US3563531A

US3563531A - Perforating, scoring or slitting device for folding machine

Info

Publication number: US3563531A
Application number: US707627A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas J Gavaghan; Anthony Luvara
Original assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc
Current assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc
Priority date: 1968-02-23
Filing date: 1968-02-23
Publication date: 1971-02-16
Anticipated expiration: 1988-02-16

Abstract

A device for perforating, scoring or slitting folded sheets of paper as they emerge from a folding machine. The device is permanently mounted in the folding machine and is pivotably connected to a movable panel forming part of a housing for the folding machine so that it can be readily shifted between an operative position and an inoperative position when the housing panel is open and maintained in either position when the housing panel is closed.

Description

United States Patent References Cited [72] Inventors ThomasJ.Gavaghan like PATENIEU FEBI 61971 SHEET 1 0F 3 PATENTEDFEBI 6197i y SHEET l3 of 3 @ym Q mm m .n w Mfg/ N@ I NQ Vu ,www mm. .am mm .u w 4( @my N T AB #X QQ l@ Nm. wm p. [Q Q% NN mi QM. 2,/ ww mms ma wm d w v@ Qm. S u Q QN Q N\\ NN N\ V ma@ 12M-gm.

,PERFORATING, SCORING OR SLITTING DEVICE FOR FOLDING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to folding machines and more particularly to a device for perforating, scoring or slitting folded sheets of paper as they emerge from the folding machine.

Machines to which the present invention relates have long been well known in the paper handling art and have enjoyed great commercial success. In general, these machines have the capabilities of successively feeding sheets of paper of various sizes from a stack into and through a folding mechanism and discharging the folded sheets in a suitably stacked arrangement. For the most part these machines are adjustable configuration, such as letter fold, accordion fold or single fold. The folded sheets are generally delivered to some form of stacking tray or feeder in staggered relationship ready to be inserted into envelopes, although in some instances the folding machines may be attached to orotherwise operatively associated with other paper handling machines, for example, an envelope stuffing machine.

While most prior art folding machines have proven adequate the demands made upon them, it frequently occurs that other types-of working operations must be performed on the sheets subsequent to the folding operation, which operations the folding mechanism itself is not capable of performing. For example, it is often desirable to provide a perforated line along a sheet of paper to define a tear-off portion of a letter which the addressee is asked to return to the sender. Another example is a memorandum or notice printed twice on the same sheet of paper for convenience in printing, in which case it is desirable to slit the sheet of paper in half prior to final disposition. A further example of a desirable working operation subsequent to folding is the situation where it is necessary to pass a folded sheet through the folding machine a second time in order to achieve further folding and reduction in size of the sheet. ln this situation it has been found that if the folded sheet' is initially scored along the desired fold lines, a more uniform and uncrimped fold is obtained and with less jamming of the folded sheets during the subsequent folding operation.

Some prior art folding machines have, accordingly, been provided with a variety of devices for performing these subsequent working operations, such asrperforating, slitting, or scoring, on the folded sheets as'they emerge from the final feeding elements of the folding machine. While these devices have for the most part proven to be satisfactory for performing their intended functions, they have generally suffered the significant disadvantage of being extremely difficult to enable and disable for operation at will by an operator of the folding machine. The reason for this is that prior art perforating, slitting and scoring devices usually utilize either permanently mounted working elements for performing these functions which can only be removed by substantial disassembly of a portion of the folding machine, or the working elements are in the form of an attachment which, in one relatively complicated form or another, must be connected to and disconnected from the folding machine for use or nonuse respectively. Since these devices must be driven, complications usually occur in effecting a driving connection with the folding machine since the operation of the working device must be synchronized with the operation ofthe folding machine. Also, in the latter situation, the devices must be stored when not in use.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF .THE INVENTlON The present invention obviates or eliminates many if not all ofthe disadvantages of prior art perforating, scoring or slitting devices by providing such a device which is self-storing in the folding machine and is readily movable into and out of operative relationship with the folding mechanism by a very simple manipulation ofthe device.

