Appeal No. 2002-1053 Page 5
Application No. 09/702,981
The machine 10 is loaded with a roll 18 of sheet material 20. The sheet material
20 may consist of three superimposed webs 22, 24, and 26 of biodegradable,
recyclable and reusable thirty pound Kraft paper rolled onto a hollow cylindrical tube 28.
In use, the conversion machine 10 processes sheet material to form dunnage which
may be used for packing or shipping purposes.
The infeed unit 12 may include various bars or rollers 32, 34 and 36 for
separating the layers of sheet material 20 before being fed into the forming assembly
14. The infeed unit 12 includes a holder 40 which supports roll 18 of sheet material 20.
The forming assembly 14 is disposed within a housing 50 having a base plate or wall
52, side plates or walls 54, and an end plate or wall 56 which collectively form a frame
structure. The forming assembly 14 includes various components to shape the sheet
material 20 as it passes through the forming assembly into a continuous
three-dimensional strip of dunnage having portions of the sheet material overlapped
along the central region of the strip. In the forming assembly the sheet material 20 is
guided into gears 80 and 82 which form part of a feeding/connecting assembly 84. The
feeding/connecting assembly 84 includes a drive motor 86 operatively connected to
gear 82. The gear 82 meshes with gear 80 to define a nip through which the
continuous strip of sheet material passes. When the motor 86 is turned on, the gears
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Last modified: November 3, 2007