Apparatuses and methods for folding an absorbent article
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorsYoichiro Yamamoto, Thomas Ludwig Woschnik
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Abstract
Aspects of the present disclosure involve methods and apparatuses for folding absorbent articles.
Claims12
An apparatus for folding articles advancing in a machine direction along a cross directional fold line, each article having a leading end portion and a trailing end portion and having a first surface disposed opposite of a second surface, the apparatus comprising:
- a drum having an outer surface, the drum adapted to rotate the outer surface at a first surface speed, wherein the outer surface of the drum is adapted to receive the first surface of each article and transport each article in the machine direction;
- a first conveyor assembly comprising:
- a first vacuum conveyor comprising a movable surface adapted to travel at the first surface speed, wherein the movable surface of the first conveyor is adapted to receive the second surface of the leading end portion of each article from the drum;
- a second vacuum conveyor comprising a movable surface adapted to travel at the first surface speed and at a second surface speed, wherein the movable surface of the first vacuum conveyor is adapted to receive the second surface of the leading end portion of each article from the first conveyor;
- and
- a second conveyor assembly comprising:
- a third vacuum conveyor comprising a movable surface adapted to travel at the first surface speed and at the second surface speed, wherein the movable surface of the third vacuum conveyor is adapted to receive the first surface of the leading end portion of each article from the second conveyor;
- a fourth vacuum conveyor comprising a movable surface adapted to travel at the first speed, wherein the movable surface of the fourth vacuum conveyor is adapted to receive the first surface of the leading end portion of each article from the third conveyor.
A method for folding articles advancing in a machine direction along a cross directional fold line, each article having a leading end portion and a trailing end portion and having a first surface disposed opposite of a second surface, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving an article onto a drum having an outer surface such that the first surface of the article is engaged with the outer surface of the drum;
- rotating the drum to move the outer surface at a first surface speed and transport the article in the machine direction;
- engaging the second surface of the leading end portion of the article with a first conveyor comprising a movable surface traveling at the first speed;
- transferring the leading end portion of the article from the drum to the first conveyor;
- transferring the second surface of the leading end portion of the article from the first conveyor to a second conveyor comprising a movable surface traveling at the first speed;
- decelerating the movable surface of the second conveyor to a second speed;
- moving a third conveyor comprising a movable surface traveling at the second speed to engage the first surface of the leading end portion of the article;
- transferring the leading end portion of the article from the second conveyor to the third conveyor;
- accelerating the movable surface of the third conveyor from the second speed to the first speed;
- transferring first surface of the leading end portion of the article from the third conveyor to a fourth conveyor comprising a movable surface traveling at the first speed;
- and
- transferring the leading end portion of the article from the fourth conveyor onto the trailing end portion of the article on the drum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.