Clothes folding machine

A method of folding clothes using a clothes folding machine that includes a push board disposed in a case and configured to slide in a front-rear direction of the case at a start point of movement of a clothes item at a downstream side of a path of the clothes item, a plurality of conveyers spaced apart from each other with a predetermined gap therebetween in the front-rear direction under the push board, and a guide bar disposed over the gap and configured to move up and down in the gap, the method comprising:

• conveying, by the conveyers, the clothes item toward a front of the case such that a primary transverse line of the clothes item for folding a first portion of the clothes item is positioned over the gap;
• moving the guide bar down from a position over the gap and pressing the clothes item by the guide bar;
• folding, by the push board, the clothes item along the primary transverse line to overlap by moving the push board toward the front of the case from the start point and pushing and turning over a lower end of the first portion of the clothes item ahead of the primary transverse line;
• returning the push board to the start point;
• moving the guide bar over the gap;
• conveying, by the conveyers, the clothes item toward the front of the case such that a secondary transverse line of the clothes item for folding a second portion of the clothes item is positioned over the gap;
• moving the guide bar into the gap and pressing the secondary transverse line by the guide bar;
• and
• folding, by the conveyers, the second portion of the clothes item along the secondary transverse line to overlap by putting the secondary transverse line into the gap.

A clothes folding machine comprising:

• a case;
• a loading unit having a plurality of grippers, the loading unit being disposed at an upper portion of the case and configured to convey a clothes item gripped by the grippers into the case;
• a folding unit including (i) a longitudinal-line folder that folds both sleeves of the clothes item conveyed by the loading unit along longitudinal lines and (ii) a transverse-line folder that folds the clothes item along transverse lines several times;
• and
• an unloading unit disposed at a lower portion of the case and configured to convey the clothes item folded by the folding unit out of the case,
• wherein the transverse-line folder includes:
• a plurality of conveyers that are disposed at a single stage at a downstream side in a path of the clothes item, the plurality of conveyers including three or more components in a series with predetermined gaps therebetween in a front-rear direction of the case, wherein the plurality of conveyers are configured to (i) fold the clothes item along a primary transverse line formed at a first longitudinal portion of the clothes item by putting the clothes item into a first gap spaced toward a front of the case from a start point of movement of the clothes item and (ii) fold the clothes item along a secondary transverse line formed at a second lateral portion of the clothes item by putting the clothes item into a second gap spaced toward the front from the first gap, and
• a plurality of guide bars configured to move up and down and insert into the first gap and the second gap, respectively, the plurality of guide bars being configured to press the primary transverse line and the secondary transverse line, respectively,
• wherein the plurality of guide bars are disposed at sides of the case, respectively, and the sides of the case are spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction of the case, and
• wherein each of the plurality of guide bars is configured to rotate horizontally about a rotary shaft that is vertically disposed such that the plurality of guide bars (i) are disposed in parallel with each other and oriented toward the front of the case into which the clothes item is put in, or (ii) are disposed to face each other in the transverse direction.