RU2204975C2 - Method and device for manufacturing separately wrapped absorbing article - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medical engineering. SUBSTANCE: device has posterior sheet of the absorbing article directly facing the envelope and is attached to it making a set. The set is wrapped by folding transverse flanges in longitudinal direction one over the other, for packing the article and preventing glue for sticking to cloths, from becoming dirty. The package is made three-ply in transverse direction to build an e-shaped folded package. Wrapping and folding is carried out by means of conveyor line equipped with simple machines without applying reverse movement of products. Folding is carried out by means of mechanism accomplishing three-ply folding that travels for moving wrapped packages over the second three-ply folding mechanism mounted on the conveyor line and rotates for folding packages into e-shaped folded packages. EFFECT: excluded usage of tear-off strips and packages. 25 cl, 24 dwg

Description

 The invention relates to absorbent articles, such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, articles for patients with incontinence, etc., and, in particular, relates to a separately wrapped absorbent article in which the article is detachably attached to the tear tape and folded and sealed so that a packet is formed. This bag is wrapped and folded so that a folded bag is formed for storing and transporting the absorbent article. The present invention also relates to a method for wrapping and folding a separately wrapped absorbent product of the aforementioned type and to a device for implementing this method.

 Absorbent articles are well known for absorbing and retaining body secretions, such as urine, menstrual fluids, blood, etc. Typical of these absorbent articles are sanitary napkins, panty liners, articles intended for patients with incontinence, etc. Problems arising in the art will be described primarily with reference to sanitary napkins, but it should be understood that panty liners, incontinence products, and other absorbent products also have some or all of these problems.

 Currently, two types of sanitary pads are used, pads without or without wings, which are generally rectangular in shape, and pads with wings or eyes that have wings or eyes (hereinafter referred to as “wings”), which protrude laterally the edges of the absorbent core gasket in its central part along the length. Conventional sanitary napkins of any type comprise an absorbent core enclosed or placed inside a shell or cover that includes a top sheet, which is also referred to as a “cover”, and a back sheet, which is also referred to as a “barrier”. The top sheet is designed so that it faces the user and is permeable to liquid in order to allow the passage of liquid into the absorbent core, where the liquid is held. The back sheet is liquid tight. A strip of glue intended to be attached to the garment is applied to the outer surface of the back sheet, which allows the pad to be secured with the possibility of release or detachment on the user's underwear. In the case of laying with wings or eyelets, additional strips or sections of glue are located on the rear surface of the wings, which allows these wings to be fixed on the underwear of the user. The adhesive strips can be transferred to the gaskets by applying glue to the tear strips, and this glue is then transferred to the gaskets when the tear strip is attached to the back sheet or barrier. The tear strip protects the adhesive from contamination until the gasket is prepared for use when the user removes the tear strips.

 Separately wrapped sanitary napkins are preferred for a variety of reasons. For example, they are compact (for example, they can be conveniently carried in a user's pocket or purse), they prevent sanitary pads and liners from getting dirty or damaged before use, and used pads can be discarded using wrappers or other wrapping materials. Separately wrapped sanitary napkins are described, for example, in US Pat. No. 3,973,567 to Srinivasan et al. (Srinivasan Patent); in U.S. Patent 4,556,146 by Swanson et al. (Swanson et al.) (Swanson's patent); and U.S. Patent 5,413,568 to Roach et al. (Roh et al.) (Roach Patent). All of these patents describe a sanitary napkin having a portion of a backsheet that is glued to the napkin or tear tape, which also forms at least a portion of the napkin wrapper. The Srinivasan and Swanson patents describe separately wrapped disposable sanitary napkins without wings or eyelets, while the Roach patent describes separately wrapped sanitary napkins with wings or eyelets.

 Conventional separately wrapped sanitary napkins, such as those described in the Srinivasan, Swanson, and Roach patents, have a number of disadvantages and inconveniences. For example, they are relatively difficult to open. In the case of Swanson’s patent, the gasket is placed in a wrapper so that it faces the back so that longitudinal and transverse flaps surrounding the gasket are formed. Then the gasket and the wrapper attached to it are folded together three times. The lateral edges of the longitudinal lapels are then connected with the possibility of easy tearing along the entire length to protect the gasket from contamination. These connections should break when the kit is deployed. This need to break the connection makes it difficult to deploy. In addition, the wrapper is poorly adapted to fit the used gasket in it, because it is not much larger than the gasket itself.

 Gaskets with eyelets or wings also have drawbacks when deployed. For example, Roach's patent discloses a gasket with eyelets or wings, which has a back sheet that is removably attached to the wrapper in the same way as the back sheet of the Swanson gasket is attached to the corresponding wrapper. However, the ends of the wings extend beyond the transverse edges of the wrapper. The protruding wings fold longitudinally over the upper sheet of the gasket body so that the wings align and are located in close proximity to the upper sheet of the gasket, so that their ends face the longitudinal center line of the gasket and so that their adhesive sections or strips rotate upward. The wings must be closed with at least one or, possibly, two separate and specially designed pieces of the release liner, which are necessary in order to protect the adhesive sections of the wings. The additionally released liner (s) must be separately removed by the user before using the liner. This additional step is at best inconvenient and also presents the user with at least an additional waste material to be discarded. In addition, due to the fact that the wrapper is not significantly wider than the body of the gasket, it is quite difficult for the user to use the wrapper to place the used gasket in it.

 Another problem associated with conventional, separately wrapped sanitary napkins is that their production is difficult, since wrapping and folding require the use of separate processes and devices and / or due to the fact that the wrapping and folding operations cannot be performed in the production line . Wrapping and folding are instead performed using relatively large and complex drum, roll configurations using impact vanes that require at least one or usually several changes in the direction of movement of the gasket during the wrapping and folding processes. Examples of typical processes having these drawbacks can be found in US Pat. No. 3,635,462 to Joa; U.S. Patent 4,701,156 to Larsonneur; and U.S. Patent 5,176,615 to Mansch.

 Therefore, the present invention is based on the task, first of all, of improving an individually wrapped absorbent article, which is compact and easy to deploy.

 Another objective of the present invention is the creation of an absorbent product that meets the first main objective of the present invention and which is fully wrapped is hygienic, but nevertheless easy to deploy.

 Another objective of the present invention is the creation of a separately wrapped absorbent product that meets at least the first main purpose and which does not require the use of a separate peelable ribbon, as well as a wrapper.

 Another objective of the present invention is to provide a separately wrapped absorbent product that meets at least the first main purpose and which can be easily discarded using the wrapper in which it is sold.

 In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, these problems are solved by a separately wrapped absorbent article including a bag that contains an absorbent article and a wrapper. The absorbent article has a first and second opposed surface and a wrapper that has a surface on which the absorbent article is placed and on which at least a portion of the first surface of the absorbent article is attached so that it can be detached so that a kit is formed. This kit has a longitudinal center line, a side center line and a perimeter. The perimeter is formed from a pair of opposing transverse edges located on opposite sides of a longitudinal center line, and a pair of opposing longitudinal ends located on opposite sides of a transverse center line. The transverse edges are wrapped on the second surface of the absorbent article and secured so that a bag is formed.

 It is preferable to seal the bag completely, each of the pair of opposite longitudinal ends of the bag to be sealed when wrapping the wrapper.

 The present invention relates both to absorbent articles with wings, such as sanitary napkins with wings, and the like, and to absorbent articles without wings or without loops, such as sanitary napkins without wings, panty liners, and the like.

 Another objective of the present invention is the formation of a package that would meet one or more of the above tasks and which would be folded, twisted, or would have a design that would allow other manipulations with it to form a folded package. It would be preferable that this package would include a central portion and first and second longitudinal lapels. The first longitudinal lapel is superimposed and located close to the central part, and the second longitudinal lapel is located close to the first longitudinal lapel. The second longitudinal lapel is preferably detachably attached to the first longitudinal lapel.

 Another fundamental objective of the present invention is to form a separately wrapped sanitary napkin with wings, which does not require the use of separate tear strips for the wings of the gasket.

 In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, this problem is solved by forming a set of absorbent articles and wrappers. The absorbent article has first and second main opposed surfaces, and also includes an absorbent base having opposed side edges and includes a pair of wings protruding laterally outward from the opposing side edges. At least a portion of the first surface of the absorbent article is detachably attached to the surface of the wrapper on which the article is placed so that a kit is formed. To protect the glue of the wings intended to be attached to clothes, while eliminating the need to use a separate tear strip on the wings, the portion of the first surface that is attached to the wrapper includes at least a portion of the absorbent base and at least a portion of each of the wings .

 Preferably, this kit is wrapped to form a bag and then folded to form a kit, as described above, with respect to the first primary purpose.

 Another main objective of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple and appropriate method of wrapping and folding a kit formed of an absorbent article and a wrapper to which said absorbent article is detachably attached.

 Preferably, this kit has a longitudinal center line and a perimeter, which is formed of a pair of lateral flaps located opposite to each other, located on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line, and a pair of opposite longitudinal ends. This kit is wrapped and complicated to form a folded bag by folding longitudinal lapels along the length of the second surface of the absorbent article to form a bag and then folding the bag transversely to form a folded bag. The step of folding the bag laterally preferably comprises folding the first longitudinal lapel of the bag in the central part of the bag so that the first longitudinal lapel is placed in close proximity to the central part, then the second longitudinal lapel is folded over the first longitudinal lapel so that the second longitudinal lapel is aligned and placed in close proximity to the first longitudinal lapel. The first and second longitudinal flaps are then connected to each other with the possibility of disconnection.

 Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method that would meet the second main objective of the present invention and with which absorbent products are wrapped and folded in a production line.

 In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, this problem is solved by moving the first pusher reciprocating in a package at a location located in close proximity to the transverse folding line connecting the central part with the first longitudinal lapel, and by moving the second pusher making reciprocating movements in the package to a place located in close proximity to the transverse folding line connecting the central part from the second m with a longitudinal lapel.

 Another objective of the present invention is to improve the method of folding the bag three times to form a folded bag.

