Patent GB-531509-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in a machine for making absorbent pads
IPC: A61F13/15
Filed: 1939-07-25
Abstract: 531,509. Catamenial appliances. BURGESS, A. F. (International Cellucotton Products Co.). July 25, 1939, No. 21554. [Class 81 (ii)] A catamenial pad, Figs. 11, 12 comprises a folded absorbent web 17 enclosing an absorbent strip 18 for distributing absorbed fluid longitudinally by means of compressed longitudinal areas. A waterproof strip 19 covers one face of the pad, and the whole is enclosed between absorbent webs 20, 21 which at their extended ends 22 are compressed to unite them, and sheets of loose fluffy cotton 23, 24 are applied above and below the pad. The side edges are covered by waterproof strips 25, 26 and cotton-covered strips 27, 28 which overlap the top and bottom surfaces and are adhesivelv attached thereto to hold the waterproof strips in place. Preferably a suitable marking such as a coloured thread 29 is provided on the outer gauze wrapper to indicate the side which should be worn away from the body. The general arrangement of the rolls of material supplying the various parts of the pad is illustrated in Fig. 13, the reference numbers for the rolls and webs being the same as for the corresponding layers of the pad, with the addition of b for a roll and a for a web. The webs 17a, 18a, 19a are fed at right angles to the feed of the other webs and pass over direction-changing means so that all the webs are parallel on entering between rollers 33, 34 which feed the assembly towards the cutting mechanism. This arrangement of the web feeds renders the various rolls more accesible. The side strips are fed from rolls 25b, 26b, 27b, 28b, past a breaker 43 on to the outer gauze 15 supplied from a roll 40 and a severed pad 16 is fed so as to overlap the side pieces. The coloured thread 29 is fed from a roll 29a. The directionchanging means for the webs is shown in Fig. 10 which also shows how the web 17a is folded so as to enclose the narrow web 18a. A guide roller 59 driven at a faster rate than the travel of the web, reduces the tension on that part which lies between it and the feed rollers 33, 34. The mounting of the roll 17b is shown in Fig. 9. The roll is mounted in one end of a rod 69 pivoted centrally to a rod 63 which is pivoted upon the machine frame at 64, a locking pin 67 keeping the rod 63 normally in its vertical position. When a roll is nearly exhausted the rod 69 is swung through 180‹ and a new roll is mounted on the other end. For this purpose the rod 63 may be swung outwards for ready accessibility, and a counterweight is provided to facilitate handling, and other rolls may be mounted similarly. As the web 23a is of low tensile strength its roll 23b is supported on a feed roller 87, Fig. 4, and the web passes under electrically connected fingers 89 and above a surface 88 so that if the web breaks the whole machine is stopped and a part of the weight of the roll 23b is borne by a spring 93. The various rolls are driven from an electric motor 62 by means of gearing, chains and belts. The assembled webs after leaving the rollers 33, 34 are fed to the cutting means by an intermittent reciprocating feed operated by a cam 145, Fig. 1, which operates a rock-lever 146 which effects the horizontal feed, and a cam 147 which lifts a vertically-slidable member 148 to lift the feed mechanism out of engagement with the web assembly on its backward travel.