US3846871A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for forming fibrous pads
Assignee: Kimberly Clark Tissue Co
•
Filing: 1972-03-24
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Granted: 1974-11-12
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Expires: 1992-03-24
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus for forming fibrous pads include a pad-formation assembly having spaced, three-dimensional pad-receiving compartments; adjacent compartments being separated by airimpermeable regions. Each compartment has the shape of a fibrous pad to be formed therein and is defined by a lower air-permeable surface and air-impermeable sidewalls extending outwardly from the air-permeable surface. Sidewall sections are movable relative to the lower surface to aid in releasing formed pads from each of the compartments. In one preferred embodiment, sidewall sections are also moveable relative to each other to enhance the releasibility of the formed pads from the compartments. Drive means moves the pad-formation assembly to direct a substantially linear forming run of the assembly through a pad forming region. The pad forming region includes a fiberizing means for forming an air suspension of fibers, and a vacuum means disposed behind the forming run for creating a partial vacuum to direct the air suspension of fibers into the compartments whereat the air is pulled through the lower surface, and the fibers are deposited within the confines of the pad-receiving compartments. Airimpervious masking means can be disposed between the vacuum means and the forming run for selectively masking different predetermined sections of the compartments to the passage of air generated by the vacuum means to thereby form discrete fibrous pads, each of which has a predetermined region with a weight of fibers per unit area therein which is different than the weight of fibers per unit area in another predetermined region of the pad. A method for forming discrete fibrous pads, each of which has a predetermined region with a weight of fibers per unit area therein which is different than the weight of fibers per unit area in another predetermined region of the pad. Fibers are entrained in air to form an air suspension of fibers, and the air suspension of fibers is directed selectively into the different predetermined sections of the pad-receiving compartments to form the fibrous pads. Preferably, the air suspension of fibers is directed into the different predetermined sections of the padreceiving compartments at different, non-overlapping times to substantially completely form a predetermined region of each pad having a given weight of fibers per unit area therein substantially independently of the formation of another and different predetermined region having a different weight of fibers per unit area therein.
Inventors
- 👤 C Kolbach
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 10:02
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F13/00; A61F13/15; A61F13/53; A61F13/531; A61F13/532; A61F13/15577; A61F13/15617; A61F13/15626; A61F13/15634; A61F2013/5326
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
219 words
An apparatus for forming discrete fibrous pads, said apparatus comprising: A. a pad-formation assembly having spaced, three-dimensional pad-receiving compartments, said compartments being separated from each other by air-impermeable regions; each pad-receiving compartment having a configuration of a fibrous pad to be formed therein and being defined by a bottom air-permeable surface and sidewall means extending outwardly from one side of said bottom surface; sections of said sidewall means being movable relative to each other and to said bottom surface to aid in releasing a formed pad from each of said pad-receiving compartments; said pad-formation assembly including; 1. a flexible substrate adhered to a conveyor means; 2. said conveyor means providing said bottom air-impermeable surfaces, and said flexible substrate including surfaces disposed contiguous to the periphery of said air-permeable surfaces for providing said sidewall means; B. drive means for moving said pad-formation assembly along a predetermined path including a pad-formation run directed through a pad-forming region; C. means for forming a gaseous suspension of fibers in said padforming region; and D. vacuum means for pulling the gas of said suspension through the bottom air-permeable surfaces of said pad-receiving compartments from said one side of said air-permeable surfaces to said in depositing the fibers of said suspension on said bottom air-permeable surfaces as said air-permeable surfaces pass through said pad-forming region.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
219 words
An apparatus for forming discrete fibrous pads, said apparatus comprising: A. a pad-formation assembly having spaced, three-dimensional pad-receiving compartments, said compartments being separated from each other by air-impermeable regions; each pad-receiving compartment having a configuration of a fibrous pad to be formed therein and being defined by a bottom air-permeable surface and sidewall means extending outwardly from one side of said bottom surface; sections of said sidewall means being movable relative to each other and to said bottom surface to aid in releasing a formed pad from each of said pad-receiving compartments; said pad-formation assembly including; 1. a flexible substrate adhered to a conveyor means; 2. said conveyor means providing said bottom air-impermeable surfaces, and said flexible substrate including surfaces disposed contiguous to the periphery of said air-permeable surfaces for providing said sidewall means; B. drive means for moving said pad-formation assembly along a predetermined path including a pad-formation run directed through a pad-forming region; C. means for forming a gaseous suspension of fibers in said padforming region; and D. vacuum means for pulling the gas of said suspension through the bottom air-permeable surfaces of said pad-receiving compartments from said one side of said air-permeable surfaces to said in depositing the fibers of said suspension on said bottom air-permeable surfaces as said air-permeable surfaces pass through said pad-forming region.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
