METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING PLEATED AND FOLDED ARTICLES FROM A WEB

• US 3,784,186 A
• Filed: 06/24/1971
• Issued: 01/08/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tabert Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Charles A. Lee, Robert Lenthall
• Inventors: Lee, Charles A., Lenthall, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Michell, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US05/156,184
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 270/63,64,65,66,73,86,21,40 83/820
• US Class Current: 493/359
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/12 Folding articles or webs with application of pressure to define or form crease lines B65H20/28 takes precedence; pleating, kilting or goffering textile fabrics D06J
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 493/937 Textile

Abstract

An elongated continuously traveling web is longitudinally pleated, transversely folded and subsequently severed to provide pleated and folded articles therefrom. The traveling web is first bowed into a substantially concave transverse cross section and then is pleated by forcing portions of the web to move outwardly in a direction normal to the direction of web travel. The pleats are formed along lines extending radially from the bowed cross section and the pleats converge at a focal point at which the pleats are forced together to form a longitudinally pleated web. Next, the pleated web is transversely folded in a zigzag manner and is severed to form a longitudinally pleated and transversely folded article.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming longitudinally pleated and transversely folded articles from a continuous web, said apparatus comprising means for continuously feeding said web along a path of travel in a first direction, means for transversely bowing said web to have a substantially curved transverse cross section, said feed means continuously moving said web after bowing along a path in a second substantially vertical and downward direction at an angle to said first direction, means for pleating said web by forcing portions of the web at spaced locations to project normal to said second direction to form progressively increasing widths for each pleat while moving the pleats along radial lines toward a predetermined focal point, means for forcing said pleats together at said focal point to form a pleated web while said web is continuing to travel downwardly, means for transversely folding said pleated web to provide a series of overlapped pleated plies for the article, means including an endless cutting band having a thin sharp cutting edge for severing said pleated web while it is traveling at predetermined intervals to provide a predetermined and equal number of overlapped plies for each of said pleated and folded articles, said endless band being in a plane disposed at an acute angle to the vertical with one run thereof closer to the pleated web and movable in an orbital path to move laterally to engage said pleated web to travel in a substantially rectilinear downward movement with said pleated web and to retract laterally from the path of said pleated web while the other run remains spaced from cutting engagement with said pleated web and support means for shifting said cutting band along the orbital path from a position spaced from said pleated web into engagement therewith for traveling with said pleated web downwardly in the direction of pleated web travel and at substantially the same speed of pleated web travel to sever said pleated web transversely and then retracting from said pleated web.

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said support means includes a carriage for carrying said enless band, an eccentric means for moving said carriage and said cutting band in said orbital path from a position spaced laterally of said pleated web into engagement therewith to engage the pleated web and to travel downwardly substantially in the direction of pleated web travel and to move laterally away from the pleated web after having severed the same and to move upwardly to complete said orbital path.

3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said means for folding said pleated web comprises a pair of counter rotating cylinders between which said pleated web travels, gripping means on each of said cylinder for gripping the pleated web at spaced locations to form fold lines and to carry the pleated web alternately in opposite directions and to release the folds after having transported the same thereby forming overlapped zigzag folded plies for said article.

4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 3 in which said means for forcing the pleats together comprises a pair of counter rotating rolls which define a nip to compress the pleats together and which have rough surfaces thereon for exerting a pull on said web to feed the web forwardly along its path of travel, and in which said folding cylinders are disposed vertically beneath said compression rollers.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said pleating means comprises first and second sets of elongated web engaging guides each extending radially outward from said predetermined point and in which said first and second set of guides force portions of said web in opposite directions from its direction of travel and force these portions through substantially equal distances to form equally spaced pleat folds in said web.

6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 5 in which said first set of guides have a wide upper end and tapering sides extending to a narrow end disposed adjacent said predetermined point and in which said second set of guides are in planes substantially normal to said first set of guides and are interleaved with said first set of guides, said second set of guides having upper pointed ends and tapered sides extending to wide lower ends adjacent said predetermined point.