US3148875A - Folding machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 15,1964

w. JACK, JR

FOLDING MACHINE FiledJune 15-, 1962 United States Patent 3,148,875 FOLDING MACHINE William Jack, In, Glasgow, Scotland, assignor to Baker Perkins Jaxons Limited, a corporation of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Filed June 15, 1962, Ser. No. 202,893 3 Claims. (Cl. 270-80) The subject of this invention is a machine for folding sheets into two equal portions and is particularly suitable for folding sheets of paper or for folding sheets of textile material such as bed sheets and tablecloths. This latter application is of particular use in laundry plants.

A folding machine according to the invention comprises feeder means for feeding sheets seriatim through the machine, a double blade contrived to come against a sheet being fed through the machine, two feeler devices engageable with a sheet being fed through the machine, driving means coupled to the feeler devices to move the feeler devices simultaneously and at the same speed in opposite directions towards and from the doubling blade so that they are always equidistant from the doubling blade, means controlled by one of said feeler devices for causing the feeler devices to move towards the doubling blade at the same speed as the feeder means when said feeler device is tie-actuated after being first actuated, and means controlled by the other feeler device for operating the doubling blade and causing the feeler devices to move away from one another when said other feeler device is actuated.

The feeder means may consist of two feeder devices arranged in series, the doubling blade being movable through a gap provided between adjacent ends of the devices.

The feeder devices may be conveyor belts.

Each feeler device may incorporate a finger arranged to come against a sheet passing through the machine and a switch to which the finger is operatively coupled, the switch in the feeler device which first engages a sheet passing through the machine being arranged to operate the driving means to move the feeler devices towards one another and the switch of the other feeler device being arranged when operated to set in action the means for operating the doubling blade and the driving means to move the feeler devices away from one another.

There may be associated with the doubling blade a pair of doubling rollers adapted to rotate while the machine is in operation, the doubling blade when actuated entering the nip between the rollers.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which 1 denotes a frame supporting guide pulleys 2 and 3 about which a belt 4 is arranged to circulate and guide rollers 5 and 6, and 7 and 8, about which feeding bands 9 and circulate respectively, driven by electric motors 5A and 8A respectively. The bands 9 and 10 are arranged to circulate in the same direction and the rollers 6 and 7 are arranged close to one another so that a small gap is left between the adjacent ends of the bands 9 and 10. 11 denotes a folding blade carried on the outer end of an arm 12 connected to mechanism 13 operative to cause the arm 12 to swing and the blade 11 to move through the gap between the bands 9 and 10. 14 and 15 denote driven rollers the nip of which is in the path of movement of the blade 11. 16 denotes a delivery table. 17 and 18 denote feeler devices, the device 17 being clamped to the lower flight of the belt 4 and the device 18 being clamped to the upper flight of the belt 4. The feeler device 17 incorporates a finger 19 engageable by a sheet carried on the band 9 and coupled to a switch the arrangement of which is such that when the finger 19 is engaged by the sheet the switch is set and then when the finger 19 comes out ice of engagement with the sheet the switch is actuated to provide an impulse to operate a reversing switch 19A arranged to cause driving mechanism coupled to the pulley 2 to operate in the direction to cause the belt 4 to circulate in such wise that the feeler devices 17 and 18 move towards one another. The feeler device 18 incorporates a finger 20 engageable with a sheet carried on the band 10 and coupled to a switch so arranged that when the finger 20 is actuated the associated switch is operated to provide an impulse to actuate the mechanism 13 to cause the arm 12 to swing in the direction to move the blade 11 through the gap between the adjacent ends of the bands 9 and 10; and also to actuate the reversing switch 19A to reverse the motor 2A and thus the direction of movement of the belt 4 and cause the feeler devices 17 and 18 to move away from one another. The mechanism 13 is so arranged that when the arm 12 has swung to the position in which the blade is at the nip of the rollers 14 and 15 a trip device operates to cut off the operating current so that the blade 11 swings back to a position below the level of the upper flights of the bands 9 and 10. The feeler device 17 also carries a projection 21 engageable with a switch arm 22 coupled to a switch 23 which is so arranged that when the arm 22 is actuated the switch 23 cuts off the supply of operating current to the motor 2A so that the belt 4 comes to rest.

