Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE
CONTINUOUS WEB PACKING MATERIAL, PROCESS AND
APPARATUS FOR PRODUCTION.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The prior art includes a wide variety of materials used for packing and
supporting articles for transportation. Typically generic outer packaging is
used, such as cardboard boxes or plastic containers, which may be cubic or
irregular in shape but which primarily include interior voids or spaces.
Either these interior voids are filled with packing material or the articles
are
supported by internal structures or both.
Common examples of void filling materials are polystyrene foam peanuts
and shredded sheet materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic and the like.
Polystyrene foam peanuts have become common due to their high bulk, low
weight and, at least initially, low cost. However, with an increasing concern
about the ecosystem and rising materials costs these are becoming less
popular. The peanuts do not readily degrade and are very messy in both
packaging and unpackaging operations. Further, if the peanuts are not
made at the site of their use delivery of same from the maker to a user
entails
further high shipping costs. Such peanuts are designed to be a loose bulk
material simply poured into the desired container and, as such, do little to
prevent migration of the shipped article during transport. Shape
irregularities are often included so as to increase bulk and limit drift or
migration but care must be taken to limit such actions as by overfilling the
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25 package. Overfilling provides a degree of migration prevention by
compressing the peanuts into intimate and overlapping contact with the
article and with each other, thereby mechanically providing support and
limiting movement.
Another common example is foamed in place packaging support. Such
30 materials may be poured and expanded to fill voids but typically require a
separate packaging layer, as by a plastic bag, to prevent contact with the
shipped article. Another is a sting-like plastic material which is not greatly
expanded but rather is fed into void areas in a semi-molten or plastic state
as
a plurality of continuous threads which adhere to one another and are
35 sufficiently solid so as to bridge gaps between the fibres. Upon hardening
or curing these fibres form a solid structural mass filling the packaging void
and providing package support.
Biologically degradable shredded materials, such as paper and a limited
number of starch based plastics, are becoming more popular as they are
40 often waste products from other processes and uses and are available and
inexpensive. Such materials, however, suffer from drawbacks as they are
structurally weak and have little or no ability to prevent migration of the
packaged article without highly compacted volumes of same, thereby
increasing shipping weight and cost while being difficult and messy to
45 handle both at the time of packaging and later upon unpackaging the shipped
article.
Various attempts have been made to provide new packaging materials,
methods and apparatus which have sought to overcome the individual
limitations of the prior art materials and their methods of formation and use.
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50 An early example is shown in US patent 3,047,543 to Stanley. Stanley
discusses packing methods including wood shavings, shredded paper,
excelsior and corrugated strips of cardboard. His stated object is to provide
a loose flowable packing material readily used by unskilled labour. He
describes the use of stiff paper or straw ends as a loose mass with ready
55 flowability. Stanley describes the use of a resilient or rubbery surface to
provide an increased resistance to migration of a product through the
packing material. The surface treatment increases abrasiveness and reduces
the sliding characteristic and is a cohesive. Stanley also describes a manner
of further increasing frictional resistance to migration by the use of an
60 adhesive surface coating which bonds under pressure, a pressure-sensitive
adhesive cohesive.
For example, US patent 5,312,665 to Pratt provides an improvement in
paper packaging materials wherein sheet paper is rolled and glued into a
tubular configuration which is then cut into individual and separate units not
65 unlike peanuts in function. These individual cut units are described as an
improvement on prior art free flowing loose packaging units shown in
Figure 1 and migration is limited by the use of adhesive interconnecting
pairs or triplets of these units into larger and more irregular assemblies
which are then employed as loose packaging. In this patent the primary
70 material is paper or paper-like and preferably newsprint or kraft paper.
In another example, US patent 3,047,136 to Graham, tubular material is
formed into separate units or strings each with partial cuts along their
length
to provide interlocking or wedging of the strings together for cohesiveness
when massed together. Increased interlocking is provided by pressure
75 loading of the packaging container as hereinabove referred to.
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In a more recent example shown in US patent 5,134,013, shredded strips of
sheet material such as paper are cut, folded and crimped longitudinally into
individual segments with interlocking and bulking characteristics. The
process and machinery for producing this packing product are highly
80 complex and costly to make and to use as the process requires a barrier
against which the product is formed. Further, controllably jamming the
emerging paper stock is an inherently unstable operation requiring skilled
operators and is prone to failure by over jamming. The result, however, is a
intertwined and interconnected resilient mass of packing product. The
85 crimped strips produced are described as varying in length from 100 feet or
more to less than 1 inch.
