US1670587A - Process and apparatus for applying deodorizing and disinfecting powder to sanitary pads - Google Patents

Description

May 22, 1928. 1,670,587 E. MAHLER PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING DEODORIZING AND DISINFECTING POWDER TO SANITARY PADS Filed Aug. 6, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet l May 22, 192& 1,670,587

E. MAHLER PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING DEODORIZING AND DISINFECTING POWDER TO SANITARY PADS Filed Aug. 6, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 TREATED ZONE May 22, 1928., 1,670,587

. E. MAHLER PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING DEODORIZING AND DISINFECTING POWDER TO SANITARY PADS Filed g- 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 5' .11 we (10/ v 27 W M (ML May 22, 1928. a 1,670,587

E. MAHLER PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING DEODORIZING AND DISINFECTING POWDER TO SANITARY PADS Filed Aug. 6, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 22, 1928;.

ERNST MAHLER, F NEENAH, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNQR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 1'0

INTERNATIONAL CELLUCOTTON PRODUCTS 00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- TION OF DELAW.

PnocEss AND APPAnA'rUs FOR APPLYING DEODORIZING AND msrnrncrme POWDER TO SANITARY PAns. 1

Application filed August 6, 1924. Serig l Itiilf730,401.

This invention relates to improvements in process and apparatus for a plying deodorizin and disinfecting pow er to samany material or agent by which the desired" deodorizing or disinfecting efifect is secured.

Among 1ts principal "objects are to provide an improved method and apparatus for trsatin absorbent pads to enable the chemica to the pad, to permit the chemical to be distributed over localizedareas of the layers, and in general to provide an economical-and efiicient apparatus and process for distributin'g-said chemical. p

The particular application. of my. invention which I shall describezin detail forms a step in the manufacture of wood-pulp fillers for sanitary napkins. These fillers are made of several plies .or sheets ofthin crepe paper which is madeon the usual paper making machines and'then wound up-' on a large revoluble 'drum' According to 2 the preferred practice, a'hopper containing a supply of the deodorant or disinfectant in powder form is equipped with means for applying this powder to theperiphery of a transfer drum located therebeneath and the particles of powder adhering thereto are removed therefrom by means of a brush. These detached particles preferably. fall into a trough having a series of equi-spaced funnel-shaped outlets arranged above the winding drum and are thereby deposited upon the paper in spaced parallel strips or zones as such paper is wound u'pon this drum.- The spacing between the centers of said outlets 'is equal to the length of a nap kinfiller. V

The operation of the dusting mechanism may be either continuous or intermittent. I prefer the intermittent operation in which the powder is applied only to the inner layers of the napkin as this eliminates dust nuisance and the possibility of the chemical contacting with the person when the napkin is used. The intermittent operation may be accomplished either manually or autoof my device I have incorporated a counting device which is actuated by the winding drum. This device o'ates a switch to e distributed within the interior of matically and in the preferred embodiment automatically start and stop the dusting mechanism at predetermined points in the winding operation.

As soon as suflicient plies of crepe paper have been wound upon the drum, say thirty or forty, the drum is stopped and the cylindrical absorbent layer removed therefrom by slitting same along a 7 line extending parallel with the roll axis. The multi-ply layer is then laid out flat and subjected to the action ofa series of circular saws arranged on a common axis parallel with the drum axisand spaced apart a distance equal tothe length of a filler, which divide it into a plurality of strips each of a width equal to the length of the napkin filler. These strips have a treated zone runningthrough their center and are subsequently transversely cut into sections which constitute the fillers for the napkins.

The many other objects and advantages of the invention "will be better understood by referenceto the following specification when considered in connection with the accompanymg drawingsillustrating a selected embodiment thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partially in sec-' 1 tion, of a" dustingmachine embodying the- 'principlesof in invention.

Fig. v.l'is a ront elevation, partially in' section, of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3' is an enlarged vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section onthe line 4-4.-

' of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of a portion of the operating mechanism.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of a modified form of control mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the fillers, showing the treated zone.

