Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
6Z4
Shipping bags as heretofore manufactured have been formed by
laminating a cushion material including a foam urethane to provide a pro-
tective substrate to insulate articles packaged therein against destructive
impacts. Bags formed from these laminates often have been bulky at the
corners or ends since the laminates with foamed materials or comminuted
materials are bulky and relatively thick, which will preclude the fabrica-
tion of relatively thin and secure closures. Additionally, bags formed from
such laminates generally have one end that is left open for inserting the
goods to be shipped, and the open end that is relatively bulky is then
folded back over the bag to form a bulky closure or the open end is sealed
by stapling, taping or other means which leaves the bulky end or ends
subject to being readily torn open during shipping since the closures are
not entirely satisfactory.
The present invention has for one of its objectives the provision
of a laminated cushioned shipping bag which has uniformly slender closures
of less bulk which may be readily folded or sealed in some other suitable
manner to provide increased protection for the goods contained therein.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a cush-
ioned bag which may be produced in a continuous manner with portions of the
bag being compressed in selected areas during fabrication.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a
cushioned shipping bag which may have at least one end open with the other
end sealed with minimum bulk and the open end having a non-bulky portion
that may be readily folded back on itself to form a secure closure.
Yet a further objective of the present invention is to provide a
cushioned shipping bag in which the ends thereof may be sealed to compress
the laminated structure having an inner cushion material and being provided
with an opening spaced from one of the closures which may be readily covered
by folding back one of the shipping bag ends.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a cush-
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ioned shipping bag having a foamed lining and a protective covering which
will have a substantially uniform appearance when closed without presenting
a bulky closure.
According to the present invention, there is pro~ided a cushion
bag comprising: an exterior layer, a cush;on interior layer joined to and
in contact with said exterior layer, said interior layer and exterior layer
including a central portion and first and second outer sections, said first
and second outer sections having a width less than said central portion,
said first outer section being wider than said second outer section and
having a marginal sec~ion, said marginal section being narrower than said
second outer section, crease lines extending longitudinally between said
central portion and said outer sections, said marginal section overlapping
said second outer section and said interior and exterior layers forming a
closed end portion and an open end portion, said interior layer of said
closed end portion being compressed, said closed end portion having a
return fold, and said open end portion having a compressed interior layer
whereby a relatively thin closure tab may be formed.
Also, according to the invention, there is provided a method
for manufacturing a cushion bag comprising; joining an exterior layer and
a cushion interior layer together, said interior layer and exterior
layer including a central portion and first and second outer sections,
said first and second outer sections having a width less than said
central portion, said first outer section being wider than said second
outer section and having a marginal section, said marginal section being
narrower than said second outer section, forming crease lines extending
longitudinally between said central portion and said outer sections, said
marginal section overlapping said second outer section and said interior
and exterior layers forming a closed end portion and an open end portion,
compressing said interior layer of said closed end portion, folding
the closed end portion to form a return fold, and compressing the interior
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liS3;~624
layer at said open end portion whereby a relatively thin closure tab is
formed.
Other objectives and many of the attendant advantages of the
present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the
packaging art when considered in conjunction with the detailed description
of several preferred embodiments described hereafter and in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference
designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
The interior or lining sheet may be of foamed polyethylene or
polyurethane or the equivalent cushion lining materials and the exterior
or sheet of laminate may be composed of suitable paper such as Kraft
paper or other suitable materials, as desired.
IN THE DRAWING
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cushioned shipping bag em-
d~
24
bodying one form of the present invention having one end sealed and theopposite end open;
Figure 2 is a transverse view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure
l, reduced in size;
Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along
the line 3-3 of Figure l, reduced in size;
Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along
the line 4-4 of Figure l, somewhat reduced in size;
Figure 5 is a top plan view of a modified embodiment with only
one end of the ba6 illustrated for inserting an article beneath the 'op
closure;
Figure 6 is a right side view of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a schematic view illustrating an initial stage in the
manufacture of a laminated web for use in forming cushioned shipping bags;
Figure 8 is a top plan view illustrating a subsequent stage in the
manufa.cture of the laminated web; and
Figure 9 is a top plan view of a section of the laminated web
folded into a bag configuration prior to a severing operation.
Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figure 1, there is
illustrated a cushioned shipping bag 10 in which an inner cushioned lining
11 of foam polyethylene sheet material, shown in cross section in Figure 3,
is laminated to a protective outer sheet 12 preferably of Kraft paper. One
end 13 of the cushioned bag 10 has a return bend compressed tab 14 that is
provided with a sealed closure 15 in which the cushion lining has been com-
pressed to form a flat return fold that is secured to the covered section 16
of the main bag body l? by suitable adhesive means to form a tight and se-
cure closure that is relatively thin without substanti~l bulk while retain-
ing the interior cushioning effect of the foamed polyethylene lining on the
interior of the bag in the area beneath the return ta.b or flap 14. The
longitudinal line 17 is where the sides of the laminated fabricated sheet
62~
overlap as will be more fully described hereafter. The opposite article-
receiving open bag end 18 is provided with a score line 19 to facilitate
folding back of the tab section 20 which has been previously compressed to
flatten the laminated foam cushion material and Kraft paper to form a rel-
atively thin tab which may either be closed in the unfolded condition by
stapling or providing an adhesive tape to the open end to form a closure or
the tab 20 may be folded back along the score line 19 and held in position
by suitable adhesive, tape or stapling at spaced positions along the width
of the bag.
As shown in Figure 2, the ends~18 of the closure have been com-
pressed so that the foam lining is substantially flat against the interior
of the Kraft paper 12 with the relatively thin layer of compressed foam 21
formlng a very thick compressed coating on the inside of the Kraft paper.
The uncompressed foam cushion or lining sheet 11 which is adhered to the
Kraft paper that will serve as a cushion for the bag lO is shown in Figure
3 which is at an intermediate portion of the bag 10. Figure 4 illustrates
the structure of the opposite end adjacent to the closure 13 in which the
cushion lining 11 is contiguous and the tab 14 is relatively flat against
the upper layer of the Kraft paper to form a tight closure.
There is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 a modified embodiment of
a cushioned shipping bag 23 in which only one end closure 24 is shown with
the opposite end being as shown in Figure 1 by the closure 13 and the return
tab 14 with the terminal ends 15 being sealed together. The closure 24 is
also provided with the outer laminate of Kraft paper and the interior with
a cushion sheet of foam polyethylene preferably which is compressed in the
tab section 24 so that the tab end 24 will be sealed securely. A transverse
slit 25 is provided beneath the tab 24 as an opening into which the article
to be shipped may be inserted before the tab 24 is turned over to close the
opening 2~ and be sealed by adhesive means, stapling or adhesive tape to
form a secure and compact closure means.
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There is illustrated in Figure 7 a method of fabricating the
laminated structure by feeding a roll 26 of Kraft paper along a directed
path of travel with the web 29 passing over a rotatable roller 27 that is
mounted to rotate within the adhesive-receiving trough 29 in which a suit-
able adhesive is contained to be dispensed on the surface of the roller 27
to the underside of the Kraft paper web 29 as it travels in its directed
path of travel. A roll 31 of foam polyethylene which serves as the cush-
ioning web material is unrolled in web form 32 and passes as a sheet in a
directed path of travel beneath the guide roller 33 to merge with the Kraft
paper web 29 and be compressed together by the rollers 34 and 34' so that
the combined ~aminated web 35 emerges as a single continuous web.
Either hot or cold adhesive, preferably a latex-based emulsion,
is coated on the underside of the Kraft paper by the roller 27 before the
webs 29 and 32 converge under the rollers 34 and 34 ' . However, as an alter-
nate, the Kraft paper may have a coating of polyethylene on the underside
which may be made tacky by means of a heated roller 33', shown in outline
form only in Figure 7, which will heat the Kraft paper sufficiently to con-
duct heat through to the coating on the underside before the webs 29 and 32
converge. When the webs 29 and 32 converge beneath the rollers 3~ and 34',
20 they will be pressed together and the tacky polyethylene will adhere to the
foam web 32 and be pressed together to form the laminated web 35.
