Masakatsu Takai, Kagawa, Japan; Sadami Tabuchi, Kagawa, Japan; Satoshi Nozaki, Kagawa, Japan; Shinobu Seki, Kagawa, Japan; Hideki Onishi, Kagawa, Japan; and Masashi Hosokawa, Kagawa, Japan. Assigned to Unicharm Corporation, Ehime, Japan.
Filed: 7/17/09
Issued: 8/4/15

Patented is an apparatus for manufacturing a tampon. The tampon including an absorbent body for absorbing liquid, an accommodating member that is cylindrical and accommodates the absorbent body, and a pushing member that is configured to move inside the accommodating member and push the absorbent body out of the accommodating member, the accommodating member including a minor diameter part provided at a first end thereof and a major diameter part provided at a second end thereof, the major diameter part having an external diameter greater than that of the minor diameter part, the major diameter part, at a leading end thereof, including a plurality of petaloid parts, said apparatus comprising: an orienting mechanism configured to orient the accommodating member; a first inserting mechanism configured to insert the pushing member into the accommodating member oriented by the orienting mechanism; and a second inserting mechanism configured to insert the absorbent body into the accommodating member in which the pushing member is inserted, the orienting mechanism including: an opening through which the accommodating member is inputted; a pair of first protruded parts located on a first side in a longitudinal direction of the opening and protruding inwardly in an opposing manner into the opening; and a pair of second protruded parts located on a second side in the longitudinal direction of the opening and protruding inwardly in an opposing manner into the opening, a gap between the pair of first protruded parts configured to be greater than the external diameter of the minor diameter part and smaller than the external diameter of the major diameter part, and a gap between the pair of second protruded parts configured to be greater than the external diameter of the minor diameter part and smaller than the external diameter of the major diameter part, wherein when the opening of the orienting mechanism receives the accommodating member in a manner that a longitudinal direction of the accommodating member lies along the longitudinal direction of the opening, one of the pair of first protruded parts and the pair of second protruded parts is positioned where the minor diameter part passes between said one of the pair of first protruded parts and the pair of second protruded parts, and the other of the pair of first protruded parts and the pair of second protruded parts is positioned (a) where the major diameter part cannot pass between said other of the pair of first protruded parts and the pair of second protruded parts and (b) to contact with a part of the accommodating member that is nearer to a center of the accommodating member in the longitudinal direction than the petaloid parts.