Blade holder for inflation and sealing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10974858-B2
Application number	US-201715472007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2017
Priority date	Mar 28, 2016
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device. The device includes an inflation assembly configured for insertion between first and second overlapping film plies. The inflation assembly includes a fluid conduit configured to direct a fluid in between the plies to form one or more cushions. The fluid conduit includes a nozzle. The inflation assembly includes a cutting member. The cutting member includes a blade holder with a blade and a blade guard mounted thereon. The blade guard has a safety position in which the blade is covered and a retracted position in which the blade is exposed. Installation of the blade holder onto the inflation assembly automatically positions the blade in the working position with the blade guard retracted. Removing the tray from the inflation assembly automatically positions the blade in the safety position by covering the blade with the blade guard.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device, comprising:
a nozzle that is insertable into a channel in a film web and that directs a fluid between overlapping plies of the web to produce an inflated cushion;
a cutting member having a working position, the cutting member comprising:
a blade holder that in the working position is removably located adjacent to the nozzle and positions a cutting edge of a blade adjacent the nozzle,
a blade guard having a safety position covering the cutting edge and being retractable from the safety position so that the blade guard exposes the cutting edge in the working position; and
a biasing element connected between the blade holder and the blade guard to bias the blade guard to move toward the safety position, wherein the biasing element includes a spring;

a blocking element positioned with respect to the nozzle such that the blocking element engages the blade guard as the blade holder is placed in the working position causing the blade guard to retract as a leading edge of the cutting member extends beyond the blocking element with respect to the blade guard, wherein disengagement between the blocking element and the blade guard causes the blade guard to automatically move to the safety position; and
a drive mechanism that drives the film web over the nozzle across the cutting edge so that the cutting edge cuts the web, opening the channel so that the web comes off the nozzle.

2. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 1 , wherein the leading edge of the cutting member is the cutting edge of the blade.

3. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 2 , further comprising the blade, which is mounted on the blade holder.

4. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 3 , wherein the blade holder is a tray with the blade mounted thereon and the blade extending past a first end of the tray.

5. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 4 , wherein the blade guard is mounted on the tray movable between a retracted position and the safety position.

6. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 4 , wherein the tray and the blade guard are slideably connected with respect to one another such that the blade guard extends past the first end of the tray, covering the blade, in the safety position.

7. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 6 , wherein the slideable connection between the tray and blade guard defines a linear path of the blade guard between the safety and retracted positions.

8. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the tray or the blade guard includes a guide element suitable to form a rectilinear motion between the tray and the blade guard.

9. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 4 , wherein the tray includes a locating element positioned to removably hold the tray in the working position.

10. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 9 , wherein the locating element is a tray magnet attached to the tray and an inflation assembly magnet attached to an inflation assembly which connects to the nozzle and the two magnets are positioned such that they mate together, wherein a force between the tray magnet and the inflation assembly magnet is sufficiently strong to prevent a biasing element from separating the tray magnet and the inflation and sealing assembly magnet.

11. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 10 , wherein a blade tip is positioned in a recess within the inflation nozzle to cut the film web open along an inflation channel formed within the film web to allow the overlapping plies to move off the inflation nozzle.

12. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 2 , wherein the tray includes a grip portion defined by a convexly curved ridge protruding from the tray on a second end of the tray opposite a first end of the tray suitable for retracting the tray from or placing the tray in the working position.

13. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 1 , wherein in the working position the blade guard remains on an opposite side of the blocking element from the nozzle.

14. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 1 , wherein in the working position the blade guard remains on an opposite side of the blocking element from the cutting edge.

15. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 1 , wherein the blade guard is associated with the blade holder such that removing the blade holder from the working position automatically causes the blade guard to move to the safety position.

16. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 15 , wherein the blocking element is a housing plate defining a portion of a housing and a portion of the blade passes through a hole in the housing plate such that when the cutting assembly is in the working position, the blade guard is retracted because the housing plate compresses a biasing member.

17. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 16 , wherein the blade includes a tip facing in an upstream direction of the film web.

18. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 1 , wherein the blade guard includes a retraction grip positioned on an end of the blade guard.

19. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 1 , wherein the blade holder includes a blade recess that holds the blade in a fixed position that limits rotation of the blade as film plies press against the blade.

20. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 1 , wherein the cutting edge substantially faces the blade holder.

21. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 20 , wherein the cutting edge has a curved profile that is concave such that the cutting edge faces substantially toward the blade holder and in an upstream direction engaging the film web as the film web moves downstream.

22. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 1 , further comprising a sealer configured to seal the overlapping plies together to contain the fluid within an air cushion.

23. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 1 , wherein the blocking element disengages the blade guard as the blade holder is removed from the working position causing the blade guard to extend over the cutting member.

24. The inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device of claim 1 , wherein the blocking element holds the blade guard in a position away from the blade when the blade holder is placed in the working position.

25. An inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device, comprising:
a nozzle that is insertable into a channel in a film web and that directs a fluid between overlapping plies of the web to produce an inflated cushion;
a cutting member having a working position, the cutting member comprising:
a blade holder that in the working position is removably located adjacent to the nozzle and positions a cutting edge of a blade adjacent the nozzle,
a blade guard having a safety position covering the cutting edge and being retractable from the safety position so that the blade guard exposes the cutting edge in the working position; and
a biasing element connected between the blade holder and the blade guard to bias the blade guard to move towa

Assignees

• Pregis Innovative Packaging Llc

Inventors

• Wetsch Thomas D
• Ostwald Paul F
• Watts William James

Classifications

• B31D5/0073 Primary

  including pillow forming · CPC title

• B31D2205/0023

  as web from a roll · CPC title

• A61B17/3213

  with detachable blades · CPC title

• B65B51/222

  by friction welding · CPC title

• B65B61/06 Primary

  by cutting · CPC title