LII

In its broader aspects, the principles of the present invention are embodied in a unitary paper working assembly which is disposed on the discharge side of the working components of the folding machine and is mounted thereon for selective movement between an operative position in which the working assembly is disposed in the discharge path of a folded sheet, and a storage position in which the working assembly is disposed out of the discharge path of the folded sheet.

ln some of its more limited aspects, the device of the present invention constitutes an improvement in folding machines and comprises a unitary assembly having a frame for rotatably supporting a pair of shafts which have a plurality of feeding rollers and working rollers carried thereon. The frame is pivotably connected to a panel forming part of the housing of the folding machine whereby the frame and shafts can be disposed in one of two spaced apart positions adjacent a surface of the panel by moving the frame about the pivot axis. The panel is pivotably connected to the frame of the folding machine for movement between a closed position in which the panel is spaced from the working components of the folding machine and perpendicular to the feeding path of folded sheets being discharged therefrom, and an open position in which the side of the panel on which the frame of the perforating, scoring and slitting device is mounted is readily accessible to an operator. The pivotable connections of the device frame to the panel and panel to the machine frame respectively are so related that when the panel is in its closed position the device frame, when in one of its alternate positions,lwill support the shafts and feed rollers and working rollers thereon in alignment with the discharge path of the folded sheets emerging from the folding machine. On the other hand, with the device frame in its other position, the shafts and feeding rollers and working rollers carried thereby are disposed away from the discharge path of the folded sheets. The device frame can be manually moved between the alternate position when the panel is in its open position, and means are provided for retaining the device frame in either of the positions in which it is placed.

Having briefly described the general nature and characteristics of the present invention, it is a principle object thereof to provide an improved device for perforating, scoring or slitting folded sheets for use in conjunction with a sheet folding machine.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device of the character described which is self storing in the folding machine.

lt is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of the character described which is easily shiftable from an operative position to an nonoperative position without the necessity of any disassembly of either the device or the folding machine. l

Itis a still further object of the present invention to provide a device of the character described which is retained in either an operative or nonoperative position in response to the device being placed in these positions.

lt is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device of the character describedwhich does not interfere with normal operation of the folding machine when the device is in a nonoperative position and which is automatically connected to the drive chain of the folding machine when the device is shifted to an operative position.

A significant feature of the present invention resides in the provision of means for automatically removing normal spring tension from pairs of coacting working rollers when the device is in a nonoperative position.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device of of the character described which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, is reliable in operation and which requires little or no maintenance.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily appreciated from an understanding of the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal across section of only so much of a folding machine as is necessary to an understanding of the device of the present invention, alternate positions thereof being shown in solid and dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a front view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3-is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the device of the present invention in a different position; and

FIG. 4 is a side view drawn to an enlarged scale of the perforating, scoring and slitting assembly of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. l and 2 thereof, the folding machine designated generally by the reference numeral comprises a pair of parallel upstanding side plates l2 and 14 which define a frame for supporting all of the necessary components of the folding machine. A paper supporting tray 16 having suitable side guides (not shown) holds a stack of sheets to be folded, the paper tray being disposed in suitable angled relationship to facilitate feeding of the sheets seriatim by a feed roller 18 mounted on a shaft 20 which is rotatably supported by a bracket 22 connected to the folding machine frame.

The roller 18 cooperates with a stationary separator element 24 in order to insure that only a single sheet is feed at one time. A slot 26 is provided in the paper tray 16 through which the separator element 24 contacts the lower surface of successive sheets of paper.

