning properties. The trade off is a slower production rate of the cushioning dunnage product as compared to the void fill dunnage product.
However, attempts to achieve a dunnage conversion machine capable of producing a void fill product at relatively higher speeds while still maintaining an adequate void fill and/or cushioning capability have not been without problems. Thus, some conversion machines may fail to impart sufficient loft, or an adequate low density, to the sheet material to be converted, resulting in a dunnage product having an undesirably flat, essentially two dimensional, configuration rather than a more desirable three dimensional void fill configuration. In this instance, manual labor is often used to further convert, e.g., crumple, the dunnage product so that it has more desirable void fill capability. Also, the inventors of the present invention have observed that in some dunnage conversion machines the feeding device may engage the sheet stock material at a concentrated portion thereof and/or too abruptly causing sudden increases in the tension of the sheet material which may tear and/or jam the machine, or otherwise deleteriously affect the cushioning characteristics of the dunnage product, or its ability to adequately protect against damage or breakage of the item to be protected.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a more effective and efficient conversion machine and method suitable for producing a void fill material having adequate void fill capabilities as well as cushioning characteristics (if desired), for example, one which is lightweight with a low density, yet stable, making it suitable for filling the void space around an article to be packaged and for at least minimally protectively cushioning the article from damage during storage or shipment. More particularly, it would be desirable to provide improved speeds at which the dunnage conversion machine operates and consequently its corresponding output rate, while keeping with the objective of providing a void fill product having at least minimal cushioning characteristics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a dunnage conversion machine which is particularly suited to production of a void fill dunnage product. According to one general aspect of the invention, opposing grippers including apertures move through a transfer region and laterally capture a crumpled strip of dunnage for advancing the strip of dunnage through the conversion machine. According to another general aspect of the invention, a severing member (such as a blade) is connected to a reciprocating actuator by a motion transmitting assembly that moves the severing member through a full severing cycle upon a single stroke of the actuator in either direction. According to a further general aspect of the invention, a void fill dunnage product includes a three dimensional crumpled strip of dunnage of generally cylindrical shape including at least one ply of sheet material forming multiple substantially longitudinally extending crumpled lobes dispersed in an irregular pattern in cross-section.
The void fill product preferably has the highest possible volume and stability, while using the least possible amount of raw material. This is achieved in accordance with the present invention by producing the noted generally cylindrical product whose stability can yet be further increased by making the same generally curved and/or by permanently deforming the cross-sections of selected spaced portions of the product.
More particularly and according to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a dunnage conversion machine and a method for converting sheet material into a dunnage product, the machine including a forming assembly for shaping the sheet material into a continuous strip of dunnage having a three-dimensional shape, and a pulling assembly positioned downstream from the forming assembly for advancing the sheet material through the forming assembly. The pulling assembly includes at least two grippers movable together through a transfer region in transverse opposition to one another and cooperative to grip therebetween the dunnage strip for advancing the dunnage strip through the transfer region. At least one of the grippers includes an aperture operative to gather and laterally capture therein the dunnage strip as the grippers move through the transfer region.
In an embodiment, an aperture in each gripper tapers in width going from an outer to an inner end of the gripper. The aperture of each gripper preferably is V-shape and may include a rounded bottom. The opposing grippers have contact regions operative to deform opposite sides of the strip of dunnage to capture the strip of dunnage between the opposing grippers.
In an embodiment, the grippers move through the transfer region in longitudinally offset yet paired relation for gripping and advancing the strip of dunnage. The opposing grippers may transversely overlap while advancing the strip of dunnage.
In another embodiment, the grippers are arranged in transversely opposed sets of grippers disposed on opposite transverse sides of the transfer region. The grippers of the opposed sets progressively move towards one another at an upstream end of the transfer region and progressively move away from one another at a downstream end of the transfer region. In an embodiment, the grippers of each set are circumferentially spaced around a common axis and are joined together for rotation about the common axis. The grippers of each set may extend perpendicularly, or at a different angle, relative to the respective common axis.
In yet another embodiment, the pulling assembly includes a set of transfer assemblies having connected thereto the respective sets of grippers. The transfer assemblies are operative to move the grippers of the respective set toward each other at the upstream end of the transfer region to transversely engage the strip of dunnage and away from each other at the downstream end of the transfer region to release the strip of dunnage. The grippers of each set may be movable along a non-circular path in opposite relation to one another and may be operative sequentially, as the grippers move along the non-circular path in opposite relation, to transversely engage the strip of dunnage therebetween on opposite sides thereof for advancing therewith the strip of dunnage. The opposing grippers downstream of the non-circular path preferably gradually release the strip of dunnage. The opposing grippers moving downstream of the non-circular path preferably release the strip of dunnage substantially simultaneously with or after opposing grippers moving along the n

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Dunnage conversion machine with translating grippers, and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Dunnage conversion machine with translating grippers, and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Dunnage conversion machine with translating grippers, and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3190601

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.