Flatwork folding system

• US 3,905,593 A
• Filed: 05/07/1973
• Issued: 09/16/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sheldon P. Behn
• Original Assignee: Sheldon P. Behn
• Inventors: Behn, Sheldon P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Michell, Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Heinz, A.
• Application Number:
  US05/357,959
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 270/62,66,67,83-85,86-94,80-82
• US Class Current: 493/17
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/18 Oscillating or reciprocating blade folders carried on rotary members B65H45/16
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 493/937 Textile

Abstract

A flatwork folding system comprises two lateral folding units and a cross-folding unit. Each lateral folding unit includes a pair of longitudinally spaced lateral folding means spaced along a conveyor means thereof. An adjustable fold control timer associated preferably with at least one of the lateral folding means of one of the lateral folding units provides a selection of intermediate longitudinal points of the flatwork piece at which the flatwork piece is first laterally folded thereby. The crossfolding unit preferably comprises three spaced cross-folding means. Associated with one of the cross-folding means is a flatwork piece leading edge sensing means spaced a given distance beyond the cross-folding means for initiating operation of a cross-folding means to produce a cross fold in the flatwork piece a given distance from the leading edge thereof which ensures that the upper folded portion will not overlap the bottom portion of the flatwork piece. Individually manually operable means are most advantageously associated with at least one of the lateral folding means of each lateral folding unit and at least one of the cross-folding means which means renders operable or inoperable the associated means.

Claims

1. A flatwork folding system to accommodate flatwork of a variety of widths and/or lengths comprising in combination:

lateral folDing apparatus comprising conveyor means for moving the flatwork to an outlet station thereof;

at least a first pair of lateral folding means longitudinally spaced along said conveyor means for sequentially producing folds in a flatwork piece extending in a given lateral direction, timer means associated with said pair of lateral folding means which timer means includes control means for initiating operation of the operable associated lateral folding means when a given intermediate point of the flatwork piece involved reaches the associated lateral folding means, said conveyor means to receive flatwork pieces of varying dimension in said lateral direction; and

cross-folding apparatus having an inlet station positioned to receive the laterally folded flatwork pieces from the outlet station of said lateral folding means, conveyor means for conveying flatwork pieces therein, at least one pair of crossfolding means spaced along the associated conveyor means for sequentially producing in the flatwork pieces a first and a second cross-fold at right angles to the lateral folds produced by said lateral folding means, said conveyor means of said crossfolding apparatus including a first conveyor assembly moving generally horizontally over a downwardly facing inlet slot extending longitudinally of the direction of movement of the first conveyor assembly, the first of the cross-folding means being mounted above said inlet slot and when operative depressing the portion of the flatwork piece therebelow downwardly through said inlet slot, flatwork piece sensing means responsive to a flatwork piece on said first conveyor assembly for operating said first cross-folding means, said conveyor means of said crossfolding apparatus including a second conveyor assembly extending generally horizontally from an inlet station to a first outlet station, each first cross-folded flatwork piece dropping upon the inlet end of said second conveyor assembly and moving the flatwork piece to the latter outlet station if only one crossfolding operation is to be carried out, a flatwork piece leading edge sensing means spaced a given distance beyond the second of said cross-folding means for initiating operation of the same to produce a second cross-fold in the flatwork piece a given distance from the leading edge thereof which is no less than about one half the lateral dimension of the flatwork piece having the longest dimension in said lateral direction, said conveyor means of said cross-folding apparatus including a third conveyor assembly for moving a flatwork piece from an inlet end to a second outlet station, means in confronting relation to the inlet end of said third conveyor assembly for defining an inlet mouth into which the second of said crossfolding means when operative pushes said portion of said flatwork piece into the latter inlet mouth to form a second cross-fold in the flatwork piece, said third conveyor assembly then delivering the second cross-folded piece to said second outlet station in the absence of any subsequent crossfolding operations.

2. The flatwork folding system of claim 1 wherein said third conveyor assembly of said cross folding apparatus includes at least a pair of endless belt means, each having inlet and outlet ends, the inlet end of the first of said endless belt means partially forming said inlet mouth, means positioned in confronting relation to the outlet end of said first endless belt means for forming a downwardly facing second inlet mouth, said second endless belt means having an inlet end below the second inlet mouth, and there is provided third cross folding means for pushing the intermediate portion of a second cross folded flatwork piece down through said second inlet mouth where the flatwork piece drops upon the inlet end of said second endless belt means, and manually operable means for rendering said third cross folding means selectively operable or inoperable, said first endless belt means cooperating with other means for delivering a flatwork piece which is not to be cross folded by said third cross folding means to said one outlet station, and said second endless belt means being adapted to deliver articles cross folded by said third cross folding means also to said one outlet station.

3. A flatwork folding system to accommodate flatwork of a variety of widths and/or lengths comprising, in combination:

a flatwork smoothing unit including laterally outwardly movable smoothing belt means for engaging the flatwork pieces to smooth the same;

a first lateral folding unit having an inlet station for receiving smooth flatwork from said flatwork smoothing unit and first conveyor means for moving the flatwork to an outlet station thereof in a longitudinal direction transverse to a lateral direction in which a fold line extends about which the flatwork is to be folded by said first lateral folding unit;

a second lateral folding unit having an inlet station for receiving the flatwork from the outlet station of said first lateral folding unit, and second conveyor means for conveying the flatwork from said inlet station of the associated folding unit to an outlet station thereof in a longitudinal direction transverse to said lateral direction;

each of said lateral folding units having at least two lateral folding means longitudinally spaced along the associated conveyor means for sequentially producing lateral folds in said lateral direction in a flatwork piece and timer means associated with one of the associated lateral folding means which timer means includes control means for initiating operation of an operable associated lateral folding means when a given intermediate point of the flatwork piece involved reaches the associated lateral folding means;