A plate 28 is supported between the side plates 12 and 14 and defines a forward wall for the paper tray compartment of the folding machine. The plate 28 has a forwardly extending guide portion 30 which, together with the forward end 32 of the paper tray 16, defines a passageway 34 for sheets of paper to be folded. The plate 28 terminates in a turn around guide 36 for directing sheets of paper into the nip between a feed roller 38 mounted on a shaft 40 and another feed roller 42 mounted on a shaft 44 disposed in spaced parallel relationship with the shaft 40. The shafts 40 and 44 and feed rollers 38 and 42 respectively mounted thereon are disposed adjacent the inlet end 46 ofa buckle chute 48. The buckle chute 48 may be any desired or known construction for the purpose of this invention, and for convenience of illustration is shown as comprising a pair of closely spaced parallel plates 50 and 5l and having an adjustable stop element (not shown) located between the plates and against which the edge of a sheet of paper abuts in order to stop movement thereof and cause the sheet to buckle for folding as more clearly described hereinafter.

A further feed roller 52 is mounted on a shaft 54 in position to cooperate with the feed roller 42, the rollers 52 and 42 forming a first fold in a sheet of paper and feeding the folded lead edge to the inlet end 55 of a second buckle chute 56 located beneath the buckle chute 48.

The buckle chute 56 may also be of any desired or wellknown construction and again for convenience of illustration is shown as comprising a pair of closely spaced parallel plates S8 and S9 and having an adjustable stop (not shown) located between the plates and against which the folded lead edge of the sheet abuts in order to stop movement thereof and cause the sheet to buckle again for effecting a subsequent fold. It will be observed that both buckle chutes 48 and 56 are provided with shaped guide surfaces adjacent the inlet end of each chute for assisting the sheets of paper to buckle in the right direction and for guiding the buckled portion of the sheet toward the next set of folding rollers.

A further feed roller 60 is mounted on a shaft 62 in position to cooperate with the roller 42 to impart a second fold to a sheet of paper and to feed the sheet between the roller 42 and 60 and thence out of the folding machine.

lt will now be apparent that the guides 30 and 36, and rol lers 38. 42, 52 and 60 all constitute a feeding and folding roller assembly mounted on the folding machine frame. lt will also be apparent, as best seen in FIG. 3, that the nip of the rollers 42 and 60 and a plane extending substantially parallel therefrom for at least a short distance define a discharge path for folded sheets of paper emerging from the feeding and folding roller assembly.

For the sake of convenience the folded sheets being discharged at a substantially high rate of speed are collected on a suitable tray or powered stacker mechanism, an example of the latter being shown in the drawings in which an endless belt 64 passes around a driven shaft 66 and an idler shaft (not shown), the upper reach of the belt traveling over a suitable support 68 so as to receive the discharged folded sheets and stack them in staggered relationship in a manner well known in the art.

The operation of the apparatus as thus far described is as follows:

A stack of sheets to be folded is placed in the paper tray 16 with the lead edges of the sheets slightly staggered, the upper sheet being foremost. The roller 18 in cooperation with the separator element 24, feeds the top most sheet into the passageway 34 and around guide 36 until the sheet is picked up in the nip of rollers 38 and 42. These rollers feed the sheet into the upper buckle chute S0 until the lead ofthe sheet abuts the stop element of the buckle chute 50. At that instant the sheet buckles downwardly in the area of the inlet end 46 of the buckle chute 50, and the buckled portion of the sheet enters the nip of the rollers 42 and 50 which effect a fold in the sheet which now constitutes a new lead edge. The rollers 42 and 52 then feed the sh'eet downwardly to the inlet end 55 of the buckle chute 56 where the lead edge is deflected into the buckle chute, until it engages the stop element in this buckle chute. Continued rotation of the feed rollers 42 and 52 causes the sheet to buckle again in the area of the inlet end 55 of the buckle chute 56, the buckle extending forwardly toward the nip of the rollers 42 and 60. The rollers 42 and 52 feed the sheet to cause the buckled portion of the sheet to be picked up in the nip of the rollers 42 and 60 which effect a second fold in the sheet again forming a new folded lead edge. The rollers 42 and 60 then feed the fully folded sheet along the discharge path and out of the folding machine, and cause the folded sheet to be deposited on the upper reach of the traveling belt 64 of the stacker tray. As soon as the trail edge of the first sheet leaves the feed roller 18 a second sheet is started along the same path. However, since the rollers 38, 42, 52 and 60 are rotating at a much higher rate of speed than the roller 18, the trail edge of the first sheet is completely clear of the nip of the rollers 38 and 42 before the lead edge of the next sheet arrives at this point.