In US patent 4,292,266 to Weder a method and apparatus for the
manufacture of decorative grass packing material is described. Various
chemicals are incorporated into plastic sheet or extruded materials prior to
90 rending same into segmented strips. Due to processing these strips are
desribed as generally rectangular in cross-section and curled in both
directions, adding to the bulk of the finished product. Weder claims that an
advantage in use of this plastic decorative grass is achieved by reducing the
cohesive interaction and interlocking of the strips by reducing the static
95 electric surface charge upon including anti-static materials in the mix
while
maintaining cohesiveness in the finished product, en mass.
In US patent 5,906,280 also to Weder a packing product and method of
production is described which for adhesion between individual strips of
decorative grass each with a length and a width provided by a pressure
100 sensitive adhesive. Such strips are formed into an intertwined and
interconnected mass used as a unitary tuft for package fill. Such a product
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requires the production of unitary strips with a particular length and the
formation of usable tufts which is a manual time consuming and messy
operation which results in a loose fill which only becomes operational, if at
105 all, upon individual strips being pressurized to the point of adhesive
activation. Such a fill would be prone to migration at low levels of motion
and would be non-uniform in result.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel packing material, process
110 and apparatus which reusable and readily formed and used by unskilled
labour at the site of packing and which may be biodegradable.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a packing material with a
low packing density while maintaining a high level of migration and shock
resistance and which does not require over-filling the package or closure
115 under pressure.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a packing material which
may be delivered to the packing site in high density rolls and formed quickly
by unskilled labour into packing material highly adaptable to a variety of
packing requirements by compact machinery which is inexpensive to
120 manufacture, install, maintain and operate.
It is a further object of the invention to avoid the messy operations
associated with tufts of decorative grasses and their formation and use.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus of the invention in operation
125 shown in shaded greyscale to better depict the apparatus and its
operation.
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Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in an operative
position and a loading position.
Figure 3 is a cross-section of the pair of rotary cutting block wheels.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the rotary cutting block wheels pair.
130 Figure 5 is a plan view of the packing material of the invention as output
from the apparatus of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a partial cross-section of a partially longitudinally compressed
form of the packing material of Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a further partial cross-section of a fully longitudinally
135 compressed form of the packing material of Figures 5 and 6.
Figure 8 is a partial cross-section of the packing material of Figure 7 with
separated layers for high packing bulk.
Figure 9 is a greyscale image showing the packing material of the invention
including the generally planar form shown in Figure 5, the compressed form
140 in Figures 6, 7 and 8.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The apparatus of the invention 1 as shown in Figure 1 includes a base frame
2 supported on vibration resisting legs 3. A pair of rolls 4 of source paper
or packing film 5 and 6 are supported for rotation about parallel axes A and
145 B respectively by a support framework 7. Each source roll 4 is suspended
on a respective axle 8 which in turn is supported at each end in a notch 9 on
framework 7. Although rolls 4 are shown as paper or packing film a wide
variety of roll materials are useful with the present invention including
plastic film and thin expanded polyethylene foam.
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150 Preferably rolls 4 are mounted for rotation about a respective axel 8 for
rotation in opposite directions C and D respectively so that roll outer paper
surfaces 10 are brought into juxtaposition as at 11 upon being unrolled and
fed into a rotary cutting block as at 12 in Figure 1.
Source paper streams 5 and 6 are juxtaposed and then passed in direction E
155 into a conventional rotary cutting block at 12, sometimes referred to as a
shredder, as at 12. The shredder is driven by an electric motor 13 through a
gear reduction set 14 and further by a chain drive or direct gear drive { not
shown in Figure 1 } as at 12 so as to pull the paper streams 5 and 6 in unison
into the rotary cutting block at 12.
160 Upon exit from the rotary cutting block as at direction F in Figure 1 the
paper stream has been formed into a continuous web 15 of strands 16.
Figure 2 shows a side elevation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in which the
numerical designations of the various components are the same.
