Expansion System for Improved Handling and Avoidance of Damage and/or Crushing of Expandable Slit Sheet Paper

Abstract

In some illustrative embodiments of the present invention, a novel expandable slit paper expansion device design is provided that, among other things, avoid complications of prior systems and eliminates the crushing effect of the rollers. Among other things, the preferred embodiments provide a unique structure that provides a novel “S” shape path of the expandable slit sheet paper, such that the expandable slit sheet paper is tortuously weaved between at least two expansion rollers without being compressed there-between, in a manner that the expandable slit sheet paper follows along surfaces of the expansion rollers without pinching or compression that occurs in the background art.

1 . An expander for expanding expandable slit sheet material, comprising:
 a) at least two expansion members arranged to receive an expandable slit sheet material from a wound roll of expandable slit sheet material, each of said at least two expansion members having a length arranged to extend across a width of the expandable slit sheet material and having a periphery arranged to contact the expandable slit sheet material;   b) said at least two expansion members including two adjacent expansion members arranged adjacent to one another;   c) said two adjacent expansion members being separated from one another by a distance greater than a thickness of said expandable slit sheet material in an expanded state, such that the said two adjacent expansion members do not concurrently press against opposite sides of the expanded slit sheet material at a same longitudinal position of the expanded slit sheet material so that said two adjacent expansion members avoid damaging the expanded slit sheet material,   wherein said two adjacent expansion members are arranged such that a portion of the path of the expanded slit sheet material passing around said two adjacent expansion members is S-shape, with the path curving in a first direction around the periphery of one of said two adjacent expansion members and then in a second direction that is away from said first direction around the periphery of the other of said two adjacent members;   wherein said two adjacent expansion members are arranged such that the path of the expanded slit sheet material passing around said two adjacent expansion members includes the expanded slit sheet material contacting each of said two adjacent expansion members around respective arcs of at least 40 degrees around each of said adjacent expansion members.   
     
     
         2 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said expander is configured to expand the expandable slit sheet material due to friction imparted to said expandable slit sheet material by said at least two expansion members to enable wrapping of an item within the expanded slit sheet material for protection of the item. 
     
     
         8 . A method of using the expander of  claim 7 , comprising: expanding an expandable slit sheet material with said expander, and wrapping an item with the expanded slit sheet material for protection of the item. 
     
     
         9 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein each of said at least two expansion members are rotatable. 
     
     
         10 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are separated from one another by a distance greater than said thickness of said expandable slit sheet material and up to 140% of said thickness. 
     
     
         11 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are separated from one another by a distance greater than said thickness of said expandable slit sheet material and up to 160% of said thickness. 
     
     
         12 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are separated from one another by a distance greater than said thickness of said expandable slit sheet material and up to 180% of said thickness. 
     
     
         13 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are separated from one another by a distance greater than said thickness of said expandable slit sheet material and up to 200% of said thickness. 
     
     
         14 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are separated from one another by a distance greater than said thickness of said expandable slit sheet material and up to 240% of said thickness. 
     
     
         15 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are separated from one another by a distance greater than said thickness of said expandable slit sheet material and up to 260% of said thickness. 
     
     
         16 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are separated from one another by a distance greater than said thickness of said expandable slit sheet material and up to 300% of said thickness. 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are arranged such that the path of the expanded slit sheet material passing around each of said two adjacent expansion members includes the expanded slit sheet material contacting each of said two adjacent expansion members around respective arcs of at least 60 degrees around each of said adjacent expansion members. 
     
     
         19 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are arranged such that the path of the expanded slit sheet material passing around each of said two adjacent expansion members includes the expanded slit sheet material contacting each of said two adjacent expansion members around respective arcs of at least 90 degrees around each of said adjacent expansion members. 
     
     
         20 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are arranged such that the path of the expanded slit sheet material passing said one of said two adjacent expansion members includes the expanded slit sheet material contacting said one of said two adjacent expansion members around an arc of between 180 degrees and 270 degrees. 
     
     
         21 . The expander of  claim 20 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are arranged such that the path of the expanded slit sheet material passing said other of said two adjacent expansion members includes the expanded slit sheet material contacting said other of said two adjacent expansion members around an arc of between 180 degrees and 270 degrees. 
     
     
         22 - 33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said at least two expansion members is two expansion members. 
     
     
         35 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein the periphery of each of said at least two expansion members each include friction surfaces. 
     
     
         36 . The expander of  claim 35 , wherein said friction surfaces include hooks. 
     
     
         37 . The expander of  claim 35 , wherein said friction surfaces include rubber or foam surfaces. 
     
     
         38 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein the periphery of each of said at least two expansion members has an arcuate contact region that contacts the expandable slit sheet material. 
     
     
         39 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein the periphery of each of said at least two expansion members that contacts the expandable slit sheet material is cylindrical. 
     
     
         40 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said at least two expansion members includes at least two expansion rolls. 
     
     
         41 . The expander of  claim 40 , wherein said at least two expansion rolls each extend substantially parallel to one another. 
     
     
         42 . The expander of  claim 41 , wherein said at least two expansion members are rotatable. 
     
     
         43 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein the periphery of each of said at least two expansion members is a circumference that frictionally engages said expandable slit sheet material. 
     
     
         44 . The expander of  claim 1 , further including a wound roll of expandable slit sheet material with said expandable slit sheet material of said wound roll in an unexpanded state, said expandable slit sheet material extending from said roll downstream to said at least two expansion members with said expandable slit sheet material contacting at least a portion of the periphery of each of said at least two expansion members. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are separated from one another by a distance greater than 260% of said thickness of said expandable slit sheet material in an expanded state. 
     
     
         46 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said two adjacent expansion members are separated from one another by a distance greater than 300% of said thickness of said expandable slit sheet material in an expanded state. 
     
     
         47 . The expander of  claim 1 , wherein said expandable slit sheet material is an expandable slit sheet paper. 
     
     
         48 . A method, comprising:
 providing the expander of any one of  claims 1, 34-35, 38-39, and 45-46 ; and   expanding an expandable slit sheet material with said expander.   
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48 , further including:
 wrapping an item with the expanded slit sheet material for protection of the item.   
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein said expanding the expandable slit sheet material with said expander includes that the periphery of each of the expansion members has a friction surface that frictionally engages said expandable slit sheet material.