Patents Assigned to Zuiko Corporation
  • Patent number: 11345556
    Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes: a holding mechanism configured to hold suction members; and a driving device including a rotary shaft which is rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis and a connecting mechanism configured to connect the rotary shaft and suction members to each other; and a support mechanism configured to support the holding mechanism and the drive device. The connecting mechanism is connected to the suction members in a state where the suction members are movable in a radial direction of the circle about the first axis. The support mechanism supports the holding mechanism and the drive device such that the holding mechanism and the drive device are relatively movable from each other in a direction orthogonal to the first axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sato, Takashi Arima, Kouji Utani
  • Patent number: 11331224
    Abstract: An absorbent article processing device includes a cutter roll and an anvil roll. The cutter roll includes a roll main body; a blade protruding in a radial direction in a first angular range of a part of a circumferential direction of the roll main body; a first bearer protruding in the radial direction in a second angular range of a part of the circumferential direction including at least the first angular range and being in contact with the anvil roll, and being cut out in an angular range excluding the second angular range at a first end portion in an axial direction of the roll main body; and a second bearer provided around the entire circumference or a part of the circumferential direction and being in contact with the anvil roll at the second end portion in an axial direction of the roll main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hitoshi Sato
  • Patent number: 11311425
    Abstract: In order to manufacture a wearable article of the first size, the introduction velocity is set to the first introduction velocity having a high velocity and the arrangement velocity is set to the first the arrangement velocity having a high velocity. In order to manufacture wearable article of the second size having a shorter length in the carrying direction than that of the first size, the introduction velocity is set to the second introduction velocity lower than the first introduction velocity and the arrangement velocity is set to the second arrangement velocity lower than the first the arrangement velocity and the drum velocity is set to a fixed velocity regardless of the size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke Inoue, Kouji Utani, Hideki Fujita
  • Patent number: 11286129
    Abstract: Provided is a sheet supply device capable of reliably joining sheets by accurately transmitting force for joining the sheets. A joining mechanism includes a pressing roller that presses a sheet of a supply side roll against the outer peripheral surface of a standby side roll; and a moving unit that supports the pressing roller such that the pressing roller is configured to approach and move away from the standby side roll supported by a support shaft disposed at a splice position in the radial direction of the standby side roll. The moving unit supports the pressing roller such that the center of the pressing roller is movable on a straight line passing through the center of a rotation shaft and the center of the support shaft disposed at the splice position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Tsujimoto, Hideki Fujita
  • Patent number: 11191676
    Abstract: There are disposed, in a width direction of an anvil roll, a plurality of first projections for producing joint portions where a pair of sheets are jointed to each other; each of the first projections extends in a circumferential direction of the anvil roll and includes a carrying groove carrying an elastic member while the elastic member has entered in the groove; and between one first projection and another first projection adjacent to each other in the width direction, at least one receiving part for receiving the pair of sheets is arranged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Miwa Koshijima, Hideyuki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11174116
    Abstract: When a remaining amount of a sheet on one original sheet roll is equal to or less than a predetermined remaining amount, a pair of holding pads is brought into a first posture where holding surfaces are opened, and the holding surface of one holding pad is pressed to a joining end portion from the outside of the original sheet roll in a radial direction of another original sheet roll. Further, the holding pad is moved such that the joining end portion is separated toward the outside of the original sheet roll in the radial direction. Further, the posture of the pair of holding pads is changed into a second posture where the holding surfaces approach each other, and the joining end portion is conveyed to a joining part in a state where the joining end portion is sandwiched between the holding surfaces of the pair of holding pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sato, Yosuke Nishimura
  • Patent number: 11160692
    Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing an article including an absorbent body includes: first and second rolls, in cooperation with each other, for trimming a continuous laminate to be the absorbent body so as to successively form the narrowed portions along the continuous laminate; a third roll for rotating in contact with the second roll to receive the continuous laminate from the second roll; and a separating cutter for successively severing the continuous laminate being carried by the third roll into units of individual articles, thereby obtaining the absorbent body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouji Utani, Daisuke Inoue