Referrin to the drawings, the paper as delivered rom the paper-making machine is wound upon a large drum 9 on the shaft 10 preferably directly driven by such machine. Above this drum and extending longitudinally thereof is achopper 11 open at the top to receive a supply of the powder which is to be applied to the napkins. This hopper is supported by a suitable frame as 12 and an agitator 13 is preferably incorporated in the hopper. In the present embodiment this agitator comprises a revoluble shaft 1% to which, at regular intervals, are secured permanently in mesh with a gear 3% fared radially projecting pins as 15.

Beneath the hopper is located a rotary transfer drum as 16 which preferably has its periphery covered with a material such as felt. The hopper is open at the bottom as at 17 so that the powder will be deposited on the drum 16. An adjustable extension plate 18 is preferably secured to the base of the hopper and its lower edge contacts with the periphery of the drum 16 to scrape superfluous powder therefrom.. Clamping bolts 19 pass through slots 20 in this plate to enable the plate to be set in the proper position. A similar plate 8 is mounted on the hopper on the op osite side of the discharge opening 17 from t e plate 18. This plate 8 is normally yieldingly pressed against the periphery of the drum by springs as 21. Bolts 22 pass through slots 23 in this plate to secure the same to the hopper wall but these bolts preferably permit free up and down movement of the plate at all times. i

A brush 24 having bristles preferably of wire is mounted on the frame so that the outer extremities of the bristles contact with the periphery of the drum 16 in the manner indicated in Fig. 3. This brush preferably extends the entire length of the drum and acts to dislodge the adherent particles of powder as the drum rotates- These particles drop into a trough 25 located beneath the drum. The base portion of this trough is pseferably formed in the shape of a series of nnels 26 arranged in a row in the manner indicated in Fig. 2 Each of these funnels is provided with a discharge opening as 27. These discharge openings are preferably so spaced that the powder will be deposited on the paper being wound on the drum 9 in a series of narrow parallel strips. In order that the reason for this may be fully understood, I have indicated by dot and dash lines as 28 (F-i 2) the trace of the saw cuts to be made in t e sheet after the winding has been completed and the sheet severed from the drum in the manner described. It will be noted that each opening 27 is disposed above the center of the corresponding strip 29. In this way the central portion of the strip will receive powder when the dustin mechanism is operating but no powder will e deposited upon the outer or edge portions of the strip. In the manufacture of napkin fillers, I prefer to make the strips 29 about nine inches and the treated zone about four inches wide, leaving an untreated zone or strip of about 2% inches on'ea-ch side or edge.

The dusting mechanism is driven from a shaft (not shown) of the paper-making machine by means of a chain 30 and sprocket 31, the sprocket being revoluble upon a stud shaft'32 mounted in the frame. A pinion 33 is secured to the hub of this sprocket and is upon the outer end of the shaft 14" connected to the agitator shaft 14.

A clutch member 36 is splined upon the shaft 14 and this member is yieldin'gly held by a spring 37 from the co-operating clutch member 39 formed on the hub of a pinion 40 free upon the same shaft. In order to permit automatic operation of this clutch, I have provided a counting device 41 on the shaft of the drum 9 which operates a switch 42 in an electric circuit including a solenoid 43 controlling the clutch lever 43. The pinion 40 is permanently in mesh with a gear 44 fixed upon the shaft 44 on which is secured the drum 16. This drum will be 0 erated to cause powder to be deposited on t e paper being wound on the drum 9 only when the clutch members are in engagement. The counting or timing device is preferably designed to cause the clutch to remain out of engagement while a predetermined number of plies of paper are wound on the drum, to permit the clutch to be engaged for a predetermined number of revolutions of the drum, and then to release the clutch to prevent further application of powder while the remaining plies are wound. In the present embodiment this timing device comprises a star-wheel 45 which is advanced one tooth space for each revolution of the winding drum shaft 10, said shaft'lO being fitted with.

a dog or finger 45 which, when rotating,

engages the teeth 45 of the star-wheel. On

broken, the spring 37 pulls the clutch member 36 out of engagement with the member 37. The drum 16 then ceases to turn.

