Patent Application
20250135742
The present disclosure is in the technical field of dunnage or packaging materials. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to methods for producing package fill material from sheets of a selected substrate, such as paper.
Conversion machines for producing fill material from paper are well-known. Such conversion machines generally operate by pulling a web of paper from a roll or fanfold paper, manipulating the paper web in such a way as to convert the paper into fill material, and then severing the converted material into cut sections of a desired length. Conversion machines may be void fill conversion machines that form sheet material into fill material that can be used as void fill, cushion conversion machines that form sheet material into fill material that can be used as cushioning, or any other similar conversion machine. While such conversion machines are widely used and have been commercially successful in many applications, there is a need for improved functionality and decreased cost of some of the components of such conversion machines.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In a first embodiment, a system includes a source of sheet material and a conversion machine. The conversion machine is configured to receive the sheet material and to form the sheet material into a fill material. The system further includes a cutting system configured to selectively cut the fill material either partially or completely to form two pieces of the fill material. When the cutting system partially cuts the fill material, uncut portions of the fill material remain between the two pieces of the fill material. When the cutting system completely cuts the fill material, no uncut portions remain between the two pieces of the fill material.
In a second embodiment, when the cutting system of the first embodiment partially cuts the fill material, the uncut portions are arranged such that, when one of the two pieces of the fill material is pulled away from each other, the uncut portions tear, resulting in the two pieces of the fill material being separated from each other.
In a third embodiment, the cutting system of the first embodiment includes a cutter and a cutter receptacle. When the cutting system partially cuts the fill material, the cutter is moved to a point where a gap remains between a portion of the cutter and a portion of the cutter receptacle.
In a fourth embodiment, a width of the gap of the third embodiment is a percentage of the width of the cutter that is less than or equal to 10%.
In a fifth embodiment, the cutter of the third embodiment includes a V-shaped blade.
In a sixth embodiment, the portion of the cutter of the fifth embodiment that forms the gap includes an angle of the V-shaped blade.
In a seventh embodiment, the cutting system of the third embodiment further includes a motor configured to move the cutter with respect to the cutter receptacle.
In an eighth embodiment, the motor of the seventh embodiment is coupled to a first linkage and configured to rotate the first linkage.
In a ninth embodiment, the first linkage of the eighth embodiment is rotatably coupled to a second linkage and wherein the second linkage is rotatably coupled to the cutter.
In a tenth embodiment, the motor of the ninth embodiment is configured to move the cutter by rotating the first linkage.
In an eleventh embodiment, the motor of the tenth embodiment is configured to cause the cutting system to make a complete cut by rotating the first linkage to a first rotational position. The motor is configured to cause the cutting system to make a partial cut by rotating the first linkage to a second rotational position that is different from the first rotational position.
In a twelfth embodiment, when the cutting system of the first embodiment partially cuts the fill material, a percentage of a width of the fill material that remains connected by the uncut portions is in a range between about 1% and about 10%, optionally between about 3% and about 9%, and further optionally between about 5% and about 8%.
In a thirteenth embodiment, when the cutting system of the first embodiment partially cuts the fill material, a percentage of a width of the fill material that remains connected by each of the uncut portions is less than or equal to any one of 1%, 0.8%, 0.6%, 0.4%, or 0.2%.
In a fourteenth embodiment, a method comprises converting, by a fill conversion machine, a sheet material into a fill material and cutting, by a cutting system of the fill conversion machine, the fill material to form two pieces of fill material. The two pieces of fill material include a first piece and a second piece. The fill conversion machine is capable of both (1) making a partial cut of the fill material, where the partial cut leaves uncut portions of the fill material between the first and second pieces of the fill material, and (2) making a complete cut of the fill material, where the complete cut leaves no uncut portions remaining between the first and second pieces of the fill material.
In a fifteenth embodiment, the cutting of the fill material of the fourteenth embodiment comprises making the partial cut. The method further comprises holding, by the conversion machine, a second piece of the two pieces of fill material. The first piece is separable from the second piece during the holding by pulling the first piece from the second piece to cause the uncut portions of the fill material to tear.
In a sixteenth embodiment, the method of the fifteenth embodiment further includes detecting, by the conversion machine, that the first piece has been pulled away from the second piece.
In a seventeenth embodiment, the method of the sixteenth embodiment further includes, in response to the detecting, automatically advancing, by the conversion machine, the fill material out of the fill conversion machine. The method further includes, in response to the detecting, automatically cutting, by the cutting system of the conversion machine, the fill material to form a cut between the second piece and a third piece of the fill material such that uncut portions of the fill material remain between the second and third pieces of fill material.
In an eighteenth embodiment, the method of the seventeenth embodiment further includes holding, by the conversion machine, the third piece of fill material. The second piece is separable from the third piece during the holding of the third piece by pulling the second piece from the third piece to cause the uncut portions of the fill material between the second and third pieces to tear.
