MACHINES FOR FOLDING PAPER AND OTHER SHEETS

• US 3,647,201 A
• Filed: 01/15/1970
• Issued: 03/07/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jack Voyna Leslie Kemp
• Original Assignee: Jack Voyna Leslie Kemp
• Inventors: Kemp, Jack Voyna Leslie
• Primary Examiner(s): Michell, Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dyer, R. P.
• Application Number:
  US05/003,022
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 270/63-65,70,71,72,73,76,77,78,47,50,52.5,61F,32,21 226/24,42
• US Class Current: 493/23
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/20 Zig-zag folders B65H45/228 takes precedence

Abstract

A machine for folding a sheet with a concertina fold comprises a pair of rotary creasing devices each of which includes an axially extending male creasing member and an axially extending female creasing member arranged so that on rotation of the devices the male and female members of the two devices mate with each other alternately and produce creases alternately in opposite directions in a sheet which is fed freely between the creasing devices by a feeding mechanism. The speed by which the sheet is fed by the feeding mechanism is adjustable and the speed of rotation of the creasing devices is constant so that the space between adjacent creases can be adjusted by adjusting the speed of the feed mechanism. Each of the male creasing members consists of an axially extending blade and each of the female members comprises a pair of rollers forming a nip between them into which the sheet is pushed by the blade of the other device as the devices rotate. The rollers are rotated contra to each other to draw the sheet into the nip between them to form the crease and subsequently the direction of rotation of the rollers is reversed so that the part of the sheet held between the rollers is discharged again after the crease has been formed.

Claims

1. A machine for folding a sheet with a concertina fold, said machine including a pair of rotary creasing devices, means rotatably mounting said creasing devices in side-by-side relationship for rotation in directions contra to each other and means for feeding said sheet to be folded freely between said pair of rotary creasing devices, each of said creasing devices including a male creasing member and a female creasing member, each of said male creasing members including axially extending blade means and each of said female members including a pair of rollers, means mounting saId rollers parallel to and in contact with each other whereby said rollers form a nip between them, said nip of said one creasing device being arranged to receive said blade of said other creasing device and vice versa as said creasing devices rotate, said rollers being of a diameter which is relatively small compared with the diameter of a pitch circle around which said rollers move as said creasing device rotates and said nip extending parallel to the axis of rotation of said device, and driving means for intermittently rotating said pair of rollers as said device rotates, said intermittent driving means including a pair of pinions, means fixing said pinions one to each of said rollers for rotation therewith, means mounting said pinions in meshing relationship with each other, a pair of arms, means fixing said arms to each other to form a bellcrank lever, means rigidly connecting said bellcrank lever to one of said rollers with said arms projecting radially therefrom, a pair of pins and means stationarily mounting said pins in the paths of said arms as said devices rotate whereby one of said arms of said bellcrank lever strikes one of said pins as said device rotates to rotate said roller which is rigid therewith in one direction, said other roller being rotated in a contra direction by said meshing pinions and said other arm of said bellcrank lever subsequently strikes said other pin to rotate said rollers in opposite directions whereby said sheet is drawn into said nip as said rollers on one of said creasing devices mate with said blade on the other of said creasing devices and subsequently said sheet is released as said rollers rotate in said opposite directions so that said creasing devices produce creases alternately in opposite directions in said sheet fed between said devices by said feeding mechanism, and means for adjusting the speed of said feeding mechanism and the rate of rotation of said devices relatively to each other whereby the spaces between adjacent creases in said sheet, which are dependent upon the rate of feed of said sheet relative to said rate of rotation of said devices, may be varied.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means mounting one of said rollers of said pair for rotation about an axis which is fixed relative to said device, means mounting the other roller of said pair about an axis of rotation which is laterally movable relative to said device and spring means for pressing said other roller of said pair against said one roller of said pair.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising drive means for rotating said rotary creasing devices at constant angular speeds and variable speed drive means for driving said feed mechanism, said variable speed drive means forming said means for adjusting the speed of said feed mechanism and the rate of rotation of said devices relative to each other.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said variable speed drive means includes a constant speed electric motor, a variable speed gear, means operatively connecting said motor to said gear and means operatively connecting said gear to said feed mechanism.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said feed mechanism includes endless conveyor belt means, jockey roller means and means biasing said jockey roller means towards said conveyor belt means for pressing said sheet against said belt means.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said creasing devices are mounted with their axes of rotation horizontal and said feed mechanism is arranged to feed said sheet horizontally and said mechanism further includes an assembly of deflection rollers and means mounting said rollers for receiving said sheet fed horizontally by said feed mechanism and deflecting it vertically downwards between said creasing devices.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising conveyor belt means, and means mounting said conveyor belt means horizontally below said creasing devices for delivering said sheet aftEr creasing out of said machine.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising retarding means and means operatively connecting said retarding means to said creasing devices for bringing said creasing devices to rest in preset angular positions, said feed mechanism including sensing means for sensing the position of the leading edge of said sheet as it is fed by said feeding mechanism towards said creasing devices, means for setting said creasing devices in rotation from said preset position and means connecting said sensor to said means for setting said creasing devices in rotation, said connecting means including time delay means wherein said creasing devices start to rotate a preset time after said leading edge of said sheet has reached said sensing means, said preset time being dependent upon the speed of said feed mechanism whereby said sheet has a first crease formed therein by said creasing means at a predetermined distance from said leading edge of said sheet.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 8, further comprising second sensing means for sensing the position of the trailing edge of said sheet after said sheet has passed through said feed mechanism, said second sensing means being operatively connected to said feed mechanism whereby said feed mechanism is stopped when said trailing edge reaches said second sensing means, said sheet thereafter being moved onwards by said creasing devices whereby the distance between a last crease formed in said sheet and said trailing edge of said sheet is no greater than the distance between adjacent preceding creases in said sheet.