US3476379A - Laundry folding devices - Google Patents

Laundry folding devices Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3476379A
US3476379A US612167A US3476379DA US3476379A US 3476379 A US3476379 A US 3476379A US 612167 A US612167 A US 612167A US 3476379D A US3476379D A US 3476379DA US 3476379 A US3476379 A US 3476379A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
sheet
conveyor
folding
cross
timing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US612167A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Henry John Weir
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3476379A publication Critical patent/US3476379A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F89/00—Apparatus for folding textile articles with or without stapling
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10S493/00—Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturing from a sheet or web
    • Y10S493/937—Textile

Definitions

  • a laundry article cross-folder particularly for prefolded articles, in which the article to be folded is draped in front of a moving conveyor and projected onto the conveyor by means (folding blade, air jet or the like) which act on the sheet along a proposed horizontal fold line.
  • the invention relates to laundry folding devices and in particular devices for folding laundry flat work articles such as sheets, towels and the like.
  • the principal application of the invention is to the folding of sheets and the term sheet will be used hereinafter in referring to the articles to be folded, although it is to be understood that this term is not limiting in this respect.
  • Folding devices as known at present operate in one of two ways on sheets which are passed through them.
  • the leading edge of the sheet may be clamped between a pair of jaws, either before or after it reaches the conveyor and the jaws are raised to allow the remainder of the sheet to be carried forward on the conveyor.
  • the jaws are then opened to drop the held edge so it falls, usually, on the trailing edge of the sheet Which is thereby folded in half.
  • the second way of folding is by tucking the sheet across its width at a predetermined line (half-way along the sheet for folding in half) and inserting the tuck between two adjacent and contra-rotating rollers which draw the sheet between them.
  • a folding device comprises a conveyor having an essentially horizontal roller or guide and a belt arranged to be driven around the roller or guide so that an uper run thereof recedes from the roller or guide, the belt being so arranged that a sheet may be laid on the upper run and conveyed thereby without contact from above, there being a clearance above the upper run which allows the sheet to :be so laid and so conveyed without such contact; means for hanging a sheet to be folded in front of, parallel and adjacent the belt where it passes over the roller or guide; and means for acting upon a hanging sheet along a proposed horizontal fold line to lay the sheet on the upper run so that it is conveyed therealong with the fold line leading.
  • the fold is effected without grasping the edge of the sheet and without exerting pressure on the folded sheet.
  • the means for hanging the sheet comprises means for progessively lowering the sheet past the end roller or guide and the means for acting on the sheet includes a timer arrangement for initiating the action when the proposed fold line is in the appropriate place.
  • the fold line will be half Way along the sheet.
  • the means for acting on the sheet preferably includes a rectangular plate extending across the width of the conveyor and normally resting in a vertical plane closely adjacent the sheet when hanging and on the side thereof remote from the conveyor, being hinged along one horizontal edge and being swung about the hinge towards the conveyor when it is required to act upon the sheet.
  • the plate is hinged at its upper edge and it is convenient in this case to move the plate by means of a pneumatic ram acting at its lower edge to deflect it at the appropriate time.
  • the timing means comprises a timing arrangement as set forth in my Patent 3,266,794 which concerns a mechanical timing device in which timing elements are moved at speeds proportional to the speed of the article to be folded, movement of the elements being initiated in response to the operation of spaced switches which respond respectively to the passage of the leading and trailing edges of the sheet.
  • the device in accordance with the invention be used at least after the initial folds have been made in the sheet. Consequently, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention the device is incorporated as part of a cross-folder.
