Abstract: An apparatus for transferring articles such as absorbent cores or disposable diaper chassis components from a rotary mechanism, such as a pad turner, to a linear mechanism, such as a conveyor for further processing. The invention provides a device for picking an article from the outside of a toroidal surface, thence extending transversely under tension the article to be transferred so that at the point of deposition the article is held flat and at full length. The device is of particular benefit where an article to be transferred is subject to internally biasing elastic forces.

Abstract: A yoke-type stripper for an article stacker in which a series of paddles extending horizontally from vertically moving conveyor chains each carries an article that becomes a member of the stack. The stripper has rear and front rows of laterally spaced apart vertical bars. Carrier bars extending horizontally from vertical bars in the rear row constitute the bottom of the yoke. The paddles have fingers which support the articles and which pass downwardly between the bars to let the bottom article in the stack rest on the top edges of the carrier bars. A shuttle table is located adjacent the yoke and the table has slots into which the yoke bars can shift. The carrier bars are at a higher level than the table top when the stack is accumulating. Fluid work cylinders shift the yoke and the stack therein to the table slots while the carrier bars are kept at said higher level clear of the table so the pads are not dragged.

Abstract: A machine for conditioning a stack of pads, such as sanitary pads, for packaging includes a rotor. Radially extending chambers having closed sides and open front and rear ends are fastened to the rotor. There is a compressor plunger in each chamber. The plungers are carried on guide rods extending from cam follower brackets. A stationary cam plate is mounted perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotor. The follower rollers are spring biased into contact with the periphery of the cam plate. The chambers are incremented in angular steps starting with a position in which the chamber is stopped momentarily for being loaded with a stack of pads at which time its plunger is retracted. As the loaded chamber increments in two angular steps to an unloading position, the plunger is driven out by the cam to compress the stack. When the chamber rotates from loading position to unloading position, the pads are effectively turned so they are standing on their edges in the unloading position.

Abstract: Oblong articles such as sanitary pads moving in the direction of their length dimension are deposited on article carriers at the lower level of an ascending run of an input closed loop chain conveyor with corresponding one sides of the articles facing up. There are means for pivoting the carriers laterally at the upper level of the run to initiate turning of the articles about the line along which they are being conveyed. They turn 90.degree. by the time they land on the paddles or carriers of an adjacent output conveyor which has a run descending from said upper level to a lower level so the articles which have been turned are also inverted when they complete their descent.

Abstract: In a cross-folder for flexible pads such as diapers a wide first conveyor belt runs over a segment of the periphery of a rotationally driven drum. A narrow second conveyor belt runs in parallelism with the first belt for transporting unfolded pads toward the drum and a third conveyor belt runs in parallelism with the first belt for transporting folded pads away from the drum. The drum carries diametrically opposite pairs of slidable members that are reciprocated radially inwardly and outwardly as the drum rotates under the influence of cam rollers on the members which run in stationary cam grooves. Pivotable levers are carried on the slidable members, respectively. The levers have fingers for gripping the pads at their mid-line. The levers have cam follower rollers which are forced to follow cam grooves carried by the drum and, under the influence of the slidable members, the levers are actuated to grip and release the pads to effect folding.

Abstract: In an elastic band applicator for diapers using hot melt glue, a longitudinally tensioned moving plastic backing sheet is run over a roll that is parallel to and spaced from a stationary cylinder. A shoe deflects the central region of the sheet away from its plane at a location between the roll and cylinder. This results in the margins of the sheet beyond opposite ends of the shoe becoming loose flaps. Glue stripes are applied by means of nozzles to the sheet near its edges before the sheet encounters the shoe which has passageways for the glue stripes. Elastic bands are fed into the passageways onto the glue stripes. After passing the shoe, the margins encounter plows which turn or fold the margins over the glue stripes and bands and press the sheet against a cylinder to smooth the margin. Means are provided for retracting the sheet away from the hot nozzles if the sheet stops moving.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for applying adhesive attaching tapes to pads, such as diapers, in which an elongated strip of adhesive tape having an adhesive face and a non-adhesive back is folded longitudinally about a hinge line to form tape wings having their non-adhesive backs together and their adhesive faces facing away from each other. A release liner is applied to the adhesive face of one of the wings, leaving the adhesive face of the other wing exposed. Discrete folded tape segments are severed from the folded strip and are transferred from the vicinity of the severing tool to the vicinity of the pad by drawing the lined wings of the folded tape segments by vacuum against a vacuum drum. The adhesive face of the exposed wing faces outwardly of the drum. The drum is rotated to adhere the adhesive face of the exposed wing to a portion of the pad in the course of drum rotation.

Abstract: Flying splice apparatus and method for splicing the leading end of a new web of rolled web material to a running web. The running web is trained between two coacting rotors respectively provided with coacting web press jaws. When a splice is to be made, the rotors are turned concurrently through a cycle in which the jaws coact to press the leading end of the new web against the running web. The jaw on one rotor comprises a vacuum pad to releasably hold the leading margin of the new web thereagainst. A double-faced adhesive tape is applied to the opposite margin of the new web. The jaw on the other rotor comprises an anvil and when the rotors are cycled to coact, the adhesive tape on the leading edge of the new web is pressed against the running web and the anvil jaw to adhere said leading edge to the running web and strip it from the vacuum pad, thus effectuating the splice.

Abstract: Apparatus for packing pads such as disposable diapers in shipping cartons includes one or more carriages having receptacles or bins with two open sides and an open top. The carriage moves the bins between a loading position where a stack of diapers is pushed into the bin and an unloading position where the stack is pushed horizontally through a carton packing funnel and into a carton. The diaper stack is confined against shifting during carriage movement by two vertical bin walls and two fixed panels which partially enclose the open sides of the bins as the carriage is moved between the panels to the unloading position. When the bin is in the unloading position the stack is compressed by a vertical ram having a compression plate which enters the open top of the receptacle. After the stack is compressed a pusher plate moves horizontally into one open side of the bin and out the other open side to push the compressed stack through a funnel and into a shipping carton held on the funnel.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for applying adhesive attaching tapes to pads, such as diapers, in which an elongated strip of adhesive tape having an adhesive face and a non-adhesive back is folded longitudinally about a hingeline to form tape wings having their non-adhesive backs together and their adhesive faces facing away from each other. A release liner is applied to the adhesive face of one of the wings, leaving the adhesive face of the other wing exposed. Discrete folded tape segments are severed from the folded strip and are transferred from the vicinity of the severing tool to the vicinity of the pad by drawing the lined wings of the folded tape segments by vacuum against a vacuum drum. The adhesive face of the exposed wing faces outwardly of the drum. The drum is rotated to adhere the adhesive face of the exposed wing to a portion of the pad in the course of drum rotation.

Abstract: A strip of adhesive tape is relatively permanently attached at one end to a bag near the open end thereof and is strippably attached to the bag in the remaining portions of the tape. To close the bag, the strippable portion of the tape is stripped away from the bag, which is then puckered and desirably twisted near the tape. The free end of the tape is then looped around the puckered end of the bag and is fastened by its adhesive to the puckered portion of the bag and/or to the anchored end of the tape, thus to close the bag.