WO1990004554A1

WO1990004554A1 - Inflatable self-seal type buffer sheet

Info

Publication number: WO1990004554A1
Application number: PCT/JP1989/001110
Authority: WO
Inventors: Teruo Mitsuda
Original assignee: Shinwa Package Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date: 1988-10-27
Filing date: 1989-10-27
Publication date: 1990-05-03
Also published as: EP0394497A1; EP0394497A4

Abstract

This invention relates to an inflatable self-seal type buffer sheet comprising a series of individual air bags made of a heat-sealable material, inflatable when air is blown into it but having normally a flat shape, and at least one air blow tube penetrating through these air bags, connected to them by heat-sealing and equipped with a self-seal type valve consisting of a slit or slot at a position inside the individual air bag. When air is charged from the end portion of the air blow tube, the individual air bag inflates independently within its allowable limit. The inflated individual air bags press the air blow tube by internal pressures so that the slits or slots are pushed to the opposed surfaces of the tube and forms the self-seal type check valves. The buffer sheet of the present invention is inserted into gaps having irregular sizes under a flat state, and when inflated, the individual air bags inflate independently to the sizes of the gaps into which it is inserted, and can reliably function as an easy-to-operate support material or buffer material. So long as each self-seal type valve functions, the each air bag is not affected by the damage or cut-off of any other air bags.

Description

Description Inflatable, self-sealing buffer sheet technology

The present invention relates to an inflatable, self-sealing cushioning sheet, and more particularly to individual airbags made of a material such as plastic or rubber that can be inflated by blowing air. Each of the inflated airbags has a built-in self-sealing valve that closes itself to prevent air leakage. Before use, it relates to a flat-shaped cushioning sheet.

Background technology

Conventionally, there is a so-called air cap as a cushioning material in which air is sealed in advance. This is a method in which many bubbles are formed on one of the two layers of film and the fins are in close contact with each other, but the thickness or volume of this air cap is determined to be almost constant from the beginning. Therefore, there are various problems and restrictions in use.

For this reason, the present applicant has assumed that it is thinner at the beginning than the conventional air cap, but if air is blown in during use, the required parts expand to the required thickness and A new self-sealing type cushioning material that forms a closing valve was developed and applied for. This self-sealing type cushioning material has a smaller volume before use than the conventional air-filled cushioning material, and each air sac to be inflated by blowing is subject to conditions such as pressure from the surroundings. hand Independently variable swelling is possible. '

However, there is still room for improvement in that the self-sealing buffer has a relatively complicated structure, requires a large amount of wood, and is relatively difficult to manufacture. Since it was originally intended as a cushioning material or retaining material with a large area, its use is relatively limited, and it is not suitable for applications where the cushioning material should be applied in a linear or fairy shape There is a problem. In addition, the above cushioning materials have various difficulties in actual production, for example, the production process is complicated and complicated, and a lot of manual work is not suitable for mass production. Restrictions were observed.

Disclosure of the invention

Accordingly, the present invention provides an inflatable, self-sealing cushioning sheet that has a relatively wide range of uses without limitation, can be manufactured inexpensively with a minimum amount of material, and is simple. aimed to.