 In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, this task is accomplished by supplying a bag along a travel path, and as the bag moves along the travel path, the rotation of the three-fold mechanism in contact with the packet while moving the three-fold mechanism at least generally along the travel path. This simultaneous rotation and movement bends the first longitudinal lapel of the package onto the central part of the package so that the first longitudinal lapel is aligned with the central part in close proximity to it and bends the first longitudinal lapel and the central part of the package around the second longitudinal lapel of the package so that the second longitudinal lapel is aligned and placed in close proximity to the first longitudinal lapel. The second longitudinal lapel is then connected to the first longitudinal lapel so that a folded packet is formed.

 The step of folding the first longitudinal lapel with respect to the central part preferably comprises installing the first longitudinal lapel on the bending plate of the triple folding mechanism, while placing the bending pin of the triple folding mechanism in close proximity to the transverse folding line connecting the central part with the first longitudinal lapel and rotating the folding three times the mechanism so that the first longitudinal lapel moves with a bending plate so that it folds into circle bending pin and the central part. The step of folding the first longitudinal lapel and the central part of the second longitudinal lapel around the second longitudinal lapel preferably comprises rotating the triple folding mechanism so that the first longitudinal lapel and the central part move together with the bending pin so that they are folded around the bending plate and the second longitudinal lapel. The bending plate and bending pin are preferably pulled out of the folded bag during or after the folding operation by moving the tri-folding mechanism in the transverse direction with respect to the moving path as the tri-folding mechanism moves at least generally along the moving path.

 Another main objective of the present invention is to provide an improved system for wrapping and folding separately wrapped absorbent products.

 In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, this problem is solved by using a first conveyor, which is adapted for supplying kits consisting of a wrapper and an absorbent article mounted on a wrapper into the system, a second conveyor, which is adapted to supply the resulting folded packets from the system, and nodes of the first and second pushers. The first pusher assembly comprises a pusher reciprocating in a vertical plane, which is adapted to receive sets from the first conveyor and to partially fold them. The second pusher assembly is a pusher reciprocating in the horizontal plane and is located at a vertical distance with respect to the first conveyor and the first pusher, while being adapted to receive sets from the first pusher and to further wrap the sets and to form folded packets .

 Preferably, the first and second pushers are made with slots that allow glue to be applied to the kits without interference from the first and second pushers.

 Other elements of the system preferably include: 1) a bag forming device that secures, with detachability, an absorbent article on a continuous sheet of wrapper material for forming the bags; 2) a device for longitudinal folding, which is placed after the specified shaper package and which folds a continuous sheet in the longitudinal direction to form wrapped packages, while the transverse edges of the continuous sheet are located in the transverse direction inside with respect to the transverse edges of the packages; 3) a cutter that is placed between the longitudinal folding device and the first conveyor and which cuts a continuous sheet between the bags.

 Another objective of the present invention is to provide an improved system for forming folded bags by folding the bag in a production line.

 In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, this system comprises a support structure for packets that defines a path for moving a packet in the system, and a triple folding mechanism that is rotatable and that can move relative to the path. The triple folding mechanism is adapted to grip and fold the package three times as the package moves along the travel path.

 Preferably, this triple folding mechanism includes first and second bending elements spaced apart from one another that are adapted to grip the main surfaces of the bag mutually opposed. The first and second bending elements may, for example, comprise an L-shaped bending plate and a cylindrical bending pin, respectively, which are mounted on a rotating surface of the holder on which the first and second folding elements are mounted. The rotating surface of the holder preferably comprises a spindle having an end surface on which the first and second bending elements are mounted.

 Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the next section, entitled "Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment" and from the accompanying figures 1-24. It should be understood, however, that the "Detailed Description ..." and the specific figures, although they describe preferred embodiments of the present invention, are provided only to illustrate and not to limit the rights of the Applicant. A large number of changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention without changing its essence, and the present invention includes all such modifications.

FIG. 1 shows a kit constructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention and formed from an absorbent article and a wrapper, top view;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 of an exploded view kit;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a kit of an absorbent article and a wrapper shown in FIG. 1, and shows an absorbent article in a partially wrapped state;
FIG. 4 is a top view of a combination of an absorbent article and a wrapper shown in FIG. 1 and depicts a kit in a state in which it is completely wrapped so that a packet is formed;
figure 5 depicts the package depicted in figure 4, a side view;
FIG. 6 depicts the package shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a perspective view in partial section;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a folded bag formed by folding the bag of FIGS. 4-6;
Fig. 8 is a plan view of a kit constructed in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention and formed from an absorbent article and a wrapper;
FIG. 9 is a side view in partial exploded view of the cross section, generally along line 9-9 shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a combination of an absorbent article and a wrapper shown in FIG. 8, and depicts this absorbent article in a partially wrapped state;
FIG. 11 is a partial schematic perspective view of a first wrapping / folding system for combining an absorbent article and a wrapper for forming a kit, wrapping the kit in a bag, and then forming the bag in a folded bag;
12 is a partial schematic perspective view showing a two-stage wrapping assembly of the system of FIG. 11, and illustrates a first step in a flowchart in which a bag is installed for folding into a folded bag using a two-stage folding unit;
FIG. 13 corresponds to FIG. 12, except that it depicts a two-stage folding unit installed in a second step of the flowchart with a cylinder that moves to the upper position in which the first pusher reciprocating of the two-stage folding unit folds the first longitudinal lap of the folded packet around the central part of the folded bag;
FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway side view of part of the two-stage folding unit shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, and shows the application of glue to the folded bag;
FIG. 15 corresponds to FIGS. 12 and 13 and depicts a two-stage folding unit in a sequence of operations in which the second longitudinal lapel of the folded packet is folded over the first longitudinal lapel;
FIG. 16 is a partial schematic perspective view of a second wrapping / folding system for combining an absorbent article and a wrapper to form a kit, folding the kit into a bag, and then forming a folded bag from the bag;
FIG. 17 is a plan view of a triple folding system of a wrapping / folding system shown in FIG. 16, and depicting the movement of a packet to be folded towards a triple folding system;
FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line 18-18 of FIG. 17 and illustrates the reception of a packet to be folded by the triple folding mechanism of the triple folding system of FIG. 17;
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a three-fold folding mechanism of the three-fold system shown in FIGS. 16-18, and other interacting components of the three-fold system;
FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a coil of the triple folding mechanism of FIG. 19, and the interacting portion of the spline mounting axis for the coil;
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the guide track of the triple folding system of FIGS. 16-18, and illustrates the movement of the coil of one of the triple folding mechanisms around the guide track;
FIG. 22 is a sectional view taken along line 22-22 of FIG. 17 and depicts one of the three-fold mechanisms of the three-fold system in a position in which the three-fold mechanism can fold the bag into a folded bag;
FIG. 23 is a section along line 23-23 shown in FIG. 17 and depicts a coil of one of the three-fold mechanisms of the three-fold system in a position in which it is able to move through the three-fold system without affecting the movement of other packets through the system, folding three times.

 FIG. 24 is a partial schematic side view of the triple folding system shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, and depicts a coil of one of the triple folding mechanisms in various positions so that it illustrates a triple folding operation.

 The present invention is directed to a separately wrapped absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin, panty liner, an incontinence device, and the like, which is simple, compact, hygienic and easy to deploy when used and thrown away after use . The absorbent article does not require separate tear strips or linings and / or bags, since it has a detachable wrapper that serves as a wrapper as well as a package. Essentially the entire backsheet or barrier of the absorbent article directly faces the top surface of the wrapper and is attached to it by means of a releasable adhesive to form a combination or kit. In the case of an absorbent article with wings or eyelets, this configuration eliminates the need to use one or more tear strips intended for wings or eyelets. This kit is wrapped to form a bag and prevents contamination of the product due to the longitudinal folding of the side flaps of the wrapper. The wrapped bag is then folded three times transversely to form an e-shaped folded bag. Wrapping and folding can be performed using a process organized in a production line that uses simple equipment and does not require the opposite direction of movement of the gasket. These bags are preferably folded using a triple folding mechanism that rotates as it moves, at least generally along the path of the bag.

 The present invention is applicable to various separately wrapped absorbent articles, including sanitary napkins, panty liners, articles for patients with incontinence, and the like. It is particularly well applicable in sanitary napkins designed to absorb and retain menstrual flow. The present invention will therefore be described primarily with regard to sanitary napkins, but it should be understood that it also relates to other absorbent articles.

 1-3, a sanitary napkin 20 is shown, which is glued and removably attached to the wrapper 22 so that a kit 24 is formed. The kit 24 is folded and sealed to form a bag 25, which is best seen in FIG. 4- 6, and the wrapped bag is then tripled to form a generally e-shaped bag 26, which is best seen in FIG. First, consider FIG. 1, in which the sanitary napkin 20, made in accordance with this embodiment of the invention, is a product with wings or eyelets having an absorbent base 28 and a pair of wings or eyelets 30 and 31 located on the sides and opposite each other, which for simplicity, they are called "wings." Each of the wings 30 and 31 on the sides outward from the longitudinal central part corresponds to one of the lateral edges of the absorbent base 28. As is well known in the art, the wings 30 and 31 are formed so that they can be fixed so that they can be detached to the outer surface of the lower user underwear.

 2, the sanitary napkin 20 includes an absorbent core 32 and a wrapper 33 surrounding the absorbent core 32. The absorbent core 32 may be formed of any suitable absorbent material, such as pulp, cellulose wool, air felt, from layers of paper towels, superabsorbent materials, or their combinations. The wrapper 33 includes a liquid-impervious back sheet or barrier 34 that is located below the absorbent core 32 and a liquid-permeable top sheet or coating 36 that is located on top of the absorbent core 32. The top sheet 36 is formed so that it faces the user's body and functions so that it allows liquids to pass through it to hold them in the absorbent core 32. The back sheet 34 has a back surface 35, which is formed so that it can be fixed with possible by releasing it on the wrapper 22 using three strips or sections 46, 48 and 50 that adhere to the clothes. The strips 46, 48 and 50 that adhere to the clothes can be formed from any suitable adhesive and preferably formed from a pressure sensitive adhesive of this type, which is widely known in the art. It should be noted that one or two wide adhesive strips can be used instead of three narrower adhesive strips 46, 48 and 50. When the wrapper 22 is removed from the pad 20, the strips 46, 48 and 50 that adhere to the clothes remain on the pad 20 and function so that they attach and hold the pad 20 in the desired position on the inner surface of the underwear of the user. The top sheet 36 is attached to the back sheet 34 using structural adhesive 38 placed on the inner surface 39 of the upper sheet 36 and the structural adhesive 40 of the layer facing the body on the inner or front surface 41 of the back sheet 34. This structural adhesive 40 can be replaced, if necessary, a thermal compound or other technology known to those skilled in the art, such as ultrasonic bonding.