The laminate structure 35 is fed to a pair of opposed rotating
rollers 36 and 37 with a pair of opposed platens 38 and 39 which may be
heated and are timed to engage the mating platens 40 and 41 as the rollers
36 and 37 rotate to compress the laminated structure 35 at spaced longitu-
dinal positions and to compress the foam to collapse the cells of the foam
material thereby decreasing the thickness of the web at selected areas to
the desired thickness for the tabs or terminal ends of each of the shipping
bags. The pressed laminated structure 42 emerging from the rollers 37 and
30 38 will then pass in its path of travel between pairs of spaced-apart heated
11~3624
discs 43 and 44 mounted on rotating shafts 45 and 46 which will press
against the laminated web 42 while it is supported by the lower support
rollers 44.
The desired effect of the discs is to soften and reduce the
thickness of the foam sheet secured to the Kraft paper and to form two
crease lines 47 and 48 longitudinally lengthwise oi the laminated web sheet
42 parallel to the side edges thereof dividing the sheet 42 into a central
portion 49 and two outer sections 50 and 51. Other crease-forming means
may be employed as an alternative to the heated discs 44 such as heated
wires or non-rotating means.
To iorm a tube irom the laminated web as shown in Figure 8, ir~m
which the cushioned bags oi a predetermined length may be manuiactured, a
suitable adhesive is applied to the marginal region 52 which need not be
covered with the plastic foam material. The portion 51 is then iolded by
means oi a guide member or other iolding means (not shown) about the crease
line 48 to overl y part oi the centr~aI region 49. The region 50 is then
iolded by a ~uitable iold`means (not shown) about the crease line 47 to
overlay the central region 49 on the opposite side. ~he marginal portion
, ~ ,
53 then overlays the inner edge oi the region 51. Opposite side edges of
the cushioning material are brought into abutting relationship and the n at
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~ tube is then formed and passed between a pair of nip rollers (not shown)
`~ which apply pressure to the tube along the overlap to insure that the mar-
g1nal portion 53 is adhesi~ely secured by utilizing a suitaOle cold or hot
melt adhesive or otber iastening means which have been employed for such
particular end uses.
The fl&t ~olded tube 54, as shown in Figure 9, is then fed to a
severing mechanism (not shown) adapted successively to sever the tube along
i: :
lines 55-55, each extending, ior example, through one of the sections 56.
Adhesive~may then be applied to~the bottom 57 of the portion of the cut tube
which;is folded about the crease line 58-58 and passed through heat sealing
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bars (not shown) to secure the bottom of the bag. Crease line 59-59 pro-
vided at the opposite end of the bag assists in the future closing of one
embodiment of the bag. The portion of the area 56 extending upwardly of
the crease line 59-59 facilitates the insertion of articles into the bag
and allows the bag to be closed at the tvp without the provision of a buIky
closure seam or fold.
In the preferred cushion shipping bag embodiment shown in Figure
1, sealing is performed at one end of the bag along the bottom portion 57
as shown in Figure 9. Therefore, the bag 10 is sealed only at one end but
the other end has compressed ends. Thereafter, the prefabricated tube is
severed laterally along one end thereby providing the opening 18 through
which an article may be inserted into the cushioned bag. The reduced
thickness of the cushioned polyethylene foam in the section 56 as shown in
Figures 8 and 9 may be sealed at both ends of the bag and the sealed tube
that is formed may be laterally severed at one end below the sealed tab 24
to form the slit 25 through only one laminated web portion to provide an
opening for the bag 23 for insertion of an article before the bag is sealed
by folding over the tab 24 for securement by adhesive, stapling or adhesive
tape.
Other methods of making the cushioned shipping bag may be employed
including the substitution of an initial web which has increased width and
multiples of the folded tube may be formed simultaneously within the scope
of this invention and the appended claims and such modifications are con-
templated.
