Patent ID: 8262011

Claim:
A process for unwinding a parent roll into multiple product roils comprising: unwinding a tissue web from a parent roll and conveying the tissue web downstream on a web transport apparatus, the web transport apparatus comprising a conveyor belt, the web transport apparatus having a first side and a second and opposite side, and wherein a plurality of winding modules are positioned adjacent to the web transport apparatus, each winding module containing a mandrel wherein each mandrel is in operative association with a driving device for center driving and rotating the mandrel, the mandrels being consecutively positioned along the web transport apparatus, each of the mandrels extending across the web transport apparatus; positioning a first mandrel adjacent to the conveyor belt for engaging a leading edge of the tissue web so as to initiate winding of the web onto the first mandrel; after forming a first rolled product on the first mandrel, cutting the tissue web without interrupting the unwinding of the tissue web and the conveying of the tissue web downstream on the web transport apparatus and thereby forming a new leading edge; positioning a second mandrel adjacent to the conveyor belt for engaging the new leading edge of the tissue web so as to initiate winding of the web onto the second mandrel and thereby form a second rolled product on the second mandrel without interrupting the unwinding of the tissue web.