 The sanitary napkin 20 is essentially a conventional napkin. However, its position with respect to the wrapper 22 and the folded bag 26 formed by wrapping and folding the kit 24 (see Fig. 7), consisting of a combination of the gasket 20 and the wrapper 22, are not such. Let us explain now this relative position.

 As can be seen in FIG. 2, the detachable wrapper 22 can presumably be made using a multi-component or multi-component structure, but preferably contains a single sheet that serves both as a wrapper and as a detachable tear-off tape. Wrap 22 may be formed from any suitable thermoplastic, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, with polyethylene being preferred. The wrapper 22 has a first and a second, opposed main surfaces 42, 44, respectively, with the first or inwardly oriented surface 42 being preferably coated with a suitable peel-off material to facilitate separation from the adhesive strips 46, 48 and 50. Adhesive strips 46, 48 and 50 may have different configurations, provided that they fasten both the absorbent base 28 and the wings 30 and 31 on the wrapper 22. The adhesive strips 46, 48 and 50 allow the absorbent base 28 and the wings 30 and 31 to be fixed also on the bottom be after the gasket 20 has been torn off and separated from the wrapper 22. These three adhesive strips 46, 48 and 50 are relatively long narrow strips. The first or middle strip 46 is oriented along the longitudinal center line X - X of the absorbent base 28 (FIG. 1) and extends along a substantial portion of the longitudinal length of the strip 20. For example, the adhesive strips 46, 48 and 50 may extend from about 50% to about 99% of the total length of the strip 20. The second and third strips 48 and 50, respectively, are located under the generally central part of the respective wings 30 and 31. It is important to note that the second and third strips 48 and 50 of adhesive serve to fix the wings 30 and 31 on the wrapper 22. This eliminates not bhodimost folding flaps 30 and 31 back over the absorbent body 28 and to protect the strips of adhesive 48 and 50 via separate the tear strip.

 Let us again consider figure 1, on which the detachable wrapper 22 has a perimeter defined by a pair of longitudinal ends 51 and 53 located on opposite sides of the transverse center line Y - Y, and a pair of transverse edges 55 and 57 located on opposite sides relative to the longitudinal center line X - X. Preferably, the transverse edges 55 and 57 of the wrapper 22 protrude outwardly outside the respective transverse side rims of the sanitary napkin 20 so that between the outermost transverse ends 63 and 65 of the wings nis 30 and 31 and the edges of the wrapper 22 are formed transverse intervals. The transverse edges 55 and 57 of the wrapper 22 preferably protrude at a distance of about 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches (3.81-6.35 cm), and even more preferably at a distance of about 2.0 inches (5.08 cm) beyond the respective transverse edges 59 and 61 of the absorbent base 28. The transverse edges 55 and 57 of the wrapper 22 also extend from about 0.25 inches to 0.75 inches (0.64-1.91 cm), and even more preferably approximately 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) away from the ends 63 and 65 of the wings 30 and 31. The longitudinal ends 51 and 53 of the wrapper 22 likewise protrude beyond the longitudinal ends 73 and 75 of the gasket 20. This configuration not only facilitates the fastening of the gasket 20 on the wrapper 22, but also ensures that a sufficient amount of wrapper material is available to allow the used gasket 20 to be thrown out.

 The combination of the gasket 20, which is fixed with the possibility of separation on the wrapper 22, is folded and sealed so that a packet 25 is formed (Fig. 3-6). The bag 25 is then folded to form a hygienic, compact and easy to handle and easy to deploy folded bag 26 (see Fig.7).

 Specifically, in FIG. 3, the wrapper 22 is folded longitudinally around the gasket 20 along two longitudinally extending folding lines 52 and 54 so that the side flap 56 and the side flap 58 protrude in the transverse direction from the oppositely spaced transverse edges 55 and 57 of the wrapper 22. The side flaps 56 and 58 are mounted on the top sheet 36 of the gasket 20 after folding, as seen in the left half of FIG. This wrap protects the transverse edges 67 and 77 of the gasket 20 from contamination and eliminates the need to seal the edges of the bag 25, making production easier and also making it easier to tear the seam running along the length of the bag 25 when the gasket 20 is deployed. Preferably longitudinal folding lines 52 and 54 are selected of the same length as the longitudinal edges or edges 59 and 61 of the absorbent base 28, and are located so that the side flap 58 overlaps the other side flap 5 6 close to the longitudinal center line X - X of the package 25, as can be seen in figure 4, so that the upper sheet of the strip 36 is completely closed. Side flaps 56 and 58 can be secured to each other using glue 60 in the form of one or more adhesive points or strips (see FIGS. 2 and 4) to facilitate subsequent folding and to form a more compact bag 25. However, there is no need to apply an adhesive strip 60 along the entire length of the overlap, even when an adhesive strip 60 is used.

 The ends 69 and 71 of the bag 25 are also preferably sealed, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, to completely wrap the gasket. The wrapped bag 25 is folded in the transverse direction (i.e. parallel to the transverse center line YY in FIGS. 4 and 5) with respect to the transversely extending folding lines 62 and 64 to form a folded bag 26 (FIG. 7) having a central portion 66 and a first and second longitudinal lapels 68 and 70. The first lapel 68 is located near and below the central portion 66, and the second lapel 70 is located near and below the first lapel 68, as shown in FIG. 7 to form a generally e-shaped folded packet. The second lapel 70 is detachably attached to the first lapel 68 to protect the folded bag 26 from being accidentally deployed. Attaching can be done using glue 72 (which is best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5), which is applied as dots or a strip of adhesive tape extending from the outer end 69 of the second lapel 70 to the inner end of the first lapel 68 towards line 62 folding. As shown, the attachment is carried out by applying a spot of glue 72 (below the "section"), which is performed using a pressure sensitive adhesive located between the first and second flaps 68 and 70 in a place close to the outer end 69 of the second lapel 70.

 The finished wrapped and folded bag 26 fully satisfies the sanitary conditions, since the gasket 20 is essentially completely sealed against environmental influences. Folded bag 26 can also be quickly and easily opened by unfolding it by simply pulling the second lapel 70 away from the first lapel 68, overcoming the relatively small resistance of the easily removable adhesive portion 72. The side lapels 58 and 56 are then deployed to overcome the relatively weak resistance of the easily separated adhesive strip 60. The gasket 20 can now be removed from the wrapper 22 by simply gripping one end of the gasket 20 by pulling it in the longitudinal direction with respect to the wrapper 22. There is no need to touch any sanitary part of the pad 20. There is also no need to remove the separate tear-off tapes that would otherwise be required to close the adhesive strips 48 and 50 located on the wings 30 and 31. The pad 20 is now ready to be attached to the bottom linen. After use, the gasket 20 can conveniently be ejected by simply wrapping it in the wrapper 22. This wrapping and subsequent ejection is facilitated by the fact that the wrapper 22 is substantially larger than the gasket 20, both in the longitudinal and transverse directions. There is also no need to open a separate bag to pull out the gasket for use or to push the used gasket into a separate, pre-formed package when it is discarded. The unfolding and throwing out in this way are significantly facilitated in comparison with many products of the prior art.

 The present invention is also applicable to absorbent articles having no wings, such as sanitary napkin 220 without wings, shown in FIG. 8. The gasket 220 is detachably secured with glue on the wrapper 222 so that the kit 224 is formed. The kit 224 is folded and sealed so that the bag 225 is formed, which is best seen in FIG. 10, and the wrapped bag is then folded three times, to form a substantially e-shaped folded package.

 In FIG. 8, it can be seen that the sanitary napkin 220 of this embodiment has an absorbent base 228, which is generally rectangular in shape and which has a pair of opposed transverse edges 259 and 261, and a pair of opposed longitudinal ends 273 and 275. The term " generally rectangular, "used here, should be understood as covering the oval shape, hourglass shape, etc., except that it covers a truly rectangular shape. The release wrap 222 has a first or product receiving surface 242, a second surface 244 (which is best seen in FIG. 9), and a perimeter defined by opposing longitudinal ends 251 and 253 that are located on opposite sides with respect to the transverse center line Y - Y, and opposite each other transverse edges 255 and 257, which are located on opposite sides with respect to the longitudinal center line X - X. Preferably, the transverse edges 255 and 257 of the wrapper 222 protrusion spaced a distance of approximately 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches (3.81-6.35 cm), and even more preferably a distance of approximately 2.0 inches (5.08 cm), beyond the respective transverse edges 259 and 261 of the main absorbent body 228. As described above with respect to the first embodiment, this configuration not only facilitates fixing the gasket 220 to the wrapper 222, but also ensures that the wrapper will have enough material to be used for discarding used gasket 220, moiety in the wrapper.

 As can be seen again in FIG. 9, the sanitary napkin 220 includes an absorbent core 232 and an envelope 233 that surrounds the absorbent core 232. The envelope 233 includes a liquid impervious back sheet or barrier 234 that is located below the absorbent core 232 and a liquid permeable top sheet or a coating 236 that is located on top of the absorbent core 232. The top sheet 236 is formed so that it faces the user's body and functions in such a way that allows liquids to pass through it for holding them in an absorbent core 232. The backsheet 234 has a back surface 235 that is formed so that it can be detachably secured to the first surface 242 receiving the article, wrappers 222 with glue 246 to attach to clothing, which may take the form a single strip, as shown, or which can be replaced by two or more separate strips or sections. The topsheet 236 is bonded to the backsheet 234 using structural glue 238 placed on the inner surface 239 of the topsheet 236 and a layer placed on the body side, structural glue 240 on the inner or front surface 241 of the backsheet 238. Also, as with 1 to 7, this structural adhesive 240 can be replaced by thermal bonding, if desired, or made using other bonding technologies known to those skilled in the art, such as ultrasound ukovoe compound.

