Method and system for conveying rolled absorbent products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9694926-B2
Application number	US-201615083715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2016
Priority date	Nov 19, 2012
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A conveying system for conveying rolled absorbent products. The system can include a first conveyor and a second conveyor for moving rolled absorbent products. The rolled absorbent products can be either partially wrapped or naked. The first and second conveyors can each have aligned centerlines parallel to a direction of movement. A first transfer device can be coupled to the first conveyor for diverting at least a portion of the partially wrapped rolled absorbent products in a direction substantially orthogonal to the centerline of the first conveyor to another conveyor for moving the diverted rolled absorbent products to a subsequent unit operation. The un-diverted portion of the conveyed rolled absorbent products can be conveyed to the second conveyor. In operation rolled absorbent products can be conveyed in a generally straight path from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, or in a path that diverts away from the first conveyor to the subsequent unit operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveying system for conveying rolled absorbent products, the system comprising:
a. a plurality of rolled absorbent products, said rolled absorbent products comprising a cardboard tube core, said rolled absorbent products also comprising a longitudinal axis being the center of the cardboard tube core;
b. a conveyor for moving said rolled absorbent products, said rolled absorbent products being either partially wrapped or naked, said naked rolls being conveyed in streaming, laying down, side-by-side relationship in one or more lanes, so that the cardboard tube core is generally parallel to the conveyor, said conveyor having a centerline parallel to a direction of movement;
c. a transfer device operatively coupled to said conveyor, said transfer device capable of diverting at least a portion of said partially wrapped rolled absorbent products in a direction substantially orthogonal to said centerline of said conveyor to a subsequent unit operation such that the longitudinal axes of the diverted partially wrapped rolled absorbent products are orthogonal to the centerline of the conveyor, or alternatively of maintaining an un-diverted portion of said conveyed rolled absorbent products, including at least a portion of said naked rolls, conveyed parallel to said centerline of said conveyor such that the longitudinal axes of the un-diverted rolled absorbent products are parallel to the centerline of the conveyor; and,
d. wherein in operation rolled absorbent products can be conveyed in a generally straight path parallel to said centerline of said conveyor, or in a path that diverts away from said conveyor to said subsequent unit operation;
e. wherein said conveyor comprises a wrapping station, said wrapping station being capable of wrapping one or more rolled absorbent products prior to said subsequent unit operation, and
f. wherein said subsequent unit operation comprises a sealing station for sealing said partially wrapped rolled absorbent products.

2. The conveying system of claim 1 , wherein said transfer device comprises at least one embedded roller conveyor.

3. The conveying system of claim 1 , wherein said rolled absorbent products comprise paper towels.

4. The conveying system of claim 1 , wherein said rolled absorbent products comprise bath tissue.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Overley Matthew Bernard

Classifications

• B65G47/684

  with recirculation of articles forming a buffer · CPC title

• B65G37/02 Primary

  Flow-sheets for conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops · CPC title

• B65G47/53

  between conveyors which cross one another · CPC title

• B65G47/52

  Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices (loading or unloading by means not incorporated in, or not operatively associated with, conveyors B65G65/00; transfer of workpieces during metal rolling B21B41/00) · CPC title

• B65B25/146 Primary

  packaging rolled-up articles · CPC title