Method and apparatus for pleating or shaping a web
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorJason Matthew Orndorff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for pleating or otherwise shaping a web are described herein. The method and apparatus may have numerous applications. In some embodiments, the method and apparatus are used in the formation, filling, and sealing of unit dose packages for consumer products. A method and apparatus for forming sealing two moving webs together, which webs have portions that are non-planar are also described herein.
Claims9
An apparatus for shaping a web that is moving in an incoming machine direction so that the web is bent in the cross-machine direction about at least one generally machine direction-oriented axis, said apparatus comprising
- a. a forming guide comprising two side edges, an upstream end, a downstream end, a web-facing surface and an opposing surface, wherein said web-facing surface of said forming guide comprises alternating generally machine direction-oriented ridges and valleys therein that are located at least adjacent to said downstream end of the forming guide, and said web-facing surface is configured to provide a substantially equal path length across the width of said web-facing surface when said path length is measured through a series of points, each point being equidistant from one side edge of the web;
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- b. a device or mechanism for maintaining a web at least partially in contact with the web-facing surface of said forming guide, which device or mechanism is positioned close to the forming guide and arranged to apply force to at least a portion of a web to maintain the web at least partially in contact with the web-facing surface of said forming guide;
- wherein the ridges and valleys are substantially disposed in a first generally triangular-shaped field when said forming guide is viewed in plan view, wherein said first generally triangular-shaped field has a base and a peak, and the first generally triangular-shaped field is oriented such that the base of the triangular field forms a downstream portion of the forming guide.
An apparatus for shaping a web that is moving in an incoming machine direction so that the web is bent in the cross-machine direction about at least one generally machine direction-oriented axis, said apparatus comprising
- a. a forming guide comprising two side edges, an upstream end, a downstream end, a web-facing surface and an opposing surface, wherein said web-facing surface of said forming guide comprises alternating generally machine direction-oriented ridges and valleys therein that are located at least adjacent to said downstream end of the forming guide, and said web-facing surface is configured to provide a substantially equal path length across the width of said web-facing surface when said path length is measured through a series of points, each point being equidistant from one side edge of the web;
- and
- b. a device or mechanism for maintaining a web at least partially in contact with the web-facing surface of said forming guide, which device or mechanism is positioned close to the forming guide and arranged to apply force to at least a portion of a web to maintain the web at least partially in contact with the web-facing surface of said forming guide the web-facing surface of said forming guide is configured to provide a substantially equal path length in that the web-facing surface further comprises at least two projections thereon that are spaced further outward on said web-facing surface than portions of said forming guide other than said ridges, wherein said projections have a length and a width, wherein the length of the projections is greater than their width, and the projections are oriented so that their length dimension is at an acute angle to said ridges, and the projections align with said ridges.
An apparatus for shaping a web that is moving in an incoming machine direction so that the web is bent in the cross-machine direction about at least one generally machine direction-oriented axis, said apparatus comprising
- a. a forming guide comprising two side edges, an upstream end, a downstream end, a web-facing surface and an opposing surface, wherein said web-facing surface of said forming guide comprises alternating generally machine direction-oriented ridges and valleys therein that are located at least adjacent to said downstream end of the forming guide, and said web-facing surface is configured to provide a substantially equal path length across the width of said web-facing surface when said path length is measured through a series of points, each point being equidistant from one side edge of the web;
- and
- b. a device or mechanism for maintaining a web at least partially in contact with the web-facing surface of said forming guide, which device or mechanism is positioned close to the forming guide and arranged to apply force to at least a portion of a web to maintain the web at least partially in contact with the web-facing surface of said forming guide wherein said device for maintaining the web at least partially in contact with said forming guide comprises a device that provides air pressure on said web.
An apparatus for shaping a web that is moving in an incoming machine direction so that the web is bent in the cross-machine direction about at least one generally machine direction-oriented axis, said apparatus comprising
- a. a forming guide comprising two side edges, an upstream end, a downstream end, a web-facing surface and an opposing surface, wherein said web-facing surface of said forming guide comprises alternating generally machine direction-oriented ridges and valleys therein that are located at least adjacent to said downstream end of the forming guide, and said web-facing surface is configured to provide a substantially equal path length across the width of said web-facing surface when said path length is measured through a series of points, each point being equidistant from one side edge of the web;
- and
- b. a device or mechanism for maintaining a web at least partially in contact with the web-facing surface of said forming guide, which device or mechanism is positioned close to the forming guide and arranged to apply force to at least a portion of a web to maintain the web at least partially in contact with the web-facing surface of said forming guide wherein the mechanism for maintaining the web at least partially in contact with said forming guide comprises drawing a vacuum on the web through the forming guide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.