An inflatable air cushion is a bag of fabric or plastic that can be inflated to provide cushioning. Unlike Bubble Wrap

Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap is a pliable transparent plastic material commonly used for packing fragile items. Regularly spaced, protruding air-filled hemispheres provide cushioning for fragile items....

, inflatable air cushions have a check valve to allow the cushion to be inflated or deflated.

History

Before 2002, inflatable air cushions used a single check valve

Check valve

A check valve, clack valve, non-return valve or one-way valve is a mechanical device, a valve, which normally allows fluid to flow through it in only one direction....

 as show in USA Pharo patent. However if one part of the cushion was punctured then this packaging would completely deflate. In 2002, several types of continuously independent one way air valve films were introduced. (Japan's kashiwara patent, Taiwan's Camery Patent, and Taiwan Chien-Hao Liao patent. These patents incorporate a one way air valve film, which can be produced continuously and independently. If one air tube is punctured, the other air tubes will still remain inflated. This invention had brought the second revolution of inflatable air cushioning.

Concept

• A modern cushion is made out of two layers of PE
  Polyethylene
  Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...
  
   films with air valve film in between, and heat pressed with high temperature mold to melt them together and create air tubes and shapes, so inflatable air cushions can have a variety of syles and types.
• The cushion can be shipped flat and inflated as needed. Once inflated the continuous check valve seals each tube from the others.
• The air pressure inside each of the inflated air cushions is greater than the atmosphere pressure, providing strong compressive strength and flexibility.

Applications

• Protective and void filling materials
• Shipment packaging
• Container cushioning
  Cushioning
  Package cushioning is used to help protect fragile items during shipment. It is common for a transport package to be dropped, kicked, and impacted: These events may produce potentially damaging shocks. Transportation vibration from conveyors, trucks, railroads, or aircraft can also damage some...
  
  
• Thunder stick/ Cheering bat
• Sign
• Water resistance seat cushion
• Inflatable trash bag(can)

Patent History

• Hue-Zau Li had filed report against Japan's Kashiwara Packing and USA's Air-Paq's Taiwan Patent (No. 092113574): "sealed air's air valve installing device and its making device". in 10/3/2008 Taiwan Intellectual Property Office had determined that this patent is no longer valid. (Report number: 05026 of 09720529000)

• Japan's kashiwara's patent (10/610,501) has been rejected by USA patent office, therefore this patent is no longer valid.

• It is now the fifth year that Japan's Kashiwara Packing waiting for heir China patent "Fluid container's structure and it's making method and device" to be approved. (Patent apply No. 200480018289.4 is the same as their USA patent no. 10/610,501)

• Hue-Zau Li had filed report against Japan's Kashiwara Packing and USA's Air-Paq's Taiwan Patent (No. 92119158), and Taiwan Intellectual Property Office had determined that this patent articles number 1 to 15, 17 to 20 did not qualify as part of patent, and should be delete or change/reduce patent's cover range.

• Chien-Hua Liao's patent of "Continuously inflation of sealed air and it's making method" had been approved by Taiwan, and many other countries.