Another object of the present invention is to connect a large number of airbags in a continuous manner with the simplest self-closing valve structure, which can be used as a one-point (spot) retaining material when cut off. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a new type of self-sealing air-blowable cushioning sheet.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable, self-sealing cushioning sheet with a series of airbags that is easy to manufacture and practically well suited for mass production, and has a versatile application. aimed to. In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention is always in Lanpei form. A new cushioning sheet consisting of a continuous connection of a series of individual bags made of a tough, somewhat resilient plastic or rubber or other thin film material that can be inflated by blowing air. To provide. The series of airbags is penetrated by one or several air supply (air supply) tubes, which are also made of a thin film and serve as air supply passages. In this tube, at least the portion located in each airbag is composed of two upper and lower flat surfaces, and a slit or slot is provided on one of the flat surfaces at a predetermined interval. This slit or slot, when receiving pressure from the outer surface, comes into close contact with the other flat surface to form a self-sealing check valve. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an inflatable, self-sealing buffer sheet is conveniently provided by stacking two strips of heat-fusible film and heat sealing the length thereof. Produced in. Separately, two heat-sealable film strips smaller than the buffer sheet are provided to form the air blowing tube, and slits or slots are formed at predetermined intervals on one of the strips. Is done. A non-fusible coating is applied to either inner surface of the strip. An air blowing tube is formed by stacking two of these film strips and heat sealing them with longitudinal edges. The air blowing tube is inserted into the band-shaped film and heat seals the band-shaped film transversely at a position that does not overlap with a slit or a slot formed in the tube. This makes a new, inflatable, self-sealing buffer sheet consisting of individually partitioned airbags and a blow-in tube with a self-sealing valve extending therethrough practical. It can be mass-produced at low cost. The inflatable, self-sealing cushioning sheet of the present invention may be a cushioning material or retaining material. Since it consists only of individual airbags as materials and an air blowing tube connected to and penetrating it, material waste is minimized. The self-sealing valve used in the present invention comprises only a slit or a slot formed in a flat portion located in the air bag of the blow-in tube, and the other flat surface that comes into surface contact with the slit. Therefore, the structure is simple, the manufacturing is simple, and it is the cheapest valve structure. If this self-sealing valve works, each airbag does not leak even if the blowing tube is cut between the airbags. Therefore, the buffer sheet of the present invention can also be used as a one-point loose street material which is cut off one by one as necessary. Further, the cushioning sheet of the present invention can be used as a linear cushioning material or holding material in a form in which a number of airbags are connected, and can also be used around a certain article such as a glass bottle. It is also possible to use it as a double, H-wrapped spiral, so that it can be used not only as a straight line but also as a certain surface cushioning material In this way, the buffer sheet of the present invention can have a wide range of applications suitable for use in one-point, line, and surface applications. In particular, when it is necessary to fill small or irregular gaps, insert the buffer sheet into the gap in a flat state without blowing air, and then blow air into the air blowing tube. Bags can be individually inflated to the extent permitted-an effective and secure buffer or retention material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows an inflatable, self-sealing multiple airbag according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the first embodiment of the snap-type buffer sheet. Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the airbag and the structure of the flat valve or the self-sealing valve along the line II-II in Fig. 1.

FIG. 3A is an enlarged schematic sectional view illustrating the function of an airbag and a flat valve in a state where air is blown.

FIG. 3B is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the inflated airbag. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the multiple airbag-type buffering material of the present invention in an expanded state.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a buffer sheet having a series of airbags in a flat state according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a flat state of an inflatable self-sealing buffer sheet according to a third practical embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing an example of the self-sealing valve of the blowing tube shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing components of the buffer sheet shown in FIG. 6 separately.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view substantially corresponding to the line X—K in FIG. 6 illustrating the state of connection between the blowing tube and the individual airbags.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial perspective view showing another embodiment of the blowing tube.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating how the individual airbags of the inflatable self-sealing buffer sheet of the present invention expand.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cutaway view illustrating the self-sealing action of one airbag that has been inflated. FIG. 13 is a schematic view for explaining an example of using the inflatable self-sealing buffer sheet of the present invention as a retaining material.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of an inflatable, self-sealing cushioning sheet according to the present invention comprises a number of individual airbags 1 and It consists of an air blowing tube (or air supply tube) 2 for a book. Each of the airbags 1 is formed by folding a rectangular plastic film into two, and sealing the combined three sides by heat fusion or adhesion as indicated by broken lines S for convenience. Prior to the formation of the sealing portion S, a similar flat air blowing tube 2 made of a film is passed through two opposing sides of each air bag. Then, the outer surface of the tube 2 and the inner surface of the airbag 1 are sealed with both ends la and lb of the airbag 1. In this way, several airbags 1 are connected by one tube 2. The inner surface of the tube 2 at the sealing portion is opened as an air passage without being fused, as will be described in detail in the second and third embodiments later. At least one end 2a in the length direction of the blowing tube 2 is opened as an air blowing port.

