GB1122902A - Laundry folding machines - Google Patents

Abstract

1,122,902. Folding sheets. H. J. WEIR. 18 May, 1967 [18 May, 1966], No. 22188/66. Heading D1S. In a laundry folding machine of the kind in which the leading edge of an article to be folded is fed onto a movable folding plate 2, the plate 2 moves upwards to clamp the leading edge against a stop plate 4, the following part of the article is fed forward beneath the plates 2, 4 on a moving conveyor 1 and the plate 2 is dropped to release the leading edge onto the trailing part of the article so that a fold is effected thereby, there is provided an engagement member 14 on the underside of the plate 2. The arrangement being such that when the plate 2 is dropped to release the leading edge, the member 14 rests on the article as the article is drawn away by the conveyor 1. In one embodiment, Fig. 4, the plate 2 is a hollow structure of 16 gauge alloy or stainless steel and the member 14 is a smooth curved shoe integral therewith. The conveyor 1 comprises a set of parallel bands and fingers 5 are movable about a pivot 6 by a pneumatic cylinder (not shown) from a position 5a upwardly between the bands to guide the leading edge of the article onto the plate 2. A pneumatic cylinder 15 moves the plate 2 about a pivot 3 to the position 2a to clamp the leading edge against a pad 16 on the stop plate 4. Simultaneously the fingers 5 are returned to the position 5a. The plate 2 is then lowered to allow the leading edge to drop and the shoe 14 rests on the article as it is fed forward to draw the leading edge from the clamped position positively and consistently. The lower edge 18 of a vertical plate 17 fixed to the plate 4 forms a guide with the plate 4 to restrict in radius the bow formed by the article as the leading edge thereof is picked up by the plate 2. In modifications, the shoe 14 is replaced by a freely rotatable felt-covered roller (12), Fig. 3 (not shown), or rollers and the plate 17 is replaced by a fixed guide bar (13) parallel to the plate 4. A folded article 24, Fig. 5, is fed by the conveyor 1 down an inclined run 19 at the end thereof and onto a guide plate 22. Contrarotating rollers 20, 21 flatten the leading bow 25 of the article 24 and when the article midpoint has reached a folding blade 23 a pneumatic cylinder is operated to advance the blade 23 to tuck the article between the rollers 20, 21 to form a second fold. The article is deposited on a table 26. The folding operations may be timed with a device as described in Specification No. 1,081,871.