PRESS FOR PROGRESSIVE COMPRESSION OF LIQUID-BEARING ABSORBENT ARTICLE

• US 3,844,717 A
• Filed: 04/11/1972
• Issued: 10/29/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Franklin Lim, Lester A. Sodickson
• Original Assignee: Franklin Lim, Lester A. Sodickson
• Inventors: Sodickson, Lester A., Lim, Franklin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolk, Morris O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hagan, T. W.
• Application Number:
  US05/243,028
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 23/253R,259,252R,292 100/211 162/396-401 210/204,224 425/89,338,352,410
• US Class Current: 422/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/49 Blood chemical methods for determining blood cell populations G01N33/5094; chemical analysis of blood groups or blood types G01N33/80

Abstract

A press for compressing a liquid-bearing absorbent article to transfer a portion of the liquid materials to a contiguous article has two concentric pressure feet. One is an outer foot member that bears against the liquid-bearing article along the periphery of the pressure area, and the other is an inner, deformable and contoured foot member that applies pressure to the liquid-bearing article progressively along the pressure area. A photometer can be combined with the press to measure constituents or other properties of the liquid materials being transferred.

Claims

1. A PRESS FOR SQUEEZING LIQUID MATERIAL FROM AN ABSORBENT ARTICLE, SAID PRESS HAVING A PRESSURE ASSEMBLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO A PLATENT MEMBER FOR PRESSING THE ARTICLE THEREBETWEEN, SAID PRESS FURTHER COMPRISING A. A FIRST FOOT MEMBER IS SAID PRESSURE ASSEMBLY AND HAVING A FIRST ARTICLE-PRESSING SURFACE FACING SAID PLATEN MEMBER, SAID FIRST FOOT MEMBER BEING MOVABLE WITH SAID PRESSURE ASSEMBLY TO COMPRESSIVELY ENGAGE SAID FIRST SURFACE AGAINST AN ARTICLE ON SAID PLATEN MEMBER WITH A FIRST FORCE B. A SECOND FOOT MEMBER IN SAID PRESSURE ASSEMBLY AND HAVING A SECOND ARTICLE-PRESSING SURFACE FACING SAID PLATEN MEMBER ALONG A PATH ENCIRCLING SAID FIRST SURFACE, SAID SECOND FOOT MEMBER BEING MOVALBE WITH SAID PRESSURE ASSEMBLY AND IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID FIRST FOOT MEMBER TO COMPRESSIVELY ENGAGE SAID SECOND SURFACE AGAINST AN ARTICLE ON SAID PLATEN MEMBER WITH A SECOND FORCE DIFFERENT FROM SAID FIRST FORCE, AND SAID SECOND FOOT MEMBER COMPRESSIVELY ENGAGING SAID ARTICLE PRIOR TO SAID FIRST FOOT MEMBER UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID PRESSURE ASSEMBLY TOWARD SAID PLATEN MEMBER, AND SAID SECOND FOOT MEMBER FORMING WITH SAID FIRST FOOT MEMBER A LIQUID-TIGHT SEAL BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND SURFACES.

2. a collar-like member movable with said pressure assembly and in the same direction as said first foot member and having at least a tubular portion encircling said first foot member, and

3. A press as defined in claim 1 A. in which said second article-pressing surface encircles said first surface with a flat planar face and, B. said first article-pressing surface has, in the absence of compressive engagement thereagainst, an outer peripheral portion bounding a central portion concavely recessed away from said platen member relative to said peripheral portion.

4. A press for pressing liquid material from one porous article to another layered therewith, said press having a frame with a platen member thereon for receiving said articles and further comprising A. a plunger mounted on said frame for movement toward said platen member for compressing said articles therebetween and alternatively movable away from said platen member, said plunger having a resilient foot member on the end thereof proximal to said platen member and which effects a first compressive engagement by said plunger against said articles, B. a collar member slidably fitting over said plunger and receiving said foot member therein, said collar member having a first annular surface opposite a second annular surface that faces said platen member concentrically about said foot member and that effects a second compressive engagement against said articles, and C. coil spring compression means compressed between said first annular surface and said plunger and resiliently urging said collar slidably along said plunger in the direction toward said platen member, and D. stop means limiting said movement of said collar along said plunger, said stop means normally maintaining said collar disposed with said second annular surface spaced from said platen member by a distance not greater than the spacing of said resilient foot member from said platen member.

5. A press for squeezing liquid material from an absorbent article, said press having a pressure assembly movable relative to a platen member for pressing the article therebetween, said press further comprising A. a shaft included in said pressure assembly and axially movable relative to said platen member, B. a first foot member in said pressure assembly carried on the end of said shaft facing said platen member, and having a first article-pressing surface facing said platen member, said first foot member being movable with said pressure assembly to compressively engage said first surface against an article on said platen member with a first force, and C. a second foot member in said pressure assembly carried on said shaft and encircling said first foot member and having a second article-pressing surface facing said platen member along a path encircling said first surface, said second foot member being movable with said pressure assembly and in the same dirEction as said first foot member to compressively engage said second surface against an article on said platen member with a second force different from said first force, and said second foot member compressively engaging said article prior to said first foot member upon movement of said pressure assembly toward said platen member.

