Inflatable air cushion

An inflatable air cushion is a bag of fabric or plastic that can be inflated to provide cushioning. Unlike bubble wrap, inflatable air cushions have a check valve to allow the cushion to be inflated or sometimes deflated.
History.
Several constructions have been developed, some as early as the 1970s. In the 1980s, a number of inflatable cushion systems were documented.
Before 2000, most inflatable air cushions used a single check valve as described in . 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, such as by 3M. These patents incorporated 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.