Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-21
2003-11-25
Mayes, Curtis (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S164000, C156S351000, C156S356000, C156S357000, C156S379000, C226S002000, C226S004000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06652686
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to processes and apparatus for making articles, and particularly to processes and apparatus for making disposable absorbent articles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Disposable absorbent products can be fabricated in a continuous production line by the sequential addition of components to previously supplied components. This is particularly advantageous when one or more of the components can be supplied in the form of a single continuous layer. For example, in the formation of disposable absorbent articles, such as training pants, absorbent pants, diapers, incontinence articles, feminine care products, or the like, a layer is normally supplied at a point in the fabrication line in the form of a continuous roll, and absorbent pads, waist elastic bands, leg elastic bands, stretchable side panels, and/or other components can be supplied at different points in the fabrication line as discrete elements.
Various processes and apparatus are available for bringing the components of a single product together so that the components in the composite product are in a desired relation with respect to each other. In bringing these components properly together, various known processes and apparatus are used to note the position of a particular component, and then to adjust the position of subsequent components in order to properly position them.
A problem encountered with these types of processes and apparatus is that they do not adequately compensate for the stretching, or other possibly occurring defects, of a continuously moving layer. During manufacturing processes of this type, a continuously moving layer is subjected to various tensions caused by it being driven or pulled through the process for handling. This tension causes the continuously moving layer to stretch, or to relax, thereby resulting in some components being undesirably positioned or, once positioned, shifted out of position. Since it is virtually impossible to maintain a constant tension on the continuously moving layer, the degree of stretching varies throughout the process. Consequently, even though an earlier positioned component may initially be within an acceptable position range, the stretching, by way of example, of the continuously moving layer may result in the component being outside of the acceptable position range in the final composite product. Other undesirable occurrences may also result in mis-registration of a component or components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In response to the discussed difficulties and problems encountered in the prior art, a new process and apparatus for making a disposable absorbent article, and in particular one having a registered graphic, has been discovered.
The present invention will be described herein in the context of registering and controlling the registration of a continuously moving layer and discrete components with respect to that continuously moving layer in the manufacture of disposable absorbent articles or products, such as, by way of example, a child's training pant. Examples of other disposable absorbent articles include, but are not limited to, diapers, feminine care products, incontinence products, or the like. The terms “registered,” “registering” and “registration” refer to aligning objects with respect to one another, or adjusting the alignment of objects with respect to one another to achieve proper alignment. The term “component” can refer, but is not limited, to elastic ribbons or strips, absorbent pads, containment flaps, stretchable or non-stretchable layers, adhesive patterns, portions thereof, or the like; or a graphic. The term “graphic” can refer, but is not limited, to any design, pattern, or the like.
A child's disposable training pant can have multiple appearance-related and/or functional components registered within selected machine direction (MD) and/or cross-machine direction (CD) ranges. The term “machine direction” refers to the primary direction of movement of continuously moving layers in the manufacturing process, and the term “cross-machine direction” refers to the direction substantially normal to the machine direction.
The present invention can provide, by way of example, a child's disposable training pant having one or more appearance-related and/or functional components registered with other components. Examples of components that are appearance-related include, but are not limited to, the registration of graphics; highlighting or emphasizing leg and waist openings in order to make product shaping more evident or visible to the user; highlighting or emphasizing areas of the product to simulate functional components such as elastic leg bands, elastic waistbands, simulated “fly openings” for boys, ruffles for girls; highlighting areas of the product to change the appearance of the size of the product; registering wetness indicators, temperature indicators, and the like in the product; registering a back label, or a front label, in the product; and registering written instructions at a desired location in the product.
Examples of functional components include, but are not limited to, absorbent pads, surge or acquisition layers, side panels, tapes, containment flaps, waist elastics, leg elastics, areas of breathability, fluid repellent areas, fluid wettable areas, adhesives or coatings, encapsulated inks, chemically-sensitive materials, environmentally-sensitive materials, heat-sensitive materials, moisture-sensitive materials, perfumes, odor control agents, inks, fasteners, fluid storage areas, textured or embossed areas, or the like.
The training pant described herein, by way of example, comprises an absorbent pad positioned between a liquid impermeable outer cover and a liquid permeable liner. The training pant further includes elastic side panels which are joined to the outer cover in order to provide elasticity thereto. The liquid impermeable outer cover can comprise two layers of material suitably joined together, in which the innermost layer can be a liquid impermeable layer and the outermost layer can be a nonwoven layer having cloth-like texture. The innermost liquid impermeable layer has a graphic printed in registration thereon. The registered graphic generally includes a visually pleasing design or pattern and is controllably registered at a designated area in the product. One registered graphic includes a graphic positioned on the front center of the product. A more detailed description of the construction and design of the above-described training pant can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,464 issued Jul. 10, 1990 to Van Gompel et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.
Described herein is a distinctive process and apparatus for registering discrete components to a continuously moving first layer. The first layer of material includes one or more reference marks provided thereon at a uniform repeat length. This uniform repeat length can be, but is not limited to, a machine product repeat length which is the length of one product during the manufacturing process. Hereinafter, the uniform repeat length is a machine product repeat length for purposes of description, but the present invention contemplates other lengths or dimensions that could serve as a uniform repeat length. The distance between two successive reference marks is determined and then used to calculate a desired speed and/or placement for adding other components to the process.
The term “reference mark” can refer, but is not limited, to a component or components or portions thereof such as elastic strips, absorbent pads, adhesive patterns, or the like; structure such as corners or edges thereof, transporting mediums such as conveyor belts or the like; visual marks, magnetic marks, electrical marks, electromagnetic marks, optical brighteners sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, or the like. All of these can be sensed, detected, or otherwise identified by an appropriate device.
The reference marks determine product length and the product per minute speed while the web speed (feet per minute) remains constant. The referen
Brandon Robert Griffiths
Chapdelaine Louis Maurice
Coenen Joseph Daniel
Kastman Scott Lee
Popp Robert Lee
Kimberly--Clark Worldwide, Inc.
Mayes Curtis
Pauley Petersen & Erickson
Purvis Sue A.
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