Stacking apparatus and method for laminated products and packaging
First Claim
1. A product stacking apparatus, comprising:
- one or more stations each including a conveyor upon which spaced-apart pucks are coupled for travel thereon; and
a product delivery apparatus that drives one or more movable webs to which segmented product sheets are removably affixed, the product delivery apparatus comprising one or more rotatable lamination interfaces associated with each of the stations for transferring product sheets from the webs to the pucks on a repetitive basis to produce a stack of product sheets on the respective pucks.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A product stacking apparatus and method employs one or more stations, each including a stationary stacking platform or a conveyor upon which spaced-apart pucks are coupled for travel thereon. A product delivery apparatus drives one or more movable webs to which segmented product sheets are removably affixed. The product delivery apparatus includes one or more rotatable lamination interfaces associated with each of the stations for transferring product sheets from the webs to the pucks on a repetitive basis to produce a stack of product sheets on the respective pucks. Each of the segmented product sheets may define all or a portion of an electrochemical cell, all or a portion of a pad including layers of film or sheet material, wherein a portion of each of the layers is provided with a bonding feature, or all or a portion of a pack comprising layers of medical dressing. A puck need not be in motion during the transfer of the product sheet from the lamination roll to the puck. The puck may or may not be attached to a conveyor, but the conveyor need not be in motion during the lamination or stack building process. In this case, a roller is moved across the puck and simultaneously rotated so a point on the surface of the roller interfaces with the puck at the same location on each pass.
79 Citations
74 Claims
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1. A product stacking apparatus, comprising:
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one or more stations each including a conveyor upon which spaced-apart pucks are coupled for travel thereon; and
a product delivery apparatus that drives one or more movable webs to which segmented product sheets are removably affixed, the product delivery apparatus comprising one or more rotatable lamination interfaces associated with each of the stations for transferring product sheets from the webs to the pucks on a repetitive basis to produce a stack of product sheets on the respective pucks. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A product stacking apparatus, comprising:
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a first station including a first conveyor upon which spaced-apart first pucks are coupled for travel thereon;
a second station including a second conveyor upon which spaced-apart second pucks are coupled for travel thereon; and
a product delivery apparatus that drives a movable web to which segmented product sheets are removably affixed, the product delivery apparatus transferring alternating product sheets to the respective first and second pucks of the first and second stations on a repetitive basis so as to produce a stack of product sheets on the respective first and second pucks. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A product stacking apparatus, comprising:
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a station including a conveyor upon which spaced-apart pucks are coupled for travel thereon;
a first product delivery apparatus that drives a movable first web to which segmented first product sheets are removably affixed, the first product delivery apparatus transferring first product sheets to each of the pucks; and
a second product delivery apparatus that drives a movable second web to which segmented second product sheets are removably affixed, the second product delivery apparatus transferring second product sheets to each of the pucks;
the first and second product delivery apparatuses transferring respective first and second sheets to each of the pucks on a repetitive basis to produce a stack of alternating first and second product sheets on each of the pucks.- View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
position adjustment mechanisms coupled to respective first and second application rollers, and;
a sensor that senses a change in height of the stack of product sheets, the position adjustment mechanisms adjusting a position of the respective first and second application rollers in response to the sensor sensing a change in height of the stack of product sheets.
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30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the pucks are coupled to the conveyor for continuous loop or reciprocating travel thereupon.
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31. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a control system including sensors that sense a parameter of puck movement, the control system adjusting conveyor movement to maintain a desired registration of the product sheets on the pucks.
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32. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a control system that independently adjusts first and second product delivery apparatus movement to maintain the desired registration of the product sheets on the pucks.
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33. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein each of the segmented product sheets defines all or a portion of an electrochemical cell.
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34. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein each of the segmented product sheets defines all or a portion of a pad comprising layers of film or sheet material, a portion of each of the layers provided with an adhesive.
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35. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein each of the segmented product sheets defines all or a portion of a pack comprising layers of medical dressing.
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36. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising an unload station for detaching the stacks of product sheets from the pucks.
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37. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein each of the first and second product delivery apparatuses comprises a vacuum roll for transferring respective first and second sheets to each of the pucks.
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38. A method of stacking sheets of material on a plurality of pucks, comprising:
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moving a plurality of spaced-apart pucks on a recirculating path;
moving one or more webs, each comprising a release liner to which segmented product sheets are removably affixed, into proximity with the pucks on a successive basis;
forming a nip between one or more of the moving webs and the pucks and rotatably transferring product sheets from one or more of the webs to the pucks at the nip on a repetitive basis to produce a stack of product sheets on the respective pucks. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A method of stacking sheets of material on a plurality of pucks, comprising:
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moving a plurality of spaced-apart pucks on a recirculating path;
moving a web comprising a release liner to which segmented product sheets are removably affixed;
transferring, using a vacuum lamination roll, the segmented product sheets from the release liner into a nip defined between the vacuum lamination roll and the pucks; and
transferring product sheets from the vacuum lamination roll to the pucks at the nip on a repetitive basis to produce a stack of product sheets on the respective pucks. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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61. A product stacking apparatus, comprising:
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a station comprising an adjustable table;
a puck coupled to the adjustable table;
a rotatable lamination surface;
a position adjustment apparatus that adjusts the relative position between the puck and the lamination surface; and
one or more product delivery apparatuses, each product delivery apparatus delivering one or more product layered structures to the lamination surface, the lamination surface rotatably transferring the product layered structures to the puck on a repetitive and alternating basis to produce a stack of alternating product layered structures on the puck. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74)
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Specification