Method for forming fibrous pads

Claim 1

A method for forming individual, spacedapart fibrous pads which have different predetermined regions having different weights of fibers per unit area therein, and for conveying the pads to a subsequent processing operation, said method comprising the steps of: A. entraining fibers in air to form an air-suspension of fibers within a formation chamber; B. closing one end of the formation chamber with a forming fun of an moving pad-formation assembly to provide a forming area on the forming run in underlying relationship with the formation chamber, said assembly having a plurality of spaced, three-dimensional pad-receiving compartments therein, each pad-receiving compartment being defined, in part, by a bottom air-permeable surface, said pad-formation assembly including a substantially linear pad-transfer run opposed to said forming run; C. establishing a first effective volumetric air flow through a first predetermined section of each pad-receiving compartment of the forming run as each compartment passes the formation chamber to form said one predetermined region of said pad; D. establishing a second effective volumetric air flow which is different than said first effective volumetric air flow through a second predetermined section of each padreceiving compartment in the forming run as each compartment passes the formation chamber to form said at least one other predetermined region of said fibrous pad; E. directing the formed pads out of said forming area on the pad-formation assembly and to the pad-transfer run of said assembly; F. directing a linear pad-receiving run of a padtransfer conveyor means generally parallel to the substantially linear pad-transfer run of the pad-formation assembly; and G. establishing a partial vacuum through said padreceiving run for transferring allegiance of the formed fibrous pads from the pad-transfer run of the pad-formation assembly to the pad-receiving run of the pad-transfer conveyor means.

Claim 2

A method for forming individual, spacedapart fibrous pads which have different predetermined regions having different weights of fibers per unit area therein, and for conveying the pads to a subsequent processing operation, said method comprising the steps of: A. entraining fibers in air to form an air-suspension of fibers within a formation chamber; B. closing one end of the formation chamber with a forming fun of an moving pad-formation assembly to provide a forming area on the forming run in underlying relationship with the formation chamber, said assembly having a plurality of spaced, three-dimensional pad-receiving compartments therein, each pad-receiving compartment being defined, in part, by a bottom air-permeable surface, said pad-formation assembly including a substantially linear pad-transfer run opposed to said forming run; C. establishing a first effective volumetric air flow through a first predetermined section of each pad-receiving compartment of the forming run as each compartment passes the formation chamber to form said one predetermined region of said pad; D. establishing a second effective volumetric air flow which is different than said first effective volumetric air flow through a second predetermined section of each padreceiving compartment in the forming run as each compartment passes the formation chamber to form said at least one other predetermined region of said fibrous pad; E. directing the formed pads out of said forming area on the pad-formation assembly and to the pad-transfer run of said assembly; F. directing a linear pad-receiving run of a padtransfer conveyor means generally parallel to the substantially linear pad-transfer run of the pad-formation assembly; and G. establishing a partial vacuum through said padreceiving run for transferring allegiance of the formed fibrous pads from the pad-transfer run of the pad-formation assembly to the pad-receiving run of the pad-transfer conveyor means.

Claim 6

A method for forming individual, spacedapart fibrous pads and for conveying said pads to a subsequent processing operation, said method comprising the following steps: A. entraining fibers in air to form an air-suspension of fibers within a formation chamber; B. closing an end of said formation chamber with a substantially linear forming run of a moving pad-formation belt means to form a pad forming area in underlying relationship with the formation chamber, said pad-formation belt means being endless and having a substantially linear padtransfer run opposed to said forming run, said pad-formation belt means futher including a plurality of spaced-apart groups of small apertures extending through opposed surfaces, each group of apertures corresponding to the desired configuration of a fibrous pad which is to be formed and constituting a bottom surface of a three-dimensional compartment; C. establishing a pressure drop through the groups of apertures in the pad forming area to pull fibers from the air-suspension into each three-dimensional compartment to form the spaced-apart pads with well-defined shapes; D. directing the formed pads out of said forming area on the pad-formation belt means and to the pad-transfer run of said belt means; E. directing a linear pad-receiving run of a padtransfer conveyor means generally parallel to the padtransfer run of the pad-formation belt means; and F. establishing a pressure drop through said padreceiving run for transferring allegiance of the formed fibrous pads from the pad-transfer run of the pad-formation belt to the pad-receiving run of the pad-transfer conveyor means, said conveyor means being adapted to direct the formed pads to subsequent processing operations.

