Sealed Air Corporation

Sealed Air Corporation (us)

William R Armstrong

George T Bertram

Laurence B Sperry

Lawrence J Pillote

William Joseph Mahon

Robert Don Wheeler

Abraham N Reichental

Brian K Farison

A packaging system for producing a foam-in-bag cushion upon demand includes a bag of flexible plastic film and defining therein an enclosed space which is vented to the outside of the bag, a foam precursor packet positioned at a predetermined location within the enclosed space in the bag and being formed of a barrier material. The packet includes first and second compartments with a first frangible seal separating the first and second compartments which when ruptured will permit the contents of the compartments to be mixed to form a foam cushion and a second frangible seal between one of the compartments and the enclosed space in the bag. A first foam precursor component is contained in the first compartment of the packet and a second foam precursor component is contained in the second compartment of the packet. The frangible seals have a peel strength of at least about one pound per inch and less than about twelve pounds per inch and more particularly a peel strength of about one pound per inch to about seven pounds per inch. The frangible seals are formed by providing bands of printed area on the facing surfaces of the material forming the packet which is arranged in a matrix of printed and unprinted areas. The printed areas prevent the surfaces from being joined by heat sealing and the matrix is such that a frangible seal of the desired peel strength is formed.

Foam in bag packaging system and method for producing the same

A foam-in-bag packaging system and method of forming the same is provided in which a bag of flexible plastic film material includes superposed panels joined around their peripheral edges to define an enclosed space which is vented to the outside of the bag by venting perforations in the panels, a packet or pouch of barrier material capable of maintaining foam precursor components in a stable, unreacted state for an extended time period is positioned in the enclosed space in the bag adjacent one end thereof and secured from movement therefrom, the packet has first and second compartments therein separated by a first frangible seal extending across the packet and first and second foam precursor components contained respectively in the first and second compartments, the packet has a second frangible seal between one of the compartments and the enclosed space in the bag, the bag being folded along spaced transverse fold lines into a relatively compact form and being folded along a fold line coincident with the first frangible seal to form a mechanical barrier between the first and second compartments of the packet, and a detachable label holding the bag in its folded, compact form.

A method and apparatus for preparing a defined foam cushion for packaging purposes comprises placing a foamable composition into a plastic bag, maintaining the bag in an orientation that provides the bag with a defined solid geometry while the foamable composition expands into foam, and embossing at least one surface of the defined geometry bag after the foam has substantially finished expanding but has not completely hardened.

Embossed foam in bag cushions

There is provided an inflatable cushion inflated through a single inflation valve. A pair of inflated panels held in place by at least one tie strap connecting the panels rest beneath each end of the bottom of an article to be protected. The cushion has a pair of inflatable end chambers interconnected to the bottom panels and a pair of inflatable side chambers interconnected to the end chambers, which when inflated protect the ends and sides of the article. This is facilitated by internal openings which allow the inflated panels to easily bend underneath the ends of the article and around the corners. There are recesses at each corner which extend from each corner of one internal opening toward a peripheral edge of the cushion to provide a wedge-like portion of the side chambers. In one of the embodiments, an additional pair of internal openings facilitates a pair of top inflatable chambers interconnected to the end chambers to rest on the top of the article. In another embodiment of the present invention, the chamber protecting the upper portion of the article includes a single inflatable chamber which folds across the top of the article. The top chamber has an internal opening in the middle thereof formed by a weld. Extending inwardly from the weld are portions of each thermoplastic sheet which remain after the cushion has been cut and adapted to hold a thin article.

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Newton, CT, United States of America

William R Armstrong