  • Patent number: 11046016
    Abstract: An ultrasonic welding device includes a support device configured to support a work piece along a predetermined conveyance surface; a welding machine including an oscillator for generating a high-frequency electric signal, a transducer for converting the high-frequency electric signal to a mechanical vibration, and a horn to which the mechanical vibration is transmitted, the horn being disposed to face a part to be welded of a work piece supported along the conveyance surface, and the mechanical vibration being imparted via the horn to the part to be welded, whereby the part to be welded is welded; a detector for detecting an abnormality in the part to be welded, the detector being disposed upstream in the conveyance direction of the work piece than the support device; and a protective device for prohibiting the welding machine from welding the part to be welded in which an abnormality is detected by the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masato Hiroyasu
  • Patent number: 11034538
    Abstract: A transportation device includes a transportation-side holder that holds a roll. A roll mounting section, a sheet supply device including a supporter that holds the roll in a state where the sheet is continuously feedable, and an intermediate processing device that performs processing set in advance on the roll are disposed within a moving range of the transportation-side holder. A controller controls the transportation device such that the transportation-side holder holds the roll on the roll mounting section, and the roll held by the transportation-side holder is conveyed to the supporter of the sheet supply device through the intermediate processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichiro Nagafuchi, Hitoshi Sato, Yoshiaki Tsujimoto
  • Patent number: 11035061
    Abstract: A shaped sheet including a plurality of rows of protruding portions formed on a non-woven fabric sheet and extending in a first direction and a plurality of rows of protruding portions formed on the non-woven fabric sheet and extending in a second direction that crosses the first direction, wherein: the shaped sheet is more stretchable in the first direction than in the second direction; the shaped sheet is formed from a single layer of the non-woven fabric sheet; and a fusion-bonded portion that extends discontinuously or continuously in the first direction and that has a smaller thickness than the protruding portions due to its fusion-bonded structure is provided along a part or whole of a periphery of the protruding portions on the shaped sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Daisuke Furukawa
  • Patent number: 10987254
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for manufacturing an absorptive article are capable of suppressing the occurrence of wrinkles in a constituent element of the absorbing article when transferring the constituent element to a downstream conveying device. A main suction pad that moves along a cylindrical or conical first virtual path surface receives a constituent element from an upstream conveying device, changes the orientation by 90° and conveys the constituent element to a second position. Sub-suction surfaces of the first and second sub-suction pads move around a second reference center line along a cylindrical or conical second virtual path surface centered on the second reference center line, while being aligned with each other with a space therebetween, suction end portions of the constituent element at the second position, and transfer the constituent element to the downstream conveying device at a third position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Arima, Miyuki Takanami
  • Patent number: 10912681
    Abstract: A sheet conveyance device for conveying, along a conveyance path, a sheet in which a given region from an obverse surface toward a reverse side thereof is composed of a non-woven fabric, and a powder supply device for supplying a powder to at least a partial zone of the sheet, are provided. Further, a fiber-raising device for raising fibers in at least part of the powder supply zone of the sheet is provided on the conveyance path at a position upstream of the powder supply device in a conveyance direction of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyuki Nakamura, Yukihiko Fujita
  • Patent number: 10905597
    Abstract: A conveying device comprises: a plurality of holding mechanisms attached to a rotary shaft; a speed-changing mechanism which changes the angular speed of each of the plurality of holding mechanisms; a first cover extending from a first holding mechanism toward a second holding mechanism, such that the first cover covers a gap between the two holding mechanisms from an outside thereof in a radial direction of the rotating shaft; and a second cover extending from the second holding mechanism toward the first holding mechanism such that the second cover covers the gap from the outside thereof in the radial direction, and overlapping with the first cover. The two covers have lengths enough to be able to overlap with each other in the radial direction in a state in which the two holding mechanisms are furthest apart from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Tsujimoto
  • Patent number: 10882713
    Abstract: A continuous body folding device includes a conveying part having a moving surface that moves while suctioning and holding a first region of a continuous body, the conveying part conveying the continuous body in the longitudinal direction thereof; a first folding reference part in which a first endless belt, which moves in a first circulatory pathway along a first virtual plane including the moving surface, moves along a first reference segment adjacent to a virtual line of the continuous body in the same direction at the same speed as the moving surface; and first guiding members that are disposed along the first reference segment, contact a second region of the continuous body, and fold the continuous body along the virtual line and move the second region toward the first region so that the angle formed by the first and second regions becomes smaller as the continuous body is conveyed downstream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hideki Fujita
