Dunnage device

Claim 1

A PNEUMATIC DUNNAGE DEVICE FOR CUSHIONING A LOAD IN A TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE COMPRISING, A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING, SUBSTANTIALLY-FLAT TUBE OF RELATIVELY THIN, FLEXIBLE, SYNTHETIC THERMOPLASTIC FILM MATERIAL SEALED AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS TO PROVIDE AN INDEPENDENT, INFLATABLE, AIRTIGHT BLADDER, A LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING, SUBSTANTIALLY-FLAT TUBE OF STRONG FLEXIBLE PAPER HAVING ONLY TWO LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING NATURAL FOLD LINES THEREALONG SO AS TO PRESERVE ITS STRENGTH, SAID SECOND-MENTIONED TUBE LOOSELY CONTAINING SAID FIRST-MENTIONED TUBE, A LATERAL REINFORCING STRIP EMBRACING EACH END EXTREMITY OF SAID SECOND-MENTIONE DTUBE, STITCHING MEANS PERMANENTLY SECURING TOGETHER THE OPPOSITE WALLS OF SAID SECOND-MENTIONED TUBE AND SAID REINFORCING STRIPS AT THE RESPECTIVE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SECOND-MENTIONED TUBE AND INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID FIRSTMENTIONED TUBE, AND A STEM ON SAID FIRST-MENTIONED TUBE EXTENDING THROUGH THE SIDE WALL OF SAID SECOND-MENTIONED TUBE AND TO THE EXTERIOR THEREOF, SAID FIRST-MENTIONED TUBE BEING INFLATABLE THROUGH SAID STEM, AND THE FLEXIBLE PAPER OF SAID SECOND-MENTIONED TUBE BEING OF SUFFICIENT STRENGTH TO PROVIDE REINFORCING BACKING FOR ALL PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST-MENTIONED TUBE, WHEN THE LATTER IS INFLATED, TO PREVENT RUPTURE OF SAID FIRST-MENTIONED TUBE WHEN SAID DUNNAGE DEVICE IS SUBJECTED TO IMPACTS FROM THE LOAD.