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US 2003/0197322 A1Published application
Folding apparatus for napkin stacks having two-color sequences
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorWilliam P. Niedermeyer
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AssigneeNone recorded
InventorWilliam P. Niedermeyer
Estimating the term…
Dual folding apparatus using multi-width parent rolls to produce color sequenced stacks of napkins, including means for unwinding, slitting and advancing same-color product webs to a turning and lane separating device to selectively transfer first-color webs to one of two ‘folding’ lanes and selectively transfer second-color webs to the other lane. First and second-color webs in superposed side by side advancement are embossed, and webs of the same color are directed to one side of a dual folder for longitudinal folding, cutoff, and transverse folding while the second-color web is processed in the other side of the dual folder. Napkins of one color are superposed on napkins of a second color and delivered as a pair between delivery belts for packout into stacks having napkins of alternating color. Two adjacent delivery lanes deliver stacks of the same mixed colors. In machines with four delivery lanes, first and second lanes can have alternating first and second colors, while the the third and fourth lanes can have alternating third and fourth color stacks. Other embodiments include different placement of unwind stands, arrangement of parent roll colors, and other turning and lane changing means.
Apparatus for producing napkin stacks having a plurality of color sequences, comprising:
The apparatus of cliam 3 wherein at least one of said turning bars for like-colored webs and is vertically separated from another turning bar that accepts and turns two other like-colored webs.
In a method of procesing staacks having a plurality of color sequences including the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Delivering articles from cutting or line-perforating machines; Article or web delivery apparatus incorporating cutting or line-perforating…: from…
Associating, collating, or gathering articles or webs: associating two or more webs
Folding articles or webs with application of pressure to define or form crease lines: folding in combination with cutting
Arranging and feeding articles in groups: stacking one article, or group of articles, upon another before packaging
Term end not estimated
This invention relates to folding apparatus, and more particularly, napkin folders to make product stacks having a two color sequence in each stack.
The invention is useful as applied to ‘dual folders, a well known face-to face arrangement of two single folders to double production of 1-ply semi-crepe napkins for consumer and commercial use.
Introduced in the 1940's as a two wide machine with two delivery lanes, they were subsequently widened to three and four delivery lanes as paper machine widths increased.
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematic illustrating a pair of supply rolls arranged on one side of two parallel folding plate lanes, a turning device, and downstream folding plates for a dual folder (not shown).
FIG. 2 is a plan view schematic illustrating a pair of rolls, one on each side of the two folding lanes with associated components.
FIG. 3 is a plan view schematic for two pairs of supply rolls arranged on one side of the folding lanes, with two tiers of turning devices arranged for serial processing of each pair of rolls and advancing 8 webs to a four wide folding apparatus.
In FIG. 1, supply roll 1 of color A comprising two product webs A1 and A2 passes through slitter 5 and advances along infeed paths 3 and 4 respectively.
Supply roll 2 of color B comprising two product webs B1 and B2 is slit at 5′ and advances along infeed paths 3 and 4 respectively.
The slit product webs enter turning/lane interchange device 6 and exit along folding paths 7 and 8 for subsequent fabricating steps and delivery in stacks.