113 words
said conveyor means providing said bottom air-impermeable surfaces, and said flexible substrate including surfaces disposed contiguous to the periphery of said air-permeable surfaces for providing said sidewall means; B. drive means for moving said pad-formation assembly along a predetermined path including a pad-formation run directed through a pad-forming region; C. means for forming a gaseous suspension of fibers in said pad-forming region; and D. vacuum means for pulling the gas of said suspension through the bottom air-permeable surfaces of said pad-receiving compartments from said one side of said air-permeable surfaces to said in depositing the fibers of said suspension on said bottom air-permeable surfaces as said air-permeable surfaces pass through said pad-forming region.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
113 words
said conveyor means providing said bottom air-impermeable surfaces, and said flexible substrate including surfaces disposed contiguous to the periphery of said air-permeable surfaces for providing said sidewall means; B. drive means for moving said pad-formation assembly along a predetermined path including a pad-formation run directed through a pad-forming region; C. means for forming a gaseous suspension of fibers in said pad-forming region; and D. vacuum means for pulling the gas of said suspension through the bottom air-permeable surfaces of said pad-receiving compartments from said one side of said air-permeable surfaces to said in depositing the fibers of said suspension on said bottom air-permeable surfaces as said air-permeable surfaces pass through said pad-forming region.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said flexible substrate has a thickness in the range of from about 1/4 inch to about 1 inch.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said flexible substrate defines said air-impermeable regions to separate adjacent pad-receiving compartments.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
81 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, including profiling masking means disposed between the pad-formation assembly and said vacuum means in the pad-formation run for cooperating with said vacuum means in creating a different effective volumetric air-flow through different predetermined regions of the pad-receiving compartments for forming discrete pads with a weight of fibers per unit area in one of said different predetermined regions which is different than the weight of fibers per unit area in another of said different predetermined regions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said one of said different predetermined regions and said another of said different predetermined regions are non-overlapping.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pad-formation run is substantially linear.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
86 words
The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said drive means moves said pad-formation assembly through a substantially linear pad-transfer run opposed to the substantially linear pad-formation run of the pad-formation assembly, including a transfer conveyor means, and drive means for moving said transfer conveyor means through a substantially linear pad-receiving run closely adjacent the pad-transfer run of said pad-formation assembly, and means for transferring allegience of the fibrous pads from the pad-transfer run of the pad-formation assembly to the pad-receiving run of the transfer conveyor means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said pad-transfer run and said pad-receiving run are spaced to prevent substantial movement of said formed fibrous pads during the transfer of allegience of said formed fibrous pads from the pad-formation assembly to the transfer conveyor means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
45 words
The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said transfer conveyor means is air-pervious, and said means for transferring allegience of said pads from the pad-transfer run to the pad-receiving run includes a vacuum means disposed adjacent the pad-receiving run for creating a partial vacuum therethrough.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
96 words
The apparatus according to claim 9, including means for directing an air-permeable fibrous web adjacent to an exposed surface of said flexible substrate to define a closure for said pad-receiving compartments, and means for directing said fibrous web between the pad-transfer run of the pad-formation assembly and the pad-receiving run of said transfer conveyor means, said vacuum means being operable to pull said vacuum through said air-permeable fibrous web and the pad-receiving run of said transfer conveyor means to thereby transfer allegience of the formed fibrous pads from the pad-formation assembly to said air-permeable fibrous web.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
177 words
