Inflatable on-demand mailer pouches and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11975504-B2
Application number	US-201916960356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2019
Priority date	Jan 12, 2018
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

Webs of inflatable mailer pouches and associated methods are disclosed. Pouches include a multilayer inner cushion structure with inflatable compartments and a fill channel disposed at a first longitudinal edge of the structure. An outer layer with a closure flap is secured to the inner structure. The inner cushion structure and outer layer are folded at a bottom edge of the pouch to form first and second panels of the pouches. The fill channel may be disposed at a top of the first panel and the closure flap disposed at a top of either the first or the second panel. The fill channel extends beyond a top of the second panel and the closure flap is extendable beyond the top of the fill channel. When wound, the closure flap is folded so that the fill channel of each pouch layer is exposed at a lateral face of the cylinder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cylinder roll of preformed mailer pouches comprising wound pouch layers, each pouch layer comprising adjoining individual mailer pouches, each pouch layer comprising:
an inflatable inner cushion structure comprising:
a plurality of layers; and
a fill channel connected to a plurality of inflatable compartments in the inner cushion structure, the inner cushion structure being in a deflated state on the roll; and

an outer layer secured to the inner cushion structure, the outer layer comprising a closure flap;
wherein the inner cushion structure and outer layer are folded at a bottom edge of the pouch layer to form a first panel of the pouches and a second panel of the pouches, the fill channel being disposed at a top of the first panel and the closure flap being disposed at a top of either the first or the second panel, the fill channel extending a first distance beyond a top of the second panel and the closure flap extendable a second distance beyond the top of the fill channel, the closure flap being folded towards the bottom edge so that the fill channel of each pouch layer is exposed at a lateral face of the cylinder.

2. The roll of claim 1 wherein the inflatable inner cushion structure comprises at least one thermoformed layer.

3. The roll of claim 2 wherein the outer layer is secured to the thermoformed layer.

4. The roll of claim 1 wherein first and second panels define an opening to a product volume that is disposed between the panels and the fill channel is disposed at the top of the first panel closest to the opening and the closure flap is disposed at the top of the first panel opposite the opening.

5. The roll of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of perforated lateral seals securing the first and second panels, extending from the fold towards the fill channel and defining lateral sides of individual mailer pouches.

6. The roll of claim 1 further comprising an adhesive region to secure the closure flap to an exterior of the mailer pouches and wherein the adhesive region is disposed on the closure flap.

7. The roll of claim 1 , wherein each of the pouch layers includes a thickest region within a width of the pouch layer and wherein a width of the thickest region is less than or equal to at least one of 50% of the width of the pouch layer, 25% of the width of the pouch layer, or 10% of the width of the pouch layer.

8. The roll of claim 1 , wherein each of the pouch layers includes a thickest region within a width of the pouch layer and wherein a distance between the folded bottom edge of the pouch layer to the thickest region is greater than or equal to at least one of 25% of the width of the pouch layer, 40% of the width of the pouch layer, or 50% of the width of the pouch layer.

9. The roll of claim 1 , wherein each of the pouch layers includes a thickest region within a width of the pouch layer and wherein the thickest region is determined based on at least one of a number of film layers, a number of film layers and paper layers, a number of film, paper, and adhesive layers, or a sum of thicknesses of individual layers.

10. A method of forming a roll of preformed pouches comprising:
providing a supply of a film structure comprising a plurality of layers, the film structure further comprising a plurality of inflatable compartments and a fill channel disposed at a first longitudinal edge of the film structure;
providing a supply of an outer film, the outer film comprising a closure flap disposed at a first longitudinal edge of the outer film;
guiding the film structure and the outer film into contact with each other so that the fill channel is disposed laterally inward from the closure flap;
applying a closure material to the closure flap;
folding the film structure and the outer film at a bottom edge to form a first panel comprising the fill channel and the closure flap and a second panel extending from the bottom edge towards but laterally inward of the fill channel;
transversely sealing the first panel to the second panel to create a web of individual pouches;
folding the closure flap to expose the fill channel and so that the closure flap is disposed laterally inward from the fill channel; and
rolling the web of individual pouches into a cylindrical roll with the closure flap folded and with the fill channel disposed at a lateral face of the cylinder.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
before the step of folding the film structure and the outer film, temporarily inflating the film structure;
heat sealing the outer film to the temporarily inflated film structure by passing the film structure and the outer film between spaced apart nip rollers, at least one of the nip rollers being heated; and
deflating the film structure.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, after the step of folding the film structure and the outer film, at least partly sealing the outer film to the film structure at a top of the second panel.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising perforating the web of individual pouches at a location where the first panel and the second panel are transversely sealed.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the film structure comprises at least one thermoformed layer.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of guiding the film structure and the outer film into contact with each other comprises guiding the outer layer into contact with the at least one thermoformed layer.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising rolling the web of individual pouches into a cylindrical roll with the closure flap folded and disposed towards an exterior of the cylinder.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the pouch layers includes a thickest region within a width of the pouch layer and wherein a width of the thickest region is less than or equal to at least one of 50% of the width of the pouch layer, 25% of the width of the pouch layer, or 10% of the width of the pouch layer.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the pouch layers includes a thickest region within a width of the pouch layer and wherein a distance between the folded bottom edge of the pouch layer to the thickest region is greater than or equal to at least one of 25% of the width of the pouch layer, 40% of the width of the pouch layer, or 50% of the width of the pouch layer.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the pouch layers includes a thickest region within a width of the pouch layer and wherein the thickest region is determined based on at least one of a number of film layers, a number of film layers and paper layers, a number of film, paper, and adhesive layers, or a sum of thicknesses of individual layers.

Assignees

• Sealed Air Corp

Inventors

• Kannankeril Charles
• Owensby Joseph E
• Moehlenbrock Andrew W
• Conner Howard Dean
• Sperry Laurence B

Classifications

• B31D5/0073 Primary

  including pillow forming · CPC title

• B65D27/14

  using adhesive applied to integral parts, e.g. flaps · CPC title

• B65D81/052

  filled with fluid, e.g. inflatable elements · CPC title

• B31D2205/0023

  as web from a roll · CPC title

• B65D27/005

  Linings · CPC title