Special receptacle or package – Shock protection type – Inflated retainer
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-15
2001-08-21
Fidei, David T. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
Shock protection type
Inflated retainer
C383S003000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276532
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an inflatable cushion that incorporates a resistance wire to facilitate sealing the inflatable cushion.
Packagers are increasingly using air-inflated cushions formed from relatively thin films of thermoplastic to protect their packaged goods within boxes, sleeves, or cases during shipping and storage. For example, an inflatable packaging cushion system that can protect a wide variety of packaged goods is sold by Sealed Air Corporation under the VISTAFLEX trademark. The VISTAFLEX inflatable packaging cushion includes an inflation inlet designed for use with an inflation/sealing machine provided by Sealed Air Corporation under the BT-1 trademark. As depicted in
FIG. 1
, the inflation inlet
12
of the inflatable cushion
10
has top and bottom sheets
14
,
16
sealed at the peripheral zone
18
to form an inlet passageway
20
. The BT-1 inflator/sealer controls both the inflation of the cushion with compressed air and sealing of the inflated cushion with an impulse heat sealer.
To inflate and seal the VISTAFLEX cushion, a user inserts the inflation tube
22
of the prior art inflator/sealer (not shown) into the inflation inlet
12
of the cushion
10
. (
FIGS. 2-3
.) The inflator/sealer inflates the cushion by opening a valve to allow compressed air to pass through the inflation tube
22
into the interior of the cushion chamber
24
until the cushion chamber has been inflated to the desired pressure. (
FIG. 4.
) At that point, a heat seal bar
28
compresses the top and bottom sheets of inlet
20
to prevent the inflated cushion from deflating. (
FIG. 5.
) The heat seal bar includes heating element
28
. An electric current passes through the heating element
28
to heat the element, which then conducts heat to the compressed top and bottom sheets of the inlet until the sheets reach the heat seal initiation temperature. The electric current is then discontinued to heating element
28
to allow it to cool while the heat seal bar continues to compress the top and bottom films. Once the resulting heat seal has cooled to the point where the heat seal is set, the heat seal bar
26
disengages. (
FIGS. 6-7
.) The resulting heat seal
30
is formed transversely across inlet passageway
20
to seal cushion chamber
24
in the inflated state.
The BT-1 inflation system allows a packager to inflate and seal inflatable packaging cushions in a consistent, reliable, and easy manner at the site where the goods are to be packaged. For example, the BT-1 machine may complete an inflation and sealing cycle for a packaging cushion in about 8 seconds. Nevertheless, packagers desire an even faster and more reliable system for inflating and sealing inflatable packaging cushions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the aforementioned problems. A first aspect of the invention is directed to a sealable inlet device for an inflatable object. The inlet includes a conduit made from a heat-sealable material. A resistance wire extends inside the conduit at least across the internal width of the conduit.
A second aspect of the invention is directed to an inflation inlet device for an inflatable object. The inlet includes a flexible conduit having one or more lateral walls. At least one of the lateral walls defines an inflation aperture. The conduit includes an outlet end adapted to place the device in fluid communication with the inflatable object.
A third aspect of the invention is directed to an inflatable cushion. The cushion includes at least one inflatable chamber. An inflation inlet is in fluid communication with the inflatable chamber. The inflation inlet is made from a heat-sealable material and includes a resistance wire in at least the inside of the inflation inlet. The resistance wire extends at least across the internal width of the inflation inlet.
A fourth aspect of the invention is directed to an inflatable cushion having top and bottom sheets. The top sheet is sealed to the bottom sheet in peripheral zones to define an inflatable chamber and an inflation inlet in fluid communication with the inflatable chamber. A resistance wire extends between the top and bottom sheets and at least across the internal width of the inflation inlet.
A fifth aspect of the invention is directed to a method of making an inflatable cushion of the present invention. First, a resistance wire is inserted between a top film and a bottom film of thermoplastic material. Then, the top film is sealed to the bottom film in selected zones to form an inflatable cushion that has an inflatable portion and an inflation inlet in fluid communication with the inflatable portion. The resistance wire extends across the inflation inlet and at least a portion of the selected zones.
The inflatable cushion of the present invention provides several advantages. Since the resistance wire heating element is positioned internally in the inflation inlet of the cushion, the resistance wire transfers heat directly to the portion of the cushion films that actually form the heat seal (e.g., the heat seal layers). There is no need to heat the outer portion or layers of the cushion material to heat seal the inlet passageway of the cushion. Further, since there is no need to heat any portion of the inflator/sealer device itself in order to heat seal the packaging cushion, the inflator/sealer may operate essentially at room temperature. It is only the relatively small resistance wire within the inflatable cushion that is heated to a heat seal temperature—and that high temperature occurs on the inside of the inflation inlet of the cushion.
Since there is no need to conduct heat through the full thickness of the cushion films, as is required by an external heated-bar sealer (e.g., conductance-type heat sealer), the inflation inlet may be sealed more quickly than by the use of a conductance heat sealer. For example, the heat seal cycle time may be less than about 1 second, preferably less than about 0.5 seconds total for the heating and cooling cycle.
Further, by avoiding the use of a high-temperature sealing jaw of a conductance heat sealer, the present invention increases reliability while reducing the complexity, manufacture cost, and operating cost of the sealing units. There is no need to “warm up” the inflator/sealer—nor does the inflator/sealer have elements, such as a heated jaw, whose temperature may change according to the heating demand and drift over the period of operation. The inventive inflator/sealer may be operated sequentially to produce a series of inflated/heat sealed cushions. In doing so, the inflator/sealer creates a stable heat seal environment that produces more uniform heat seals from the first heat seal in a series to the last.
The inflatable cushions may be provided in a deflated or flat condition, so that a stack or roll of the inflatable cushions occupy a relatively small amount of space. This minimizes the costs of shipping and storing the inflatable cushions. Further, the inflator/sealer device may be located at the end-user's plant so that the cushions may be conveniently inflated, for example, just before the cushion is used in a packaging application.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the invention and the drawings.
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Scott Suzanne M.
Sperry Charles R.
Fidei David T.
Ruble Daniel B.
Sealed Air Corporation (US)
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