US 4,921,235 A · Apparatus and method for folding and stacking napkins from a continuous web of paper or other material

Abstract

A continuous web of paper which may be longitudinally folded in half is drawn around a rotating cylinder which cuts the web into pre-determined suitable lengths. Vacuum and air pressure means temporarily hold the severed portions of the web against the cylinder, but at an appropriate moment release the leading edge of the severed portion causing it to be lifted in its leading half away from the cylinder, the trailing half being retained by suction against the cylinder. The lifted leading edge folds backward against the trailing portion along a fold line, and subsequently the folded-together leading and trailing portions are released from the cylinder, transported away from the cylinder and into a stacking tray, for subsequent packaging. The cut and folded sections of the web are, at all times, held under control by a vacuum in one or more cylinders or conveyor belts until the very last moment when they are discharged into a receiving and stacking tray.

Claims26

Dependent claims

An apparatus for the production of paper webs and particularly paper table napkins, including means for folding the paper one or more times, said means including:

a cylinder for the advancement of the web and for performing a transversal cut, and means for continuously feeding the web to said cylinder,
cutting means on said cylinder, and
retaining means disposed at a distance from said cutting means, and in juxtaposition thereto along a line where a fold is to be carried out so as to obtain, through the rapid advancement of said cylinder, a lifting and reverse turning of the paper in advance of said line,
a rotor carrying a plurality of blades disposed in cooperative arrangement with a cutting means on said cylinder, and
a pressing roller acting against said cylinder to complete the folding, and
means for interrupting and retaining said web along said folding line after the folding line has passed the pressing roller, and
means to remove the folded web away from said cylinder,
the pressing roller (40) being associated with a continuous conveyer (42) cooperating with a sucking case (44), to move the pieces pressed and pulled off from the cylinder.

5 more elements

Apparatus for the production of serviettes or similar paper articles folded one or more times, including:

means for continuously feeding the web, and
a cutting cylinder for advancement of the web, said cutting cylinder including means for providing transverse cuts in cooperation with blades on a blade-cylinder, and
a blade-cylinder with one or more blades to cooperate with the aforesaid cutting cylinder, and
retaining means on said cutting cylinder to provide a transversal fold by the rapid advancement of the cutting cylinder so as to provide a lifting and reverse turning along the folding line of a portion of the web in advance of said line, and
a pressing roller acting in cooperation with said cylinder to complete the folding, and
means for interrupting and retaining the web along said folding line after it has passed the pressing roller, and
a rotating pick-up cylinder with at least one row of suction holes and a vacuum within said cylinder so as to suck the folded piece between the cutting cylinder and the pick-up roll in the zone of the minimum interspace between the cutting cylinder and the pick-up cylinder, and
an additional cylinder similar to, and located in close proximity to, the pick-up cylinder with a plurality of holes along at least one suction line, and
shunting mechanism with movable plates between said pick-up cylinder and said additional cylinder which move the individual pieces from the zone of minimum interspace and move them in a continuous trajectory along the pick-up cylinder or, alternatively, the additional cylinder, and
means for moving cut pieces from the apparatus and stacking them adjacent the pick-up cylinder and said additional cylinder.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for folding and stacking napkins from a continuous web of paper or other material

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for folding and stacking napkins from a continuous web of paper or other material

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26