In order to prevent the powder adhering to the sides of the trough 25 and forming into lumps, a vibrating device as 47 may be attached to this trough. This device in the present embodiment comprises a small electric motor 48 having a one-toothed cam 49 attached to its shaft 50 to impart a vibrating motion to a short lever 51 held against it by a spring 52. This vibrating motion is transmitted to the trough by the contact of the lever against the side.

Obviously, owing to the impossibility of stopping the paper machine, it is desirable to make as few stoppages of the paper drum as possible when stripping the layers. Therefore, in practice, I prefer to build up a plurality in this instance three) of layers of filler on the winding drum 9 before stopping the winding process. Hence, waste is minimized. To facilitate separation of the individual napkin layers, I may insert a single sheet of colored paper as at 9* after the completion oat each layer-cycle.

In Fig. 6 of the drawing is illustrated a modified form of control mechanism for the clutch member 54, corresponding to the member 36 of the previousembodiment, and this may be substltuted for the solenoid control previously described. In this mechanism a control lever 55 is fulcrumed on the frame at 56 and connected to the member 54 at 57 "in the usual manner. A spring 58, connecting the lever with the frame, normally retains the clutch members in engagement. The control lever may be shifted either manually or automatically to disengage the members.

The described details of construction and arrangement being merely illustrative of a single phase of my invention, the scope of the same should be determined by reference to the appended claims, said claims to be construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of making sanitary napkin fillers which consists in winding a strip of filler material on a drum to form a multiply layer thereon, chemically treating a circumferential zone on one of said plies of less width than the width of said strip and transversely cutting said multi-ply layer into strips of the desired width so as .to form a relatively long but narrow filler having a treated zone extending across its width but. shorter than the length of the filler.

2. The method of making sanitary napkin fillers which consists in wlnding a sheet of filler material on a drum to form a multi-ply layer thereon, chemically treating a plurality of spaced circumferential zones of predetermined width on one of the plies, cutting said multi-ply layer into sections each of which includes a circumferentially treated zone and transversely cutting said sections into filler strips of the desired width.

3. The improvement in the art of making sanitary napkin fillers which consists in winding a strip of absorbent material upon a drum, sprinkling a chemical upon axially separated circumferential zones of the material during the winding operation and subsequently sub-dividing the material into multily filler strips, each including a portion 0 one of said zones.

4. The improvement in the art of making sanitary napkin fillers which consists in winding a strip of absorbent material upon a drum, sprinkling a chemical upon said material in separated, parallel, circumferentially extending zones spaced according to the length of filler desired, and subsequently slitting the material between said zones to form multi-ply pad strips, each including one of said zones, and of width equal to the length of filler desired.

5. Apparatus for making a chemically treated multi-ply absorbent pad which comprises a drum, means for rotating said drum to wind thereon in successive convolutions an absorbent sheet of which the pad is to be formed, and mechanism for automatically chemically treating a pre-determined portion of the whole number of convolutions during the Winding operation,

6. Apparatus for making a chemically treatedmulti-ply absorbent pad which comprises a drum, means for rotating said drum to Wind thereon in successive convolutions an absorbent sheet of which the pad is to be formed, mechanism for chemically treating certain of said convolutions during the winding process, and means for automatically starting and stopping the operation of said mechanism.

7. Apparatus for making a chemically treated multi-ply absorbent pad which comprises a drum, means for rotating said drum to Wind thereon in successive convolutions an absorbent sheet of which the pad is to be formed, and automatically operated mechanism for sprinkling a chemical upon separated zones of certain of said convolutions during the winding process.

8. Apparatus for making a chemically treated multi-ply absorbent pad which comprises a drum, means for rotating said drum to wind thereon in successive convolutions an absorbent sheet of which the pad is to be formed, -and automatically operated mechanism for sprinkling a chemical in powder form upon separated, parallel, circumferentially extended zones of certain of said convolutions during the winding process.

9. Apparatus for making a chemically treated multi-ply absorbent pad which comprises a drum, means for rotating said drum to wind thereon in successive convolutions an absorbent sheet of which the pad is to be formed, mechanism for chemically treating certain of said convolutions during the winding operation, and means for automatically actuating said mechanism in timed relation withsaid drum.

ERNST MAHLER.

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