Apparatus and process for rotating products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10259661-B2
Application number	US-201715597254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2017
Priority date	May 17, 2016
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A conveying system and method for rotating conveyed product. The system can have a conveyor on which is conveyed a rolled product in a machine direction. The system can have conveyor having a first portion on which is conveyed a rolled product having an axis oriented in the machine direction, and the rolled product being partially wrapped in an open ended tube of polymer film. The system has a second portion on which the rolled product is rotated in a horizontal plane such that its axis is oriented in a cross machine direction, and a third portion on which the rolled product is conveyed while oriented in the cross machine direction to a sealing operation that seals the open ends of the tube of polymer film.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for rotating at least one rolled product, the apparatus comprising:
a. at least one conveyor on which is conveyed at least one rolled product in a machine direction;
b. a rotator assembly moveably attached via a reciprocating linkage to a framework, the rotator assembly being driven by a first motor such that the rotator assembly cycles in a closed path in a vertical plane;
c. the rotator assembly having mounted to the linkage a second motor having a rotator cup, the framework being positioned with respect to the conveyor such that upon each cycle of the rotator assembly the rotator cup cycles close enough to the conveyor such that it can contact the rolled product throughout part of the cycle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising two conveyors running side by side.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each conveyor is driven individually, and one conveyor can be driven at a speed greater than the other.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the framework is height-adjustable.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the closed path of the rotator assembly approximates an ellipse.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rotator cup grips the rolled product.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rolled product has a roll axis oriented in the machine direction, and wherein the at least one rolled product is partially wrapped in an open-ended tube of polymer film.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rolled product is an individual rolled product.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rolled product is multiple rolled products that are bundled in an open-ended tube of polymer film.

10. A conveying system comprising a conveyor on which is conveyed at least one rolled product in a machine direction, the conveying comprising:
a. a first portion on which is conveyed at least one rolled product having an axis oriented in the machine direction, wherein the at least one rolled product is partially wrapped in an open ended tube of polymer film;
b. a second portion on which the at least one rolled product is rotated in a horizontal plane such that its axis is oriented in a cross machine direction,
c. a third portion on which the at least one rolled product is conveyed while oriented in the cross machine direction to a sealing operation that seals the open ends of the tube of polymer film;
wherein the second portion comprises a rotator assembly moveably attached via a reciprocating linkage to framework positioned in operable relationship to the second portion, the rotator assembly being driven by a first motor such that the rotator assembly cycles in a closed path in a vertical plane, the rotator assembly having mounted to the linkage a second motor having a rotator cup, the rotator assembly being positioned with respect to the second portion such that upon each cycle the rotator cup contacts a partially wrapped package of rolled product throughout part of the cycle.

11. The conveying system of claim 10 , wherein the third portion conveys partially wrapped rolled products to an end sealing operation.

12. The conveying system of claim 10 , wherein the second portion comprises two conveyors operating side by side.

13. The conveying system of claim 12 , wherein each of the two conveyors is individually driven and can operate at different speeds.

14. The conveying system of claim 10 , wherein rotator assembly is vertically adjustable relative to the second portion.

15. The conveying system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one rolled product is an individual rolled product.

16. The conveying system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one rolled product is multiple rolled products that are bundled in an open-ended tube of polymer film.

17. A method for rotating at least one rolled product, the method comprising the steps of:
a. providing a conveyor moving in a machine direction;
b. providing in operable relationship to the conveyor a product rotator, the product rotator being mounted on a frame in operable relationship to the conveyor and comprising:
1. a rotator assembly moveably attached via a reciprocating linkage to the frame, the rotator assembly being driven by a first motor such that the rotator assembly cycles in a closed path in a vertical plane;
2. the rotator assembly having mounted to the linkage a second motor having a rotator cup, the rotator assembly being positioned with respect to the conveyor such that upon each cycle the rotator cup contacts the rolled product throughout part of the cycle;

c. conveying the at least one rolled product on the conveyor while rotating the at least one rolled product by contacting the at least one rolled product with the rotator cup and reorienting the at least one rolled product in a horizontal plane.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one rolled product is a sanitary tissue product selected from the group of paper towels and toilet tissue.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the sanitary tissue product is rolled on a core having a core axis, and the core axis is rotated by about 90 degrees when rotated.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the conveyor is a split conveyor comprising two conveyor belts running side by side.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein each of the two conveyor belts is driven separately and can be driven at different speeds.

22. A method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one rolled product is partially wrapped in an open-ended polymer tube.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising the step of sealing the open ends of the polymer tube to form a polymer-wrapped package of rolled sanitary tissue products.

24. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least one rolled product is an individual rolled product.

25. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least one rolled product is multiple rolled products that are bundled in an open-ended tube of polymer film.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Overley Matthew Bernard
• Brokopp Jr Wesley Bernard

Classifications

• B65G2201/0232

  Coils, bobbins, rolls · CPC title

• B65G47/244 Primary

  by turning them about an axis substantially perpendicular to the conveying plane · CPC title

• B65G47/2445 Primary

  by means of at least two co-operating endless conveying elements · CPC title