Container assembly for collecting pads, collector for receiving and collecting pads, punching device for manufacturing pads and method for collecting pads

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11759969-B2
Application number	US-202017620460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2020
Priority date	Jun 17, 2019
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

Container assembly for collecting pads, such as cosmetic pads or medical pads, wherein the container assembly comprises an elongate shell extending along a collecting axis parallel to a stacking direction and in a circumferential direction about the collecting axis, wherein the shell comprises a top side, a bottom side opposite to said top side in the stacking direction, wherein the shell is open at said top side for receiving the pads in said stacking direction and along said collecting axis, wherein the shell comprises a first shell segment and a second shell segment extending along said collecting axis between the top side and the bottom side and movable relative to one another in a clamping direction transverse to the stacking direction, wherein the second shell segment is biased relative to and towards the first shell segment in said clamping direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A container assembly for collecting pads in a stacking direction,
wherein the container assembly comprises an elongate shell extending along a collecting axis parallel to the stacking direction and extending in a circumferential direction about the collecting axis,
wherein the shell comprises a top side and a bottom side opposite to said top side in the stacking direction,
wherein the shell is open at said top side for receiving the pads in said stacking direction and along said collecting axis,
wherein the shell comprises a first shell segment and a second shell segment extending along said collecting axis between the top side and the bottom side and movable relative to one another in a clamping direction transverse to the stacking direction,
wherein the second shell segment is biased relative to the first shell segment to move towards said first shell segment in the clamping direction,
wherein the container assembly further comprises a shuttle to be positioned within the shell for supporting the pads received therein,
wherein the shuttle is configured to abut the first shell segment and the second shell segment of the elongate shell, and
wherein the shuttle is movable in the stacking direction along the collecting axis.

2. The container assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the second shell segment is rotatable about a shell rotation axis extending perpendicular to the stacking direction and the clamping direction.

3. The container assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the shell rotation axis is located at the bottom side of the shell.

4. The container assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the container comprises a shell biasing member for biasing the second shell segment towards the first shell segment,
wherein the shell biasing member acts on the second shell segment at a shell biasing position spaced apart from the bottom side of the shell.

5. The container assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the shuttle comprises a first part and a second part,
wherein the first part and the second part are biased away from one another and towards the first shell segment and the second shell segment of the container assembly, respectively.

6. The container assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the second shell segment is rotatable about a shell rotation axis extending perpendicular to the stacking direction and the clamping direction and located at the bottom side of the shell,
wherein the second shell segment is biased towards the first shell segment by a first biasing moment about said shell rotation axis,
wherein the first part and the second part of the shuttle are biased towards the first shell segment and the second shell segment, respectively, with a biasing force such that a second biasing moment, opposite to the first biasing moment, is exerted on the second shell segment,
wherein the second biasing moment is dependent on the position of the shuttle along the collecting axis relative to the shell rotation axis.

7. The container assembly according to claim 6 , wherein, the second biasing moment is smaller than the first biasing moment.

8. The container assembly according to claim 6 , wherein, when the shuttle is moved from the top side of the shell towards the bottom side of the shell, the second biasing moment decreases.

9. The container assembly according to claim 6 , wherein, when the shuttle is positioned at or near the top side of the shell, a first mutual distance in the clamping direction between the first shell segment and the second shell segment at the top side of the shell is smaller than a second mutual distance in the clamping direction between the first shell segment and the second shell segment at the bottom side of the shell.

10. The container assembly according to claim 6 , wherein, when the shuttle is positioned at the bottom side of the shell, a first mutual distance in the clamping direction between the first shell segment and the second shell segment at the top side of the shell is smaller than a second mutual distance in the clamping direction between the first shell segment and the second shell segment at the bottom side of the shell.

11. The container assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the shell has a tubular shape.

12. A collector for receiving and collecting pads from a punching device,
wherein the collector comprises a carrier frame and a container assembly according to claim 1 ,
wherein said container assembly is mounted to said carrier frame,
wherein the second shell segment is movable relative to said carrier frame and biased relative to said carrier frame to move towards the first shell segment.

13. The collector according to claim 12 , wherein the carrier frame comprises a first carrier plate facing in the stacking direction and a second carrier plate parallel to said first carrier plate and at a distance from said first carrier plate in the stacking direction,
wherein the first shell segment and the second shell segment are, at the bottom side of the shell, mounted to the first carrier plate, and
wherein the first shell segment and the second shell segment are, at a center region of the shell, mounted to said second carrier plate.

14. The collector according to claim 13 , wherein the second shell segment is rotatable about a shell rotation axis located at the bottom side of the shell and extending perpendicular to the stacking direction and the clamping direction,
wherein the container comprises a shell biasing member for biasing the second shell segment towards the first shell segment,
wherein the shell biasing member acts on the second shell segment at a shell biasing position spaced apart from the bottom side of the shell,
wherein the second shell segment is hingedly connected to the first carrier plate, and
wherein the second shell segment is connected to the second carrier plate via said shell biasing member for biasing the second shell segment towards the first shell segment.

15. The collector according to claim 14 , wherein the collector further comprises a stop for limiting the movement of the second shell segment towards the first shell segment.

16. The collector according to claim 13 , wherein the first shell segment is rigidly connected to the first carrier plate or the second carrier plate.

17. The collector according to claim 13 , wherein the collector comprises an opener plate which is connected to the second shell segment for selectively moving said second shell segment relative to the first shell segment,
wherein the opener plate is movable in a direction parallel to the first carrier plate.

18. A punching device for manufacturing pads from a continuous web, the punching device comprising a collector according to claim 12 ,
wherein the punching device further comprises a first die and a second die opposite to the first die in a punching direction, wherein the first die and the second die are movable relative to each other in said punching direction for punching the pads,
wherein the first die comprises a first body and an ejector aperture extending through said first body in the punching direction,
wherein the second die comprises a second body and a receiving aperture extending through said second body in the punching direction for receiving the punched pads,
wherein the punching device further comprises an ejector which is movable in the punching direction relative to the first die through the ejector aperture and towards the receiving aperture of the second die for ejecting the punched pads into the receiving aperture of the second

Assignees

• Vmi Holland Bv

Inventors

• Pijpers Teunis

Classifications

• B26F1/40 Primary

  using a press, e.g. of the ram type (presses in general B30B) · CPC title

• B26F1/3846 Primary

  cutting out discs or the like (B26F1/384, B26F1/40 and B26F1/44 take precedence) · CPC title

• B26F1/44

  Cutters therefor; Dies therefor · CPC title

• B26D7/00

  Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting (cutters B26D1/00; arrangements for guiding hand cutting tools B26B29/06; punching tools or dies, cutting-out knives or dies B26F) · CPC title

• B26D7/32

  for conveying or stacking cut product (means for removing cut-out material or waste B26D7/18) · CPC title