All of the above described rollers and shaft, including the shaft 66 for the belt 64, are driven by any suitable power source and through any desired power chain which will be apparent to anyone skilled in the art.

The improvement of the present invention comprises the provision of a unitary paper working assembly generally indicated by reference numeral 70 located adjacent the discharge area of the folding machine and mounted thereon so as to be self storing and selectively movable between an operative position, as shown in FIG. l, in which the working assembly is disposed in the discharge path of a folded sheet, and a storage position, as shown in FIG. 3, in which the working assembly is disposed out of discharge path of the folded sheet.

More particular, the paper working assembly 70 comprises a generally rectangular subframe having an elongate relatively narrow plate 72 extending substantially across the operative length of the feeding and folding roller assembly, and a pair of side plates 74 and 76 formed integrally with the plate 72 and extending perpendicular thereto. A pair of

shafts

78 and 80 are rotatably supported in suitable bushings 82 which are carried by the side plates 74 and 76. The

shafts

78 and 80 are removable from the bushings 82 for a purpose to be hereinafter made clear.

Each shaft carries a plurality of selected feeding rollers and working rollers which cooperate with each other to simultaneously feed folded sheets and perform various working operations thereon as they pass between the

shafts

78 and 80 when the working assembly is in an operative position as more .clearly seen hereinafter. Specifically, but for the purpose of illustration only, the

shafts

78 and 80 are shown as carrying two pairs of spaced apart feed rollers 84 and 86 for feeding the folded sheets between the shafts. The shaft 80 may also carry a scoring roller 88 which cooperates with a flat resilient roller 90 on the shaft 78 to provide a score line on the folded sheet las it passes between the rollers 88 and 90. The shaft 80 may also carry a slitting roller 92 which cooperates with agrooved roller 94 in order to effect a slit in the folded sheet as it passes between the rollers 92 and 94. The shaft 80 may further carry a perforating roller 96 which cooperates with a grooved roller i 98 similar to the roller 94 in order to effect a perforated line across the folded sheet as it passes between the rollers 96 and 98. lt will be apparent that the feeding rollers 84 and all of the working rollers 88, 90, 92, 94, 96 and 98 are mounted so as to be adjustable axially of the shafts .78 and 80 as well as removable from the shafts so that any desired arrangement of the feeding rollers and/or working rollers may be set up in order to achieve a particular result.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the bushings 82 rotatably supporting the shaft 80 are fixedly mounted in the plates 74 and 76. However, the bushings for the shafts 78 are mounted in slots 100 formed in the side plates 74 and 76 whereby the shaft 78 is displaceable toward and away from the shaft 80. A pair of springs 102 are captured between the under side of the bushings 82 and the bottom of the slots 100, a prong 104 being provided in each slot 100 to maintain the springs 102 in place. The springs continuously urge the shaft 78 toward the shaft 80 in order to maintain operative engagement between the several rollers on each shaft.

Each side plate 74 and 76 is provided with an outwardly projecting

stud

106 and 108 respectively, the studs being received in apertures formed in the

side flanges

110 and 112 of a substantially flat panel 114 which forms a front cover for the folding machine 10. As best seen in FIG. 1, the

studs

106 and 108 on the working assembly 70 and the apertures in the side flanges 110 and panel 112 of the panel 114 comprise a pivotable mounting means by which the assembly 70 can be swung through a 180 arc between two spaced apart positions on the panel 114. By comparison of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, it will be seen that in one of these positions (FIG. 1) the assembly 70 is disposed in an operative position in which it lies in the discharge path of folded sheets emerging from between rollers 42 and 60, while in the other position (FIG. 3) the assembly 70 is disposed in a nonoperative or storage position in which it is out of the discharge path of the folded sheets, both of these positions being in a plane perpendicular to the discharge path and being assumed by the assembly 70 when the panel 114 is in a closed position as shown in solidlines in FIGS. l and 3.

