Dunnage conversion machine and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12115751-B2
Application number	US-202318303153-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2023
Priority date	Jun 30, 2016
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

A conversion assembly for a dunnage conversion machine includes both a downstream pair of rotatable members and an upstream pair of rotatable members upstream of the downstream rotatable members. The downstream rotatable members include a pair of gears, and each gear has a plurality of teeth and is rotatable about a respective axis. The gears are positioned so that the teeth of one gear are sequentially interlaced with the teeth of the other gear as the gears rotate. The upstream rotatable members include a pair of feed wheels, and the gears and the feed wheels define a path for a sheet stock material from between the upstream pair of feed wheels to between the downstream pair of gears. The rate at which the sheet stock material is advanced by the feed wheels is the same as the rate at which the sheet stock material is advanced by the gears.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dunnage conversion machine comprising:
a conversion assembly that converts a sheet stock material into a strip of lower density dunnage;
a severing assembly downstream of the conversion assembly that facilitates severing discrete dunnage products from the strip of dunnage; and
an output chute downstream of the severing assembly that has walls forming a rectangular cross-section and defining a path through which the strip of dunnage travels;
wherein the output chute includes a shield that is rotatable about an axis of rotation between an operating position parallel to a wall of the output chute, and a severing position that restricts a height dimension of the output chute to no more than 20 mm, wherein the axis of rotation intersects the path' and wherein the shield is parallel to and spaced apart from the axis of rotation.

2. The dunnage conversion machine as set forth in claim 1 , comprising one or more sensors that detect a position of the shield in the output chute.

3. The dunnage conversion machine as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the path is perpendicular to the axis of rotation, wherein in the operating position the shield is parallel to the path, and wherein in the severing position the shield extends transverse to the path.

4. A method of making a dunnage product, the method comprising the steps of:
converting a sheet stock material into a strip of dunnage such that the strip of dunnage extends into an output chute having walls that define a rectangular cross-section and define a path through which the strip of dunnage travels;
stopping the converting and rotating a shield about an axis of rotation in the output chute from an operating position in which the shield is parallel to a wall of the output chute to a severing position in which a height dimension of the output chute is reduced to no more than 20 mm, wherein the axis of rotation intersects the path and wherein the shield is parallel to and spaced apart from the axis of rotation; and
cutting the strip of dunnage to facilitate forming a discrete dunnage product in the output chute;
wherein the cutting can only occur while the shield is in the severing position.

Assignees

• Ranpak Corp

Inventors

• Cheich Robert C
• Toneff Steven M
• Cals Hubertus J M
• Demers Raimond P M
• Hendrix Ronny Hubertus Joseph
• Driehuijs Johannes Hermanus Wilhelmus
• Dominak Stephen Louis
• Snijders Alexandra
• Schlegel Carrie A
• Bayt Thomas
• Park Kevin W
• Wagner Dennis

Classifications

• B31D2205/0094

  Safety devices · CPC title

• B31D2205/0082

  General layout of the machinery or relative arrangement of its subunits · CPC title

• B31D2205/0064

  Stabilizing the shape of the final product, e.g. by mechanical interlocking · CPC title

• B31D2205/0058

  Cutting; Individualising the final products · CPC title

• B31D2205/0047

  Feeding, guiding or shaping the material · CPC title