The blowing tube 2 has a flat upper surface 2 u and a lower surface 2 £ as can be seen from FIG. 2. Before the air is blown, the rain surface is in close contact with the blow tube 2, so that it is always flat. The blow tube 2 having a simple shape is provided with a self-sealing valve 3 at a portion located in each air bag 1. In FIG. 1, this self-sealing valve 3 is indicated by a broken line.

The self-sealing or flat valve 3 is preferably fitted as shown in FIG. It consists of a longitudinal slit 4 formed on one side 2u of the flat surface. When air is blown into the tube 2, the slit 4 opens and sends air into the airbag 1 as described later. When the air is filled in the airbag 1 and the air blowing into the tube 2 is cut off, the tube 2 is immersed and the slit 4 comes into close contact with the other flat surface 2β. A self-sealing, non-return valve that prevents air from escaping 1.

The airbag 1 and the tube 2 can each be made of a tough, flexible or flexible thin film material, such as plastic or rubber. The shape and size of the airbag and the tube are not particularly limited. For example, the size may be several cm to several 10 cm in side length for the illustrated rectangular air bag, and the blow tube may be a continuous length of several mm to several 10 mm in width. With thicker materials, airbags with a side length of 1 m or more can be used. In this case, it is desirable that two or more of the blow-in tubes with slit valves penetrate into the airbag in parallel. The strength of the bag can be rounded on the sides.

Such an inflatable and self-sealing buffer sheet of the present invention can be used, for example, by wrapping it around a glass bottle or other protected article. Alternatively, it can be used to fill gaps between the container-filled articles and the container walls. In any case, after the cushioning sheet of the present invention is set in the place of use, air can be blown through the blowing tube 2 so as to expand. For this purpose, air is injected from the open end 2a of the tube 2 by using, for example, an air compressor (not shown). Always second The tube 2, which has a flat shape as shown in the figure, expands as shown in Fig. 3A and allows air to pass through it, and at the same time, the slit 4 opens to allow air to flow through the airbag 1 as shown by the arrow. Feed and inflate it. The airbag 1 can be inflated freely if there is no constraint on its surroundings. When the air blow is stopped at the point where it has expanded to the desired degree, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3B, the tube 2 is pushed and pressed by the air pressure in the nog 1 and the slit 4 is Because it is naturally pressed against the flat surface, a self-sealing valve is formed, preventing the air from leaking out of the airbag 1 and keeping the airbag inflated. Fig. 4 schematically shows this appearance. A number of inflated airbags 1 are connected to the blow tube 2 at intervals and have a unique appearance as a cushioning material. FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of a series of airbag type buffer sheets of the present invention. This buffer sheet is made by passing a continuous tubular material such as a plastic film through an air blowing tube 2 in which a slot 14 constituting the self-sealing valve 3 is formed in advance. The individual airbags 11 are formed by applying heat fusion E (indicated by diagonal lines for clarity in FIG. 5) transversely from above the cylindrical material at a position not overlapping with 14. Be produced. When the heat-sealed portion E is formed, the tube is formed by heating and pressurizing at least the inner surface of the air blowing tube 2 with a non-fusible tape or powder or the like interposed therebetween. The tube 2 and the outer bag-like material were fused together while the air passage in 2 was opened. A more practical and preferred way to leave the air blowing tube open will be described later with reference to FIG. The self-sealing valve 3 is configured in this embodiment. The slot 14 is wider than the slit 4 of the previous example, but it is still pressed by the air pressure in the airbag after air is blown and pressed against the other flat surface. The construction of the self-sealing check valve is the same as in the previous example.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a more practical and preferred embodiment of an inflatable self-sealing buffer sheet of the present invention having a series of airbags. The cushioning sheet basically consists of a series of continuously formed, inflatable, always flat individual airbags 21 and a common air blowing passage passing through each airbag. The air blow tube 22 comprises at least one self-sealing valve 23 located in each air bag 21. One end of the tube 22 is an end 22 e protruding from one end of the airbag because it serves as an air blowing port. The other end (not shown) may be left open, but may be closed as appropriate to make the air blowing operation easier and more efficient.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a part of the blow-in tube 22 in an enlarged scale to show an example of the self-sealing valve 23. The tube 22 has two flat surfaces 22 u and 22 β, and a slit 24 formed transversely on one of the tubes 22 cooperates with the other flat surface 22 β. Form self-sealing valve 23. Instead of the linear slit 24, a + type or X type slit valve can be used (see Fig. 10).