 As in the first embodiment, the kit 224 is wrapped so that a bag is formed that can be further folded to form a folded bag. 10, a bag 225 is formed by folding the wrapper 222 in the longitudinal direction around the gasket 220 along two longitudinally extending folding lines 252 and 254, respectively, so that the side flap 256 and the side flap 258 are transversely from the oppositely spaced transverse edges 255 and 257 of the wrapper 222. Side flaps 256 and 258 are superimposed on the top sheet 236 of the gasket 220 after folding, as can be seen in the left half of FIG. 10. As described above with respect to the first embodiment, such a wrapper protects the side edges 267 and 277 of the gasket 220 from contamination and eliminates the need to seal the edges of the bag 225, thereby simplifying production and also simplifying use due to the fact that there is no need to break the connecting a line running along the entire length of the bag 225 when the strip 220 is deployed. Preferably, the longitudinal fold lines 252 and 254 are of the same length as the longitudinal edges or edges 259 and 261 of the strip 220, and are located Thus, the lateral lapel 258 is superimposed overlapping the lapel 256 of the other side in close proximity to the longitudinal center line X - X of the packet 225, so that the upper sheet 236 of the gasket is completely closed. Side flaps 256 and 258 can be fixed to each other using glue 260, applied in the form of one or more adhesive points or strips (see Fig. 9), to facilitate subsequent folding and to form a more compact package 225. Ends 269 and 271 the package 225 is also preferably sealed to completely seal the gasket, as shown with respect to the end 269 on the left half of FIG. 10.

 The bag 225 is preferably folded longitudinally to form an e-shaped folded bag. Such a folded bag is identical in appearance to the folded bag 26 in accordance with the first embodiment and accordingly there is no need for a detailed description thereof.

 The separately wrapped sanitary towels 20 or 220 described above, as well as similarly designed absorbent articles, could be wrapped and folded using various processes, including a manual processing process. Preferably, however, the wrapping and folding are done automatically by a process in the form of a flow line in which the interruption of the movement of the kit or its sudden change in direction of movement is not required. An example of a process from practice will be described in detail below with respect to the sanitary towel 20 with wings according to the first embodiment, it being understood that the same or practically the same process and device can be used to wrap and fold the sanitary towel 220 without wings according to the second embodiment, as well as other separately wrapped absorbent articles, such as panty liners, articles for patients with incontinence, and the like.

 11-15 depict a first embodiment of a wrapping / folding system 100, which forms a set 24 of sanitary pads 20 and wrappers 22, wraps a set 24 so that the bags 25 are formed, and folds the bags 25 into folded bags 26. All three operations are performed in the process performed in the production line, without interrupting the movement of the kit and without changing the direction of its movement. First, consider FIG. 11, in which the system 100 includes the following main components: a kit forming device 102, a longitudinal folding device 104, a sealing and cutting mechanism 106, and a two-stage folding device 108. Other components except the two-stage folding device 108 are identical or similar to the same or similar components used in similar processes known to specialists in this field of technology. Therefore, these components will be described only briefly and, above all, by the example of their functioning.

 The apparatus for forming the kit 102 receives the preformed gaskets 20 and a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 'and applies three strips 46,48 and 50 for gluing to the clothes on the continuous sheet of wrapper material 22' in order to form sets 24 whose edges are connected to each other with friend. The pads 20 are then arranged on a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ', and the two elements 22' and 20 are joined together using glue 46, 48 and 50 for gluing to clothes. 11, gaskets 20 and a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ are supplied to the device for forming the kit 102 from above and below, respectively, by the first and second conveyors 110 and 112. The first conveyor 110 may be a vacuum conveyor 110 having a downwardly directed feed surface. The second conveyor 112 may be a belt conveyor with a roller drive located below the discharge end of the first conveyor 110 and having a feed surface directed upward. A standard glue applicator 114 applies the first, second, and third strips 46, 48, and 50 to adhere to the clothes on a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 'as a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22' arrives in the shaper of kit 102 using a second conveyor 112. As an alternative to the strip 46, 48 and 50 for gluing can be applied to the gaskets 20. The speeds of the conveyors 110 and 112 are coordinated in a known manner so that the first, second and third strips 46, 48 and 50 for gluing to clothes are applied at the desired location guide pads 20. Formation kit completed by a conventional pressure roller 116 which presses the gasket 20 in the continuous sheet material 22 'of the wrapper, to secure the pressure sensitive strips 46, 48 and 50 for sticking to clothing. It should be understood that the direction of the forming device of the kit 102 may be reversed so that the gaskets 20 will be supplied to the specified shaper 102 from below, and a continuous sheet of material 22 'of the wrapper will be fed to the shaper 102 from above. In this case, the vacuum conveyor 110 can be replaced by a conventional belt conveyor or similar device.

 Further, in FIG. 11, it can be seen that the longitudinal folding set 104 is formed by folding the side flaps 56 and 58 of the continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ over the top sheet 36 of the gasket. In the depicted and preferred embodiment, the longitudinal folding set 104 includes an adhesive applicator 124 and a folding share located on top of the unloading part of the conveyor 112. The share includes a pair of curved deflector plates 126 and 128 of the shares that engage and fold longitudinal opposing edges of the continuous sheet of material 22 'wrappers. In particular, as a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ is fed to the left, as shown in the figures, ploughshare deflecting plates 126 and 128 capture the side edges of the continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′, forming side flaps 56 and 58, and fold them in the longitudinal direction along fold lines 52 and 54 of FIGS. 2 and 4 so that the package described above is created. The deflecting plates 126 and 128 of the ploughshare are spaced apart in the direction of sheet feed so that the two flaps 56 and 58 are folded without interfering with each other, that is, they are folded one on top of the other so that a seam is formed in close proximity to the longitudinal center line of X-X assemblies 24 (figure 3). The glue applicator 124 applies the above easily removable glue strips 60 to the overlap area or the seam area of the first lapel 56, and the second or opposite lapel 58 is pressed by the second ploughshare deflecting plate 128 so that sealing contact is created with these glue strips 60. As noted above, these glue strips are not critical to the wrapper of the kit and can be replaced with tape or thermal compound.

 Three-dimensional vacuum conveyors can be used in conjunction with deflection plates 126 and 128 of the share. Such conveyors will follow the contour of the deflector plates 126 and 128 of the ploughshare so that the side flaps 56 and 58 extend between the conveyors and the deflector plates 126 and 128 of the ploughshare, guided by conveyors. Such conveyors can complicate the process, but can improve process reliability and enable assembly with greater productivity. The use of three-dimensional vacuum conveyors in conjunction with folding devices is well known to specialists in this field and a detailed description of conveyors suitable for this process, therefore, will be omitted for brevity.

 Next, in FIG. 11, the product exiting the longitudinal folding device 104 consists of a continuous chain of bags 25 connected by ends. The sealing and cutting unit 106 then cuts a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ between adjacent packages so that individual packages 25 are formed and seals the ends 69 and 71 of these packages 25 to completely seal the gaskets 20 inside the packages 25 like sausages. Sealing and cutting units suitable for these purposes are well known to those skilled in the art. Typically, such an assembly includes a pair of heated sealing / cutting rollers located at some distance from each other 136, 138. The lower roller 138 has a plurality of “crimps” located at a distance from each other, each of which has a central adhesive applicator extending along the axis. As each of the crimps rotates in contact with a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′, the continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ is crimped and the application device heat-seals or otherwise seals the ends 69 and 71, now separated and adjacent packets 25 with each other as the crimp and seal roller 136 compress the sealed ends 69 and 71 of the bag. In this case, separately wrapped and sealed packages 25 are formed.

 It should be noted that if the gaskets 20 are fed into the wrapping / folding system 100 from below, and not from above, located further down the process, then part of the conveyor 112 shown should be replaced by the vacuum layer located above the bags 25, and the longitudinal folding set 104 should be placed under vacuum a box.

Next, in FIG. 11, the inverting mechanism 140 is located downstream of the sealing and cutting unit 106, designed to invert the newly formed bags 25 so that they are fed into a two-stage folding unit 108 so that their seams are turned upside down. The flipping mechanism 140 shown is in the form of a curved plate placed immediately upstream of the sealing and cutting rollers 136 and 138. The bags 25 are turned over as they slide along the concave surface of the plate, and then they are placed upside down on the downstream loading conveyor 150 of a two-stage folding unit 108. The overturning mechanism 140 may be replaced with twisted belts of known design or may be any other under a walking mechanism capable of turning packages 25 by 180 ^o . The flipping mechanism 140 can also be omitted if the direction of the gasket conveyors 110 and 112 and the continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ are rotated as described above, or if the direction of the two-stage folding unit 108 is rotated as described below.

 The two-stage folding unit 108 folds the bags 25 into a complete e-shape of the folded bag 26. Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the two-stage folding unit 108 includes a first or loading conveyor 150, a first and second pusher assembly 152 and 154, an applicator 156 glue and a second or discharge conveyor 158.

 The loading conveyor 150 moves separately wrapped, but not yet folded packages 25 into the pusher assemblies 152 and 154 of the pushers so that they are located at some distance from each other. The speed of the conveyor 150 is controlled according to the speed of the pusher units 152 and 154.

 Further, as can be seen in FIG. 11, the pusher assemblies 152 and 154 reciprocate in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, so as to fold the kits 24 into the folded bags 26.

 The reciprocating motion of the pusher assemblies 152 and 154 can be performed using cams, hydraulic cylinders, or the like. In a preferred embodiment, their reciprocating movements are performed using respective pneumatic cylinders 160 and 162. Each pusher assembly 152 or 154 has a flat pusher plate 164 or 166 attached to the rod end of the corresponding cylinder 160 or 162. Each pusher plate 164 or 166 should have at least the same width as the width of the bag 25. At the free end of each of the pusher plates 164,166, longitudinal slots 168, 170 are formed, the purpose of which will become apparent from the following is described and I. The guide edge of each of the pusher plates 164 and 166 is preferably wedge-shaped or has a certain radius of curvature in order to reduce the pressure exerted on the bags 25 during the pushing operation and to prevent cutting or separation of the sets. The pusher plates 164, 166 must also be formed from a low friction material and / or treated with silicone or other friction reducing material to facilitate folding of the kit.

