	US 7,497,066 B2
	Method for manufacturing air filled packing cushions
Stella Calogero, Certaldo (Italy)
Assigned to Fill Teck S.R.L., Florence (Italy)
Appl. No. 10/546,203 PCT Filed Feb. 16, 2004, PCT No. PCT/EP2004/001435 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Sep. 15, 2005, PCT Pub. No. WO2004/074104, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 02, 2004.
Claims priority of application No. 03425090 (EP), filed on Feb. 18, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2006/0168912 A1, Aug. 03, 2006
Int. Cl. B65B 31/00 (2006.01); B65B 9/02 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 53—403 [53/79]

3 Claims

1. Method for the production of packaging material in the form of tubular cushions filled with air, or other gas, comprising the steps of:

feeding in parallel in a conveying direction two films of plastic material;

blowing air or other gas in parallel ducts between said films of plastic material;

making longitudinal sealing lines on said films to define tubular chambers in which air is blown by said ducts, and making on said films couples of transversal sealing lines close to each other in order to substantially form cushions containing a certain amount of air or other gas; and

outputting a row of tubular cushions containing a predetermined amount of air or other gas trapped between two adjacent longitudinal sealing lines and two consecutive couples of transversal sealing lines close to each other,

wherein when making a couple of transversal sealing lines close to each other, a step is provided of orthogonally moving a cutting means between said transversal sealing lines close to each other, and wherein

said step of orthogonally moving said cutting means is made by at least one actuator capable of selectively moving said cutting means according to either a stroke for making a tear line or a stroke for making a complete cut, such that adjacent cushions of said row are connected at said transversal sealing lines by a transversal tear line and other adjacent cushions of said row are separated from each other at said transversal sealing lines y a transversal complete cut.