A supply (22) of sheet stock material (24, 34) for a dunnage conversion machine (26) that is readily spliced to another supply includes (a) one or more plies of sheet material (24, 34) having (i) multiple longitudinally-extending sections, including a center section (42) bounded by lateral sections (40), where the lateral sections (40) are folded over a common face of the center section (42) along longitudinal fold lines (44) at lateral edges of the folded sheet material, and (ii) a leading end (60) and a trailing end (62) at respective longitudinally-opposite ends of the sheet material, where the lateral sections (40) are separated from the center section (42) adjacent the leading end (60) and adjacent the trailing end (62) along respective lines of separation; and (b) a splicing adhesive (76) applied to the sheet material adjacent the leading end (60) or the trailing end (62) on both the center section (42) and each of the lateral WO 2020/092578 A1 sections (40) to facilitate splicing each section to respective sections of two supplies.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a reusable valve in which a seal portion is co-molded with and overmolded to the valve stem to provide a secure mechanical bond therebetween. In one embodiment, the valve includes a snap fit between the valve stem and a retaining cap to provide easy assembly of the valve as well as an efficient and compact retention mechanism for a biasing spring and the valve stem in relation to the valve housing. In one embodiment, the valve includes an easy-to-use opening and closing mechanism that provides tactile feedback to the user when moving the valve stem to an open position and to a closed position to inflate, deflate, or maintain air or gas pressure in the inflatable article. The present disclosure also provides a dunnage bag with such valve.

The present invention provides void fill dispenser systems and methods that highly effectively enable the easy and usable creation of void fill with expanded slit sheet paper in a manner unattainable in the existing art. According to some illustrative embodiments, a void fill dispenser is provided that advantageously dispenses unique void fill in a manner not previously possible. In some embodiments, the void fill dispenser is made with a recyclable material, such as, e.g., a corrugated box made from paper. In some embodiments, the void fill dispenser is made with metal and/or other rigid and/or non-recyclable materials. In some embodiments, the void fill dispenser can comprise an automated metal dispensing system that dispenses expanded slit sheet paper particularly for void fill in an automated manner.

Disclosed herein are protective packaging stock material units that are used in a dunnage system. A dunnage system includes a dunnage conversion machine and a supply station. The supply station is configured to receive fanfold stock material and manipulate the fanfold stock material into being withdrawn from the supply station in a non-planar configuration. The supply station is associated with the dunnage conversion machine such that the dunnage conversion machine operably draws fanfold stock material from the top of a stack of fanfold stock material.

Disclosed herein are protective packaging stock material units that are used in a dunnage system. A dunnage system includes a dunnage conversion machine and a supply station. The supply station is a cart that includes a biased support that is connected to a vertical side support. The biased support is movable from an open position to a closed position with respect to opposing vertical side supports. In the closed position, the biased support is configured to at least partially block the opening between the opposing vertical side supports. In the open position, the biased support leaves the opening between the opposing vertical side supports sufficiently open to load fanfold stock material therein. The biased support is biased towards the closed position and the open position. The supply station also includes an alignment device forming a funnel positioned under its base. The alignment device receives a dunnage machine stand base causing the supply cart to consistently align with the stand base in response to the stand base being slid into engagement with the alignment device.

Stock material units that may be used in a dunnage conversion machine. For example, stock material units include sheet material that may be fed into the dunnage conversion machine and may be converted thereby into dunnage.

Stock material units that may be used in a dunnage conversion machine. For example, stock material units include sheet material that may be fed into the dunnage conversion machine and may be converted thereby into dunnage.

A dunnage production system for producing coiled strips of dunnage includes a supply of strip-like dunnage, a coiler adjacent the supply and rotatable about a coiling axis for coiling a strip of the strip-like dunnage into a coil having a coiled configuration, and a tube aligned with the coiling axis. The tube has an internal diameter sized to receive the coil from the coiler in a discharge direction parallel to the coiling axis. The tube is capable of holding at least one coil in its coiled configuration until it is removed from the tube.

A supply of stock material for a dunnage conversion machine includes two plies of sheet stock material wound into a roll or fan-folded into a stack. Each ply has disposed on a corresponding leading or trailing end thereof an adhesive layer and a removable release liner covering the adhesive layer. When applied to a leading end of the supply, the adhesive layer is applied to opposing, outwardly-facing surfaces of the respective plies. When a supply of stock material is almost spent, the operator removes the release liners from both plies to expose respective adhesive layers, and then interposes the leading end of a new supply between the plies of the trailing end of the almost-spent supply and presses the layers together to attach the plies of the new supply to respective plies of the almost-spent supply, for conversion into dunnage.