 The guides are installed in a two-stage folding unit 108 for guiding the movement of the packages 25 through the pusher units 152 and 154 and for participating in the folding operation. These guides include the first and second stationary guides 172 and 174 and the first and second rotary guides 176 and 178. The first stationary guide 172 contains a curved plate that has a horizontal arm located at some distance over the outlet end of the loading conveyor 150 and a vertical arm that extends upward from the discharge end of the loading conveyor 150. The second stationary guide 174 contains a C-shaped frame representing a recess 182 (Fig.12-15), which is turned to the discharge end of the loading conveyor 150 with a short gap between them of sufficient size so that the pusher plate 164 can enter it. The guiding edges of the feed packages enter the recess 182 so as to prevent them from slipping through the pusher assembly 152. The first pivoting guide 176 comprises a curved plate 184, which is located at some distance from the first stationary guide 172 so that a set-receiving gap is formed between them. The plate 184, as can be seen in the figure, bends up and to the left and rotates together with the rotary pin 186 from a generally vertical orientation (Figs. 11 and 12) to a position in which its upper end is located in close proximity to the entrance of the discharge conveyor 158 (Fig. 15). The second pivoting guide 178 has a C-shaped frame 188 in which a recess 190 is made (FIGS. 12-13 and 15) and which pivots with the pivot pin 192 from a substantially vertical orientation (FIGS. 11 and 12) to a position in which its lower end is located in close proximity to the entrance of the discharge conveyor 158 (Fig.15).

 As best seen in FIG. 14, the glue applicator 156 is mounted on the transverse central portion of the vertical shoulder of the first stationary rail 172 so that it can extrude glue through the hole 180 in the rail 172, through the slot 168 of the pusher plate 164 onto the bag 25, which is carried by the plate 164 pushers. However, this applicator 156 may be replaced with a tape applicator or some other suitable structure.

 Next, in Fig. 11, the discharge conveyor 158 is formed as a pair of continuous belt conveyors 200 and 20 located at some distance from each other. Conveyors 200 and 202 carry the folded bags 26 from the pusher units 152 and 154, while compressing the folded bags 26 in the clamp 204, which is formed between two conveyors 200 and 202 in order to reduce their total thickness and to press the glued flaps 68 and 70 of each folded bag 26 to form a hermetically sealed connection at the locations of the adhesive sections 72. The lower conveyor 202 includes upwardly inclined inlet section 206, into which folded packets 26 are received from the pusher assembly 154 and which feeds the folded packets 26 to the clamp 204.

 Folded bags 26 are formed in a two-stage folding unit 108 as follows: in FIG. 12, the bags 25 are fed into a two-stage folding unit 108 from the loading conveyor 150 so that their longitudinal seams (formed by overlapping portions of the side flaps 56 and 58) are located downward. As the bag 25 enters the two-stage folding unit 108, the pusher plate 164 of the first pusher assembly 152 is moved upward by the pneumatic cylinder 160 so that it grips the bag 25 close to the transverse fold line 62. The continued upward movement of the pusher plate 164 lifts the bag 25 from the plane of the loading conveyor 150 so that the bag 25 is pushed between the curved guides 172 and 176, as shown in FIG. 13, by which the first longitudinal flap 68 in the central part 66 is partially bent. At this moment, the glue applicator 156 is turned on, as shown in FIG. 14, to spray the glue portion 72 (FIGS. 4 and 5) through the slot 168 in the first plunger plate 164 to the end of the second longitudinal lapel 70. Continuing upward movement of the first the pusher plate 164 pushes the portion of the bag 25 containing the connected central portion 66 and the first longitudinal flap 68 into the recess 190 of the second pivoting guide 178, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. Moving the partially folded bag 25, now U-shaped, into recess 190 further folds the first longitudinal flap 68 over the central portion 66 and the first pusher plate 164.

 Then, the movement of the first pusher assembly 152 is performed in the opposite direction to remove the first pusher plate 164 from the recess 190, and the second pusher assembly 154 is pulled out to move the second pusher plate 166 towards the second pivot guide 178. The bimetal type contact between the pusher plate 166 and the guide 178 can be eliminated by mechanically connecting the pivot pin 192 to the pusher assembly 154 using a pivoting cam connection or similar mechanism (not shown). The guide 178 will then rotate without contact with the pusher plate 166.

 As the pusher plate 166 continues to extend, it moves along the guide 178 and comes into contact with the bag 25 at a location close to the transverse fold line 64 between the center portion 66 and the second lapel 70, as shown in FIG. 15. The continued movement of the pusher plate 166 pushes the bag 25 from the recess 190 towards the discharge conveyor 158. During this movement, the second longitudinal flap 70 of the bag 25 comes into contact with the first pivoting guide 176 and begins to fold around the first longitudinal flap 68 (thereby forming a folded bag 26), forcing the guide 176 to pivot to the position shown in FIG. 15. The slot 170 in the second pusher plate 166 at this moment is aligned with the adhesive portion 72 on the second lapel 70 so that the pusher plate 166 does not contaminate the adhesive portion 72. Further movement of the pusher plate pushes the folded bag 26 onto the upstream entrance section 206 of the lower the belt 202 of the unloading conveyor 158 so that the second longitudinal lapel 70 of the folded bag 26 is further bent over the first longitudinal lapel 68. The unloading conveyor 158 then transfers the folded bag 26 from the second pusher assembly 154 in the nip 204 where the folded bag 26 is compressed so as to form a compact and fixing adhesive portion 72, the pressure-sensitive. The discharge conveyor 158 then transfers the finished folded bags 26 from the system 100 for further actions, such as packaging in cardboard boxes or crates.

 Figs. bags 25 in the transverse direction so that e-shaped bags 26 are formed. As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11-15, all three operations are performed in the process in the production line, without interrupting the movement of the kit and without changing the direction of its movement to the opposite.

 First, see FIG. 16, in which the wrapping / folding system 300 includes the following main components: a kit forming device 302, a longitudinal folding device 304, a sealing and cutting mechanism 306, and a triple folding system 308. Other components besides the triple folding system 308 are identical or similar components or similar components according to the embodiment depicted in Figs. 11-15, and will be described only briefly and, above all, by the example of their functioning.

 Next, in FIG. 16, the apparatus for forming the kit 302 receives the preformed gaskets 20 and a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ and imposes strips for gluing to clothes on the continuous sheet of material 22 ′ of the wrapper to form sets 24 connected to each other. The gasket 20 is then located on a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ', and the two elements 22' and 20 are fastened together with glue 46, 48 and 50 for gluing to clothes. Gaskets 20 and a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ are fed into the shaper 302 from above and from below using the first and second conveyors 310 and 312. The first conveyor 310 may be a vacuum conveyor 310 having a downwardly directed feed surface. The second conveyor 312 may be a belt drive with a roller drive located below the discharge end of the first conveyor 310 and having an upwardly arranged feed surface. A standard glue applicator 314 applies the first, second, and third glue strips 46, 48, and 50 of adhesive for attaching to clothes on a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 'as a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22' is fed into the kit forming apparatus 302 by a second conveyor 312. Alternatively, gluing strips 46, 48 and 50 can be applied to the gaskets 20. The speeds of the conveyors 310 and 312 are coordinated in a known manner so that the first, second and third gluing strips 46, 48 and 50 are installed in appropriate estah respective gaskets 20. Formation of sets is completed by a conventional pressure roller 316 which presses the gaskets 20 to the continuous sheet material 22 'of the wrapper so as to fix the pressure sensitive strips 46, 48 and 50 for sticking to clothing. As described above with respect to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11-15, the orientation of the bundle former 302 may be opposite so that the spacers 20 are fed into said bundle 302 from below and so that a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ will be fed into the bundle former 302 from above. In this case, the vacuum conveyor 310 will be replaced with a conventional belt conveyor, etc.

 Next, in FIG. 16, the longitudinal folding device 304 folds the side flaps 56 and 58 of a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ over the top of the pad sheet 36. The longitudinal folding device 304 includes an adhesive applicator 324 and a folding share located on top of the discharge portion of the conveyor 312. The share includes a pair of curved deflecting plates 326 and 328 shares that grab and fold transversely opposed to each other edges of the continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′. Namely, as a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 'is fed to the left, as shown in the figures, ploughshare deflecting plates 326 and 328 capture the lateral edges of the continuous sheet of wrapper material 22', forming side flaps 56 and 58 and folding them in the longitudinal the direction along the fold lines 52 and 54, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, to create a bag 25, as described above. The ploughshare deflecting plates 326 and 328 are located at some distance from each other in the direction of movement of the sheet so that the two side flaps 56 and 58 are folded without interfering with each other, that is, so that they are folded onto one another, forming a seam in close proximity to longitudinal central X - X assemblies 24 (Fig. 3). The glue applicator 324 applies the above easily removable glue strips 60 to the overlapping area or seam area of the first lapel 56, and opposite the second lapel 58 is pressed by the second ploughshape deflecting plate 328, creating a sealing contact with the adhesive strips 60. Three-dimensional vacuum conveyors can be used in conjunction with the deflecting plates of coulter 326 and 328. These conveyors will follow the contour of the deflecting plates 326 and 328 ploughshares so that the side flaps 56 and 58 will move between the conveyors and the deflecting plates 326 and 328 plowshares, guided by conveyors. Such conveyors complicate the process, but improve process reliability and provide greater productivity.

 Next, in FIG. 16, the product exiting the longitudinal folding device 304 consists of a continuous sequence of bags 25 connected to one another by their ends. The sealing and cutting mechanisms 306 then cut a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ between adjacent bags to form individual bags 25 and seal the ends 69 and 71 of these bags 25 in order to completely cover the gaskets 20 in the bags 25, like sausages. The sealing and cutting mechanisms 304 includes a pair of upper and lower sealing / cutting rollers located at some distance from each other 336, 338. The lower roller 338 has a plurality of “crimps” located at some distance from each other around the circumference, each of which has axially extending central glue applicators. As each of the crimps rotates in contact with a continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′, the continuous sheet of wrapper material 22 ′ is cut by a crimp, while the glue application device creates a thermal connection or otherwise seals the ends 69 and 71 of the now separated and adjacent to each other with each other of the bags 25, while the crimp and sealing roller 336 compress the sealed ends 69 and 71 of the bag. In this case, separately wrapped and sealed packages 25 are formed.

