Method and apparatus for forming a multi-segment core

• US 5,756,039 A
• Filed: 04/04/1996
• Issued: 05/26/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Oetjen, David Christopher, McFall, Ronald Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): THEISEN, MARY LYNN F
• Application Number:
  US08/627,617
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 264/517, 264/118, 264/121, 425/80.1, 425/81.1
• US Class Current: 264/517
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15634 Making fibrous pads between sheets or webs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15699 Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47227 for interlabial use
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47263 with activating means, e.g. elastic, heat or chemical activatable means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/535 inhomogeneous in the plane of the pad, e.g. core absorbent layers being of different sizes A61F13/5323, A61F13/537 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/537 characterised by a layer facilitating or inhibiting flow in one direction or plane, e.g. a wicking layer A61F13/538 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/53717 the layer having a promotional function on liquid propagation in the horizontal direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/4568 three-dimensional; with split absorbent core
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/530175 with capillary channel

Abstract

An apparatus and method are disclosed for forming a sanitary napkin having a multi-segment core. Such a core is formed using a mold having a deposition cavity which is divided into cavity segments by at least one partition. Each partition can comprise a passageway for interconnecting adjacent cavity segments.

Claims

1. A mold for forming an airlaid absorbent core, the mold comprising:

a mold top surface;

a deposition cavity formed in the mold top surface, the deposition cavity bounded by a perimeter sidewall and a foraminous bottom wall; and

at least one partition dividing the deposition cavity into cavity segments.

2. The mold recited in claim 1 comprising a pair of generally parallel partitions.

3. The mold recited in claim 2, wherein the mold forms a portion of the perimeter of a laydown drum, and wherein the partitions extend generally parallel to the direction of rotation of the laydown drum.

4. The mold recited in claim 2 wherein each partition comprises a passageway for interconnecting adjacent cavity segments.

5. A method for forming a segmented absorbent core, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a source of vacuum;

providing a mold, the mold comprising;

a mold top surface;

a deposition cavity formed in the mold top surface, the deposition cavity bounded by a perimeter sidewall and a foraminous bottom wall, the foraminous bottom wall in flow communication with the source of vacuum; and

at least one partition dividing the deposition cavity into cavity segments,

each partition providing an interconnection between adjacent cavity segments;

depositing material into each of the cavity segments to form interconnected core segments; and

separating the interconnected core segments subsequent to forming the interconnected core segments.