Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Fold at edge
Reexamination Certificate
1996-10-07
2003-03-18
Gallagher, John J. (Department: 1733)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Fold at edge
C156S183000, C156S199000, C156S204000, C428S121000, C428S154000, C493S381000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06534148
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to machines for and methods of making cushioning dunnage product from stock material. The invention also relates to stock material for feeding the machine, as well as a method and a mechanism for producing this stock material. Lastly, the invention relates to a method of producing cushioning product via use of the stock material in the machine, and to product produced by the method.
BACDGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Machines for making cushioning dunnage product have existed for a some time. U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,216 describes one such machine in which a multi-ply paper-like material is guided firstly in a converging chute which is a truncated pyramid in shape and which becomes thinner downstream so that the longitudinal edges of the material are rolled inwardly, and then secondly in a gear assembly between which the material travels. The central band of the resulting strip is grabbed by the teeth of two cooperating gears and pulled downstream as it is nipped by these gears. The two gears are mounted with spring means such that the gears are urged toward one another. The material is simultaneously compressed or coined, and the various layers are pressed together forming the coined strip. The product made by the machine comprises consequently a central coined strip and two pillow-like edges, and is suitable for padding shipping cases or boxes.
The main characteristic of this type of machine is that the same gears simultaneously pull the paper-like material downstream, and crumple and coin the multiply strip to connect the inwardly rolled edges to the central strip.
In practice, this plurality of functions can cause problems, these have been solved by various solutions, none of which is entirely satisfactory. Thus, when the pressure exerted on the sheets is sufficient to pull them downstream, the said sheets sometimes tear. On the other hand, if the pressure is reduced, the central strip is not held together firmly enough and sometimes the pillow-like edges come open or unroll, thus the material can consequently not be used as a cushioning dunnage product.
One of the proposed solutions to reconcile the two above requirements is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,291 and is a gear-like stitching assembly having gear like members disposed in a meshed condition, characterized in that the teeth of at least one of the gear-like members have projections thereon for perforating the multi-ply formed material along the central coined section of the produced pad-like cushioning dunnage product.
However, the central coined area becomes more fragile, particularly where the projections of the teeth have made perforations, which are in fact beginnings of tears. The described machine can then only be used with superimposed sheets of high quality kraft paper, which is also much more expensive.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a cushioning dunnage producing machine which does not suffer from the aforementioned disadvantages.
It will be appreciated then that machines producing dunnage product utilizing paper fed into the machine generally crumple the stock material running in a continuous strip, the crumpling being sometimes combined with other operations increasing the volume of the material. The final product must however be maintained in its final state, so that one can handle it without altering it. It must especially keep its resiliency and elasticity, imparted to it by the crumpling operation.
A double-layer band of paper leads to better results than a single-layer band of paper. This is because of the improved rigidity of the continuous strip. Also, the final dunnage product has greater volume due to the spaces appearing between the layers.
For maintaining the stability of the dunnage product, for improving the mechanical characteristics of the two layers and for making easier their passage in and through the dunnage producing machines, it is however preferable that the two layers be fixed to one another, for instance glued together. The easiest and least expensive way to glue them together would be by way of central axial linear gluing. However, due to the specific nature of the operations performed in combination with the crumpling operation to make the final dunnage product, it is preferable to increase the width of the glued area, or to glue the layers in two transversely distinct places. To get the maximum volume, it is moreover better not to glue the lateral edges of the two layers.
one solution could be to glue the two layers lengthwise in two parallel lines located in the central area, but such a technique would increase the production difficulties and hence production costs.
Another problem associated with the linear gluing is that it causes the formation of rolls increasing the thickness of the strip in the glued area, and it is then more difficult to roll or transversely fold the material, these operations being however needed for instance for stocking the material.
When the glue is applied continuously to the webs, i.e. linearly as described above, additional difficulties are encountered. The drying time is high, which decreases production speed, since to stock the material it must be wound around a roll, which winding action, if done prior to the glue having fully dried, can damage or deform the glued area of each layer. Further, such action can force the glue completely through the layers which is extremely undesirable as when the glue dries the layers of the roll all become adhered together.
Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide a continuous material with at least two superimposed and glued layers, wherein the glued area does not form a roll which could prevent the material from being rolled or folded in good condition.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide for the production of the stock material while making significant glue savings on one hand, and allowing on the other hand the use of a large range of paper, not limited to high quality paper.
A further object of the invention is to provide for producing the material at a high production rate.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a solution which can easily be applied to the mechanisms making such multilayer materials, as well as a method of implementing this solution.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a machine of a very different design without the aforementioned drawbacks, with a combination of means for producing a an improved cushioning dunnage product with much higher cohesion. The product is made of recycled paper, which is much cheaper than higher quality paper, yet without the risk of tearing.
The machine performs the functions of pulling downstream the paper-like strip, crumpling and connecting it, in order to make a high cohesion product, the functions being provided by separated parts, each one being adapted to the function to be performed, and thus ensuring total efficiency of the machine.
The components providing for the pulling downstream are two superimposed wheels. One wheel of the pair of wheels is a cylindrical shaped wheel, called a pulling wheel. The median portion of this pulling wheel includes an annular groove, while the edge portions are milled or knurled, these edges including flat parts along their periphery, located so that the flat parts of one edge portion face the non flattened parts of the other edge portion. The other wheel, called a support wheel, also has an approximately cylindrical shape, and includes a median portion with a toric strip corresponding to the annular groove of the upper wheel, and two cylindrical edge portions in contact with the non flattened areas of the upper wheel.
The superimposed sheets of the multi-ply formed material are nipped and driven between the cylindrical portions of the pulling wheel and the non flattened parts of both the edge portions of the support wheel, i.e. alternately the right and the left edge portions. The sheets are consequently not pulled downstream axially, but alternately by the left portion and by the ri
Gallagher John J.
Naturembal (S.A.)
Wood Herron & Evans L.L.P.
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