The inner surface of the blow-in tube 22 is previously coated with a non-fusible coating film 25 as shown by the innumerable points of the lower film strip 22 β in FIG. The coating film 25 may be applied to one of the upper and lower two film strips constituting the tube 22. Non-fusible coating 25 can be suitably formed of a thin film of a silicone-based heat release agent, but other heat-radiating printing inks can also be used. In any case, it is desirable to form the non-fusible coating film 25 with a liquid material that can be easily applied. As the coating film 25, a transparent liquid may be used, or a coloring liquid may be used to make the coating film visible.

FIG. 8 illustrates how the inflatable self-sealing buffer sheet of the present invention can be very easily and practically mass-produced. In order to form continuous individual airbags 21, a heat-fusible upper film 21u and a lower film 21β are prepared. The two films are superimposed on the vertical rain edge and heat-sealed there with a vertical sealing line 27 to form a flat, inflatable tubular body.

The blowing tube 22 is formed from a heat-fusible strip film 22 u, 22 β which is narrower and slightly longer than such a tubular body. Preferred for the strip film and the fairy-like film are nylon film and polyethylene laminating film. However, other heat-sealing and air-permeable films or sheet materials having mechanical strength can also be used. In particular, it is desirable to use thick and thick films for the airbag. On the other hand, the slits 24 serving as the self-sealing valves 23 as described above are formed at predetermined intervals in the upper film 22 u in the figure on the other hand. In the figure, the above-mentioned non-fusible coating film 25 is previously applied to the inner surface of the lower film 22β. These two strip films 22 u and 22 β are superimposed, and the vertical line of the rain is heat-sealed by a seal wire 29 to form a normally flat blow-in tube 22.

The flat blown tube 22 has the above-mentioned band-shaped film 21 u The tube end 22e is protruded from the end of the tubular body, and is inserted into the flat tubular body consisting of A pair of horizontal seal wires 28 are formed on the hood by a heat seal, thereby connecting a series of individual airbags 21 as shown in FIG. The inflatable self-sealing buffer sheet of the invention is completed.

