Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus – Air felting type shaping means – Means forming stratified products
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-09
2003-08-12
Mackey, James P. (Department: 1722)
Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus
Air felting type shaping means
Means forming stratified products
C425S080100, C425S083100, C425S115000, C425S120000, C425S130000, C264S113000, C264S121000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06604926
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns an apparatus and a method of producing absorbent pads from a flock-air mixture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the case of machines for producing absorbent pads as for sanitary napkins, panty liners, disposable diapers or the like, the usual practice is for an absorbent pad or flock core to be formed from a hydrophilic flock mixture on a flock-laying device. The flocks which are required for that purpose are fed to the flock-laying device in the form of a flock-air mixture, being supplied thereto from a disintegrating or pulping device, through a feed conduit.
As the disintegrating device or grinding device converts large amounts of mechanical energy into heat energy while it is in operation, it suffers from a substantial rise in temperature. That fact requires a carrier air flow which is as large as possible from the disintegrating device, to convey the flock-air mixture, whereby that air flow produces the desired effect of dissipating heat from the disintegrating device, and thus affords a cooling action therefor. The comparatively great carrier air flow however entails the disadvantage in the region of the flock-laying device that excessively large amounts of air occur there, and cannot be sufficiently rapidly sucked away by the suction box of the flock-laying device, so that they adversely affect the procedure involved in shaping the suction pads from the flock-air mixture in the flock-laying device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing absorbent pads from a flock-air mixture in which any excess air in the region of formation of the absorbent pads can be easily removed by a suction effect without adversely affecting the procedure involved in shaping the absorbent pads.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing absorbent pads from a feed of flock-air mixture through a feed conduit, which provides for a controlled feed of the flock-air mixture to locations in which the respective absorbent pads are formed, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing absorbent pads from a flock-air mixture, which can control a feed of the mixture in such a way as to afford a simple but efficient operating procedure in terms of shaping absorbent pads.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention in the apparatus aspect the foregoing and other objects are attained by an apparatus for producing absorbent pads from a flock-air mixture which is fed through a feed conduit to a shaping recess carrier for forming the respective absorbent pads. The shaping recess carrier rotates in a predetermined direction or circulates in a predetermined circulatory direction. The feed conduit which carries the flow of flock-air mixture has a branching to provide at least first and second conduits. The first conduit is operable to carry a first partial flow of the flock-air mixture and the second conduit is operable to carry a second partial flow of the flock-air mixture. The first and second conduits are directed on to the shaping recess carrier in such positions that the second partial flow through the second conduit meets the shaping recess carrier substantially downstream of the first partial flow through the first conduit in the direction of operating movement of the shaping recess carrier.
Further in accordance with the invention in the method aspect the foregoing and other objects are attained by a method of producing absorbent pads from a flock-air mixture which is fed through a feed conduit to a shaping recess carrier for forming the respective absorbent pads, the carrier rotating in a predetermined direction of rotation or circulating in a predetermined circulatory direction. The flock-air mixture is divided into at least first and second partial flows, the second thereof being directed on to the shaping recess carrier at such a position that it meets the carrier substantially downstream of the first partial flow in the direction of operation of the shaping recess carrier.
It will be noted at this point that the above-mentioned component referred to as the shaping recess carrier may involve for example a rotatable flock-shaping wheel or an endless flock-shaping belt which circulates around guide rollers or a corresponding flock-shaping chain.
The shaping recess carrier is generally a component part of a flock-laying device which, as a further essential component thereof, includes a hollow flock box, with the shaping recess carrier being movable relative to the flock box. In accordance with the invention, at least first and second conduits open into the flock box, each of the conduits carrying a respective partial flow of the flock-air mixture and feeding it to the shaping recess carrier.
The movement of the shaping recess carrier with respect to the flock box means that shaping recesses continuously move into that region in space which is supplied with flock-air mixture from the flock box. The shaping recesses in the shaping recess carrier are initially not yet or scarcely filled with flock so that the sieve-like bottoms of such recesses still involve a comparatively high degree of permeability to the air. It is precisely that fact that the present invention puts to good use insofar as it provides for passing one of the first and second partial flows of the divided flock-air mixture into that region of the flock box in which there are disposed shaping recesses which are filled with flock to an only slight degree and which thus have a sieve-like bottom which still affords good permeability to the air. In that way the suction device of the flock-laying device which sucks the air away from the flock-air mixture to cause flock to be deposited in the respective flock shaping recesses can advantageously suck larger amounts of air out of the flock box, through the bottoms of the shaping recesses which are not yet covered with and thus blocked by flock. In that way the excess air which has been branched away by way of the partial flow can be effectively and efficiently removed from the flock box and at the same time the flock contained in the partial flow in question can be used for producing the respective absorbent pad in the shaping recess.
In accordance with a preferred feature of the invention, the branching of the feed conduit can be such that it produces the first partial flow with a higher volume-specific proportion of flock than the second partial flow and correlatively the second partial flow has a lower volume-specific proportion of flock than the first partial flow. This can still further improve the level of efficiency in terms of removing the air from the apparatus in accordance with the invention. As the second partial flow is directed on to a location of the shaping recess carrier which, as considered in the direction of movement thereof, is substantially downstream of the region of impingement of the first partial flow on to the shaping recess carrier, the shaping recesses which freshly pass into the region of the shaping recess carrier which is covered by the flock box are in this case less rapidly filled with flock and their sieve-like bottoms enjoy a higher degree of permeability to the air, over a longer period of time. As indicated, that in turn permits the excess air to be sucked away in a more efficient manner.
It should be expressly mentioned that, in accordance with the present invention, the partial flows may entail the same volume-specific proportions of flock, as well as different proportions of flock.
In accordance with a further preferred feature of the invention it is possible for three or even more partial flows to be branched off the feed conduit which carries the flock-air mixture. In that situation, it is particularly advantageous for a third conduit to be so directed that the third partial flow carried therein meets the shaping recess carrier substantially upstream of the first partial flow, as considered in the direction
Geisen Armin
Haase Sascha
Mertgen Ulrich
Heckenberg Donald
Mackey James P.
Rosenthal & Osha L.L.P.
Winkler + Dünnebier Aktiengesellschaft
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