 As in the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 11-15, if the gaskets 20 are fed into the system 300 from below rather than from above, the portion of the conveyor 312 located further downstream should be replaced by a vacuum layer located on top of bags 25 and device 304 longitudinal folding will be placed below the vacuum box.

 The triple folding system 308 triple the bag 25 to form the finished e-shaped folded bags 26. Next, in FIG. 16, the triple folding system 308 includes a first or loading conveyor 350 and a triple folding unit 400 and a second or unloading conveyor 358 included in the production line.

 Next, in FIG. 16, the loading conveyor 350 and the unloading conveyor 358 transfer separately wrapped but not yet folded bags 25 to the triple folding unit 400 included in the production line and transfer the folded folded packages 26 to the triple folding device included in the production line. The speeds of the conveyors 350 and 358 are controlled so that they correspond to the speed of the triple folding device 400 included in the production line. The glue applicator 356 is located on top of the loading conveyor 350 so that it can spray a strip or section of glue 72 on each of the bags 25 for subsequent connection of the first and second longitudinal lapels 68 and 70 with each other. The unloading conveyor 358 is formed of a pair of continuous belt conveyors 500 and 50 located at some distance from each other. The conveyor belts 500 and 502 transfer the folded bags 26 from the triple folding device 400, while compressing the folded bags 26 in the clip 504, which is formed between them to reduce the thickness of each of the folded bags, and to clamp the glued longitudinal flaps 68 and 70 of each of the folded bags 26 so that a sealing joint is formed at the application site adhesive section 72.

Next, in FIG. 16, a triple folding device 400 included in the production line is arranged so that it folds wrapped bags 25 to form e-shaped folded bags 26 as the bags 25 pass through the triple folding device 400 without stopping the delivery of the package or changing the direction of its movement to the opposite. The triple folding device 400 included in the flow line includes a holder structure 402 that defines a travel path T _p for transferring packets 25 through the triple folding device 400 and further includes a plurality of triple folding mechanisms 404. The triple folding mechanisms 404 are jointly held by a common support guide track 406 and move at least generally parallel to the transfer path T _p with the help of a closed drive element 408, while being guided in its motion generally along the transfer path T _p using the guide track 410. Each of the triple folding mechanisms 404 as it moves, generally along the transfer path T _p rotates with the help of the closed drive elements 408 so that they fold the respective packets 25 into e- shaped folded bags 26.

17, the travel path T _p extends in the vertical plane V, and each of the triple folding mechanisms 404 is located at least generally transversely with respect to the plane V. The support track 406, the closed drive element 408, and the guide track 410 pass, at least generally parallel to the vertical plane V and in the transverse direction with respect to the axis of rotation A of the spindles 450 of the triple folding mechanisms 404. The guide track 410 is located between the vertical plane V and the closed driving element 408, and I close a lead drive element 408 is located between the guide track 410 and the support track 406. At least two triple folding mechanisms 404 are positioned at a distance longitudinally along the continuous drive element 408 so that more than one packet 25 can be folded for each revolution of the closed drive element 408 .

 Further, in FIG. 17, the closed drive element 408 may comprise any structure capable of moving individual triple folding mechanisms 404 along a continuous loop along the triple folding device 400 located in the flow line. In the illustrated embodiment, the closed driving element 408 comprises a pair located on some the distance from each other of the closed circuits 412 and 414. The circuits 412 and 414 are driven at one end by a common drive axle 416 and corresponding drive sprockets 418 and 420 and are supported on the other end using the intermediate shaft 422 and the corresponding intermediate sprockets 424 and 426.

 In FIG. 18, the bag support structure 402 has a longitudinal gap G between the loading conveyor 350 and the discharge conveyor 358 so that it supports the bags 25 as they are transferred and folded by the triple folding mechanisms 404. The support structure 402 includes an upper curved surface 430 along which it slides bags 25 and which is preferably coated with a friction reducing agent, such as a plasma spray coating. This surface is curved in the vertical plane V so that it allows rotation of the working components of the triple folding mechanisms 404 during folding of the bag. The curvature of the surface 430 will depend in part on the desired arrangement of the transverse fold lines 62 and 64 (FIGS. 4 and 5) along the longitudinal length of the bag 25. The more pronounced the curvature, the shorter the central longitudinal portion 66 of the folded bag 26 and the longer the first and second longitudinal flaps 68 and 70. The profile of the depicted surface 430, when used in conjunction with the depicted triple folding mechanism 404 (as best seen in FIG. 19), leads to the formation of a folded package in which each longitudinal lapel 68 and 70 has a length that paradise is approximately 25-30% of the longitudinal length of the package 25.

Next, in FIG. 18, the support track 406 may comprise any structure capable of supporting the triple folding mechanism 404 and which changes the lifting of the triple folding mechanisms 404 as they rotate around the triple folding unit 400 with the closed drive element 408. In the illustrated embodiment, the support track 406 comprises a metal plate 432 having a slot or channel 434 formed in it, which is divided into segments so that the upper and lower parts 436 and 438 are formed (Fig. 19) and in which the supporting roles are moved ki 440 (FIGS. 18 and 19) of the triple folding mechanism 404. The roller 440 of each of the triple folding mechanisms 404 moves in the bottom portion 438 of the slot during the folding operation of the bag and then during the reverse movement of the triple folding mechanism moves up into the inclined portion 442 of the slot 434 so that raises the triple folding mechanism 404 above the transfer path T _p . The triple folding mechanism 404 then returns to the upper portion 436 (FIG. 16) of the slot and then moves through the generally lateral Y-shaped portion 444 of the slot 434 (FIG. 18), which connects the upper and lower portions 436 and 438, thereby triple folding the mechanism 404 is lowered into the travel path T _p to receive another packet 25, which will fold three times.

 In particular, in FIG. 19, it can be seen that each of the triple folding mechanisms 404 comprises a spindle 450 on which a working component of the triple folding mechanism 404 is mounted; a coupling unit 452 that supports and drives the spindle 450; and an engine 454, which is supported on the connecting unit 452 and which drives the spindle 450, while allowing the spindle 450 to be moved in the transverse direction with respect to the connecting node 452. The connecting unit 452 includes a horizontal support pin 456 that extends through blocks 458 and 460 which, in turn, are attached to the drive chains 412 and 414. One end of the support pin 456 is connected to the aforementioned holder roller 440 by a first lever 462, the upper end of which is articulated with is one with the support axis 464 for the support roller 440 and the lower end is pivotally connected to the holder pin 456. The other end of the holder pin 456 supports the engine 454 through a second lever 466 having a top edge rotatably connected to the pin 456 and the lower end of which is fixed to the holder holder lever 468 for the engine 454. Due to the configuration of the support track 406 and the guide track 410, the angle between the levers 462 (FIG. 18) and 466 remains constant as the triple folding mechanism 404 rotates around the triple folding device 400 included in the flow line using the closed drive element 408.

 The motor 454 may be any suitable variable speed motor, and preferably comprises an AC motor mounted from a servo drive. The motor 454 has a rotatable output axis 470 on which a key is formed so that it corresponds to an axial hole 472, also made for the key in the spindle 450, as shown in FIG. 20. This connection with the key allows the relative axial movement of the spindle 450 along the output axis 470 of the engine, inhibiting the relative rotational movement between the spindle 450 and the output axis 470. This arrangement therefore allows the above transverse movement of the spindle 450 with respect to the motor 454 and the vertical plane V .

 Next, in FIG. 20, spindle 450 includes an inner-axis guide disk 474 and an outer-axis support disk 476, separated by an element 478, which has a reduced diameter compared to the disks 474 and 476. The guide disk 474 is gripped and guided by the guide lane 410, as described in detail below. The support disk 476 supports the working components of the spindle 450.

 In the described embodiment, these functional components include an L-shaped bending plate 480 and a cylindrical bending pin 482. The bending plate 480 has a first relatively wide shoulder 484 and a second relatively narrow shoulder 486 located at right angles to each other. The wide shoulder 484 forms a supporting surface for the first longitudinal lapel 68 of the bag 25, which must be folded. The narrow shoulder 486 forms a stop for the end 69 of the first longitudinal lapel 68 of the bag 25. The width W1 of the wide shoulder 484 should be slightly smaller than the estimated length of the first longitudinal lapel 68, and should preferably be approximately 20-30% of the length of the bag 25. In the described embodiment in which the bag 25 has a length of approximately 9.5 inches (24.1 cm), the width W1 should be approximately 2 inches (5.08 cm) to 2 and 3/4 inches (6.99 cm), and most preferably approximately 2.5 inches (6.35 cm). The width W2 of the short arm 486 should not exceed the thickness of the bag 25. In the described embodiment, in which the bag 25 has a thickness of approximately 3/8 inch (0.95 cm), the width W2 should not exceed 3/8 inch (0.95 cm) and preferably should be approximately 5/16 inches (0.79 cm). The bending plate 480 and bending pin 482 must have a length L that is at least equal to the width of the bag 25, namely at least 3.5 inches (8.89 cm) in the described embodiment. In order to facilitate the movement of the bags 25 with respect to the triple folding mechanism 404 at appropriate times, the bending pin 482 and the bending plate 480 are preferably coated with an adhesive such as a plasma spray coating.

Next, in FIG. 20, the bending pin 482 is located at a certain distance from the wide and narrow shoulder 484 and 486 of the bending plate 480 at a distance of D ₁ and D _2, respectively. The distance D ₁ between the bending pin 482 and the wide shoulder 484 should be large enough so that a gap is formed for the bag 25, but not so large that the bag 25 can make too much radial movement with respect to the spindle 450. In the described embodiment, in which the bag 25 has a thickness of approximately 3/8 inch (0.95 cm), this distance should be approximately 1.27 cm. The distance D2 between the bending pin 482 and the narrow shoulder 486 should be approximately equal to the width W1 of the wide shoulder 484.