In a nineteenth embodiment, the method of the fourteenth embodiment further includes receiving, by a computing device of the fill conversion machine, a user input indicating a type of cut to be made, and controlling, by the computing device, the cutting system to make either the partial cut or the complete cut based at least in part on the user input
In a twentieth embodiment, the method of the fourteenth embodiment further includes receiving, by a computing device of the fill conversion machine, a signal from a sensor, and controlling, by the computing device, the cutting system to make either the partial cut or the complete cut based at least in part on the signal from the sensor.
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of the disclosed subject matter will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring to
The conversion machine 110 is configured to receive a sheet material 120 and to convert the sheet material 120 into fill material 130. The fill material 130 has a configuration that is different from the sheet material. In some embodiments, the conversion machine 110 is configured to crush, crumple, fold, or otherwise deform the sheet material 120 from its sheet orientation into the non-sheet orientation of the fill material 130. The conversion machine 110 may include crush wheels, gears, deforming cylinders, folding bars, folding plates, pulleys, or other deforming components that are in the path of the sheet material 120 to cause the sheet material 120 to be converted from its sheet orientation (substantially a two-dimensional form) to the non-sheet orientation of the void fill material 130 (substantially a three-dimensional form). In the depicted embodiment, the fill material 130 is exiting the conversion machine 110 through an outlet 118.
Most conversion machines include a severing mechanism to periodically sever the converted fill material into pieces of fill material. The severed pieces can then be inserted into a container (e.g., a shipping box) as void fill or placed around an object as cushioning. One difficulty with severing the converted fill material is ensuring that the severed piece of fill material does not unintentionally fall out of the conversion machine. When severed pieces fall out of the conversion machine, a packer typically needs to spend extra time collecting the fallen piece and, in some cases, the piece is no longer usable. To address this problem, a catching device, such a bin, can be used to catch and hold severed pieces of fill material that fall out of the conversion machine. However, these catching devices can take up more space than is desirable in a packing environment and may not be ergonomic for a packer, such as if the packer must repeatedly bend down to pick up severed pieces of fill material out of the catching device. Another solution to this problem has been to provide a chute that directs falling pieces of severed fill material to the user. However, these chutes also take up space, may require the conversion machine to be moved away from the user, and do not solve the issue of intended dispensing of severed pieces of fill material.
Another solution that has been developed for some conversion machines is a conversion machine mode that is sometimes called “cut-and-hold” or “auto repeat.” When using a cut-and-hold option, a conversion machine typically produces a predetermined length of fill material and then cuts the material to form a separated piece of fill material. The conversion machine then retains the piece of fill material for the packer to remove from the conversion machine. This retention is usually accomplished through friction between the piece of fill material and the conversion machine. Once the packer removes the piece of fill material from the conversion machine, the conversion machine produces another piece of fill material, cuts the material to form a new separated piece of fill material, and retains the new piece of fill material until the packer removes it from the conversion machine. However, the friction caused by the retention system has a tendency to jam the conversion machine, particularly when the conversion machine operates at high speeds (e.g., 300 feet/minute or more). Jamming of paper in the conversion machine results in down time of the conversion machine and labor costs to unjam the conversion machine. To compensate for jamming, the amount of tension or friction could be reduced on the retention system. However, with less friction and/tension during some of the hold periods, the retained piece of fill material sometimes falls out of the conversion machine (e.g., due to airflow—such as from fans—in the packer's area). When the retained piece of fill material falls out, the conversion machine produces another piece of fill material because it senses that the paper has been removed. This results in some of the same issues described above. Not only are the same issues present, but the cost and complexity of the conversion machine have risen due to the need for the retention system that holds pieces of fill material after they have been severed.
Systems have been developed to partially cut converted sheet material instead of fully cutting the converted sheet material. In some examples, conversion machines have a cutting element with a notched blade to cut through most of the converted material, but leave a number of uncut portions that connect both sides of the partial cut. Examples of such a system are shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/275,571, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. In other examples, cutting elements can be designed to form perforations or other lines of weakness to partially cut converted sheet material.
While cutting systems have been developed to either fully cut converted sheet material or partially cut converted sheet material, having a cutting system that performs only one type of cut (e.g., either partial or complete) may not make the desired type of cut in all cases. For example, a conversion machine may have a complete cutting system to completely cut converted sheet material in a setting where a complete cut is expected to be desirable most of the time. In that example, there may be instances where a partial cut from that conversion machine may be desirable. In another example, a conversion machine may have a partial cutting system to partially cut converted sheet material in a setting where a partial cut is expected to be desirable most of the time. In that example, there may be instances where a complete cut from that conversion machine may be desirable. In order to provide both types of cuts, two different cutting systems could be added to a conversation machine and then selectively used to cut the converted sheet material each time a cut is made. However, installing two types of cutting systems on a single machine may be cumbersome and challenging, in addition to raising the cost and complexity of the conversion machine. It would be advantageous to have a single cutting system that can perform either a partial cut or a full cut of the converted sheet material.