In practice, when the machine is out of operation the feeler devices 17 and 18 are normally in the position in which they are farthest from one another as will be explained later. When the device is star-ted up the bands 9 and 10 start circulating in the same direction and a sheet applied to the band 9 is carried along by the band 9 until it is brought into contact with the finger 19 which operates to set the associated switch. The sheet continues is movement until the trailing edge of the sheet comes clear of the finger 19 whereupon by the release of the finger 19 the associated switch operates to set the beltdriving means in operation to cause the feeler devices 17 and 18 to move towards one another. The finger 19 remains immediately behind the trailing edge of the sheet since the speed of movement of the belt 4 is the same as the speed of movement of the bands 9 and 10. The leading edge of the sheet crosses the gap between the adjacent ends of the bands 9 and 10 and is carried along by the band 10 until the leading edge meets the finger 20. Since the feeler devices 17 and 18 are always equidistant from the gap between adjacent ends of the bands 9 and 10 the blade 11 is then directly below the middle of the sheet. Actuation of the finger 20 by the leading edge of the sheet operates the mechanism 13 causing the arm 12 to swing and the blade 11 to rise through the gap whereupon it comes against the middle of the sheet and lifts the sheet, the sheet doubling about the blade 11. The lifting action continues until the blade 11 moves towards the rollers 14 and 15 and the portion of the sheet folded over the edge of the blade 11 is brought into the nip of the rollers 14 and 15 which latter pick the folded sheet up and continue the folding action while feeding the folded sheet on to the delivery table 16. The finger 20 in addition to operating the mechanism 13 also operates the belt-driving mechanism to reverse the direction of movement of the belt 4 so that the feeler devices 17 and 18 move away from one another. If another sheet has been already fed on to the band 9 the leading edge of this second sheet comes against the finger 19 and the cycle is repeated. If, however, no new sheet has been introduced to the machine the feeler devices 17 and 18 continue moving away from one another until the projection 21 on the device 17 comes against the switch arm 22 which operates to cause movement of the belt 4 to cease so that the feeler devices come to rest in the positions in which they are farthest from one another.

What is claimed is:

1. A folding machine comprising feeder means for feeding sheets seriatim through the machine, a doubling blade contrived to come against a sheet being fed through the machine, two sensing devices actuable by a sheet being fed through the machine, driving means coupled to the sensing devices to move the sensing devices simultaneously and at the same speed in opposite directions towards and from the doubling blade so that they are always equidistant from the doubling blade, means controlled by one of said sensing devices for causing the sensing devices to move towards the doubling blade at the same speed as the feeder means when said sensing device is de-actuated after being first actuated, and means controlled by the other sensing device for operating the doubling blade and causing the sensing devices to move away from one another when said other sensing device is actuated.

2. A folding machine as claimed in claim 1 in which each sensing device comprising a feeler device incorporating a finger arranged to come against a sheet passing through the machine and a switch to which the finger is operatively coupled, the switch in the feeler device which first engages a sheet passing through the machine being arranged to operate the driving means to move the feeler devices towards one another and the switch of the other feeler device being arranged when operated to set in action the means for operating the doubling blade and the driving means to move the feeler devices away from one another.

3. A folding machine as set forth in claim 2 wherein the switch in the feeler device which first engages a sheet passing through the machine is responsive to the trailing edge of the sheet and the switch in the other feeler device is responsive to the leading edge of the sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,581,677 Carnovsky Apr. 20, 1926 1,878,404 Kahn Sept. 20, 1932 2,072,937 Beattie Mar. 9, 1937 2,145,592 Folger Jan. 31, 1939

Claims (1)

1. A FOLDING MACHINE COMPRISING FEEDER MEANS FOR FEEDING SHEETS SERIATIM THROUGH THE MACHINE, A DOUBLING BLADE CONTRIVED TO COME AGAINST A SHEET BEING FED THROUGH THE MACHINE, TWO SENSING DEVICES ACTUABLE BY A SHEET BEING FED THROUGH THE MACHINE, DRIVING MEANS COUPLED TO THE SENSING DEVICES TO MOVE THE SENSING DEVICES SIMULTANEOUSLY AND AT THE SAME SPEED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TOWARDS AND FROM THE DOUBLING BLADE SO THAT THEY ARE ALWAYS EQUIDISTANT FROM THE DOUBLING BLADE, MEANS CONTROLLED BY ONE OF SAID SENSING DEVICES FOR CAUSING THE SENSING DEVICES TO MOVE TOWARDS THE DOUBLING BLADE AT THE SAME SPEED AS THE FEEDER MEANS WHEN SAID SENSING DEVICE IS DE-ACTUATED AFTER BEING FIRST ACTUATED, AND MEANS CONTROLLED BY THE OTHER SENSING DEVICE FOR OPERATING THE DOUBLING BLADE AND CAUSING THE SENSING DEVICES TO MOVE AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER WHEN SAID OTHER SENSING DEVICE IS ACTUATED.

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