Crimped cushioned envelopes and method of forming the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11046497-B2
Application number	US-201816624333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2018
Priority date	Jun 23, 2017
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A cushioned envelope is formed from a laminated material that includes a cushioning web and a shell web. The outer side of the cushioning web is laminated to the inner side of the shell web. A crimping adhesive is applied to first and second transverse seams of the inner side of the cushioning web. The laminated web material is crimped so that each of the first and second transverse seams on the inner side of the cushioning web is folded in on itself. The folded laminated web material is crimped at the first transverse seam and at the second transverse seam. The crimped laminated web material is cut at a location in the first transverse seam and at a location in the second transverse seam.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a cushioned envelope, the method comprising:
feeding a laminated web material comprising a cushioning web a shell web, wherein each of the cushioning web and the shell web includes an inner side and an outer side, wherein the outer side of the cushioning web is laminated to the inner side of the shell web;
applying a crimping adhesive to a first transverse seam of the inner side of the cushioning web and to a second transverse seam of the inner side of the cushioning web;
folding the laminated web material so that the first transverse seam on the inner side of the cushioning web is folded in on itself and the second transverse seam on the inner side of the cushioning web is folded in on itself;
after folding the laminated web material, crimping the laminated web material at the first transverse seam and at the second transverse seam, wherein crimping the laminated web material comprises rotating crimping rollers that comprise crimping extensions, wherein the crimping extensions extend further away from a rotational axis of the crimping rollers than other portions of the crimping rollers, and wherein the crimping rollers are arranged so that the crimping extensions pinch the laminated web material across a transverse length of the first and second transverse seams; and
after crimping the laminated web material, cutting the laminated web material at a location in the first transverse seam and at a location in the second transverse seam.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming the laminated web material, wherein the forming comprises:
applying a laminating adhesive to at least one of the inner side of the shell web or the outer side of the cushioning web, and
pressing together the shell web and the cushioning web.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cushioning web includes a sheet of inflated cells.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
before forming the laminated web material, inflating the sheet of inflated cells.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the crimping adhesive and the laminating adhesive have different formulations.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the crimping rollers are arranged so that the crimping extensions are in an interference fit when each of the crimping extensions extends toward another of the crimping rollers.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the ends of the crimping extensions is convex.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein rotating the crimping rollers comprises controlling a rotational speed of the crimping rollers so that a linear speed of ends of the crimping extensions is substantially similar to a linear speed of the laminated web material.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first transverse seam and the second transverse seam has a seam strength that is greater than or equal to about 3.5 pounds per inch of seam.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed repeatedly to cause formation of the cushioned envelope at a rate of at least 700 cushioned envelopes per minute.

11. A method of forming a cushioned envelope, the method comprising:
feeding a laminated web material comprising a cushioning web a shell web, wherein each of the cushioning web and the shell web includes an inner side and an outer side, wherein the outer side of the cushioning web is laminated to the inner side of the shell web, wherein the cushioning web comprises an air cellular material having a series of transverse rows of inflated cells;
deflating at least one of the transverse rows of inflated cells to form at least one transverse row of deflated cells;
after deflating the at least one of the transverse rows of inflated cells, applying a crimping adhesive to a first transverse seam of the inner side of the cushioning web and to a second transverse seam of the inner side of the cushioning web, wherein the crimping adhesive is applied to the at least one transverse row of deflated cells;
folding the laminated web material so that the first transverse seam on the inner side of the cushioning web is folded in on itself and the second transverse seam on the inner side of the cushioning web is folded in on itself;
after folding the laminated web material, crimping the laminated web material at the first transverse seam and at the second transverse seam; and
after crimping the laminated web material, cutting the laminated web material at a location in the first transverse seam and at a location in the second transverse seam.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the deflating includes peeling back a first layer of the air cellular material to expose a second layer of the air cellular material, and wherein the crimping adhesive is applied to the second layer of the deflated at least one of the transverse rows of inflatable cells.

13. A cushioned envelope, comprising:
a laminated web material including a cushioning web and a shell web, wherein each of the cushioning web and the shell web includes an inner side and an outer side, wherein the outer side of the cushioning web is laminated to the inner side of the shell web, wherein the cushioning web comprises an air cellular material having transverse rows of cells that includes rows of inflated cells, a first row of deflated cells and a second row of deflated cells;
first and second transverse seams on the inner side of the cushioning web, wherein the first transverse seam includes the first row of deflated cells and the second transverse seam includes the second row of deflated cells; and
a crimping adhesive applied to the first and second transverse seams on at least the first and second rows of deflated cells;
wherein the laminated web material is folded so that the first transverse seam on the inner side of the cushioning web is folded in on itself and the second transverse seam on the inner side of the cushioning web is folded in on itself; and
wherein the folded laminated web material is crimped at a location in the first transverse seam and at a location in the second transverse seam so that the crimped locations in the first and second transverse seams form sides of the cushioned envelope.

14. The cushioned envelope of claim 13 , wherein a laminating adhesive applied to at least one of the inner side of the shell web or the outer side of the cushioning web adheres the shell web to the cushioning web.

15. The cushioned envelope of claim 13 , wherein the laminated web material is folded at an off-center fold in the laminated web material, and wherein the off-center fold defines a short side of the laminated web material and a long side of the laminated web material.

16. The cushioned envelope of claim 15 , wherein the long side comprises an adhesive strip.

17. The cushioned envelope of claim 16 , wherein the short side extends a first distance away from the off-center fold, wherein the adhesive strip is located on the long side at a location that is a second distance away from the off-center fold, and wherein first distance is less than the second distance.

18. The cushioned envelope of claim 13 , wherein the shell web comprises a paper-based material, and wherein the outer side of the shell web is uncoated.

19. The cushioned envelope of claim 13 , wherein each of the first transverse seam and the second transverse seam has a seam strength that is greater than or equal to about 4.5 pounds per inch of seam.

Assignees

• Sealed Air Corp

Inventors

• Nawaby Arghavan Victoria
• Watlington Victoria G
• Hewitt Marshall E

Classifications

• B31B2170/30

  having corrugated or pleated walls · CPC title

• B31B70/262 Primary

  involving longitudinally folding, i.e. along a line parallel to the direction of movement · CPC title

• B31B70/62

  by adhesives · CPC title

• B31F5/022

  using a rotary tool · CPC title

• B31B2160/10

  rectangular and flat, i.e. without structural provision for thickness of contents · CPC title