AU5041698A - Folding device - Google Patents

Description

FOLDING DEVICE

The present invention relates to a device for folding paper sheets or other materials having a sheet-like formation. The invention has principal application as a device used to assist the accurate folding of sheet writing paper, in order that fold lines can be provided in positions such that the sheet folded about those lines can be neatly fitted into an envelope, and for convenience it is this type of application of the invention that will be described. It should be appreciated however that the invention is anticipated to have wider applications and therefore should not be considered to be restricted to the application hereinafter described.

Envelopes for posting correspondence come in a variety of sizes and are chosen to suit the particular bulk of correspondence which is to be posted. For correspondence which comprises only a small number of pages, it is very common that the pages be folded about two fold lines so as to neatly fit inside an envelope of a reduced size compared to the size of the pages. For example, a very common size of sheet paper is known as A4 and measures 210 mm by 297 mm. Such a sized sheet can be neatly folded about two fold lines, into an envelope sized 234 mm by 120 mm. The use of such a sized sheet of paper is extremely common worldwide and has almost exclusive use for written or type-printed correspondence. The use of such a sized envelope is also very common.

To neatly fit an A4 sheet into the above described envelope, the folds have to be accurately positioned. This however is difficult to achieve consistently because an A4 sheet generally does not include markers to identify the position at which the sheet should be folded. Thus, the positioning of fold lines is generally made on the basis of the memory and experience of the person sending the correspondence. This is not however entirely satisfactory and often the fold lines are inaccurately positioned making insertion of the sheet or sheets into the envelope difficult and frequently requiring refolding of the sheet or sheets. Additionally, in the use of window- faced envelopes, the sheets need to be folded accurately so that the address appearing on the correspondence shows through the envelope window.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which assists with the accurate positioning of folding lines on sheet material such as paper sheets or the like.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for applying fold lines to a sheet material, said device including an arm which is fixed relative to and overlies a base in a manner which enables at least one said sheet to be inserted between said arm and an upper surface of said base, and said arm having two spaced apart substantially parallel edges about which a sheet which is located between said arm and said base upper surface can be folded.

The arm of the device is preferably only fixed to the base at one end, such that the major extent of the arm is not fixed to the base. Such an arrangement enables a sheet to be fitted between the arm and the base by sliding the sheet under the arm from the free end. Alternatively, the sheet may be slid between the arm and the base between the fixed and free ends.

The fixed end of the arm may form a side edge abutment surface against which the sheet may abut prior to folding for sheet alignment purposes. Alternatively, the abutment surface may be provided by an abutment extending upwardly from the upper surface of the base. This abutment could be formed by an upturned edge of the base which extends approximately perpendicular to the upper surface thereof. In a preferred arrangement, the abutment surface is disposed perpendicular to the lengthwise extent of the arm. In one arrangement, the arm includes an upturned edge complimentary to an upturned edge of the base and fixing means are provided to fix the arm to the base by way of a fixed connection between the respective upturned edges. Such fixing means could for example be a glue to provide a permanent fixed connection. Alternatively, the arm can be fixed to the base by a different arrangement and in one arrangement, the arm and base are cast in one piece, with the base having an upturned side edge and the arm extending from that edge to overlie the base. Other arrangements for fixing the arm to the base are within the scope of the invention.

The arm alternatively could be adjustable relative to the base to accommodate different sized sheets and variations in the positioning of the required fold lines. Thus, the arm could be slidably connected to the base by way of a track connection. Alternatively, the arm could be provided for example, with protruding members suitable to engage within apertures provided in appropriate locations in the base. Various other alternatives could be adopted either to provide a permanently fixed connection between the arm and the base or a movable connection and each of these is within the scope of the present invention.

Preferably the edges of the device are spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the fold lines required. That spacing can therefore be customised to suit a particular sheet or envelope size, by selection or manufacture of an arm having the edges spaced apart the desired distance. Alternatively, the arm could be constructed with the edges spaced apart a distance which has no relationship to the sheets which are to be folded.

The device preferably includes means to correctly position the sheet for folding about the edges of the arm. Such positioning means may take any suitable form and may for example, include a raised abutment protruding from a surface of the base, against which an edge of the sheet may be made to abut before the sheet is folded about the folding edges of the arm. This abutment can be provided additional to the earlier described side edge abutment surface or can be an alternative thereto. The abutment can provide an alignment surface for either the top edge or bottom edge of the sheet respectively and may take the same form as the earlier described abutment surface (such as an upturned edge) or can take any suitable other form such as a raised bar provided along a suitable edge or edges of the base.