The main purpose of the guide track 410 is to guide the spindle 450 of each of the triple folding mechanisms 404 as it moves in the direction or from the vertical plane V, as the spindle 450 rotates around a triple folding unit 400 with a closed drive element 408 so that that the bending plate 480 and the bending pin 482 of the triple folding mechanism 404 can move into and out of the travel path T _p . This function can be performed by the reciprocating movement of the drive element, such as a pneumatic cylinder, hydraulic cylinder or electric screw drive, which is arranged in series with the closed drive element 408, motor 454 and spindle 450. This function can also be performed by any of a variety of cam mechanisms. In a preferred embodiment, this function is performed by configuring the guide track 410 so that it acts as a cam follower that controls the lateral or intersecting position of the spindle 450 with respect to the vertical plane V and therefore; in relation to the path T _p transfer. In FIG. 21, the guide track 410 comprises two oval plates 490, 492 located at a certain distance in the transverse direction, generally at least parallel to the vertical plane V (as seen in FIG. 17). In general, an oval slot 494 is formed by the surface edges of the plates 490 and 492 and is divided into upper and lower parts 496, 498. The spindle guide disk 474, 450 of each of the triple folding mechanisms 404 is gripped in this slot 494 so that the end surfaces of the guide located on opposite sides the disk 474 engage at least one, and preferably both edges of the surface of the slit 494. The profile of the slit 494 essentially corresponds to the profile of the slots or channel 434 in the support track 406 so that the support roller 440 and the guide disk 474 each th from the folding mechanisms of triple 404 extends substantially along the same path. Each of the upper and lower parts 496 and 498 of the slot 494 further includes an inclined section 497 and 499, which extend at an acute horizontal angle with respect to the vertical plane V so that it causes the above-mentioned intersecting or transverse movement of the spindle 450 with respect to the motor 454 and the vertical plane V as the spindle 450 moves along the slot 494. Thus, when the spindle 450 is in front of the section 499, as shown at location L _{1 by} continuous lines in FIG. 21, the connection between the vane disc 474 and the edges of the slit 494 holds the spindle 450 in this position, which is located at some distance from the motor 454 and in close proximity to the vertical plane V, as shown in Fig.22. Conversely, after the spindle 450 crosses the inclined section 499 of the slot part 498, as shown at the location L ₂ in FIG. 21 and moves to the location L ₃ , the spindle 450 will be directed towards the motor 454 and from the vertical plane V as shown in FIG. 23 so that the bending plate 480 and bending pin 482 are spaced transversely from the vertical plane V. Continued movement of the spindle 450 around the triple folding unit 400 will result in ION guiding disc 474 through the inclined section of the upper part 497 and the gap 496 to a location L _4, where the spindle 450 returns to the position in the vicinity of the vertical plane V.

 Folded bags 26 are formed in a triple folding system 308 as follows: as can be seen in FIG. 16, packets 25 are fed into a triple folding system 308 from a loading conveyor 350 so that their longitudinal seams (formed by overlapping portions of the side flaps 56 and 58) are located in the direction up. As the bag 25 enters the triple folding system 308, the glue applicator 356 applies a portion or strip 72 of glue to the bag 25. This portion 72 is positioned so that contact with the folding plate 480 is prevented during the folding operation. As with the plunger plates in the first embodiment, the bending plate 480 can, if necessary, be made with an opening into which the bending strip or portion 72 is included. In addition, as in the first embodiment, the strip 72 can be replaced strip of tape or the like

 The bag 25 is then transferred from the end of the loading conveyor 350 to the triple folding unit 400 included in the production line. At this point, one of the triple folding mechanisms 404 has been moved by the closed drive element 408 to the position shown in FIG. 16, in which the folding plate 480 is located close to to the discharge end of the loading conveyor 350 and in which the motor 454 drives the spindle 450 to rotate about its axis A in a position in which the wide shoulder 484 of the folding plate 480, located horizontally, is placed on essentially coplanar with the supporting surface of the loading conveyor 350. The bag 25 then moves between the bending plate 480 and the bending pin 482 so that it abuts against the wide shoulder 484 of the bending plate 480, and so that its end 69 abuts against the narrow shoulder 486 of the bending plate 460.

The triple folding mechanism 404 then folds the bag 25 into the folded bag 26 by rotating a full rotation of 360 ^° as it passes the length of the triple folding unit 400 included in the flow line (FIG. 18 and FIG. 24). Specifically, as can be seen in FIG. 24, the simultaneous rotational movement and longitudinal movement of the spindle 450 from the initial receiving position of the bag of FIG. 16 to position P ₁ (FIG. 24) causes the bending plate 480 to rotate around the bending pin 482, which causes the first a longitudinal flap 68 of the bag 25 towards the central part 66. This initial bend grips the bag 25 so that the bag 25 is transported through a triple folding device 400 included in the flow line while the spindle continues to move due to the drive being closed of the drive element 408. The spindle 450 continues to rotate and move through the position P ₂ , P ₃ and P ₄ of FIG. 24 until the spindle 450 rotates at an angle of approximately 270 ^o from its original position. At this point, the first longitudinal lapel 68 of the bag 25 will be completely folded around the folding pin 482 and will be placed approximately to the central part 66 of the bag 25. At that time, the spindle 450 guide disk 474 enters the inclined section 499 of the lower part 498 of the gap 494 in the guide track 410 in order to start drawing the bending plate 480 and the bending pin 482 in the transverse direction of the package 25. However, this elongation will not be completed before until the spindle 450 do not occupy the position P ₅ of Figure 24, wherein by the time per first longitudinal flap 68 and the central portion 66 of the package 25 will move together with the bending pin 482 so that the folding plates 480 placed between the first longitudinal hems 68 and second longitudinal hems 70, thereby forming an e-shaped folded package 26.

 The unloading conveyor 358 at this time captures the e-shaped folded bag 26 so that it continues to carry the folded bag 26 further or to the left in FIG. The movement of the folded picket 26 through the compression zone 504, formed with the converging upper and lower conveyors 500 and 502, compresses this folded bag 26 to compact dimensions and fixes pressure sensitive adhesive sections 72. The unloading conveyor 358 then removes the finished folded bag 26 from the wrapping / folding systems 300 for subsequent operations, such as packaging in boxes or crates.

In FIG. 16, it can be seen that after the spindle 450 of the particular triple folding mechanism 404 is pulled laterally from the folded bag 26, it is carried by the closed member 408 through the return path, which goes up and to the right in FIG. 16, and then along down and back to the left so that the triple folding mechanism 404 is set in its original position for receiving and folding the next package. During this return movement, the connection between the guide disk 474 of the spindle 450 and the inclined section 497 of the upper part 496 of the slot 494 in the guide track 410 moves the spindle 450 in the transverse direction back to the vertical plane V so that the bending plate 480 and the bending pin 482 can move along the transfer path T _p to receive another packet 25 that needs to be folded.

 The above process can be performed more quickly than a conventional triple folding process because it is performed in a flow line, that is, the movement of the packet should not stop or reverse the direction of movement during the bending process. In addition, since this process does not require the use of any commonly used bending blades, there is little risk of puncture of the folded bag during the bending process.

 Various changes and modifications can be made in relation to the present invention without departing from its essence. For example, as mentioned above, the present invention is applicable to other absorbent articles other than sanitary napkins. In addition, and within the scope of the described embodiments, the adhesive portion 72 may be omitted or may be replaced by a strip of adhesive tape. The glue applicator 156 or 356 that applies the glue portion 72 can also be placed in various places in the 100 or 300 system, or a separate heated or ultraviolet activator can be located behind the two-stage bending unit 108 or the triple folding glue application system 308. In addition, the two-stage bending unit 108 of the system 100 can be rotated so that the discharge conveyor 158 is located below the loading conveyor 150 and so that the first pusher set 152 will move the packages 25 in the downward direction, and not in the upward direction, as described . In addition, as described above, the illustrated folding and folding system can be replaced with a wide variety of other systems, or folding and folding can even be done manually. The scope of other changes will become apparent from the attached claims.

Claims (25)