  • the cross-folder comprises a table divided longitudinally, the folding device being arranged beneath the division in the table so as to accept a sheet passed down through the division. The sheet is projected onto the table so that its longitudinal centre line lies immediately above the division in the table and a preliminary cross fold is effected by nipping the sheet along this centre line between two contra-rotating rollers beneath the division. The sheet is then passed down between the contra-rotating rollers which constitute the means for hanging the sheet in accordance with the invention.
  • the hinged folding plate is arranged beneath the rollers and the conveyor on which the sheet is to be laid is situated beneath the table and extends from the centre of the table out to one side thereof.
  • this conveyor is inclined slightly upwardly so as to deliver the folded sheets at a convenient height.
  • the cross-folder may be adapted for a plurality of parallel folding lanes, there being provided one or more further similar, folding devices, the table having a plurality of longitudinal divisions spaced across its width,
  • the conveyors of the different folding devices are arranged so that cross-folded sheets may be conveyed from one to another across the cross-folder to be delivered to a common delivery table.
  • the cross-folder has'three folding devices arranged symmetrically across the table so as to accommodate alternatively one lane of sheets which may, before cross-folding, extend across up to the full width of the cross-folder or two lanes of sheets which may, before cross-folding, extend across up to half the width of the cross-folder, means being provided for selectively de-activating the outer folding devices for operation as a single lane machine or (file-activating the central folding device for operation as a double lane machine.
  • the timing arrangement set forth in my Patent 3,266,- 794 requires two timing stations.
  • one timing station be constituted by a microswitch arrangement suspended above the table and operated by the presence of a sheet on the table.
  • this microswitch arrangement initiates the required timing action appropriate to the passage of the trailing edge of the sheet.
  • the other timing station is preferably constituted by a photocell arrangement beneath the end roller or guide of the conveyor. The leading edge of the sheet is allowed to hang beneath the end roller or guide and thus affects the photocell which effects the necessary timing operation in the timing device.
  • the mechanical drive for the timing device is taken directly or indirectly from the drive which rotates the contra-rotating rollers. Thus the mechanical drive for the timer is synchronized with the effective speed of the sheet.
  • FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a cross-folder incorporating the invention
  • FIGURE 2 is a sectional front elevation of the crossfolder of FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURE 3 is a plan view illustrating the drive to the timing device of the cross-folder of FIGURES 1 and 2;
  • FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the photocell arrangement used as the second timing station in the cross-folder
  • FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 and showing the first stage of cross-folding
  • FIGURE 6 is a schematic front elevation showing the second stage of cross-folding.
  • FIGURE 7 is a schematic front elevation of a multilane cross-folder incorporating the invention.
  • the cross-folder comprises a folding table 1 having two halves separated by a longitudinal division 2 at its centre.
  • Running over the table in contact with its surface is a conveyor constituted by a number of individual belts 3.
  • the belts 3 are moved over the table in the direction of the arrow by means of a driven roller 4.
  • At the forward end of the table the belts 3 pass beneath the table surface through a transverse slot 5.
  • the sheets to be folded are fed onto the table from the rear by the delivery conveyor of a preliminary folding machine (not shown) which folds the sheets twice across lines transverse to the direction of travel of the sheet.
  • the folded sheets therefore arrive at the table with a width appreciably longer than their length.
  • FIGURE 2 there are provided, beneath the division 2, a pair of contra-rotating rollers 12 into the nip of which the centre of the sheet is urged by the air blast from pipe 9. The rollers then draw the sheet downwards centre first.
  • a conveyor 13 Spaced beneath the rollers 12 on one side of the centre line is a conveyor 13 which is constituted by a number of individual belts rotating around an end roller 14 at the inside and another end roller 15 at the outside. Above the upper run of conveyor 13 is a clearance which allows a sheet laid upon it in a manner to be described to be free of contact from above.
  • the conveyor is inclined slightly upwardly so that the sheets shall be delivered at a convenient height, but it is ensured that the inclination and material of the conveyor are such that the sheets will be carried, being prevented from slipping on the upper run thereof by their own weight.
