The present disclosure is directed to a web inflation and sealing apparatus. The device may include a support member for holding a supply of web material and sealing apparatus may include an inflation and a sealing assembly operable to inflate the web material with a fluid by directing the fluid between superimposed plies of the web material and to seal the plies together to seal the fluid therein. The apparatus may include a guide member positioned between the support member and the inflation and sealing assembly such that when the web material is routed from the supply toward the inflation and sealing assembly via the guide member the web material follows a curved longitudinal path. The guide member may define a web-supporting surface extending transversely to the longitudinal path with an elevated profile portion defining at least a portion of the web-supporting surface.

An inflatable web (10) includes a top film (30) heat sealed to a bottom film (32) to define sealed regions (40) and non-sealed regions (214). The non-sealed regions include inflatable regions (216) that are inflatable through one or more inflation ports. The top film (30) may have a color that differs from the color of the bottom film (32) to create a visual contrast between the sealed regions (40) and the adjacent non-sealed regions (214) when the web is viewed from the top film side. The ratio of the surface area of the inflatable regions (216) to the total surface area of the inflatable web is at least 50% and at most 95%.

A protective packaging formation device is disclosed herein. The device includes an inflation assembly that directs fluid between first and second overlapping plies of a web material. The device also includes a sealing mechanism. The sealing mechanism includes a heating zone and a cooling zone. The sealing mechanism also includes a heating element that extends along both the heating zone and the cooling zone, with the heating element having a first profile in the heating zone and a second profile in the cooling zone.

A protective packaging formation device is disclosed herein. The protective packaging formation device can include an inflation assembly having a fluid conduit that directs fluid between first and second overlapping plies of a web material and a sealing mechanism. The sealing mechanism can include a heating zone of the sealing mechanism operable to heat the plies to create a longitudinal heat seal that seals the first and second plies together as the web is driven over the heating zone in a downstream direction. The sealing mechanism can also include a pinch zone that overlaps longitudinally with the heating zone. The pinch zone defined by an isolation element that applies a first pressure to the web material along a first region. The pinch zone is also defined by a support structure and a compression element that applies a second pressure to the web material there-between along a second region transverse to the first region.

The present disclosure is directed to a compression belt for inflation and sealing devices. The device may include an inflation assembly, a heating assembly, and a drive mechanism. The inflation assembly may direct fluid between first and second overlapping plies of a flexible web material to inflate chambers between the plies. The heating assembly may be operable to heat the first and second plies of the web material to create a longitudinal heat seal that seals the fluid in the inflated chambers. The drive mechanism may drive the web material in a downstream direction. The drive mechanism may tension the web material against the heating assembly. The drive mechanism may include a first belt including a high grip material on a surface that contacts the web material to grip the web material during heating by the heating assembly.

An inflatable pouch includes a bladder formed from an inflatable web and an outer skin formed from a film. The bladder includes a bladder pouch that includes a bottom portion at a folded edge of the inflatable web, front and back portions on either side of the folded edge, and sides where the front and back portions are sealed to each other. The outer skin includes an outer skin pouch that includes a bottom portion at a folded edge of the film, front and back portions on either side of the folded edge, and sides where the front and back portions are attached to each other. The bladder is attached to the outer skin at a tack area such that the sides of the bladder pouch and the outer skin pouch are not directly attached to the sides of the outer skin pouch.

An exemplary method for converting a web of preformed pouches to at least one padded envelope includes moving the web along a path of travel, inserting a first inflation pin into a first inflation channel of a preformed pouch, and inserting a second inflation pin into a second inflation channel of the preformed pouch. In addition, the method includes inflating inflation patterns of each panel of the preformed pouch by providing air through at least one of the first inflation pin and the second inflation pin, such that the preformed pouch is in an inflated position. The method also includes simultaneously sealing the outer skin and each side panel of the preformed pouch to maintain the preformed pouch in the inflated position.

A preformed web and a method of producing dunnage units from the preformed web. The web is an elongate flattened thermoplastic tube having an inflation edge and an opposite edge. The tube includes spaced transverse seals that define sides of pouches. In one embodiment, the web is configured such that a gap forms between each pair of adjacent pouches when the pouches are inflated. In one embodiment, an inflation edge of the web comprises a frangible connection that allows the inflation edge to be broken by an unsharpened object.

A supply of inflatable pouches includes an inflatable web having two sheets sealed to define a series of inflatable in chambers having a closed distal end and an open proximal end providing an inflation port for each of the chambers. The chambers are arrayed in a transversely. The inflatable web includes a longitudinal fold defining two juxtaposed inflatable panels. A series of transverse seals bond the panels together to form a connected series of inflatable pouches between pairs of the transverse seals. The inflatable web includes a series of slits, each slit extending transversely in the two juxtaposed inflatable panels from the longitudinal fold for at least one inch. Each slit of the series is between adjacent inflatable pouches.

Webs of inflatable mailer pouches and associated methods are disclosed. Pouches include a multilayer inner cushion structure with inflatable compartments and a fill channel disposed at a first longitudinal edge of the structure. An outer layer with a closure flap is secured to the inner structure. The inner cushion structure and outer layer are folded at a bottom edge of the pouch to form first and second panels of the pouches. The fill channel may be disposed at a top of the first panel and the closure flap disposed at a top of either the first or the second panel. The fill channel extends beyond a top of the second panel and the closure flap is extendable beyond the top of the fill channel. When wound, the closure flap is folded so that the fill channel of each pouch layer is exposed at a lateral face of the cylinder.