The Procter Gamble Company

Malcolm B Lucas

Robert H Van Coney

Francis Louvaine Diehl

Theodore P Merz

John S Amneus, Iii

Alan E Byrd

James E Van Loan

James Francis McKenna

H Robert Van Coney

An apparatus for uniformly debossing and perforating a ribbon of thermoplastic sheet material or film through the use of vacuum in combination with a flash heating source such as a flow of hot air. The apparatus causes a ribbon film to be forwarded from a supply such as a roll of thermoplastic material, then about a circumferentially extending portion of a rotating debossing-perforating cylinder, and then downstream where the debossed and perforated film may be further processed or where it may be wound on a spool to form a roll thereof. The debossing-perforating cylinder comprises a perforated tubular member through which a plurality of independently adjustable levels of vacuum can be applied from within the cylinder to circumferentially spaced sections of the film in contact with the exterior surface of the perforated tubular member. The apparatus further causes a virtual curtain of hot air to be directed radially inwardly towards a predetermined zone of the perforated tubular member. Thus, vacuum applied from within the cylinder acts in concert with the curtain of hot air which flash heats the film sufficiently to effect debossing and perforating the film running circumferentially about the rotating cylinder. The apparatus may further control tension in the film both upstream and downstream of the debossing cylinder at predetermined constant levels.

Apparatus for debossing and perforating a running ribbon of

A method of and apparatus for uniformly debossing and perforating a ribbon of thermoplastic sheet material or film through the use of vacuum in combination with a flash heating source such as a flow of hot air. The apparatus causes a ribbon of such film to be forwarded from a supply such as a roll of thermoplastic material, then about a circumferentially extending portion of a rotating debossing-perforating cylinder, and then downstream where the debossed and perforated film may be further processed or where it may be wound on a spool to form a roll thereof. The debossing-perforating cylinder comprises a perforated tubular member through which a plurality of independently adjustable levels of vacuum can be applied from within the cylinder to circumferentially spaced sections of the film in contact with the exterior surface of the perforated tubular member. The apparatus further causes a virtual curtain of hot air to be directed radially inwardly towards a predetermined zone of the perforated tubular member. Then vacuum applied from within the cylinder acts in concert with the curtain of hot air which flash heats the film sufficiently to effect debossing and perforating the film running circumferentially about the rotating cylinder. The apparatus may further control tension in the film both upstream and downstream of the debossing cylinder at predetermined constant levels. A method of making the perforated tubular member is also disclosed which entails forming the member inside-out, and then turning it right-side-out by slitting it longitudinally, reverse rolling it into the desired tubular shape, and then seaming it along the slitting formed edges. The tubular member can then be coated with a release enhancing material such as Teflon (registered trademark, E. I. DuPont Co.) on its radially outwardly facing surface to facilitate releasing the thermoplastic film after the film has been debossed and perforated thereon.

Method of making a perforated tubular member

Method and apparatus for imparting a predetermined shape to discrete units of product of dough-like consistency. In a preferred embodiment, said method comprises filling an image containing cavity exhibiting said shape with said dough-like product and thereafter removing said product from said cavity without substantially altering its shape by causing said cavity to assume an image substantially symmetrical to its original image. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the image containing cavity is lined with a resiliently deformable diaphragm, and the cavity is turned inside out by applying fluid pressure to the surface of the diaphragm opposite the product.

Method and apparatus for imparting a predetermined shape to product of

A method of and apparatus for uniformly debossing and perforating a ribbon of thermoplastic sheet material or film through the use of vacuum in combination with a flash heating source such as a flow of hot air. The apparatus causes a ribbon of such film to be forwarded from a supply such as a roll of thermoplastic material, thence about a circumferentially extending portion of a rotating debossing-perforating cylinder, and then downstream where the debossed and perforated film may be further processed or where it may be wound on a spool to form a roll thereof. The debossing-perforating cylinder comprises a perforated tubular member through which a plurality of independently adjustable levels of vacuum can be applied from within the cylinder to circumferentially spaced sections of the film in contact with the exterior surface of the perforated tubular member. The apparatus further causes a virtual curtain of hot air to be directed radially inwardly towards a predetermined zone of the perforated tubular member.

Method for debossing and perforating a running ribbon of thermoplastic

Apparatus comprising means for blow molding a preform having a body which is longitudinally partitioned by a bulkhead having the size, shape, and orientation required in a finished, precisely partitioned bulbous-shape container to convert the preform into such a finished bulbous-shape container while constraining the bulkhead from changing size, shape, or orientation during the blow molding operation. An integrated injection-blow molding embodiment is disclosed as well as discrete injection molding and blow molding apparatuses.

Apparatus for making precisely partitioned bulbous-shape container

A longitudinally partitioned bulbous-shape, top-opening container of unitary construction is provided which comprises a precisely shaped, sized, and oriented integral bulkhead. Such containers may be made by the method of providing a thermoplastic preform which is longitudinally partitioned by an integral bulkhead of the size, shape, and orientation desired in the finished container, and then blow molding the outer wall of the preform to the bulbous-shape of the finished container while constraining or confining the bulkhead from changing size, shape, or orientation.

Method of making a precisely partitioned bulbous-shape container

A porous article releasably containing a dry, activated bleaching composition suitable for use in an automatic dryer.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Malcolm B Lucas