Panel 114 is pivotably mounted on the frame plates l2 and 14 of the folding machine as by screws 115 passing through the

flanges

110 and 112 adjacent the lower end thereof. The panel 114 is provided with an L shaped extension 116 adapted to overlie a portion of the top of the folding machine and be secured thereto by any suitable connection, such as the spring biased stud 118 mounted on the plate 114 and engaging a detent or aperture defining element 120 mounted on a flange 122 adjacent the upper L portion 116 of the panel 114. By this construction the panel 114 is movable between a closed position shown in solid lines in FIGS. 1 and 3 and an open position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 in which the inner surface of the panel and the paper working assembly 70 mounted thereon are accessible for manual movement thereof.

It will now be seen that when the panel 114 is moved to the open position, the working assembly 70 is accessible to an voperator of the machine and can be manually swung between either of the positions which it normally assumes when the panel is closed. The relative locations of the pivotable connecting means between the working assembly 70 and the panel 114 on the one hand and between the panel 114 and the folding machine frame on the other hand are such that the working assembly 70 is disposed in an operative position with the

shafts

78 and 80 disposed on opposite sides of the discharge path of the folded sheets emerging from between the rollers 42 and 60 when the panel 114 is in the closed position.

As best seen in FIG. 2 which shows the working assembly 70 in the operative position, the panel 114 is cut away along the lowermost edge thereof over substantially the length of the

shafts

78 and 80 to provide an opening 124 through which the folded sheets exit after passing through the working assembly 70. Thus, this opening is also disposed in alignment with the discharge path of the folded sheets when the panel 114 is in its closed position.

A significant feature of the present invention resides in the provision of cooperating means between the panel 114 and the workingassembly 70 for retaining the latter in either of its spaced apart positions on the panel 114, together with means for automatically separating the

shafts

78 and 80 against the force of the springs 102 when theworking assembly is in the storage position.

More particular, the panel 114 is provided with a pair of spaced apart retaining members for the working assembly 70, each member comprising a projection 126 upstanding from the inner face of the panel 114 and having the edge thereof remote from the pivot ,axis being disposed at an angle of almost to the surface of the panel 114 but slanted slightly away from the pivot axis of the working assembly 70 in the direction away from the surface of the panel 114. Another edge 130 adjacent the pivot axis of the working assembly 70 is similarly slanted but at'a much steeper angle. The edges 128 and 130 merge in a rounded end 131, and a reinforcing web 132 is secured to the projection 126 at right angles thereto. It will be seen that the

shafts

78 and 80 are not round in cross section over a major portion of their length, but are provided with a plurality of flat surfaces. The projections 126 are so positioned on the inner face of the panel 114 in relation to the pivot axis of the new working assembly '70 that when the latter is moved to its storage position on the panel 114, the shaft 78 does not clear the end 131 of the projections 126, but rather is engaged by the ends 131 and is moved away from the shaft 80 by the camming action of the curved ends 131 against the force of springs 102 thereby separating the several pairs of cooperating rollers. When the working assembly 70 has been moved fully to the storage position in which it lies substantially in contact with the inner face of the panel 114, one of the flat surfaces on the shaft 78 is pressed firmly against the edge 128 of each projection 126 by the springs 102 thereby holding the working assembly 70 in this position.

In order to drive the

shafts

78 and 80 and the several feeding and working rollers mounted thereon, means are provided for engaging the shafts in driving relationship with a power takeoff from the folding machine automatically in response to the working assembly 70 being placed in the operative position on the panel 114 and the panel being moved to its closed position. This means, in cooperation with the panel 114, also functions to hold the working assembly in the operative position.

