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US 6,855,101 B2Granted
Sheet folding apparatus
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsSteven W. Trovinger, Ross R. Allen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for folding sheet material, including a fold blade, two fold rollers, a pinch foot for clamping against the fold blade, and drive means for moving at least one of the fold blade and the fold rollers into operable communication with one another, where each of the fold rollers rotates about an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the fold blade.
Claims18
A method for folding a sheet of material, comprising the steps of:
- feeding a sheet material into an area between two fold rollers and a fold blade;
- clamping the sheet material against the fold blade with a pinch foot;
- and
- moving the fold rollers and the fold blade relative to one another to form a fold in the sheet using the fold blade, wherein the fold rollers rotate about an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the fold blade,
- wherein the feeding step comprises the step of guiding the sheet material past the fold blade with a guide and the guide moves away from the fold blade as the fold is formed, and
- wherein the pinch foot retracts into a housing and maintains a pressure against the fold blade as the fold rollers and the fold blade move relative to one another and wherein the pinch foot is stationary with respect to a longitudinal axis of the fold blade.
3 more elements
An apparatus for folding sheet material, comprising:
- a ford blade;
- two fold rollers;
- a pinch foot for clamping against the fold blade;
- and
- drive means for moving at least one of the fold blade and the fold rollers into operable communication with one another, wherein each of the fold rollers rotates about an axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the fold blade,
- wherein the pinch foot retracts into a housing and maintains a pressure against the fold blade as the fold rollers and the fold blade move relative to one another and wherein the pinch foot is stationary with respect to the longitudinal axis of the fold blade,
- wherein the fold blade includes a rounded folding surface, and
- wherein at least one of a size and a shape of the rounded folding surface is adjustable.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.