  • An auxiliary feed roller 14a is provided for conveyor 13, being covered over its surface with a friction material to prevent the sheets from slipping and being geared to roller 14 by a 1:1 chain and sprocket gearing 14b. Roller 14a thus assists in feeding the sheets on to the conveyor, preventing them from slipping back.
  • the speed of the conveyor 13 and the peripheral speed of roller 14a is the same as the peripheral speed of rollers 12.
  • a folding plate 16 which is rectangular and which extends for the full width of the conveyor, this being the same as the length of the division 2 to accommodate the maximum allowable sheet length.
  • Plate 16 is hinged at its upper edge 17 and is coupled at its lower edge to the piston arm 18 of a pneumatic ram 19.
  • the end of the ram 19 remote from the piston arm is hinged to the bed of the cross-folder about a horizontal axis.
  • Energization of the control valve for the ram 19 is arranged to throw out the piston arm 18 and thereby deflect the plate 16 about its hinge to the position shown in broken line at 16a.
  • Timing arrangement of the kind disclosed in my Patent 3,266,794.
  • Such a timing arrangement comprises a pair of mechanically driven engagement members which are controllably engageable with corresponding drive members, one engagement member travelling at twice the speed of the other when engaged.
  • the mechanical drive to the timing device is linked to the drive which moves the sheet and timing is effected by two switching stations spaced apart in the direction of travel of the sheet.
  • the equipment responds to two signals, one being generated by the passage of the trailing edge of the sheet past the first switch station and the other by passage of the leading edge past the second switch station.
  • the engagement of the slow engagement member with its respective drive is initiated by the first occuring of these two signals and the engagement of the fast engagement member with its associated drive is effected by the second occurring of these two signals.
  • Timing is completed when the fast engagement member makes contact at the end of its travel with a fixed switch and compensation for inherent delays in the equipment with which the timing device is associated may be made by adjustment of the effective overall length of travel of the fast member.
  • FIGURE 3 shows the way in which the drive is taken, in the embodiment of the present invention, for the timing device above described.
  • the end roller 14 for conveyor 13 has an extension with a pulley 20' on the end thereof and a belt engaged thereby drives another pulley 21 which gives the mechanical input to the timing device, which is enclosed in a casing 22.
  • Roller 14 is of the same diameter as rollers 12 and is engaged to rotate in synchronism therewith by a 1:1 gearing (not shown). Therefore, the drive to pulley 21 is in direct synchronism with the movement of the sheet downwardly from the rollers 12, this movement being governed by the speed of the rollers 12.
  • the first switch station of the timing arrangement described is constituted by two microswitches 23 (FIGURE 2) which are arranged equidistantly on either side of the center line of table and which are mounted on the reservoir tube above the table.
  • Microswitches 23 have operating arms 24 which depend from the body of the microswitch and project through slots provided in the table. The presence of the sheet on the table beneath the microswitches ensures that the arms 24 are resting on the sheet above the level of the table and the contacts of the associated microswitches are thereby disengaged.
  • Microswitches 23 are connected in series and as soon as the trailing edges of the sheet are withdrawn by the action of rollers 12 past the arms 24 these arms are allowed to drop into their respective slots and when both arms have so dropped a circuit is made which initiates one of said two signals to the timing device.
  • FIGURE 4 is a plan view of this arrangement and it will be seen that it is a reflective arrangement.
  • a lamp 26 normally directs a beam of light 27 outwardly and only when a sheet (illustrated at 28 in FIGURE 4) interrupts the beam is a portion of the light reflected back into a photocell 29. At this time the other of said two signals is generated and the timing arrangement is thereby able to determine the length of the sheet, as folded by the rollers 12, and initiate at the appropriate time, the action of pneumatic ram 19.
  • FIGURE 5 is a front elevation of the cross-folder showing a sheet 30 in the first stage of cross-folding.
  • the sheet having been tucked between rollers 12 by the air blast from tube 9, is being drawn downwards thereby past the front of roller 14a.
  • FIGURE 6 shows the next stage of cross-folding in which plate 16 has been projected forwards at the appropriate time by the timing mechanism and has laid the centre 31 of the cross-folded sheet 30 onto the conveyor.