6. A press for squeezing liquid material from an absorbent article, said press having a pressure assembly movable relative to a platen member for pressing the article therebetween, said press further comprising A. a plunger included in said pressure assembly and axially movable relative to said platen member with a first end facing toward said platen member, B. a first foot member in said pressure assembly carried on said plunger as an axial extension thereof beyond said first end and of elastically deformable resilient material and having a first article-pressing surface at the end thereof axially spaced from said plunger first end and facing said platen member, said first foot member being movable with said plunger to compressively engage said first surface against an article on said platen member with a first force, and C. a second foot member in said pressure assembly and having a second article-pressing surface facing said platen member along a path encircling said first surface, said second foot member being movable with said pressure assembly and in the same direction as said first foot member to compressively engage said second surface against an article on said platen member with a second force different from said first force, and said second foot member compressively engaging said article prior to said first foot member upon movement of said pressure assembly toward said platen member, said second foot member having a bore therethrough in which said resilient material of said first foot member is disposed and axially of which said plunger moves relative to said platen member, and normally having a toroidal spacing between the inner surface of said bore and said resilient material of said first foot member and into which said latter element can deform upon compressive engagement between said plunger and said article.

7. A press for squeezing liquid material from an absorbent article, said press having a pressure assembly movable relative to a platen member for pressing the article therebetween, said press further comprising A. A first foot member in said pressure assembly and having a first article-pressing surface facing said platen member, said first foot member being movable with said pressure assembly to compressively engage said first surface against an article on said platen member with a first force, and B. a second foot member in said pressure assembly and having a second article-pressing surface facing said platen member along a path encircling said first surface, said second foot member being movable with said pressure assembly and in the same direction as said first foot member to compressively engage said second surface against an article on said platen member with a second force greater than said first force, and said second foot member compressively engaging said article prior to said first foot member upon movement of said pressure assembly toward said platen member.

8. A press for squeezing liquid material from a selected area of an absorbent article and having a pressure assembly movable relative to a platen member for pressing such an article therebetween, said press further comprising pressure foot means A. having means forming an article-pressing surface facing said platen member, B. mounted with said pressure assembly and movable therewith to compressively engage said pressing surface against the article on said platen member, C. having pressure-distributing means for engaging said pressing surface against the article, initially during such relative movement, along only the periphery of the selected area;

and for subsequently, with continued movemEnt, engaging said pressing surface against the article along paths within said periphery and of successively smaller path length and at least maintaining previously effected engagement of said pressing surface with the article, thereby to compress the selected area of the article progressively from the periphery thereof to the center, said pressure-distributing means including

9. A press for squeezing liquid material from an absorbent article, said press having a pressure assembly movable relative to a platen member for pressing the article therebetween, said press further comprising A. a shaft included in said pressure assembly and axially movable relative to said platen member and having a first end facing said platen member, B. a first foot member in said pressure assembly and including a rod-like element of elastically deformable resilient material axially extending from said shaft beyond said first end thereof, said rod-like element having a first article-pressing surface facing said platen member and being movable with said shaft to compressively engage said first surface against an article on said platen member with a first force, and C. a second foot member in said pressure assembly and having a second article-pressing surface facing said platen member along a path encircling said first surface, said second foot member being movable with said shaft and in the same direction as said first foot member to compressively engage said second surface against an article on said platen member with a second force different from said first force, and said second foot member compressively engaging said article prior to said first foot member upon movement of said pressure assembly toward said platen member, said second foot member including a collar carried on said shaft adjacent said first end thereof and having at least a portion encircling said rod-like element of said first foot member.

10. A press as defined in claim 9 A. in which said collar is movable axially of said shaft, and B. further comprising resilient compression means compressively engaged between said collar and said shaft and resiliently urging said collar along said shaft in the direction toward said platen member.

11. A press as defined in claim 10 further comprising a stop means limiting said movement of said collar relative to said shaft.

12. A press as defined in claim 9 including means normally toroidal forming a toroidal space encircling said rod-like element inside said collar and disposed to receive the radially-outward bulge of said rod-like element upon compression thereof between said shaft and said platen-supported article.

13. In a press for squeezing liquid material from an absorbent article and having a pressure assembly movable relative to a platen member for pressing the article therebetween, the combination in said pressure assembly comprising A. an axially extending collar member

14. In a press as defined in claim 13, the further combination A. in which said press assembly includes a shaft axially movable relative to said platen member, and B. in which said foot member is carried on the end of said shaft facing said platen member.

15. In a press according to claim 14, the further combination in which said collar member encircles said foot member and the end of said shaft on which it is carried.

16. In a press according to claim 13, the further combination of resilient means resiliently urging said collar member toward said platen member relative to said foot member.

17. In a press as defined in claim 16, the further combination A. in which said pressure assembly includes a shaft axially movable relative to said platen member, B. in which said resilient means is coupled between said shaft and said collar member, and C. further comprising means coupling said foot member with said shaft for movement of said foot member both toward and away from said platen member relative to said collar member.