Alternatively, the base may include suitable markers which facilitate positioning of edges of the sheet prior to folding. The markers may be printed or engraved at any suitable position on the surface of the base and may include a range of different marker positions to accommodate a range of different sheet sizes, or to accommodate different fold positions for different envelopes.

The markers may alternatively comprise an edge of the base to which an edge of the sheet is brought into alignment prior to the sheet being folded. The base may have several edges, for example in a stepped configuration to accommodate differently sized sheets or envelopes. More preferably however, the base will have two oppositely located edges on opposite sides of the arm, with one or both of these edges constituting a marker for correct positioning of up to two differently sized sheets. Still alternatively, no positioning means may be provided and correct positioning may be left to the memory or experience of the person using the device, or the sheet being folded may itself be provided with suitable marks such as may be printed on the sheet. In this arrangement, the device functions principally as a means to effect parallel, neat fold lines and therefore the device still functions to the advantage of the user even though the user needs to correctly position the sheet.

The arm of the fixing device preferably extends beyond an edge of the base to facilitate easy insertion of the sheet between the arm and the base. That is, the sheet can be slid against the underneath surface of the arm which will guide the sheet between that surface and the upper surface of the base. The arm is preferably resiliently flexible so that it may be flexed away from the base to facilitate insertion of the sheet between the arm and the base. The flexibility need only be enough to provide a gap between the end of the arm and the base for insertion of the sheet. The arm preferably is raised above the base an amount to enable more than one sheet to be folded at once. Typically, the space between the arm and base is approximately 3 mm.

The folding device of the invention is anticipated to be particularly useful in commercial office environments, for folding printed or typed letters. The device is also envisaged to be extremely useful in relation to the folding of 3- fold brochures, which are widely distributed by businesses for advertising and marketing purposes and for pre-printed office stationary which is to be used with window-faced envelope. The preferred method of operation of the folding device as described above relative to an A4 sheet requiring two fold lines will now be described.

The arm, which is connected at one end to the base, is raised slightly so as to increase or create a gap between the underneath surface of the arm and the upper surface of the base over which the arm lies. The sheet or sheets which are to be folded are inserted into this gap and moved into engagement with the side edge abutment surface as may be provided. The sheet is also moved into engagement with the top or bottom edge abutment also as may be provided or other markers provided for alignment purposes. Engagement of the sheet with the respective abutments or other markers correctly aligns the sheet ready for folding.

The folding operation can commence when the sheet is correctly aligned as described above. The first portion of the sheet extending beyond one of the spaced apart edges of the arm may be folded upwardly away from the base against the respective edge, to create the desired fold line. In the same manner the second portion of the sheet extending beyond the other of the spaced apart edges may also be folded upwardly away from the base against the other respective edge, with the result that the sheet now is provided with two fold lines suitable to fold the sheet correctly for insertion into the desired envelope. The sheet now has three discernible portions, being a top first portion and bottom second portion extending from either edge of the arm, and a centre third portion located between the arm and the base. The sheet is then removed from the folding device, is folded correctly along the fold lines and is then inserted into an envelope. The folding operation can include one further step in which the first and second portions are folded flat against the upper surface of the arm. Either the first or second portion will overlap the other portion upon completion of this further step, in the form the sheet will take for insertion into the envelope. It is not important generally as to which of the first or second sheets overlies the other, unless the envelope is window faced, whereby the portion having the address printed thereon is required to be the upper portion. Having folded the first and second portions flat against the upper surface of the arm, the sheet may be slid off the arm past the free end thereof ready for direct insertion into an envelope.

The folding device of the invention is suitable for wide application to sheets of different sizes and for different sized envelopes. The folding device can be provided in a form specific for a particular size of sheet and envelope, or in a form adjustable to suit various sizes. Each of the parameters of the folding device can be adjustable if appropriate. The positioning of the arm relative to the base can be adjustable as can the width of the arm. Alternatively, the device can be provided with fixed measurements only. The folding device can generally accept a plurality of sheets at one time, for simultaneous folding. The amount of sheets acceptable at one time depends on the grade or thickness of the sheets, but the device may be adjustable to increase the gap between the arm and the base in order to accommodate thicker piles of sheets. It must be understood however that as the number of sheets folded simultaneously increases, the accuracy of the positioning of the fold lines, particularly in relation to the sheets adjacent the base, will decrease. It is therefore envisaged that the device will be applicable generally for amounts of ten sheets or less. The folding device can be constructed from separate components, being the arm, the base, and the abutment surfaces, or else it can be formed integrally. It is envisaged that the device will be appropriate for injection moulding and that it will be made of durable plastic materials, which enable flexing of the arm as required. Alternatively, the device could be fabricated from suitable material, such as plastic or metal, or it could be cast in metal by a suitable metal casting technique, such as high pressure die casting. The device could be formed from a composite of materials, such as for example, a metal base and a plastic arm.