Each of the airbags 21 is separated by a longitudinal seal line 27 and a horizontal seal line 28, and each one constitutes an independent inflatable airtight body. As shown schematically in FIG. 9, the airbag fins 21u, 21β and the blow-in tube 22 at the horizontal seal line 28 are connected between the inner surface of the film 21u, 21β and the outer surface of the tube 22. The inner surface of the tube 22 itself is non-fused due to the presence of the non-fusible coating 25 so that it can form an air blowing passage through many airbags 21 without being fused. It has become. In FIG. 9, the hatching indicates the fusion between the convenience tube 22 and the outer films 21u, 21β, and the cross sections of the finolems 21u, 21fi are not hatched. The non-fusible coating 25 on the inner surface of the tube 22 is represented by an infinite number of points for convenience. The inflatable self-sealing gentle street sheet according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 is obtained by applying a non-fusible coating film 25 to a film strip and forming a slit 24, Two strips are overlapped to form a vertical seal 29 to form a flat tube 22, a tube 22 is inserted into a fairy film 21 u, 21fi and a vertical seal 27 and a horizontal seal 27. The formation of the individual bag 21 by forming the seal 28 can be manufactured at once with a very efficient, easy-to-operate and simple procedure, so that it is essentially compatible with mass production. Next, FIG. 10 shows another modification of the gentle street sheet of FIG. This modification is based on the fact that the non-fusible coating applied to the inner surface of the blow-in tube 22 is formed as a partial coating 26, and that the self-sealing slit valve 23 has an X mark. It is substantially the same as the embodiment of FIG. 6, except that it is constituted by slits. If a pair of horizontal sealing lines 28 is to be formed between the airbag and the airbag, a small area corresponding to these two horizontal sealing lines is 1 A non-fusible coating may be applied as a book or a pair of partial coatings 26 respectively covering the horizontal sealing lines 28. The blow-in tube 22 having such a partial coating film 26 is located at a position where the partial coating film 26 is to be formed with the sealing line 28 when it is inserted into the cylindrical film 21u, 21β. Should be accurately aligned to For this reason, it is convenient to color the exfoliating agent for forming the coating film 26. A gap 30a is left between the pair of partial coatings 26 to be aligned with the connecting portion 30 between the airbag 21 and the airbag 21. The cushioning sheet according to the variant in FIG. 10 consists of a short length of cushioning material or only one airbag, if necessary, cut along the line 31 in the middle of the link 30. It can be used as a cushioning material, just as the air tube 2 can be cut along the line H in the embodiment of FIG. In the case of making such a cut, the cut relo may be heat-sealed for safety. However, according to the present invention, the separated airbag can maintain the inflation independently without the heat seal.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show how the cushioning sheet of the present invention is expanded, and how the expansion is maintained by the self-sealing valve. From the blowing end 22e of the blowing tube 22 protruding from the end of the buffer sheet in a flattened state as shown in Fig. 6, air is blown from the blowing end 22e of the blowing tube 22 such as an air convolver. When the tube 22 is blown, the tube 22 expands as shown in FIG. 11 and sends the air flow A to each of the airbags 21. From the airbag near the blowing end 22e, the tubes 22 ₂ , 21 ₃ … … And gradually inflate. The air flow A opens the slit valve 24 in the airbag, allowing a certain amount of air a to enter the airbag and inflate it to the required degree. When the airbags are expanded to the required extent and the blowing means P is stopped, the blowing tube 22 is pushed down by the reaction of the air pushed into the airbag 21 as shown in Fig. 12. Then, the slit valve 24 is closed and the air passage through the tube 22 is shut off, so that air cannot escape from the inflated air bag 21. Blown-out write end 22 e is the Well, there is no worry of leakage air is also allowed to stand, but it may also be in the jar by that closes at the means S that Ri Shimeki appropriate for safety to be al ₀

The inflatable, self-sealing; impact sheet described above according to the present invention can be widely used for various applications. Figure 13 shows an example of such an application. When a large number of articles B having irregular sizes are put in the container C, gaps of different sizes are formed between the articles and the container wall. When using a material with a fixed thickness as in the past as a retaining material to fill such gaps, a retaining material or cushioning material with a different thickness for each different gap is used several times individually. Must be packed separately. Therefore, the work becomes complicated and time-consuming. In contrast, when using the buffer sheet of the present invention, For example, if it is intended to fill the irregular gap on the left side in Fig. 13, before or after packing a large number of articles B into the container C, insert the flat buffer sheet along the left container wall. and then if Fukikome from blow-out write end 22 e of the air, the individual airbags 2, 21 _2, 21 _3, 21 irregular gap ₄ is the corresponding expanded individually independently each allowed limits Fill effectively. When filling the isometric gap shown on the right side of the article B, the cushioning sheet of the present invention may be inserted in a weakened state, and then air may be blown to the required extent from the blowing end. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the installation operation | work of a retaining material is simple and quick so as not to be compared with the case where the conventional fixed-dimension material is used, and can reliably fill gaps.

In addition, the buffer sheet of the present invention can be very conveniently used for applications such as containering a large number of fragile articles such as glass bottles. In this case, the cushioning sheet of the present invention is wrapped around a flat, fragile article, many such articles are packed in a container such as a box, and then air is blown from the blowing end of each cushioning material. It is only necessary to inflate each cushioning material as much as necessary. As in the past, it is not necessary to pack a large number of bottles into a box and then manually push the collision material into the gaps.Therefore, there is no problem that the hands are injured or the gaps are not sufficiently filled. The filling operation of the material or the cushioning material is performed quickly and with safety and certainty, and has the effect of reducing the operation cost.