Described herein are embodiments of cutting systems for conversion machines that are capable of either partially or fully cutting converted sheet material. As used here, the term partially cut refers to a cut that does not fully separate two pieces of fill material but allows for a packer to manually separate the two pieces of fill material. In some embodiments, the cutting system leaves a number of uncut portions across the cut ends of the two pieces of fill material. In some embodiments, the uncut portions are sufficiently small such that a packer can manually pull on one of the two pieces of cut fill material to cause the uncut portions to tear, resulting in the two pieces of cut fill material being separate from each other. In some examples, the percentage of the width of the cut fill material that is connected by all the uncut portions after the material is cut is in a range that is at least one of a range from about 1% to about 10%, a range from about 3% to about 9%, or a range from about 5% to about 8%. In some examples, the percentage of the width of the cut fill material that is connected by one of the uncut portions after the material is cut is less than or equal to any one of 1%, 0.8%, 0.6%, 0.4%, or 0.2%. In some embodiments, the uncut portions are capable of maintaining the two pieces connected until one of the pieces is pulled away from the other (e.g., pulled away by a packer). One benefit of the amount of fill material that remains uncut being relatively small is that the packer typically does not need to exert much force to tear the uncut portions as the packer pulls the two pieces apart. In some cases, the packer is unable to distinguish any difference in the amount of force required to pull out a piece of fill material from a cut-and-hold conversion machine (e.g., in existing conversion machines) and the amount of force required to tear the uncut portions of the paper that remain when using the cutting systems in the embodiments described herein.
Depicted in
The cutting system 140 further includes a mover 144 configured to move the cutter 141. In the depicted embodiment, the mover 144 includes a first linkage 145 (not visible in
The cutting system 140 is capable of either partially or fully cutting the fill material 130. In the depicted embodiment, the cutting system 140 either partially or fully cuts the fill material 130 depending on the extent to which the cutter 141 is moved vertically by the mover 144. Examples of partially and fully cutting the fill material 130 by the cutting system 140 are shown in
Depicted in
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As described above, a piece of fill material can be created by a process that includes advancing the fill material 130 by the conversion machine 110, partially cutting the fill material 130 by a cutting system 140 that leaves uncut portions between two pieces, and pulling the piece away from the fill material 130 by a person to tear the uncut portions. The piece of the fill material 130 is then separated and can be used as fill. In some embodiments, the conversion machine 110 can detect that the piece has been torn away and then automatically advance the fill material 130 and cut the material 130 so that uncut portions remain. This process can be repeated as many times as the person continues to pull pieces away from the fill material 130.
Some of the benefits of the embodiments described herein over existing conversion machines include reduced complexity, lower cost, and greater reliability. With cut-and-hold systems, not only do those systems have a severing mechanism but also a tension holding mechanism. In contrast, the embodiments disclosed herein include a cutting system that leaves uncut portions of the fill material after a cut instead of having both a severing mechanism and a tension holding mechanism. This not only reduces cost because of the reduced number of parts, but also reduces the complexity of the conversion machine because the fill material holds the cut piece instead of a tension mechanism in the conversion machine holding the cut piece. In addition, the issue of inadvertent falling of fill pieces in existing system is addressed by the embodiments described herein because the uncut portions prevent a cut piece of fill from falling from the force of gravity alone. This increases the reliability of the embodiments disclosed herein over existing conversion machines.
While there may be settings or situations where partially cutting the fill material 130 (e.g., as shown in
Depicted in
Depicted in
As described above, a piece of fill material can be created by a process that includes advancing the fill material 130 by the conversion machine 110, completely cutting the fill material 130 by a cutting system 140, and then using the completely-cut piece as fill. This process can be repeated as many times as desired to form completely-cut pieces of the fill material 130.
In some embodiments, the conversion machine 110 includes a computing device (e.g., a controller) configured to control the motor of the cutting system 140 to control whether the cutting system 140 makes a partial cut or a complete cut of the fill material 130. The computing device can control the cutting system based on a user input (e.g., a user selection of partial or full cut), a signal from a sensor (e.g., a sensor that detects an item to be packaged where the computing devices determines a number of connected pieces of fill material to cut for that item), a control signal from another computing device (e.g., a computing device that coordinates packaging at multiple stations within a packaging facility), any other factor, or any other combination thereof. In some embodiments, the computing device that controls the cutting system 140 can be fully integrated with the conversion machine 110 or can be a computing device external to and in communication with the conversion machine 110.
For purposes of this disclosure, terminology such as “upper,” “lower,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “inwardly,” “outwardly,” “inner,” “outer,” “front,” “rear,” and the like, should be construed as descriptive and not limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. Further, the use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. Unless stated otherwise, the terms “substantially,” “approximately,” and the like are used to mean within 5% of a target value.
The principles, representative embodiments, and modes of operation of the present disclosure have been described in the foregoing description. However, aspects of the present disclosure which are intended to be protected are not to be construed as limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. It will be appreciated that variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents employed, without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such variations, changes, and equivalents fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as claimed.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2022/052924 | 12/15/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63292108 | Dec 2021 | US |