  • the sheet is drawn along by the con veyor to be delivered onto a delivery table (not shown) at the side of the cross-folder.
  • the sheet is illustrated as being of only one thickness before the first cross-fold whereas normally it will be of several thicknesses, as discussed above.
  • FIGURE 7 shows schematically a multi-lane crossfolder according to the invention.
  • the cross-folder has a folding table 32 which is similar in most respects to table 1 of FIGURES 1 and 2 but which has an operating width of ten feet and three longitudinal divisions 33. Beneath each division is a pair of contra-rotating rollers 34 and a conveyor 35, the arrangement being such that at each longitudinal division there is a cross-folding station of the kind described above.
  • a tucking blade arrangement comprising, for each folding station, a tucking blade 36 pivoted at 37 so as to be capable of assuming a position 36a for tucking the sheet between rollers 34 and a pneumatic ram 38 for moving blade 36.
  • the second cross-fold is effected not by a hinged plate but by an air jet from a tube 39 extending across the width of the conveyor.
  • the feed roller 14afor each conveyor is not provided in this embodiment.
  • a set of timing switches and a timing device are provided for each folding station but are not shown.
  • the three conveyors 35 all run continuously at the same speed (the peripheral speed of rollers 34) and are so arranged that the gaps in the horizontal plane between adjacent conveyors at the folding stations are sufiicient to allow a sheet to be draped between the conveyors but little more. With this arrangement a sheet folded onto conveyor 350 will be fed therefrom onto conveyor 35111, from there onto conveyor 35b and thence to the delivery table 40, the stiffness of the cross-folded sheet ensuring that it carries across the gaps between the conveyors.
  • the cross-folder may be used alternatively as a single lane machine capable of cross-folding an article up to ten feet wide or as a double lane machine capable of folding, in each of two independent lanes, articles up to five feet in width.
  • the single lane is represented by A in FIGURE 7, for which the central folding station only is used.
  • the two lanes are represented by B and C, for which the left-hand and righthand stations only are used respectively.
  • a switch is arranged for selecting the mode of operation, being effective to de-activate the outer folding stations or the central folding station at will.
  • a folding device comprising feed means to suspend and progressively lower a sheet in a generally vertical manner, a conveyor spaced below the feed means adjacent the suspended sheet and having a generally horizontal upper run progressively moving away from the suspended sheet, a vertically oriented plate disposed below the feed means adjacent the suspended sheet on the opposite side thereof from the conveyor and operable to be moved laterally to engage its lower edge against the suspended sheet initially along a proposed horizontal fold line to project the sheet over the conveyor and to lay the sheet on the upper run with the fold line leading, said upper run being spaced sufficiently below the feed means and with overhead clearance to accommodate placement of the sheet thereon without contact of the sheet from above so that the portion of the sheet between the leading fold line on the conveyor and the feed means is fireely suspended and is otherwise only influenced by the acting means, and means to actuate the acting means.
  • a folding device wherein the plate is normally disposed in a generally vertical plane closely adjacent the suspended sheet and is pivoted about a horizontal axis to present a horizontal lower edge that engages the sheet at the proposed horizontal fold line and lays the sheet on the conveyor.
  • a folding device according to claim 1, wherein the feed means includes counter-rotating rollers, and wherein the sheet is passed between the rollers already folded to at least two thicknesses where the lowermost edge thereof as suspended from the rollers is on a second horizontal fold line spaced below the proposed horizontal fold line.
  • a folding device wherein a table supports a sheet thereon over the feed means, wherein a table opening elongated in the direction of the feed means overlies the feed means, and wherein means above the sheet operate to direct the sheet on the table downwardly through the table opening into the feed means.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Folding Of Thin Sheet-Like Materials, Special Discharging Devices, And Others (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
US612167A 1966-01-31 1967-01-27 Laundry folding devices Expired - Lifetime US3476379A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB4266/66A GB1159722A (en) 1966-01-31 1966-01-31 Laundry Folding Device.

