Air Packing Machine Using Ultrasonic Sealing And Methods And Products Relating To Same

Abstract

An apparatus for manufacturing inflatable packaging pillows having a gas dispenser for dispensing a gas within a partially sealed inflatable pouch and an ultrasonic welding assembly comprised of a horn and an anvil for sealing the pouch after inflation of the pouch. The apparatus includes a feeding mechanism for advancing inflatable packing across the ultrasonic welding assembly. The horn preferably seals the pouch continuously without interruption of the advancement of the pouch. A method of manufacturing inflatable packaging including the steps of providing an apparatus for manufacturing inflatable packaging pillows, inflating a pillow, and sealing the pillow using ultrasonic energy. An ultrasonically sealable inflatable packing cushion made of a polymer film web having two layers bonded together at a wall that defines an unsealed pocket. The packing cushion is readily weldable to itself at the unsealed portion of the pocket through the application of ultrasonic energy.

1 . An apparatus for manufacturing inflatable packaging pillows, comprising:
 a gas dispenser adapted to dispense a gas within an opening of a partially sealed inflatable pouch for inflating the pouch;   an ultrasonic welding assembly comprising a horn for transmitting ultrasonic energy to the inflatable pouch to seal the opening of the pouch after inflation of the pouch by the gas dispenser.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the gas dispenser comprises a wand having an orifice for dispensing a gas for inflating the pouch. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic welding assembly further comprises an anvil disposed opposite the horn for compressing the inflatable pouch between the anvil and the horn to promote sealing of the inflatable pouch. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the anvil is rotatable to provide for continuous rotatable contact with the inflatable pouch to promote sealing of the inflatable pouch. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a base and a roll support connected to the base for supporting a continuous roll of inflatable pouches prior to inflation and sealing of the inflatable pouches. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a drive wheel operably connected to a motor for advancing the inflatable pouch along the horn with the drive wheel and the horn seals the inflatable pouch as it advances continuously and uninterruptedly along the horn. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein an annular anvil is operably connected to the drive motor to rotate the anvil to promote sealing of the inflatable pouch by minimizing slippage between the anvil and the inflatable pouch. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the gas dispenser is inserted into a portion of the inflatable packaging as it is advanced by the driving mechanism and the apparatus further comprises a cutting implement for continuously cutting a portion of the inflatable pouch to free the pouch from the gas dispenser. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic welding assembly is moveable by an actuator into and out of an operating position, wherein the horn is positioned to seal the inflatable pouch. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising a controller operably connected to the actuator for controlling the actuator to move the ultrasonic welding assembly into and out of an operating position. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a sensor for detecting the presence of the inflatable pouch. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic welding assembly comprises a plurality of horns for simultaneously welding a plurality of seams on the inflatable pouch. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of horns are disposed across a lateral axis of the apparatus to weld a plurality of seams to seal a plurality of inflatable pouches simultaneously. 
     
     
         14 . An apparatus for manufacturing inflated packing cushions comprising:
 a gas distribution vent for directing a gas into the packing cushion to inflate the packing cushion;   an ultrasonic welding assembly including a horn for creating and distributing ultrasonic energy for sealing the inflated packing cushion; and   a packing cushion feeding mechanism comprising a wheel for advancing the packing cushion across the ultrasonic welding assembly.   
     
     
         15 . An apparatus for manufacturing gas-filled packaging comprising:
 a gas dispensing outlet for dispensing a gas into a preformed pouch;   a feeding mechanism for advancing the pouch in a machine direction; and   an ultrasonic sealing assembly including a horn and an anvil disposed opposite the horn for sealing the pouch along the machine direction.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the horn seals the pouch continuously without interruption of the advancement of the pouch. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the ultrasonic sealing assembly operates without an amplitude modifying signal booster module. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the apparatus is sized to operate on a table top. 
     
     
         19 . A method of manufacturing inflatable packaging, comprising:
 providing a partially sealed and uninflated film pillow and a packaging pillow manufacturing device, the device having a gas dispensing orifice for directing a gas into the partially sealed uninflated film pillow to inflate the pillow and an ultrasonic welding assembly for creating high frequency ultrasonic energy for sealing the inflated pillow;   inflating the film pillow with the gas dispensing orifice; and   sealing the inflated film pillow using ultrasonic energy from the ultrasonic welding assembly.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the packaging pillow manufacturing device further comprises a drive mechanism for advancing the film pillow across the ultrasonic welding assembly. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the inflated film pillow is sealed by the ultrasonic welding assembly continuously as it advances uninterruptedly across the ultrasonic welding assembly. 
     
     
         22 . An ultrasonically sealable inflatable packing cushion, comprising:
 a polymer film web comprised of at least two layers of film bonded to each other at least at one wall that defines a partially sealed pocket, the pocket being unsealed along a portion of the pocket, the film formulated to be readily weldable to itself at the unsealed portion of the pocket through the application of ultrasonic energy.   
     
     
         23 . The ultrasonically sealable inflatable cushion of  claim 22 , wherein the polymer film web is provided on a roll, wherein a plurality of pockets are formed on the web and are divided by perforations in the web to allow the pockets to be removed from one another. 
     
     
         24 . The inflatable cushion of  claim 22 , wherein the polymer film web is created by folding a single layer of film over on itself to form the at least two layers of film. 
     
     
         25 . The inflatable cushion of  claim 22 , wherein the web has a thickness of less than 0.005 inches.