More particular, the shaft 44 of the folding machine carries a drive gear which meshes with an idler gear 142 rotatably mounted on a bracket 144 secured to the frame plate 12 of the folding machine. A driven gear 146 is mounted on the shaft S0 of the working assembly 70 adjacent the side plate 76 and in alignment with the idler gear 144. Thus it will be seen by comparison of FIGS. 1 and 3 that when the working assembly 70 is in the operative position, the driven gear 146 on the shaft 80 meshes with the idler gear 142 whereby the latter drives the gear 146 and the shaft 80, the shaft 78 being driven by frictional contact between the pairs of feed rollers.

It will also be noted that when the working assembly 70 is in the operative position shown in FIG. 1 with the abovedescribed gear train in engagement, the bar 72 of the working assembly subframe is against the inner surface of the panel 114, the latter being closed. Thus the working assembly is effectively firmly held in the operative position merely by closing the panel 114.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that there is provided a perforating, scoring or slitting device for use with a folding machine which avoids the disadvantages of prior art devices and which achieves the above-mentioned objects. lt is to be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment disclosed herein which merely exemplifies the principles of the invention and is the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention, and is susceptible to change in form, size, detail and arrangement of parts but rather the invention is intended to cover all such modifications, variations and equivalents thereof as may be deemed to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

We claim:

1. In a paper folding machine having a frame, means supported by the frame for holding a stack of sheets and for feeding said sheets seriatim from the stack, means including a feeding and folding roller assembly mounted on said frame for sequentially folding said sheets as the latter are received by said latter means from said feeding means and for discharging the folded sheets from between apair of cooperating rollers of said roller assembly on a discharge side thereof, and means for driving the roller components of said roller assembly, the improvement comprising:

A. a unitary working assembly located on said discharge side of said roller assembly and adapted, when in an operative position to perform a working operation on a folded sheet passing therethrough;

B. means movably mounting said working assembly on said frame for selective inplace movement between said operative position in which said working assembly is disposed in the discharge path of a folded sheet being discharged by said cooperating rollers of said roller assembly and a self-storing position in which said working assembly is disposed out of said discharge path; and

C. means for retaining said working assembly in each of said positions.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said working assembly comprises:

A. a subframe movably mounted on said frame;

B. a pair of shafts rotatably supported by said subframe; and

C. a plurality of coacting feed rollers and working rollers carried by said shafts for simultaneously feeding a folded sheet between said shafts and performing a working operation thereon when said working assembly is in said operative position whereby said feed rollers and working rollers are removed into and out of said discharge path of a folded sheet by movement of said subframe between said operative and storage positions respectively.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for movably mounting said working assembly on said frame comprises:

A. a panel pivotably connected to said frame for swinging movement toward and away from said frame between a closed position and an open position in which the inner surface of panel is accessible; and

B. means pivotably connecting said working assembly to said inner surface of said panel for swinging movement between opposed spaced apart positions on said panel whereby said working assembly assumes either said operative position or said storage position when said panel is in said closed position.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said paper working assembly comprises:

A. an elongate generally rectangular subframe connected to said panel to normally lie in a plane perpendicular to said discharge path of a folded sheet;

B. a pair of shafts rotatably supported on said subframe longitudinally thereof; and

C. a plurality of coacting feed rollers and working rollers carried by said shafts for simultaneously feeding a folded sheet between said shafts and performing a working operation thereon when said working assembly is in said operative position whereby said feed rollers and said working rollers are moved into and out of a position of alignment with opposite sides of said discharge path of a folded sheet by movement of said subframe between said spaced apart positions on said panel and when said panel is subsequently moved to said closed positions.

