Patent ID: 8713901

Claim:
A method for providing low count packages of absorbent articles during a high speed manufacturing process, the method comprising: conveying a plurality of absorbent articles in a machine direction to an infeed of a continuously rotating stacker, the stacker including a plurality of cassettes, each cassette being configured to receive at least one absorbent article; sequentially inserting at least one absorbent article into at least one cassette at the infeed of the stacker such that a plurality of absorbent article containing cassettes is provided; transporting the absorbent article containing cassettes around a periphery of the continuously rotating stacker to an extraction station at an outfeed of the stacker, the extraction station comprising an extractor configured to remove at least one absorbent article from at least one absorbent article containing cassette, wherein the extractor comprises a belt having an endless surface, wherein the endless surface of the extractor is positioned at an angle that is non-parallel to the cassette at the outfeed of the stacker; extracting at least one absorbent article from at least one absorbent article containing cassette; conveying the extracted absorbent article(s) to a downstream packaging station; and packaging the absorbent article(s) into one or more low count packages.