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US 4,227,684 AGranted
Sheet folder
AssigneeOpelika Manufacturing Corporation
InventorCharles E. Brocklehurst
Life of this patent
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AssigneeOpelika Manufacturing Corporation
InventorCharles E. Brocklehurst
Estimating the term…
Bed sheets are moved in an unfolded condition along their lengths on a horizontal conveyor, grasped at the opposite sides of their leading edge, stretched at their leading edge and fed into a nip roll of a folder. The nip roll progressively moves the sheet down an inclined guide plate toward a first clamp assembly. The first clamp assembly holds the leading edge of the sheet, and the sheet is spread away from the first clamp assembly into a second, facing clamp assembly. The second clamp assembly grasps the sheet and the first clamp assembly releases the sheet, and the sheet is spread away from the second clamp assembly toward the first clamp assembly, the first clamp assembly regrasps the sheet as the second clamp assembly releases the sheet, and the progressive, alternative spreading and clamping functions continue to draw the sheet into the clamp assemblies and fold the sheet in an accordion fold. The sheet is then conveyed along its folded length out the ends of the two clamp assemblies to a winding fork where the according folded sheet is grasped by and folded about the winding fork in a flat spiral configuration and then is moved off the ends of the tines of the winding fork.
A method of folding rectangular bed sheets and the like comprising moving a sheet in a substantially unfolded configuration along its length along a horizontal path, grasping the sheet at the sides of its leading edge, pulling the sheet at its leading edge across its length to stretch the leading edge of the sheet, moving the stretched leading edge of the sheet into a nip roll means for grasping the leading edge portion of the sheet, and feeding the leading edge of the sheet with the nip roll means down an incline toward a first clamp means, and when the leading edge of the sheet arrives at the first clamp means, releasing the sheet with the nip roll means and holding the leading edge of the sheet in the first clamp means, spreading the sheet away from the first clamp means into a second clamp means, holding the sheet in the second clamp menas and releasing the sheet with the first clamp means, spreading the sheet away from the second clamp means into the first clamp means, repeating the steps of holding, spreading and releasing until the sheet is formed in a flat elongated accordion fold, moving the accordion folded sheet laterally along its folded length and progressively folding the sheet across its accordion folds in an approximately flat spiral fold.
A method of folding a rectangular bed sheet or the like comprising smoothing the sheet adjacent an edge portion thereof, and while the edge portion of sheet is smooth moving the smoothed edge portion into a sheet folder, and as the sheet moves into the sheet folder progressively folding the sheet in a flat elongated accordion folded configuration, moving the accordion folded sheet along the direction if its accordion folds, and progressively folding the accordion folded sheet in a substantially flat spiral folded configuration as it moves in the direction of its accordion folds.
A method of folding sheet material comprising moving one edge portion of the sheet into a first clamp, holding the edge portion in the sheet in the first clamp, spreading the sheet away from the first clamp into a second clamp, holding the sheet with the second clamp and releasing the sheet with the first clamp, spreading the sheet away from the second clamp into the first clamp, holding the sheet with the first clamp and releasing the sheet with the second clamp, and repeating the holding, spreading and releasing steps until the sheet is formed in a flat accordion folded configuration, moving the sheet in its accordion folded configuration along the lengths of its folds, and winding the sheet into an approximately flat spiral folded configuration.
A method of folding a bed sheet or the like comprising moving an unfolded sheet along its length in a downward direction from above a first and a second clamp means until the leading edge of the sheet moves into the first clamp means, holding the leading edge of the sheet in the first clamp means, moving a first fold element from above the first clamp means laterally into the plane of the sheet and into the second clamp means, holding the sheet in the second clamp means and releasing the sheet with the first clamp means, withdrawing the first fold element from the second clamp means, moving a second fold element from above the second clamp means laterally into the plane of the sheet and into the first clamp means, holding the sheet in the first clamp means and releasing the sheet with the second clamp means, withdrawing the second fold element from the first clamp means, and repeating the movements of the fold elements and holding and realeasing of the sheet until the sheet is formed in an accordion folded configuration, moving the sheet in its accordion folded configuration along the lengths of its folds, and winding the sheet into an approximately flat spiral folded configuration.
A method of folding a bed sheet or the like comprising moving the sheet in an unfolded configuration along its length, progressively folding the sheet in an accordion folded configuration as the sheet moves along its length, moving the accordion folded sheet along the lengths of its folds, grasping the sheet behind its leading end between the tines of a multiple tine winding fork, rotating the fork so that its tines move in concentric circular paths and the sheet winds about the tines of the fork.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.