A protective packaging web is disclosed. The web includes a first film web having a plurality of extended portions including a base perimeter enclosing an open base region and an extended surface protruding in one direction from a plane defined by the first film web. The extended surface has a larger surface area than the open base region. The web also includes a second film web sealed to the first film web around a portion of the open base region to form sub-chambers on a side of the first film web opposite the protruding direction. The first film web and the second film web remain unsealed across the open base region defining regions within the sub-chambers suitable to contain a fluid volume. The plurality of sub-chambers are interconnected via one or more intra-chamber channels, allowing each of the sub-chambers to receive and release fluid in response to external pressures.

A tension-inducing shaft system includes a shaft, two shaft caps, and a biasing mechanism. A bore extends through the shaft between two ends of the shaft. The shaft caps are positioned on the two ends of the shaft. Each shaft cap includes a collar having a size that is larger than the bore, a keyed end, and an anchor. The biasing mechanism is arranged inside the bore and is coupled to the anchors of the shaft caps so that the biasing mechanism exerts inward forces on the shaft cap. The keyed ends of the shaft caps can be coupled to a housing so that the shaft caps do not rotate with respect to the housing. The shaft is configured to rotate with respect to the shaft caps such that, when the keyed ends are coupled to the housing, the shaft is capable of rotating with respect to the housing.

The invention relates to a device for providing cushioning material for packaging purposes, comprising a converting unit for turning over at least one lateral edge of a web-type starting material in the direction of a center of the starting material, creating an intermediate product, and a crumpling mechanism for crumpling the intermediate product into the cushioning material. According to the invention, the housing has a first coupling portion, which is complementary to a corresponding second coupling portion of the converting unit, and the converting unit is one of a set of at least two converting units, wherein the converting units of a set all have the same second coupling portion, and wherein the converting units of a set are designed to convert different starting materials.

The invention relates to a device which is used to provide cushioning material for packaging purposes. The device comprises a container for storing the cushioning material and a dispensing device for dispensing the cushioning material out of the container. The dispensing device comprises a driven conveyor for conveying the cushioning material along a conveyor path, the conveyor being supported on a movable base which can be moved out of an operating position into a release position and back, said conveyor being moved out of the conveyor path in the release position.

A conversion assembly for a dunnage conversion machine includes both a downstream pair of rotatable members and an upstream pair of rotatable members upstream of the downstream rotatable members. The downstream rotatable members include a pair of gears, and each gear has a plurality of teeth and is rotatable about a respective axis. The gears are positioned so that the teeth of one gear are sequentially interlaced with the teeth of the other gear as the gears rotate. The upstream rotatable members include a pair of feed wheels, and the gears and the feed wheels define a path for a sheet stock material from between the upstream pair of feed wheels to between the downstream pair of gears. The rate at which the sheet stock material is advanced by the feed wheels is the same as the rate at which the sheet stock material is advanced by the gears.

A dunnage conversion machine that converts a stock material into a less dense dunnage product includes an outlet chute having a housing with a passage therethrough from an inlet at an inlet end downstream to an outlet at an outlet end spaced from the inlet end. The output chute includes a lower guide surface that defines a bottom side of the passage. The lower guide surface has an upstream end toward the inlet and a downstream end toward the outlet. The upstream end of the lower guide surface is spaced from a centerline of the passage a distance that is greater than a distance that the downstream end is spaced from the centerline of the passage to provide an inclined surface, such that a cross-section of the passage decreases from the inlet to the outlet.

Methods and structures are provided for a dunnage system to facilitate efficient coupling together of supply units of pre-configured sheet stock material, such as, for example, separate units of fanfold stacks of pre-configured sheet stock material, in a manner of continuous supply with a continuous pocket extending longitudinally between the separate supply units, so that they can interact with an expander of the dunnage system without disruption as one supply unit is depleted and a next supply unit is fed through the dunnage system. Also, various methods, apparatus, and systems are provided to facilitate smooth operation of a dunnage machine of the dunnage system to reduce a tendency of the pre-configured sheet stock material to jam and to increase the tendency of dunnage product generated to reflect a desired shape and stability.

A packing material including a plurality of discrete cushioning elements and methods for making the same. The discrete cushioning elements may be cellulosic cushioning elements. A flexible linkage may connect the plurality of discrete cushioning elements in the packing material. The packing material may also include a bottom cellulosic sheet connected to a top cellulosic sheet with the plurality of cellulosic cushioning elements positioned between the top cellulosic sheet and the bottom cellulosic sheet. The packing material may also be a molded packing material that includes bonds comprising adhesive and cellulosic fibers. The adhesive and cellulosic fibers of the bonds may be dispersed between the folds of each of the cellulosic cushioning elements.

A connective protective packaging element is provided. The connective protective packaging element may include a protective body in a high-density supply configuration. The protective body may be configurable into a low-density configuration for cushioning packaged products. The body may include an exposed surface in the low-density configuration. The connective protective packaging element may also include a bonding element attached to the exposed surface that operably bonds the exposed surface to an abutting surface by contact with the bonding element.

An inflatable web is disclosed. The web includes first and second film plies sealed together via a plurality of generally transverse seals to define a first and second inflatable chambers and an inflation region. The chambers are inflatable with a fluid and operable to contain the fluid. The sealed plies have a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge. The web defines a separation region extending at least partially transversely across the web between the first and second inflatable chambers and is configured to facilitate separation thereof. The separation region includes a tear propagation line extending transversely across at least a portion of the web with an end of the tear propagation line terminating proximal to the first longitudinal edge of the web. The separation region includes a tear initiation feature including edges spaced apart from one another longitudinally to form a permanent opening in the web.