Methods and apparatus for application of nested zero waste ear to traveling web

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of providing a disposable product with a contoured leg opening. In this method at least one chip is removed from at least one ear of a disposable product. The chip may be removed from an ear prior to attaching the ear to the chassis web. Alternatively, the chip may be removed from the ear after the ear is attached to the chassis web.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A disposable product comprising:
 a chassis web having an absorbent core and comprising:
 a first waist edge located ahead of the absorbent core; and 
 a second waist edge located behind the absorbent core; 
   a pair of opposing front wings coupled to the chassis web inboard and adjacent to a first side of each waist edge;   a pair of opposing rear wings coupled to the chassis web inboard and adjacent to a side opposite the first side of each waist edge;   an ear coupled to each rear wing at an outboard edge of each rear wing; and   wherein each ear comprises a closure mechanism along less than a lengthwise direction dimension of each ear.   
     
     
         2 . The disposable product of  claim 1 , wherein the opposing front wings are coupled to the chassis web in a mirrored orientation. 
     
     
         3 . The disposable product of  claim 1 , wherein the opposing front wings comprise trapezoids. 
     
     
         4 . The disposable product of  claim 3 , wherein an edge of each trapezoid forms a portion of a leg opening in each disposable product. 
     
     
         5 . The disposable product of  claim 1 , wherein the opposing rear wings comprise trapezoids. 
     
     
         6 . The disposable product of  claim 5 , wherein an edge of each trapezoid forms a portion of a leg opening in each disposable product. 
     
     
         7 . The disposable product of  claim 1 , wherein the opposing front wings and the opposing rear wings comprise trapezoids. 
     
     
         8 . The disposable product of  claim 7 , wherein an edge of each trapezoid forms a portion of a leg opening in each disposable product. 
     
     
         9 . The disposable product of  claim 1 , wherein the chassis web comprises a continuous web. 
     
     
         10 . A method of manufacturing a disposable product comprising:
 spacing a plurality of absorbent cores on a chassis web, wherein each absorbent core is spaced at a predetermined distance from neighboring absorbent cores on the web and wherein the chassis web is divisible into discrete webs from a first waist edge located ahead of each absorbent core to second waist edge located behind each absorbent core;   coupling inboard edges of first and second front wings to opposite sides of the chassis web adjacent to the first waist edge;   coupling inboard edges of first and second rear wings to opposite sides of the chassis web adjacent to the second waist edge;   coupling a respective ear to an outboard edge of each rear wing;   wherein each respective ear comprises a closure mechanism coupled thereto along less than a lengthwise direction dimension of each respective ear; and   wherein the lengthwise direction dimension extends between the first and second waist edges.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises creating the respective ears comprising:
 cutting a first pair of shapes with a first cutting unit from a first incoming web, the first cutting unit having two cutting edges to create two complimentary and nested right ears, every other right ear requiring rotation;   cutting a second pair of shapes with a second cutting unit from a second incoming web, the second cutting unit having two cutting edges to create two complimentary and nested left ears, every other left ear requiring rotation;   repitching the left and right ears a first time, simultaneously with rotating the right and left ears requiring rotation;   after rotating the right and left ears requiring rotation, repitching the right ears and the left ears a second time, the second repitching bringing the left and right ears to a product pitch of a wing web.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein coupling the respective ear to the outboard edge of each rear wing comprises:
 coupling a first plurality of the left and right ears to a first wing web; and   coupling a second plurality of the left and right ears to a second wing web; and   wherein the method further comprises:
 cutting a third pair of shapes with a third cutting unit from the first wing web, the third cutting unit having two cutting edges to create two complimentary and nested right wing portions, every other right wing portion requiring rotation; 
 cutting a fourth pair of shapes with a fourth cutting unit from the second wing web, the fourth cutting unit having two cutting edges to create two complimentary and nested left wing portions, every other left wing portion requiring rotation; 
 repitching the left and right wing portions a first time, simultaneously with rotating the right and left wing portions requiring rotation; 
 after rotating the right and left wing portions requiring rotation, repitching the right wings and the left wings a second time, the second repitching bringing the left and right wing portions to a product pitch of the chassis web. 
   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein coupling the inboard edges of the first and second front wings to opposite sides of the chassis web adjacent to the first waist edge and coupling the inboard edges of the first and second rear wings to opposite sides of the chassis web adjacent to the second waist edge comprises coupling the left and right wing portions to the chassis web. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein one of the front wings and the rear wings comprise trapezoids. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein an edge of each trapezoid forms a portion of a leg opening in each disposable product. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the front wings are rotated 180 degrees from each other. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising mirroring formation of the first and second rear wings. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the chassis web comprises a continuous web. 
     
     
         19 . A method of securing ears to a receiving web, the method comprising:
 cutting a first pair of shapes with a first cutting unit from a first incoming web, the first cutting unit having two cutting edges to create two complimentary and nested right ears, every other right ear requiring rotation;   cutting a second pair of shapes with a second cutting unit from a second incoming web, the second cutting unit having two cutting edges to create two complimentary and nested left ears, every other left ear requiring rotation;   repitching the left and right ears a first time, simultaneously with rotating the right and left ears requiring rotation;   after rotating the right and left ears requiring rotation, repitching the right ears and the left ears a second time, the second repitching bringing the left and right ears to a product pitch of the receiving web.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising:
 coupling the left and right ears to the receiving web, the receiving web comprising a wing web; 
 spacing a plurality of absorbent cores on a chassis web, wherein each absorbent core is spaced at a predetermined distance from neighboring absorbent cores on the web and wherein the chassis web is divisible into discrete webs from a first waist edge located ahead of each absorbent core to second waist edge located behind each absorbent core; 
 forming first and second front wings from the wing web; 
 forming first and second rear wings from the wing web, each of the first and second rear wings having an inboard edge of a respective one of the left and right ears coupled to an outboard edge thereof; 
 coupling inboard edges of first and second front wings to opposite sides of the chassis web adjacent to the first waist edge; 
 coupling inboard edges of first and second rear wings to opposite sides of the chassis web adjacent to the second waist edge; and 
 cutting the chassis web at the first and second waist edges to create a disposable absorbent article.