a cross-folding unit having an inlet station positioned to receive the laterally folded flatwork pieces from the outlet station of said second lateral folding unit, conveyor means for conveying the laterally folded flatwork pieces therein to at least one outlet station thereof in a direction parallel to the lateral fold or folds therein, and at least two cross-folding means spaced along the associated conveyor means for sequentially producing a pair of cross-folds in a flatwork piece in a direction transverse to the lateral folds produced therein; and

control means including first manually operable control means for simultaneously rendering operative the smoothing belt means of said flatwork smoothing unit and the conveyor means of said first and second lateral folding units and said cross-folding unit; and

individual manually operable means respectively associated with at least one of the lateral folding means of said first lateral folding unit, at least one of the lateral folding means of said second lateral folding unit, and at least one of the cross-folding means of said cross-folding unit for selectively rendering operable or inoperable the associated means, whereby there is a choice of at least from two to four lateral folding operations and one or two cross-folding operations of the flatwork folding system.

4. The flatwork folding system of claim 3 wherein there is associated with one of the cross-folding means of said crossfolding unit flatwork piece leading edge sensing means spaced a given distance beyond one of said cross-folding means for initiating operation of the latter cross-folding means to produce a crossfold in the flatwork piece a given distance from the leading edge thereof which is no less than about one-half the width of the widest flatwork piece to be properly folded by the latter crossfolding means.

5. The flatwork folding system of claim 3 wherein said flatwork smoothing unit has an inlet station upon which the flatwork may be fed by operators stationed at opposite sides of the flatwork smoothing unit, said flatwork smoothing unit having nip roller means at the inlet station for feeding the flatwork onto said conveyor means of said first conveyor means, said nip roller means being momentarily movable from a lowered normal position to a raised posItion during initial insertion of a flatwork piece into the flatwork smoothing unit, means at said inlet station for effecting the raising of said nip roller means, foot pedal means adjacent one side of said inlet station so as to be available to the operator, and means responsive to the operation of said foot pedal means for simultaneously stopping the operation of smoothing belt means and the conveyor means of said first and second lateral folding units and said cross-folding unit.

6. The flatwork folding system of claim 3 wherein there is provided service access panels on each of said flatwork smoothing unit, first and second lateral folding units and crossfolding unit which service access panels are removed to gain access to the associated units for servicing, panel position sensing means associated with each of said panels, and control means responsive to the operation of said servicing panel position sensing means indicating the removal of such panel for automatically stopping the operation of said laterally outwardly movable smoothing belt means of said flatwork smoothing unit and the conveyor means of said first and second lateral folding units and said cross-folding unit.

7. The flatwork folding system of claim 3 wherein all of said manually operable means are located on a common control panel.

8. A flatwork folding system to accommodate flatwork of a variety of widths and/or lengths comprising, in combination:

a flatwork smoothing unit including laterally outwardly movable smoothing belt means for engaging the flatwork pieces to smooth the same;

a first lateral folding unit having an inlet station for receiving smooth flatwork and conveyor means for moving the flatwork to an outlet station thereof in a longitudinal direction transverse to a lateral direction in which a fold line extends about which the flatwork is to be folded by said first lateral folding unit;

a second lateral folding unit having an inlet station for receiving the flatwork from the outlet station of said first lateral folding unit, and second conveyor means for conveying the flatwork from said inlet station of the associated folding unit to an outlet station thereof in a longitudinal direction transverse to said lateral direction;

each of said lateral folding units having at least two lateral folding means longitudinally spaced along the associated conveyor means for sequentially producing lateral folds in said lateral direction in a flatwork piece and timer means associated with one of the associated lateral folding means which timer means includes control means for initiating operation of an operable associated lateral folding means when a given intermediate point of the flatwork piece involved reaches the associated lateral folding means;

a cross folding unit having an inlet station positioned to receive the laterally folded flatwork pieces from the outlet station of said second lateral folding unit, conveyor means for conveying the laterally folded flatwork pieces therein to at least one outlet station thereof in a direction parallel to the lateral fold or folds therein and at least three cross-folding means spaced along the third conveyor means for sequentially producing a pair of cross-folds in a flatwork piece in a direction transverse to the lateral folds produced therein, a flatwork piece leading edge sensing means spaced a given distance beyond one of said cross-folding means for initiating operation of the latter cross-folding means to produce a cross-fold in the flatwork piece a given distance from the leading edge thereof which is no less than about one half the width of the widest flatwork piece to be properly folded by the latter cross-folding means; and

control means including first manually operable control means for simultaneously rendering operative the smoothing belt means of said flatwork smoothing unit and the conveyor means of said first and second lateral folding units and said cross-folding unit; and

individual manually operable means respectively associatEd with at least one of the lateral folding means of said first lateral folding unit, one of the lateral folding means of said second lateral folding unit, and at least one of the cross-folding means of said cross-folding unit for selectively rendering operable or inoperable the associated means, whereby there is a choice of from two to four lateral folding operations and one to three cross-folding operations of the flatwork folding system.

9. The flatwork folding system of claim 8 wherein there is provided service access panels on each of said first and second lateral folding units and cross-folding unit, which service access panels are moved to gain access to the associated unit for servicing, panel position sensing means associated with each of said panels, and control means responsive to the operation of said servicing panel position sensing means indicating the opening of such panel for automatically stopping the operation of said conveyor means of said first and second lateral folding units and said cross-folding unit.

10. The flatwork folding system of claim 8 wherein, upon operation of said first manually operable switch means, one of the lateral folding means of each lateral folding unit and the first of said cross-folding means of said cross-folding unit is continuously conditioned for operation independently of the operation of any of said manually operable control means.