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3476379A true US3476379A (en) 1969-11-04

Family

ID=9773873

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US612167A Expired - Lifetime US3476379A (en) 1966-01-31 1967-01-27 Laundry folding devices

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US3476379A (fr)
BE (1) BE693414A (fr)
DE (1) DE1610289A1 (fr)
GB (1) GB1159722A (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2712401A1 (de) * 1976-03-30 1977-10-13 Weir Henry J Faltmaschine und verfahren zur faltung von eben ausbreitbaren gegenstaenden
US4484905A (en) * 1980-03-31 1984-11-27 Harper & Tunstall Limited Zig-zag folding machines
US5634875A (en) * 1993-12-08 1997-06-03 Elsner Engineering Works, Inc. Folding machine

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3320381A1 (de) * 1983-06-06 1984-12-06 Herbert Kannegiesser Gmbh + Co, 4973 Vlotho Verfahren zum quer- und laengsfalten von waeschestuecken und vorrichtung zur durchfuehrung des verfahrens

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB711533A (en) * 1950-05-10 1954-07-07 Henri Leon Lucien Jesus Improvements in and relating to apparatus for receiving and possibly folding linen and other material presented in the form of readily foldable sheets, such as paper or resin sheets
US2848220A (en) * 1956-05-10 1958-08-19 Billy J Anderson Diaper folding machines
US2942874A (en) * 1957-07-24 1960-06-28 Hydraxtor Company Apparatus for folding
US3113772A (en) * 1962-09-24 1963-12-10 Mc Graw Edison Co Cross-folder control
US3117777A (en) * 1962-03-13 1964-01-14 Funk Rudolph Apparatus for cross folding flexible sheets
US3171646A (en) * 1963-04-19 1965-03-02 Mcauley Machinery Dev Corp Folding machine for limp flat articles
US3229973A (en) * 1963-02-15 1966-01-18 Broadbent & Sons Ltd Thomas Machines for the automatic folding of laundry flatwork
US3252700A (en) * 1963-12-12 1966-05-24 Ametek Inc Laundry machine

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB711533A (en) * 1950-05-10 1954-07-07 Henri Leon Lucien Jesus Improvements in and relating to apparatus for receiving and possibly folding linen and other material presented in the form of readily foldable sheets, such as paper or resin sheets
US2848220A (en) * 1956-05-10 1958-08-19 Billy J Anderson Diaper folding machines
US2942874A (en) * 1957-07-24 1960-06-28 Hydraxtor Company Apparatus for folding
US3117777A (en) * 1962-03-13 1964-01-14 Funk Rudolph Apparatus for cross folding flexible sheets
US3113772A (en) * 1962-09-24 1963-12-10 Mc Graw Edison Co Cross-folder control
US3229973A (en) * 1963-02-15 1966-01-18 Broadbent & Sons Ltd Thomas Machines for the automatic folding of laundry flatwork
US3171646A (en) * 1963-04-19 1965-03-02 Mcauley Machinery Dev Corp Folding machine for limp flat articles
US3252700A (en) * 1963-12-12 1966-05-24 Ametek Inc Laundry machine

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2712401A1 (de) * 1976-03-30 1977-10-13 Weir Henry J Faltmaschine und verfahren zur faltung von eben ausbreitbaren gegenstaenden
US4484905A (en) * 1980-03-31 1984-11-27 Harper & Tunstall Limited Zig-zag folding machines
US5634875A (en) * 1993-12-08 1997-06-03 Elsner Engineering Works, Inc. Folding machine

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BE693414A (fr) 1967-07-03
DE1610289A1 (de) 1972-03-09
GB1159722A (en) 1969-07-30

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US3502322A (en) Folding of sheet material
GB1297849A (fr)
US3806007A (en) Textile folder
US3094321A (en) Folding apparatus
US3462138A (en) Laundry folder
US3578311A (en) Folding method and apparatus therefor
US4738440A (en) Laundry folding unit
GB711533A (en) Improvements in and relating to apparatus for receiving and possibly folding linen and other material presented in the form of readily foldable sheets, such as paper or resin sheets
US4060227A (en) Folder
US3113772A (en) Cross-folder control
US3476379A (en) Laundry folding devices
US2545798A (en) Sheet folding machine
US3753558A (en) Sheet-folding machine
US3493226A (en) Laundry folding device
US2158896A (en) Automatic folding machine
US3829081A (en) Small piece folder
US2754113A (en) Sheet folding machine
US2982077A (en) Wrapper feeding mechanism for wrapping machines adapted to handle limp films
US2214857A (en) Folding machine
US3467370A (en) Laundry sorting,according to size,and folding
US2488675A (en) Stacking mechanism
US2579746A (en) Machine for folding limp, flat articles
GB1111690A (en) Mechanism for automatically producing prefolded diapers
US2222076A (en) Folding machine
US3048389A (en) Blueprint folding machine