Pleating apparatus

Apparatus for pleating a longitudinally extending continuous strip of fibrous foldable material comprising:

• a longitudinally extending movable conveyor means to receive and convey at least one continuous strip of foldable material of preselected length in a longitudinally extending path of movement along said conveyor means;
• power means for said conveyor means;
• and, said conveyor means comprising opposed parallel conveyors each having a plurality of longitudinally spaced, parallel pleat folding arm means cooperatively associated with and pivotal with respect to said conveyors to extend laterally thereacross with at least a substantially flat portion of each arm means being of preselected breadth and depth and being pivotally capable of singly folding pleats in said foldable material at a preselected same fold angle to hold each of said pleats in such folded condition substantially along the entirety of the longitudinally extending path of movement of said conveyor means for pleat fold treatment, said arm means of each conveyor being so positioned relative said other conveyor so that only part of the depth of said arms interfit and continuously engage in spaced alternative pleat forming relation with opposed faces of said strip of foldable material to singly fold and hold said pleats therein continuously in said fold angle and in the same preselected pleated conformation of said strip of foldable material as a consequence of said single folding;
• and means to maintain said pleat folding arm means in said interfittingly engaged fold position consistently and continuously in preselected position without further fold interruption along substantially the entirety of said longitudinally extending path of movement of said conveyor means with the longitudinal spacing of said folds permitting further preselected fluid pleat treatment of the material strip as it is moved along said conveyor means path.