US 4,756,141 A · Apparatus for rotating and compressing a stack of pads

Abstract

A machine for conditioning a stack of pads, such as sanitary pads, for packaging includes a rotor. Radially extending chambers having closed sides and open front and rear ends are fastened to the rotor. There is a compressor plunger in each chamber. The plungers are carried on guide rods extending from cam follower brackets. A stationary cam plate is mounted perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotor. The follower rollers are spring biased into contact with the periphery of the cam plate. The chambers are incremented in angular steps starting with a position in which the chamber is stopped momentarily for being loaded with a stack of pads at which time its plunger is retracted. As the loaded chamber increments in two angular steps to an unloading position, the plunger is driven out by the cam to compress the stack. When the chamber rotates from loading position to unloading position, the pads are effectively turned so they are standing on their edges in the unloading position.

Claims3

Dependent claims

Apparatus for rotating and compressing a stack of pads which have opposed broad faces and opposed edges, comprising:

rotor means,
means for rotating said rotor means through unfiorm angular increments and for stopping said rotor means at the end of each angular increment,
a plurality of chambers comprised of radially extending spaced apart side walls and a wall at their radially outermost ends mounted to said rotor means in equiangular spaced apart relationship around the rotational axis of the rotor means for rotating in a circular path,
stationary cam means inside of said circular path,
a plunger arranged in each chamber between said side walls for reciprocating radially between said side walls and cam follower means coupling said plungers, respectively, to said cam means for causing said reciprocation as the chambers rotate,
said cam means operating said follower means such that when any one of the chambers is incremented to a pad loading position, at which said chamber is loaded with a stack in which the broad faces of the pads are substantially horizontal, the plunger in the chamber being loaded is retracted radially inwardly and while said one chamber is incremented toward a pad unloading position said plunger is moving radially outwardly to compress said stack by the time the stack arrives at the unloading position.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus for rotating and compressing a stack of pads

Life of this patent

Apparatus for rotating and compressing a stack of pads

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims3