Method and apparatus for folding sheets
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsPaul R. Sette, Richard A. Sloan, Jr.
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Abstract
A method and system for folding a sheet having a certain length into a folded piece of a fold type having a first edge and a second edge, wherein the sheet length and the fold type are simultaneously selectable. The sheet can be folded once or twice into the folded piece. After the sheet is folded into the folded piece, the folded piece moves in a direction with a first edge leading the second edge. The method and system further include a step and a mechanism to control the moving direction of the folded piece such that the folded piece can be caused to move with the first edge trailing the second edge or allowed to continue to move with the first edge leading the second edge when the folded piece exits the system.
Claims15
An apparatus for folding a sheet having a length into a folded piece of a fold type having a first edge and an opposing second edge, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) a folding station for folding the sheet into the folded piece, the folding station further comprising
- (i) a buckle chute for receiving the sheet entering the folding station:
- (ii) a folding nip;
- and
- (iii) a sheet stop for stopping the sheet which is fed into the buckle chute thereby causing the sheet to buckle toward the folding nip and to be folded by the folding nip into the folded piece;
- (b) a feeding mechanism to feed the sheet into the folding station in order to fold the sheet into the folded piece;
- (c) a turn chute having
- (i) an ingesting mechanism to ingest the folded piece into the turn chute with the first edge leading the second edge;
- (ii) a reversing stop to stop the ingested folded piece;
- and
- (iii) a moving mechanism to move the ingested folded piece out of the turn chute with the second edge leading the first edge and
- (d) wherein the sheet stop in the folding station and the reversing stop in the turn chute are adjustable to suit the fold type and the sheet length, and the apparatus further comprises a selecting mechanism connected to the folding station and the turn chute so as to simultaneously adjust the sheet stop and the reversing stop.
A method of producing a folded piece of a fold type having a first edge and an opposing second edge, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a sheet having a length;
- (b) folding the sheet into the folded piece which moves in a direction with the first edge leading the second edge after the sheet is folded and wherein:
- (i) the folded piece has a folded length and wherein the fold type and the folded length are essentially simultaneously selectable;
- and
- (ii) wherein the folding step is carried out in a buckle chute having means for selecting the fold type and the sheet length;
- and
- (c) controlling the moving direction of the folded piece so as to allow the folded piece to move with the first edge leading or trailing the second edge and wherein the controlling step is carried out in a turn chute having a reversing stop adjustable to suit the fold type and the sheet length, said method further comprising the step of simultaneously adjusting the selecting means and the reversing stop in order to suit the fold type and the sheet length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.