In a preferred arrangement, the arm is formed from a clear plastic so that the device can function as a typing aid in addition to its function as a folding device. In this arrangement, the folding device includes supporting means to support the device in an upright manner, so that a sheet of hand written notes for example, may be inserted between the base and the arm and retained in a position in which a typist can copy type from the sheet. While the supporting means may take any suitable form, in one arrangement the supporting means may be provided by one of the abutments extending from the base. The abutment would have a sufficient extent to support the device in the upright disposition.

In order to assist in arriving at an understanding of the present invention, a preferred embodiment is illustrated in the attached drawings.

However, it should be understood that the following description is illustrative only and should not be taken in any way as a restriction on the generality of the invention as described above.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of a folding device according to the invention. The folding device 10 includes an arm 11 and a base 12. The arm 11 includes spaced-apart, substantially parallel edges 13 and 14, a fixed end 15 and a free end 16. The free end 16 can include an opening 16a to enable the folding device to be hung from hook or nail. Alternatively, an opening could be located suitably in the base 12.

The base 12 includes a front edge 17, top and bottom edges 18 and 19 and inclined edges 20 and 21 which extend between the front edge 17 and the top and bottom edges 18 and 19 respectively.

The base 12 further includes an upturned edge 22 which extends substantially perpendicular to the major portion 23 of the base 12.

An abutment 24 is provided adjacent the bottom edge 19 and a locating lip 25 depends from the front edge 17. The abutment bar and the locating lip 25 can be formed integrally with the base 12 or can be formed separately and fitted to the base 12 by any suitable means, such as by gluing.

The abutment 24 provides an abutment surface against which a sheet of paper may be placed to correctly align it. The abutment 24 could equally be provided at the top edge 18 of the base 12, although placement at the bottom edge 19 is considered more convenient.

The locating lip 25 assists in stabilising the folding device 10 against a table top or desk top or the like. The lip would be positioned to extend over the edge of the table or desk top and assists to maintain the folding device 10 in that position. Alternatively, the locating lip 25 may be omitted and other locating means may be applied such as a rubberised material applied to the underneath surface of the base 12 which would prevent sliding of the folding device 10 relative to the surface on which it is placed.

A combination of the locating lip and feet extending from the underneath surface of the base 12 is one preferred arrangement. In that arrangement, the feet can serve to elevate the base above the surface on which the device 10 is to be used, while the locating lip 25 can prevent movement of the device 10 relative to that surface. Elevating the base above the surface effectively eliminates an air cushion being formed between the base and the surface, which would otherwise cause the device to slip relative to the surface.

The feet can be rubber discs adhered to the base 12, although equally, the base could be formed to have integral feet, such as if the base is formed by moulding, or the feet could be punched into a metal base.

Figures 3 and 4 shows the folding device 10 of Figures 1 and 2, but with the arm 11 raised away from the upper surface 26 of the base 12 to facilitate insertion of a paper sheet. The flexing of the arm 11 away from the upper surface 26 is most clearly illustrated in Figure 4 and it can be seen from that figure that flexing of the arm 11 takes place at the elbow 27.

