The Procter Gamble Company

Dennis Allen DeHaan

Ronald Ray McFall

Wilfried Maria Kollner

Jeremy Frederic Hook

Methods of and apparatus for bonding and/or embossing of materials, especially materials used in the manufacture of hygienic articles, including, but not limited, to absorbent articles such as feminine hygiene articles, disposable diapers, incontinence devices, wipes, and the like.

Methods of bonding materials, especially materials used in absorbent articles

An apparatus for embossing a pattern into absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, diapers, and adult incontinence pads is disclosed. The apparatus for forming a pattern of embossments in an absorbent article comprises an embosser assembly having a patterned die roll and an anvil roll. In one embodiment, the anvil roll comprises a multi-layered structure, that comprises a metal hub, encircled by a compressible layer and enclosed by a sleeve which reduces machine dynamics, such as vibration, associated with the embossing apparatus and significantly improves the embossing line process and quality. The embosser assembly also has a mechanism for applying compressive pressure on the components of an absorbent article when the components are placed between the die roll and the anvil roll.

Compliant embosser assembly

An apparatus for segmenting a continuous running web into a stream of discrete articles by cutting the web transversely at uniformly longitudinally spaced intervals; and which apparatus may also effect U-folding of each of the discrete articles. The apparatus is of the type which includes a flight of longitudinally spaced, web engaging friction plates which provide cutter access to the web through spaces intermediate adjacent friction plates. The apparatus further includes a constant clearance infeed nip which is formed in part by the spaced friction plates of the flight passing over a circumferential portion of an infeed roll having circumferentially spaced, radially extending lugs, and which lugs are configured and disposed to engage the web by extending through the spaces intermediate the spaced friction plates. Alternatively, the flight of friction plates may be integrated into a unitary apertured conveyor belt; and the cutter may be integrated into such a constant clearance nip.

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Liberty Township, OH, United States of America

Dennis Allen DeHaan