  • Patent number: 10793384
    Abstract: A roll conveyance device includes a transportation device including a roll holding shaft extending in a predetermined direction from a distal section of an arm to hold a roll such that the roll holding shaft is inserted into a core member of the roll; and a mounting section within a moving range of the roll holding shaft, the mounting section allowing the roll to be mounted in a state in which both axial ends of the core member of roll are open. The transportation device is configured to mount the roll on the mounting section, the roll holding shaft is to be pulled out from the core member of the roll mounted on the mounting section to a first side of an axial direction of the core member, and the roll holding shaft is to be inserted into the core member from a second side of the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichiro Nagafuchi, Hitoshi Sato, Yoshiaki Tsujimoto
  • Patent number: 10792195
    Abstract: A method includes distributing a powder onto a first sheet, periodically closing a distribution port by a first opening-closing portion, and periodically closing the distribution port by a second opening-closing portion in the same cycle period as that of the first opening-closing portion and at a timing later than that of the first opening-closing portion. The method also includes moving the second opening-closing portion such that it extends from an upstream-side edge of the first opening-closing portion toward an upstream side of a movement direction, during a time period during which the upstream-side edge of the first opening-closing portion overlaps the distribution port. Further, the method includes setting a difference between timings at which the first and second opening-closing portion overlap the distribution port, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sato, Hideyuki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10786398
    Abstract: Using a conveyance roller having an outer peripheral surface which is capable of conveying two sheets with an elastic element sandwiched therebetween, in a longitudinal direction of the sheets, and formed with a convex section; and a clamping and pressing device, the sheets with the elastic element sandwiched therebetween are ultrasonic-welded together under pressing. The convex section is formed in a shape extending along a line intersecting a conveyance direction of the conveyance roller, and the convex section is provided with a plurality of grooves at positions spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction thereof, wherein each of the grooves extends in the conveyance direction of the conveyance roller to allow a portion of the sheets on which the elastic element is disposed, to be inserted therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Miwa Koshijima, Hideyuki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10758428
    Abstract: A stretchable sheet 10 includes: a plurality of attached portions 3 spaced apart from each other in the direction of stretch Df, wherein the first surfaces 1f and 2f of a pair of sheets 1 and 2 are attached to each other by being welded without using an adhesive, at the attached portions 3, the attached portions 3 hold elastic members F, and the attached portions 3 extend in a direction Dp crossing the direction of stretch Df of the elastic members F; and a plurality of folds P that appear between the attached portions 3 while the elastic members F are shrunk, wherein a width W3 of the attached portions 3 in the direction of stretch Df is set to be 0.2 mm or more and less than 1.0 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyuki Nakamura, Miwa Koshijima
  • Patent number: 10751230
    Abstract: An absorbent body forming satisfactory connections while webs are conveyed at a high speed includes at least two sheets of nonwoven fabric overlapping each other; connections at which the nonwoven fabric sheets are connected together; and an absorbent material disposed between the nonwoven fabric sheets at a small region encircled by the connections. When seen in a direction perpendicular to a main surface of the nonwoven fabric sheets, a plurality of the connections is formed with spaces therebetween on each side of imaginary polygons compartmentalizing the nonwoven fabric sheets and neighboring each other, and the connection is formed at least on a middle part of the sides common to the imaginary polygons neighboring each other. The connections are formed sequentially, and simultaneously arranged in a row parallel to each other, and the minimum number of connections per row is at least 45% of the maximum number of connections per row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: ZUIKO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshio Tsujimoto
  • Patent number: 10709614
    Abstract: A welding unit welds respective side panels pieces of a partly-finished product being conveyed by a conveying unit to each other along a conveying direction. The conveying unit conveys, when the respective side panel pieces are welded to each other by the welding unit, the partly-finished product in a state in which both side portions in the width direction of the portions of the respective side panel pieces to be welded are held for each set of the respective side panel pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Zuiko Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Shimada