Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-15
2003-02-04
Ball, Michael W. (Department: 1733)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C156S200000, C156S227000, C604S391000, C198S836100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06513221
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to processes and apparatus for making garments, and more particularly to processes and apparatus for making prefastened and refastenable garments.
Garments such as disposable absorbent garments have numerous applications including diapers, training pants, feminine care products, and adult incontinence products. The typical disposable absorbent garment is formed as a composite structure including an absorbent assembly disposed between a liquid permeable bodyside liner and a liquid impermeable outer cover. These components can be combined with other materials and features such as elastic materials and containment structures to form a product that is specifically suited to its intended purposes.
Manufacturing techniques for making conventional garments are in some respects inadequate for making new product forms, such as prefastened and refastenable garments. Hence, what is lacking and needed in the art are processes and apparatus for making prefastened and refastenable garments, such as disposable absorbent garments.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In response to the above-referenced unfulfilled need in the art, new processes and apparatus for making prefastened and refastenable garments have been discovered. In one aspect, the invention concerns a method for positioning side panels during manufacture of a pant. The method comprises transporting a pant in a machine direction, thus defining a pant transport plane and a z-direction perpendicular to the pant transport plane. The pant has at least one waist region comprising opposite side panels. The side panels are positioned on side panel transfer devices, where each side panel transfer device defines a side panel transport path which intersects the pant transport plane. According to this method, the side panels move in the z-direction while the pant is transported in the machine direction and the side panels reside on the side panel transfer devices.
The z-direction movement can be useful in many embodiments, but may be particularly useful where the side panels include fastening components and it is desired to move the fastening components closer together in the transverse direction. For instance, the fastening components can be positioned closer together by creating an elevation difference between portions of the waist region containing the fastening components and another portion of the waist region. In particular embodiments, the fastening components can be disposed in the side panels, and the absorbent chassis and/or side panels can be repositioned to create an elevation difference between at least a portion of the absorbent chassis and the side panels.
Hence, in some embodiments for carrying out the method, at least portions of the side panels are allowed to move inwardly toward the machine center line while the pant is transported in the machine direction and the side panels reside on the side panel transfer devices. This inward movement can be useful in preparing the side panels for attachment to the opposite waist region. In other embodiments described in greater detail below, the side panels can be maintained at a constant cross-machine direction position while the pant is transported in the machine direction and the side panels reside on the side panel transfer devices.
In another aspect, the invention concerns a method for making a prefastened and refastenable pant. The method comprises transporting a folded pant in a machine direction, where the folded pant has opposite first and second waist regions in facing relation. The first waist region includes first side panels comprising initially inward-facing fastening components and the second waist region includes second side panels comprising initially outward-facing fastening components. In this embodiment, the initially outward-facing fastening components can be inverted. The method further comprises transporting the first side panels on side panel transfer devices while the folded pant is transported in the machine direction. While the first side panels are being transported on the side panel transfer devices, the initially inward-facing fastening components are moved toward the inverted initially outward-facing fastening components. The initially inward-facing fastening components and inverted initially outward-facing fastening components can then be engaged with one another.
In various embodiments, portions of the first side panels can move inwardly toward a machine center line while the folded pant is transported in the machine direction and the first side panels reside on the side panel transfer devices. In particular embodiments, the first side panels can be moved inwardly such that fastening components disposed on the first side panels are aligned in a cross machine direction with fastening components disposed on the second side panels. This may be useful where the second side panels are folded during the process. For example, the second side panels can comprise initially outward-facing fastening components and the second side panels can be inwardly folded such that the initially outward-facing fastening components are facing inward toward the first side panels.
In particular embodiments, the initially inward-facing fastening components can be separated from one another by an initial distance and the initially outward-facing fastening components can be separated from one another by substantially the same initial distance. In the context of the present invention, the distance between initially inward-facing fastening components and the distance between the initially outward-facing fastening components both refer to the transverse linear distance between the fastening components. “Transverse linear distance” is used herein to refer to the distance between two fastening components, measured in a straight line parallel to the transverse axis of the garment without regard to surface contours of the garment. There may or may not be any force exerted in the transverse direction at the time of measurement.
In another aspect, the invention concerns a method for making a pant. The method comprises providing a pant chassis defining a first waist region, a second waist region, a crotch region which extends between and interconnects the waist regions, first side panels disposed in the first waist region and second side panels disposed in the second waist region. The pant chassis is folded about a fold line extending in a lateral direction through the crotch region, such that the waist regions and first and second side panels are positioned in a facing relation. The folded pant chassis is transported in a machine direction thus defining a pant transport plane and a z-direction perpendicular to the pant transport plane. The first side panels are transported on side panel transfer devices while the folded pant chassis is transported in the machine direction. Each side panel transfer device defines a side panel transport path which intersects the pant transport plane. The first side panels are moved in the z-direction toward the second side panels while the first side panels are transported on the side panel transfer devices. This allows the first and second side panels to be refastenably engaged.
In another aspect, the invention concerns an apparatus comprising first and second conveyors adapted to transport a stream of discrete, partially assembled and folded pants sandwiched between the conveyors in a machine direction. The conveyors define a machine center line and a pant transport plane. Side panel transfer devices are disposed transversely outward from the machine center line, and each side panel transfer device defines a side panel transport path which intersects the pant transport plane.
The side panel transfer devices can be angled toward the pant transport plane at downstream machine direction locations. In this case, the side panel transfer devices can come together with one of the conveyors to define a nip therebetween. Alternatively, the side panel transfer devices can be angled away from the pant transport plane
Couillard Jack Lee
Csida Jason Gene
Eng Patricia Katherine
Konetzke Richard Mark
Lohoff Michael Lee
Ball Michael W.
Gage Thomas M.
Kimberly--Clark Worldwide, Inc.
Musser Barbara J.
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