Illinois Tool Works Inc.

John Joe Howlett, Jr

Walter Gene Berrier

John Leslie Harrington

Thomas C Keenan

Hugh J Zentmyer

An airbag inflation nozzle assembly for fluidic mating with an inflation valve assembly, including an inflation valve stem, upon an inflatable cargo airbag comprises a housing, and an inflation nozzle member, having an inflation nozzle tip, pivotally mounted within the housing between a first position at which the inflation nozzle tip is fluidically disengaged from the inflation valve assembly, and a second position at which the inflation nozzle tip is fluidically engaged with the inflation valve assembly. A transversely oriented camming button is movably mounted upon the housing between an UNLOCKED position so as to permit the inflation nozzle member to be moved to the first fluidically disengaged position with respect to the valve assembly, and a LOCKED position which forces the inflation nozzle member to be moved to the second fluidically engaged position with respect to the valve assembly. The housing further comprises a pair of oppositely disposed side rails upon which a valve body portion of the valve assembly can be slidably supported as the housing of the inflation nozzle assembly is being operatively mated with the valve assembly, and an end wall flange portion for engaging a valve body member of the valve assembly during operative mounting of the housing upon the valve assembly so as to ensure coaxial alignment of the inflation nozzle tip with the inflation valve stem.

Airbag inflation nozzle assembly

An abrasion resistant air bag comprises an outer tubular liner board member having a pair of parallel ply sections defining an internal space therebetween, and an inflatable bladder disposed internally thereof. In order to close and seal the opposite open ends of the outer tubular liner board member, and thereby form the abrasion resistant air bag, a pair of liner board end cap members are adhesively bonded upon the opposite open ends of the outer tubular liner board member. The end caps are formed from initially flat, scored pieces of liner board which are folded in half upon themselves whereupon each leg member or half-section of the end cap is adhesively bonded to an outer surface portion of a respective one of the outer tubular liner board ply sections.

Abrasion resistant air bag

An inflatable dunnage bag comprises a first inflatable inner bag comprising an inflatable bladder surrounded by at least one paper ply, and a second outer bag comprising at least one paper ply, or two or more paper plies whereby the number of paper plies comprising the entire composite inflatable dunnage bag, that is, the number of paper plies comprising the inner bag and the number of paper plies comprising the outer bag, is an odd number of paper plies. Consequently, the number of paper plies required to fabricate an inflatable dunnage bag, while maintaining the structural integrity and burst strength characteristics thereof for predetermined load applications, is effectively reduced with respect to currently manufactured dunnage bags.

Bag-in-bag combination dunnage airbag having reduced number of paper

An inflatable dunnage bag comprises a first inflatable inner bag comprising an inflatable bladder surrounded by a pair of paper plies, and a second outer bag comprising two sets of paper plies disposed upon opposite sides of the first inner bag. The two sets of paper plies comprising the second outer bag are longitudinally offset with respect to each other so as to form flap members on first ends of each set of paper plies which overhang respective second ends of the opposite set of paper plies. The flap members are respectively folded over the second ends of the opposite set of paper plies as single entities and secured thereto by predetermined hot melt adhesive and cold glue bead patterns. The dunnage bag is thus particularly adaptable to being fabricated by automated equipment.

Bag-in-bag combination dunnage airbag

An air bag, and a method of using the same, for indicating proper inflation and over-inflation of the air bag when the air bag is used within a void defined between adjacent cargo loads. In accordance with a first embodiment of the invention, a plurality of horizontally disposed, vertically spaced printed lines are provided upon only one side of the inflatable air bag and extend from a side edge portion of the air bag toward a central position of the side of the air bag for a predetermined distance. When the bag is inflated, as long as the lines are visible, the bag is properly inflated. If terminal end portions of the bag become visible, the air bag is over-inflated. In accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, a single vertical line is disposed upon only one side of the inflatable bag and is located a predetermined distance from the side edge portion of the bag which corresponds to the disposition of the terminal end portions of the horizontal lines of the first embodiment. When the bag is inflated, as long as the vertical line is not visible, the bag is properly inflated, whereas if the vertical line becomes visible, the bag is over-inflated.

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Hensley, AR, United States of America

John Joe Howlett, Jr