Furthermore, a feature of the inflatable self-sealing cushioning sheet of the present invention is that the individual airbags are independent of how they inflate and maintain inflation. For example, a cushioning system with a series of airbags In the event that one or more of the airbags rupture on a board, the other airbags will still be affected by the broken airbag as long as the self-sealing flat valve structure is intact. Instead, the inflated state can be maintained. Similarly, when each airbag is inflated after being inserted flat in the gap, the airbag in the large gap is different from the airbag in the small gap, but the airbag in the middle is inflated. Even if the airbag is inflated only insufficiently, the airbag beyond it can inflate independently to a sufficient size if there is a large gap. In addition, any of the inflated and continuously bound airbags can be separated and made independent, and in that case, each airbag can maintain the inflated state independently. Disconnecting can also be done before inflating the airbag, so that it is not constrained by its length when made, as a single airbag, or less than originally planned It can be used freely as a number of airbags. Thus, the cushioning sheet of the present invention is a variable aspect as a one-point, linear, or spirally wound, or parallelly arranged, planar cushioning material. It can be used with

In the buffer sheet of the present invention, since the slit or the blow tube having the slot becomes a self-sealing flat valve after air is blown, the maximum function can be achieved with the minimum material. There is an advantage that can be extracted. Since the cushioning sheet of the present invention is constituted by a simple structure using a minimum amount of materials, it is inexpensive to manufacture, suitable for mass production, and can enjoy a wide range of uses. .

Claims

Scope of request: A series of individual airbags, made of a heat-sealable material, that can be inflated independently and are always flat,

Also made of a heat-sealable material, a slit or slot which penetrates vertically through the individual airbags and which is connected to it, and which serves as a self-sealing valve in the interior of each of the airbags Inflatable, self-sealing buffer sheet consisting of at least one air-blown tube with a seat. The series of airbags are formed as individual airbags spaced apart from each other, and the air bleeding tubes passing through the airbags are connected to the heat seal at each of the airbags at opposite ends thereof. 2. The inflatable, self-sealing buffer sheet according to claim 1, wherein the buffer tube is tightly coupled and an open air passage is left inside the tube. The series of airbags are formed from a continuous, heat-sealable tubular material, the air blowing tube is pierced through the tubular member, and then the slit or slit is passed through the tubular member. 2. The inflatable and self-sealing device according to claim 1, wherein a heat seal is formed laterally at predetermined intervals that do not overlap with the lot to form a series of vertically connected individual airbags. Formula buffer sheet.

The inflatable, self-sealing buffer sheet according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of air-blowing tubes are inserted substantially parallel to each other through said individual airbags. The series of individual airbags is formed by joining relatively wide, longitudinally continuous upper and lower strip films capable of heat sealing at their longitudinal edges by means of a heat seal; The air blowing tube is provided with a heat-sealable continuous upper and lower strip film, which is narrower than the strip film and slightly longer than the strip film, and is provided on one of the strip films. A slit or a slot to be a self-sealing valve is formed at a predetermined interval, a non-heat-fusible coating film is applied to the inner surface of any one of the strip films, and then both strip films are formed. The air-blowing tube is inserted into the upper and lower band-shaped films connected to the longitudinal edges, and at least one end of the tube is inserted into the fairy. From one end of the film The heat seal is placed on the strip film at a position that does not overlap with the slit or the slit, and at both ends of the strip film by applying a heat seal across the strip film. An inflatable, self-sealing buffer sheet according to claim 1, wherein said airbag is configured. The inflatable, self-sealing buffer sheet according to claim 5, wherein the non-heat-fusible coating film is formed of a colored or non-colored silicone-based thermal release agent. .

The inflatable and expandable film according to claim 6, wherein the non-heat-fusible coating film is partially applied to a position on the strip film corresponding to a position where the horizontal heat seal is to be formed. Self-closing buffer sheet. The inflatable, self-sealing cushioning sheet of claim 5, wherein the transverse heat seal forming each of the airbags is formed by a pair of closely spaced seal lines.