Claim 7

A method for forming individual, spacedapart fibrous pads and for conveying said pads to a subsequent processing operation, said method comprising the following steps: A. entraining fibers in air to form an air-suspension of fibers within a formation chamber; B. closing an end of said formation chamber with a substantially linear forming run of a moving pad-formation belt means to form a pad forming area in underlying relationship with the formation chamber, said pad-formation belt means being endless and having a substantially linear padtransfer run opposed to said forming run, said pad-formation belt means futher including a plurality of spaced-apart groups of small apertures extending through opposed surfaces, each group of apertures corresponding to the desired configuration of a fibrous pad which is to be formed and constituting a bottom surface of a three-dimensional compartment; C. establishing a pressure drop through the groups of apertures in the pad forming area to pull fibers from the air-suspension into each three-dimensional compartment to form the spaced-apart pads with well-defined shapes; D. directing the formed pads out of said forming area on the pad-formation belt means and to the pad-transfer run of said belt means; E. directing a linear pad-receiving run of a padtransfer conveyor means generally parallel to the padtransfer run of the pad-formation belt means; and F. establishing a pressure drop through said padreceiving run for transferring allegiance of the formed fibrous pads from the pad-transfer run of the pad-formation belt to the pad-receiving run of the pad-transfer conveyor means, said conveyor means being adapted to direct the formed pads to subsequent processing operations.

Claim 8

A method for forming discrete fibrous pads which have different predetermined regions, the weight of fibers per unit area in one predetermined region of each pad being different than the weight of fibers per unit area in at least one other predetermined region, said method comprising the steps of: A. separating fibers from a web and entraining said fibers in air to form an air-suspension of fibers within a formation chamber; B. enclosing one end of the formation chamber with a forming run of a moving pad-formation assembly having a plurality of spaced, three-dimensional pad-receiving compartment therein, each pad-receiving compartment being defined, in part, by a bottom air-permeable surface, and said pad-receiving compartments being separated from each other by air-impervious regions of said assembly; C. establishing first and second effective volumetric air flows which are different from each other through first and second predetermined sections, respectively, of each pad-receiving compartment for directing different quantities of the air-suspension of fibers into said first and second predetermined sections of each pad-receiving compartment to form said one predetermined region of the fibrous pad and said at least one other predetermined region of the fibrous pad, said first and second effective volumetric air flows being established by either one of the following means;

Claim 9

A method for forming discrete fibrous pads which have different predetermined regions, the weight of fibers per unit area in one predetermined region of each pad being different than the weight of fibers per unit area in at least one other predetermined region, said method comprising the steps of: A. separating fibers from a web and entraining said fibers in air to form an air-suspension of fibers within a formation chamber; B. enclosing one end of the formation chamber with a forming run of a moving pad-formation assembly having a plurality of spaced, three-dimensional pad-receiving compartment therein, each pad-receiving compartment being defined, in part, by a bottom air-permeable surface, and said pad-receiving compartments being separated from each other by air-impervious regions of said assembly; C. establishing first and second effective volumetric air flows which are different from each other through first and second predetermined sections, respectively, of each pad-receiving compartment for directing different quantities of the air-suspension of fibers into said first and second predetermined sections of each pad-receiving compartment to form said one predetermined region of the fibrous pad and said at least one other predetermined region of the fibrous pad, said first and second effective volumetric air flows being established by either one of the following means;