5. ln a paper folding machine having a frame, means supported by the frame for holding a stack of sheets and for feeding said sheets seriatim from the stack, means including a feeding and folding roller assembly mounted on said frame for sequentially folding said sheets as the latter are received by said latter means from said feeding means and for discharging the folded sheets from between a pair of cooperating rollers of said roller assembly on a discharge side thereof, and means for driving the roller components of said roller assembly, the improvement comprising:

A. a substantially flat panel mounted on said frame on the discharge side of said roller assembly and having an opening therein through which a folded sheet can pass;

B. means pivotally connecting said panel to said frame for swinging movement between a closed position in which an inner surface of said panel is spaced from said roller assembly and is perpendicular to said discharge path of a folded sheet, with said opening being aligned with said discharge path, and an open position in which said inner surface of said panel is accessible;

C. a unitary paper working assembly mounted on said panel adjacent said inner face thereof and adapted, where in an operative position on said panel when the latter is in said closed position, to perform a working operation in a folded sheet;

D. means pivotably connecting said working assembly to said inner surface of said panel for selective swinging movement between opposed spaced apart positions in one of which said working assembly is disposed adjacent said opening in said panel and in the other of which said working assembly is disposed away from said opening in said panel whereby, when said panel is moved to said closed position, said working assembly is in said operative position or in an inoperative storage position in accordance with whether said working assembly is placed in said one position or said other position on said panel; and

E. means for retaining said working assembly in either said one position or said other position on said panel.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said working assembly comprises:

A. a subframe having an elongate bar extending substantially across the working length of said roller assembly, and side plates connected to said bar and extending perpendicularly thereto;

B. a pair of shafts rotatably supported by said side plates;

C. a plurality of coacting feed rollers and working carried by said shafts for simultaneously feeding a folded sheet between said shafts and performing a working operation thereon when said working assembly is in said operative position whereby said feed rollers and said working rollers are moved into and out of a position of alignment with opposite sides of said discharge path of a folded sheet by movement of said subframe between said spaced apart positions on said panel and when said panel is subsequently moved to said closed position; and

D. means yieldably urging said feeding rollers and said working rollers into coacting relationship.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said lastnamed means comprises means on said side plates mounting one of said shafts for movement toward and away from said other shaft, and spring means interconnected between said side plates and said one shaft for urging said one shaft toward said other shaft to maintain contact between said rollers.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said retaining means comprises a member mounted on and projecting away from said inner surface of said panel, said member having a camming surface disposed in the path of said movable shaft to move said movable shaft against the force of said springs, said member having a retaining surface against which said movable shaft is pressed when said subframe is moved to said other of said spaced apart positions whereby said shafts are maintained apart sufficiently to remove the normal spring pressure from said feed rollers and said working rollers, and said working assembly is retained in said other of said spaced apart positions.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said working assembly includes means for engaging at least one of said shafts in driving relationship with said means for driving said roller components of saidv roller assembly, said engaging means being responsive to said working assembly being placed in said one position on said panel being placed in said closed position.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said engaging means comprises a driven element mounted on said one shaft and adapted to engage a driving element on said folding machine when said working assembly is in said one position on said panel and said panel is in closed position.