 1. A method of tripling a bag containing a wrapped absorbent article to form a folded bag, comprising the following steps: a) feeding said bag (25) along a travel path, b) as the bag (25) moves along the travel path rotating a triple folding mechanism (404) in contact with said package (25) as the said triple folding mechanism (404) moves at least along said moving path so that (i) fold the first longitudinal the lapel (68) of said bag (25) around the central part (66) of said bag (25) so that said first longitudinal lapel (68) is adjacent to said center part (66), and (ii) fold said first longitudinal a lapel (68) and said central part (66) around a second longitudinal lapel (70) of said package (25) so that said second longitudinal lapel (70) is located next to said first longitudinal lapel (68), and c) securing with the possibility of releasing said second product ceiling elements flap (70) at said first longitudinal lapel (68) for forming a folded packet.  2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) (i) folding said first longitudinal lapel (68) around said center portion (66) of bag (25) includes the steps of placing said first longitudinal lapel (68) on a bending plate ( 480) of said triple folding mechanism (404) while simultaneously positioning a bending pin (482) of said triple folding mechanism (404) close to a longitudinal fold line connecting said central part (66) with said first longitudinal lapel (68), and rotation of said folding three times mechanism (404) in such a way that said first longitudinal lapel (68) moves together with said bending plate (480) and bends around said bending stud (482) and as a result, the first longitudinal lapel (68) is located next to the indicated central part (66 ), and in which step (b) (ii) folding said first longitudinal lapel (68) and said central part (66) of the bag (25) around said second longitudinal lapel (70) involves rotating said triple folding mechanism (404) in this way that indicated a first longitudinal flap (68) and said central portion (66) moving together with said bending pin (482), in connection with which a first longitudinal flap (68) of the package (25) located adjacent to the second longitudinal hems (70).  3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of removing said bending plate (480) and said bending pin (482) from said folded bag by moving said triple folding mechanism (404) in the transverse direction with respect to said moving path, while said triple folding mechanism moves, at least generally along said travel path.  4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of moving said triple folding mechanism (404) in the transverse direction comprises the step of engaging the surface of said triple folding mechanism (404) with a cam that forces said triple folding mechanism (404) to move at an acute angle from specified travel path.  5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said cam comprises an inclined surface of a slit (494) of a guide track (410) for said triple folding mechanism.  6. The method according to p. 1, in which the specified path moves, at least, as a rule, along a vertical plane, and this method further includes the steps of: a) maintaining the specified three-fold folding mechanism (404) on the reference track (406), which extends, at least generally in parallel with respect to said vertical plane, and which is located at some distance in the transverse direction from said vertical plane, and b) the direction of at least a portion of said folding in three mechanisms along a guide track, which extends at least generally parallel to said vertical plane and which is located between said vertical plane and said reference track.  7. The method according to p. 6, which further includes the step of driving the specified part of the specified triple folding mechanism (404) for its movement in the transverse direction relative to the specified vertical plane due to engagement with the surface of the inclined edge of the specified guide track (410).  8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of rotating said triple folding mechanism (404) in contact with said package (25) during moving said triple folding mechanism (404) along said moving path includes the steps of: a) the movement of the specified triple folding mechanism (404), at least, as a rule, in parallel with respect to the specified vertical plane using a drive containing a closed drive element (408), which runs parallel to the specified vertical plane and has between said reference track (406) and said guide track (410), and b) rotation of said triple folding mechanism (404) by an electric motor (454), which is supported by said closed drive element and has an output axis (470) passing in the transverse direction with respect to the specified vertical plane.  9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) of releasably securing further comprises the step of connecting said first and second longitudinal lapels (68, 70) together.  10. The method according to p. 9, in which the connection step further comprises the following steps: applying glue to at least one of said first and second longitudinal lapels (68, 70) and compressing said first and second longitudinal lapels together after application specified glue. 11. A method of folding a bag (25) containing a wrapped absorbent article to form a folded bag, which includes the steps of: a) simultaneously moving the triple folding mechanism (404), at least as a rule along the travel path and rotating said triple folding mechanism ( 404), wherein said movement path runs in a vertical plane, wherein said triple folding mechanism (404) comprises a rotating spindle (450), the axis of rotation of which is transverse to the said vert on a plane plane, an electric motor that drives said spindle to rotate at least a generally L-shaped bending plate (480) that is mounted on an end surface of said spindle and extends in an axis direction from said end surface, and a bending stud (482) , which is mounted on the specified end surface and extends in the direction of the axis from the specified end surface, and the specified spindle is driven along the specified path using a closed chain (412, 414), which leans on a support track with a slit (406) and is guided by a guide track with a slit (410), b) the location of the specified package (25) in the place where the first longitudinal flap (68) of the specified package (25) is placed between the specified bending plate (480 ) and the specified bending pin (482) and is installed on the specified bending plate (480), while the specified bending pin (482) is placed in close proximity to the transverse bending line connecting the specified Central part (66) of the package (25) with the first longitudinal Lapel (68) then c) continued rotation of said triple folding mechanism (404) during movement of said triple folding mechanism parallel to said vertical plane so that said first longitudinal lap moves with said folding plate, bending around said folding pin and said central part, then d ) continued rotation of said triple folding mechanism (404) from the drive of said triple folding mechanism (404), at least, as a rule, parallel to the vertical plane so that said first longitudinal lapel (68) and said central part (66) move with said bending pin (482), while bending around said bending plate (480) and said second longitudinal lapel (70), forming said folded bag, e) bringing said triple folding mechanism (404) into motion at an acute angle with respect to said vertical plane so that said bending plate (480) and said bending pin (482) are derived from said o a folded bag, wherein said triple folding mechanism (404) rotates 360 ^o during steps c), d) and e), and f) connecting said first and second longitudinal flaps (68, 70) together.  12. A method of forming a folded bag (26), comprising the following steps: a) providing an absorbent article having first and second main mutually opposed surfaces, b) providing a wrapper (22) having a surface receiving the absorbent article, then c) fixing with the possibility of separation of at least a portion of the specified first surface of the specified absorbent product with the specified surface receiving the absorption of the product of the specified wrapper (22), forming a set (24), while The set (24) has a longitudinal center line, a transverse center line, and a perimeter, the specified perimeter being formed from a pair of opposing transverse edges (55, 57) located on opposite sides of the specified longitudinal center line, and a pair of opposing longitudinal ends (51, 53) located on opposite sides of the indicated transverse center line; d) bending said transverse edges (55, 57) in a longitudinal direction over said second surface of an absorbent article for packaging said absorbent article, e) connecting said transverse edges (55, 57) to each other to form a packet (25) with the possibility of detaching them, f) supplying said packet (25) along the travel path, g) the travel time of the specified package (25) along the specified path, the rotation of the triple folding mechanism (404) in contact with the specified package (25) as the specified triple folding mechanism (404) moves, at least generally along the specified travel paths so that (i) fold the first longitudinal lapel (68) of the indicated bag (25) over the central part (66) of the specified bag (25) so that the specified first longitudinal (68) lapel is located next to the specified central part, and (ii) folding said first longitudinal lapel (68) and said central portion (66) over a second longitudinal lapel (70) of said packet (25) so that said second longitudinal lapel is adjacent to said first longitudinal lapel (68), and h) connection with possibility of disengagement of said second longitudinal flap (70) with said first longitudinal hems (68) to form thereby a folded package (26).  13. A system for forming a folded bag (26) by sequentially folding the bag, which contains a) the support structure of the bag (402), which determines the path of movement of the specified bag in the specified system, and b) the triple folding mechanism (404), which rotates and moves along in relation to the specified path of movement, while the specified three-fold folding mechanism (404) is adapted to capture and fold three times the specified package (25) during the movement of the specified package (25) along the specified path of movement.  14. The system of claim 13, wherein said supporting structure of the packet comprises a stationary guide surface.  15. The system according to claim 13, wherein said triple folding mechanism (404) includes first and second bending elements located at a distance from one another, which are adapted to grasp the main surfaces of said packet (25), which are opposite one another.  16. The system of claim 15, wherein said first and second bending elements are made in the form of an L-shaped bending plate (480) and a cylindrical bending pin (482), respectively.  17. The system of claim 15, wherein said triple folding mechanism (404) further comprises a rotating support structure on which said first and second bending elements are mounted.  18. The system of claim 17, wherein said rotating support structure comprises a spindle (450), said first and second bending elements are mounted on an end surface thereof.  19. The system of claim 17, wherein said triple folding mechanism (404) further comprises an engine (454) that drives said rotatable support structure.  20. The system of claim 17, wherein said travel path extends at least in a vertical plane, and further comprises a closed drive member (408) that drives said rotatable support structure in at least generally parallel to said vertical plane, said triple folding mechanism (404) further comprising a connection that connects said rotatable support structure to said closed drive element (408) and allows said rotatable Xia support structure to move laterally with respect to said vertical plane.  21. The system according to p. 20, which further comprises a reference track, on which the specified connection and the specified rotating support structure are supported.  22. The system of claim 17, further comprising a guide structure that guides said rotatable support structure, wherein said rotatable support structure moves along said travel path, wherein a portion of said guide structure acts like a cam that forces said rotary structure to move laterally direction with respect to the specified movement path at predetermined locations along the specified movement path.  23. The system of claim 22, wherein said guide structure further comprises a guide track (410) having a slit (494) that guides said rotatable support structure, wherein said portion of said guide structure further includes an inclined surface of said slit (494) .  24. A system for forming a folded bag by laying separately wrapped and packaged absorbent products in a production line that contains a) a stationary guide surface that determines the path of movement of the specified wrapped and packaged absorbent products through the system, b) closed circuit (412, 414 ), which is located above the specified guide surface, parallel to the vertical plane, which passes through the specified path and is spaced in the transverse direction c) a guide track (410), which runs parallel to the specified closed circuit (412, 414) and the specified vertical plane and is located between the specified vertical plane and the specified closed chain (412, 414), and the specified guide track ( 410) has, as a rule, an oval slot (494) formed in it, containing the upper and lower parts (496, 498), d) a support track (406) that runs parallel to the specified closed circuit (412, 414) so that the specified closed circuit (412, 414) is located between the specified guide track (410) and the specified reference track (406), and the specified reference track (406) has a channel (434) formed in it containing the upper and lower parts (436, 438), and e) a lot of triple folding mechanisms ( 404), which are spaced apart from each other along a closed circuit (412, 414), which are supported by said support track 406 and which are guided by said guide track (410), each of these triple folding mechanisms (404) contains (i ) a roller (440), which is rotatably rotated I rely on the specified channel (434) of the indicated support track (406), (ii) the connection (452), which is rotatably connected to the specified roller (440) and which runs in the transverse direction with respect to the specified vertical plane from the specified roller ( 440) to said vertical plane beyond said closed circuit (412, 414) and towards said guide track (410), said link (452) attached to said closed circuit (412, 414), (iii) engine (454 ), which is installed on the specified connection (452), and rotating i the output axis (470) of which extends in the transverse direction with respect to the specified vertical plane, (iv) the spindle (450), the axis of rotation of which extends in the transverse direction with respect to the specified vertical plane, the end surface of which is captured by the specified slot (494) of the specified a guide track (410), and the axial bearing surface of which is located at a distance along the axis from the specified end surface, (v) a connection with a cotter pin through which the specified spindle (450) is connected to the specified output th axis (470) of said motor (454) so that relative axial movement between them becomes possible while preventing relative rotational movement between them, (vi) an L-shaped bending plate (480) that is attached to said end surface of said spindle ( 450) and which extends laterally towards the indicated vertical plane, and (vii) a cylindrical bending pin (482), which is attached to the specified end surface of the specified spindle (450), which is located at a certain distance about bending said plate (480) and which extends transversely to the direction of said vertical plane.  25. A system for forming sets of absorbent articles and a wrapper material for forming sets, which comprises a) a device for forming a set (302) that places absorbent articles on a continuous sheet of wrapper material with the possibility of disconnecting them to form sets, b) a longitudinal folding device ( 304), which is located further downstream from the said kit forming device (302) and which folds the specified continuous sheet in the longitudinal direction on top of the specified absorb their products, c) a cutter (306), which is located downstream from the specified longitudinal folding device (304) and which cuts the specified continuous sheet between adjacent adjacent absorbent products to form packages, and d) system (308), located further down the flow from the torch (306), designed to fold three times these packages to form folded packages, and the specified system (308) includes (i) a structure (402) holding the product, which determines the path of movement of these packages through the system shown (308) for folding the bags three times, and (ii) the folding three times the mechanism (404), which rotates and which is able to move relative to the specified path, and the specified folding three times the mechanism (404) is adapted so as to capture and fold three times said packets as said packets move along said travel path.

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