In primary dotted outline is shown a partially depleted state for paper rolls
4
165 with outer surfaces 10'. Further rotation of rolls 4 about axes A and B in
directions C and D provide for further input of paper as at 5 and 6 in
direction E. As can be clearly seen in Figure 2 the outer surfaces of rolls 4
are brought together in juxtaposition and simultaneously and continuously
fed into co-rotating rotary cutting block wheels 18 in a conventional fashion.
170 Once rolls 4 are exhausted framework 7 may be rotated about pivotal
connection 19 through angle 23 between an operational position 22 and a
loading position 22'. This rotation brings support Ieg 21 into position 21'
and provides a clear working space 24 between motor 13, gears 14, rotary
cutting block wheels 18 and their support structures 25 and framework 7'.
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175 Working space 24 permits new paper rolls 4' to be loaded on framework 7'
for manual rotation in opposite directions C' and D' about axes A' and B'
respectively so that source paper may be manually drawn out along direction
G and fed into the nip of rotary cutting block wheels 18. Most preferably
manual wheel 17 as shown in Figure 1 is mounted to the rotary cutting block
180 wheels 18 for manual rotation when the electric motor 13 is not activated.
In this manner source paper may be safely fed into the machine, framework
7' rotated from position 22' back through position 22 to bring support leg 21
into abutment with support structure 25 for powered operation.
The apparatus of Figures 1 and 2 is readily and simply enclosed within a
185 shell for a self contained packaging station { not shown } which may be
substantial as with input rolls of a diameter of 15" or suitable for small
retail
operations with input rolls of a diameter of 7 ~h ". Alternatively, input
supplies may be provided from rolls 4 mounted on a separate framework 7.
Figure 3 shows a cross-section detail of the operation of the pair of rotary
190 cutting block wheels 18 shown in plan view in Figure 4. Source paper
streams 5 and 6 are operatively drawn along plane 26 in direction E and into
the nip of cutting rollers 18 each of which is powered for opposite rotation
about parallel axes H and I upon axels H' and I' respectively. Co-rotation
of overlapping rollers 18 causes the 2-layer input paper stream 5 and 6 to be
195 longitudinally and continuously slit and ejected from the rollers 18 along
direction F in plane 26 in the form of a continuous output web 15
comprising a parallel series of continuous strands or filaments 16.
As can be seen in Figure 5 each of continuous strands or filaments 16 is
itself planar and the thickness of the input paper stream.
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200 Typically continuous output web 15 is created as needed by powered
operation of rotary cutting block wheels 18 selectively as by an operator
controlled switch { not shown } and then drawn off manually by the operator
as shown in Figure 2 directly into a package where it forms a packing
material with a high bulk and low tendency to permit migration.
205 Alternatively, continuous output web 15 is allowed to fall by gravity onto
a
curved output ramp 28 as shown in Figure 2 and from there directly into a
package as required.
Preferably and in accordance with the invention, paper rolls 4 are coated
with an adhesive substance on one side, further preferably on the inner
210 surface 29 as shown in Figure 3. The adhesive material may be an
adhesive, a cohesive or an anhesive/co-hesive combination but is most
preferably a cold seal adhesive or a synthetic or natural latex which adheres
to the source paper and, once cured in place on the surface, then will have a
high propensity to adhere to itself and not to the source paper, machinery
215 parts, packaging or products being packaged. Such coated paper rolls 4 are
commercially available as a input source product.
Such cold seal adhesives are readily available.
As seen in Figure 5, continuous web 15 may be readily formed into a
packaging situation to fill voids and support the article being packaged.
220 The cold seal adhesive or synthetic or natural latex permits the
continuous
web to form a structural mass within the package as it folds and twists upon
itself. Since the cold seal adhesive or a synthetic or natural latex is only
on
1 side of each source paper 5 and 6 the layers of the continuous web 15 are
readily separated and twisted into an even higher bulk configuration where
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225 the cold seal adhesive or a synthetic or natural latex causes bonding
between
portions of the web for increased structural strength and durability.
Alternatively, resistance to the free flow of output continuous web 15
permits of a partial jamming of the output flow, particularly in conjunction
with output ramp 28 which causes a compression of the continuous output
230 web in the direction of travel F. This preferably occurs by manual control
of the amount of output web taken up in use by the operator in conjunction
with selective operation of the powered rotary cutting block rollers 18.
