The Procter Gamble Company

The Procter & Gambel Company

Mark David Whaley

Todd Douglas Lenser

Stephen Joseph Lange

Michael Douglas Hill

Michael Timothy Looney

James Michael Fleming

Myron Lee Stuebe

Paul Jackson Marshall

Ronald James Lynch

Lei Li

David Lee Canfield

The present disclosure relates to folding methods and apparatuses that operate to fold an advancing substrate in the cross direction along a central region to bring a second end region into a facing relationship with a first end region. In some embodiments, the second end region of the advancing substrate is folded around a folding axis 180&#xb0; to bring the second end region into a facing relationship with the first end region. The folding axis may also be defined by an arc extending in the machine direction MD, wherein the second end region of the advancing substrate is helically folded toward the inside of the arc. A folding apparatus including a curved or arc-shaped folding axis may also be configured such the first and second web paths have substantially equal lengths.

Apparatuses and methods for folding absorbent articles

Methods of using computer based models for simulating the physical behavior of webs.

Computer based models for webs of materials

An improved method for bonding webs. The method includes overlapping two webs, slitting the two webs, reoverlapping the two webs and bonding the two webs together. The steps of reoverlapping the two webs may be accomplished with a number of different types of devices including but not limited to: a bumpered roll, a notched roll, a crowned roll, a bowed roll, an out of plane roll, and variable speed rolls.

Process for bonding webs

The automatic registration control system of the present invention is a closed loop system including a driving mechanism for feeding a continuous web of disposable absorbent articles, such as diaper pads, toward a cutter. The cutter may separate completed pads from the web. A sensor is positioned along the manufacturing line, and preferably preceding the cutter, for detecting at least one preselected feature of each diaper pad and producing a detection signal when the feature passes by the sensor. A position resolver determines the angular position of the cutter at the moment when the preselected diaper feature is detected, and the average angular position is calculated from a predetermined number of cutter positions. The average cutter position is compared to and subtracted from a target cutter position to produce an error signal. The error signal is then converted into a control signal and supplied to a phase variator which adjusts the position of the cutter in response to the control signal.

Diaper registration control system

Growing community of inventors

Liberty Township, OH, United States of America

Mark David Whaley