Claims

1. In a paper folding machine having a frame, means supported by the frame for holding a stack of sheets and for feeding said sheets seriatim from the stack, means including a feeding and folding roller assembly mounted on said frame for sequentially folding said sheets as the latter are received by said latter means from said feeding means and for discharging the folded sheets from between a pair of cooperating rollers of said roller assembly on a discharge side thereof, and means for driving the roller components of said roller assembly, the improvement comprising: A. a unitary working assembly located on said discharge side of said roller assembly and adapted, when in an operative position to perform a working operation on a folded sheet passing therethrough; B. means movably mounting said working assembly on said frame for selective inplace movement between said operative position in which said working assembly is disposed in the discharge path of a folded sheeT being discharged by said cooperating rollers of said roller assembly and a self-storing position in which said working assembly is disposed out of said discharge path; and C. means for retaining said working assembly in each of said positions.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said working assembly comprises: A. a subframe movably mounted on said frame; B. a pair of shafts rotatably supported by said subframe; and C. a plurality of coacting feed rollers and working rollers carried by said shafts for simultaneously feeding a folded sheet between said shafts and performing a working operation thereon when said working assembly is in said operative position whereby said feed rollers and working rollers are removed into and out of said discharge path of a folded sheet by movement of said subframe between said operative and storage positions respectively.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for movably mounting said working assembly on said frame comprises: A. a panel pivotably connected to said frame for swinging movement toward and away from said frame between a closed position and an open position in which the inner surface of panel is accessible; and B. means pivotably connecting said working assembly to said inner surface of said panel for swinging movement between opposed spaced apart positions on said panel whereby said working assembly assumes either said operative position or said storage position when said panel is in said closed position.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said paper working assembly comprises: A. an elongate generally rectangular subframe connected to said panel to normally lie in a plane perpendicular to said discharge path of a folded sheet; B. a pair of shafts rotatably supported on said subframe longitudinally thereof; and C. a plurality of coacting feed rollers and working rollers carried by said shafts for simultaneously feeding a folded sheet between said shafts and performing a working operation thereon when said working assembly is in said operative position whereby said feed rollers and said working rollers are moved into and out of a position of alignment with opposite sides of said discharge path of a folded sheet by movement of said subframe between said spaced apart positions on said panel and when said panel is subsequently moved to said closed positions.

5. In a paper folding machine having a frame, means supported by the frame for holding a stack of sheets and for feeding said sheets seriatim from the stack, means including a feeding and folding roller assembly mounted on said frame for sequentially folding said sheets as the latter are received by said latter means from said feeding means and for discharging the folded sheets from between a pair of cooperating rollers of said roller assembly on a discharge side thereof, and means for driving the roller components of said roller assembly, the improvement comprising: A. a substantially flat panel mounted on said frame on the discharge side of said roller assembly and having an opening therein through which a folded sheet can pass; B. means pivotally connecting said panel to said frame for swinging movement between a closed position in which an inner surface of said panel is spaced from said roller assembly and is perpendicular to said discharge path of a folded sheet, with said opening being aligned with said discharge path, and an open position in which said inner surface of said panel is accessible; C. a unitary paper working assembly mounted on said panel adjacent said inner face thereof and adapted, where in an operative position on said panel when the latter is in said closed position, to perform a working operation in a folded sheet; D. means pivotably connecting said working assembly to said inner surface of said panel for selective swinging movement between opposed spaced apart positions in one of which said working assembly is disposed adjacent said opening in said panel and in the other of which said working assembly is disposed away from said opening in said panel whereby, when said panel is moved to said closed position, said working assembly is in said operative position or in an inoperative storage position in accordance with whether said working assembly is placed in said one position or said other position on said panel; and E. means for retaining said working assembly in either said one position or said other position on said panel.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said working assembly comprises: A. a subframe having an elongate bar extending substantially across the working length of said roller assembly, and side plates connected to said bar and extending perpendicularly thereto; B. a pair of shafts rotatably supported by said side plates; C. a plurality of coacting feed rollers and working carried by said shafts for simultaneously feeding a folded sheet between said shafts and performing a working operation thereon when said working assembly is in said operative position whereby said feed rollers and said working rollers are moved into and out of a position of alignment with opposite sides of said discharge path of a folded sheet by movement of said subframe between said spaced apart positions on said panel and when said panel is subsequently moved to said closed position; and D. means yieldably urging said feeding rollers and said working rollers into coacting relationship.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said last-named means comprises means on said side plates mounting one of said shafts for movement toward and away from said other shaft, and spring means interconnected between said side plates and said one shaft for urging said one shaft toward said other shaft to maintain contact between said rollers.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said working assembly includes means for engaging at least one of said shafts in driving relationship with said means for driving said roller components of said roller assembly, said engaging means being responsive to said working assembly being placed in said one position on said panel being placed in said closed position.