Optimally, output web 15 is compressed in the direction of travel by a series
of folds and refolds generally as shown in Figure 6 as at 29 and 30. Web 15
235 now has acquired a bulk depth as at J and is readily severable in the
direction
G transverse to direction of travel F. Compression may continue until the
folds and refolds present cold seal adhesive coated surfaces to the next
adjacent fold or refold as at 31 in Figure 7 at which point adhesion takes
place providing even further structure stability while maintaining a ready
240 separability in the transverse direction G. The folding, curling and
refolding depicted in Figures 6 and 7 enhances separation between the layers
in continuous web 15 formed from input streams 5 and 6 as at internal space
32.
The resultant packing material generally designated 33 has an enhanced bulk
245 as it has been expanded in thickness to about lower and upper surfaces 34
and 35 respectively while maintaining both longitudinal and transverse
integrity. As such it may be readily utilized by the packer for filling voids,
with or without further separation along direction G, and/or compression or
extension in plane 26, whereupon the cold seal adhesive or a synthetic or
250 natural latex further bonds to itself and joins elements of the continuous
web
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15 to itself in a multiplicity of locations. As can be seen compression
packing, as by overfilling, is not required but may be utilized to provide
additional structural support.
Figure 8 depicts the packing material of Figure 7 in which the layers 5 and 6
255 have been transversely separated along direction G to G' so as to greatly
increase the internal separation 32 and, thus, the thickness from surfaces 34
to 35 to lower surface 34 and further separated upper surface 36. As can be
seen in Figure 8 the separation requires no further longitudinal compression
and no further input material for increased bulk. Transverse separation, as
260 in Figure 8, may occur only at limited areas of the whole continuous web
15
at the operator's choice or may occur along longitudinal or cross-wise areas
37 of the web 15 and may or may not be combined with partial or complete
separation of areas of strands 16 across the width of the strands 16 in the
same or adjacent areas. This flexability and expansibility provides the
265 operator with a highly moldable packing material which is easy and clean
to
use and which maintains both a structural integrity once put in place and an
ability to be re-molded or re-formed as required.
Preferably, the cold seal adhesive or a synthetic or natural latex remains
sufficiently stretchy and tacky on input rolls 4 that continuous strands or
270 filaments 16 of input source papers 5 and 6 formed into continuous web 15
are cross-adhered one to the next within web 15 so as to maintain web 15 as
a single operative piece as shown in Figure 6 even after passage through
rotary cutting block rolls 18 and as output packing material until manually
separated where required by the operator. This cross-adhesion extends
275 laterally across each source paper stream and may continue, in part, from
stream 5 through to and in adhesive contact with source paper stream 6
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along the cut lines of rotary cutting block rolls 18. As such, in its most
preferred embodiment the web of the invention is not completely severed
into continuous strands of multiple layers but remains as a multi-layer web
280 which is separable both transversely or longitudinally, or both, into a
wide
variety of high bulk configurations as required by the packaging operator
where it will further self-adhere and form a molded structural packing
material with a high degree of cushion, prevention of migration and shock
resistance. The packing material of the invention is completely moldable
285 into any packaging situation by unskilled labour and remains adjustable
and
reusable.
Figure 9 is a greyscale image showing the most preferred embodiment of the
invention as showing in Figure 7 as it is ready for use by the operator. The
depth of the packing material web 15 is indicated at G. Figure 9 includes
290 both a relatively planar portion as at 37 and a highly compressed portion
as
at 31 with internal spaces as at 32.
As can be seen with the wide variety of adhesives which are available the
packing material may become quite permanent while remaining cushioning
on the one hand and completely reusable on the other as the molded packing
295 material of the invention may be separated and remolded and reattached as
required, thus extending its utility and lifetime. In one aspect, use of a
cold
seal adhesive which adheres only to itself provides a packing material which
need not be segregated from the product being packed or the other parts of
the package or support structures as the adhesive will not stick to such
300 surfaces or leave a residue.
As can be seen manual use of the output packing material 33 may
alternatively include the generally and separable web 15 as shown in Figure
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6 along with a variety of compression and bulking states as shown in Figures
7 and 8 in a single slitting and use operation thus facilitating the ready
305 packing of fragile and sensitive cargo by unskilled labour. The machine of
the invention is simple to manufacture, maintain, install and operate and
supply materials are high density rolls occupying little space whether in
transit to the packing site or in storage.
Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art as various
310 changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of
the invention.
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