Figure 5 shows the folding device 10 with a sheet of paper 28 inserted between the upper surface 26 of the base 12 and the underneath surface 29 of the arm 11. In this figure, the arm 11 is still flexed away from the upper surface 26 of the base 12 to facilitate insertion of the sheet of paper 28. The sheet 28 is inserted to a point where its leading edge 29 abuts against the junction 30 between the upturned edge 22 and the major portion 23 of the base 12. When the leading edge 29 abuts this junction 30 and the bottom edge 31 of the sheet 28 is also brought into engagement with the abutment bar 24, the sheet 28 is correctly positioned for folding. The arm 11 may now be released and the resilient nature of the arm will cause it to flex downwardly toward the upper surface 26 of the base 12 into a position as shown in Figure 6. Alignment of the sheet 28 can take place either while the arm 11 is flexed away from the upper surface 26 as shown in Figure 5 or it can take place when the arm 11 has been allowed to flex downwardly to the upper surface 26 as seen in Figure 6. With the arm 11 in the position shown in Figure 6, it provides a clamping effect on the sheet 28 against the base 12. The clamping effect is relatively minor, although it does have the effect of maintaining the sheet in contact with the abutment 24 and the junction 30 so that the sheet 28 remains in correct alignment for folding. In operation, the operator will normally press downwards on the arm when folding the sheet, and that downward pressure further serves to maintain the sheet 28 in position. Figure 7 shows the sheet 28 being folded about the arm 11. The sheet can be seen as being divided into three separate portions, being a top portion 32, a centre portion (not seen) and a bottom portion 33.

The folded sheet is illustrated in Figure 8 in which the top portion 32 is folded over the top of the bottom portion 33. It can be seen from Figure 8 that the sheet 28 has been folded into three substantially even portions such that the total width W of the folded sheet is of a size suitable for insertion into an appropriate envelope. There is no need to unfold the sheet to remove it from the arm 11 as it can simply be slid off the arm ready for immediate insertion into an appropriately sized envelope. As previously discussed, the folding device can also function as a typing aid and for that purpose, the upturned edge 22 can be constructed to support the device 10 in an upright manner. To support the device in an upright disposition, the upturned edge 22 needs to be in the order of 50 mm in height. When functioning as a typing aid, a sheet from which text is to be typed is inserted between the arm 11 and the base 12 and is held there by the resilient nature of the arm. The arm 11 is required to be of a clear plastic so that the text underneath the arm can be seen.

The folding device of the present invention provides a simple and convenient method for folding paper sheets and the like for insertion into an appropriately sized envelope. The folding device overcomes the difficulty of having to estimate where to provide fold lines because upon alignment of the paper sheet in the folding device, the folding lines are automatically located in the correct position. The folding device of the present invention therefore provides a useful, simple and accurate device for folding paper sheets.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be many variations and modifications of the configuration described herein which are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (18)

1. A device for applying fold lines to a sheet material, said device including an arm which is fixed relative to and overlies the upper surface of a base in a manner which enables at least one sheet to be inserted between said arm and said upper surface, and said arm having two spaced apart substantially parallel edges about which a sheet, which is located between said arm and said base upper surface, can be folded.

2. A device according to claim 1 , wherein said arm has two spaced- apart ends and is fixed to said base at one of said ends.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, including one or more abutment surfaces for abutting engagement with an edge of a sheet which is inserted between said arm and said base, for aligning said sheet relative to the arm prior to folding.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein an abutment surface is provided at an edge of said base for abutting engagement with a side edge of a sheet.

5. A device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein an abutment surface is provided at an edge or edges of said base for abutting engagement with either or both of said top or bottom edges of said sheet.

6. A device according to any preceding claim, said arm being adjustable in position relative to said base.

7. A device according to any preceding claim, said spaced apart edges of said arm being spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the fold lines required to be applied to the sheet being folded.

8. A device according to any preceding claim, including positioning means to correctly position a sheet on said device relative to said arm prior to folding of the sheet so that the fold lines are correctly positioned on the sheet.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein said positioning means includes an abutment raised from the upper surface of the base.

10. A device according to claim 8 wherein said positioning means includes one or more markers located on the upper surface of said base.

11. A device according to claim 8, wherein said base includes a pair of edges spaced apart wider than said edges of said arm, one or both of said pair of base edges extending parallel to said arm edges and forming said positioning means for correctly positioning said sheet.

12. A device according to claim 11 , wherein one or both of said base edges are stepped forming a plurality of edges for positioning said sheet.

13. A device according to any preceding claim, said arm extending at said free end beyond an edge of said base.

14. A device according to claim 13, including an opening in the portion of said arm extending beyond said edge of said base so that said device can be hung from a hook extending through said opening.

15. A device according to any preceding claim wherein said base is formed by a different material to said arm.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein said base is formed from a metal and said arm is formed from plastic.

17. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein feet extend from an underneath surface of said base, to elevate said base above the surface on which the device is placed.

18. A device according to any preceding claim, said device including means to support it in an upstanding position as a typing aid so that a sheet containing text to be typed can be inserted between said arm and said base and the device positioned upstanding, said arm being made of clear plastic.