An apparatus for forming discrete fibrous pads, said apparAtus comprising: A. a conveyor means having spaced air-permeable regions which have configurations of fibrous pads to be formed therein, said conveyor means having other regions which are impermeable to air; B. a movable masking frame assembly disposed adjacent to, and on one side of said conveyor means and including frame members defining spaced openings having configurations of pads to be formed; said openings being spaced substantially the same distance as the spacing between the air-permeable regions of said conveyor means; C. drive means for moving said conveyor means and said movable masking frame assembly through a pad-forming region in synchronism such that openings defined by said frame members are in overlying relationship with air-permeable regions of said conveyor means; D. means for forming a gaseous suspension of fibers in said pad-forming region; E. vacuum means for pulling the gas of said suspension through the spaced air-permeable regions and accumulating the fibers of said suspension in said spaced air-permeable regions to thereby form fibrous pads of the desired configuration.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
177 words
An apparatus for forming discrete fibrous pads, said apparAtus comprising: A. a conveyor means having spaced air-permeable regions which have configurations of fibrous pads to be formed therein, said conveyor means having other regions which are impermeable to air; B. a movable masking frame assembly disposed adjacent to, and on one side of said conveyor means and including frame members defining spaced openings having configurations of pads to be formed; said openings being spaced substantially the same distance as the spacing between the air-permeable regions of said conveyor means; C. drive means for moving said conveyor means and said movable masking frame assembly through a pad-forming region in synchronism such that openings defined by said frame members are in overlying relationship with air-permeable regions of said conveyor means; D. means for forming a gaseous suspension of fibers in said pad-forming region; E. vacuum means for pulling the gas of said suspension through the spaced air-permeable regions and accumulating the fibers of said suspension in said spaced air-permeable regions to thereby form fibrous pads of the desired configuration.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said masking frame assembly and said conveyor means both have substantially linear runs disposed in sealing engagement with each other within said pad forming region.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus according to claim 11, including sealing means on said frame members for contacting said conveyor means in sealing engagement as said conveyor means and masking frame assembly are moved in overlying relationship through said pad forming region.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
85 words
The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said drive means moves said conveyor means and masking frame assembly in sealing engagement with each other along a substantially linear run through the pad forming region and separtes said masking frame assembly and conveyor means at the end of said region, said vacuum means being disposed for pulling air through the air-permeable surfaces of said conveyor means during the separation of said conveyor means from said masking frame assembly to retain formed pads on said conveyor means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
65 words
The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said masking frame assembly includes support members, said frame members being removably secured to said support members whereby frame members having surfaces of various configurations can be connected to said support members for varying the configuration of the openings defined by the surfaces of said frame members, said support members being interconnected in spaced relationship by support links.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein adjacent links have aligned openings therein, and pins extending from a chain extend through said aligned openings to connect said links together.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein at least some of said openings are elongate to permit relative linear movement between links.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein frame members defining adjacent spaced openings are interconnected by support links, and means for connecting said support links together for permitting relative linear and rotational movement between links.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
56 words
The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein adjacent links have aligned openings therein, and pins extending from a chain extend through said aligned openings to connect said links together and to connect said links to said chain, said drive means driving said chain to thereby control the movement of said links and said masking frame assembly.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein at least some of said openings in said links are elongate to permit relative linear movement between links.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus according to claim 20, including at least a pair of rotatably mounted, spaced sprocket wheels, said chain being endlessly trained about said sprocket wheels, said drive means rotating at least one of said sprocket wheels.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-11-11 | 1978-05-13 | 1978-11-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-11-11 | 1982-05-13 | 1982-11-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-11-11 | 1986-05-13 | 1986-11-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |