Combined conveyer and fabric folding device

Claim 1

THE COMBINATION WITH A CONVEYOR FOR TRANSPORTING FABRIC PIECES, OF A COMBINED FABRIC CONVEYING AND EDGE FOLDING DEVICE COMPRISING A FABRIC PICKUP AND TRANSPORTING HEAD HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANE SURFACE, A FOLDING FLAP ROTATABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID HEAD, SAID FLAP BEING NORMALLY SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH WITH AND HAVING AN EDGE ADJOINING THE EDGE OF SAID SURFACE, SPRING-URGED FABRIC RETAINING MEANS UPON SAID HEAD PROJECTABLE FROM AND RETRACTIBLE BELOW SAID SURFACE, TO PENETRATE AND PICK UP A FABRIC PIECE IN THE PROJECTED POSITION AND TO RELEASE THE SAME IN THE RETRACTED POSITION OF SAID RETAINING MEANS, FIRST ACTUATING MEANS UPON SAID HEAD TO ROTATE SAID FLAP TOWARDS AND INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SURFACE, TO FOLD THE EDGE OF SAID FABRIC PIECE, SECOND STATIONARY ACTUATING MEANS POSITIONED IN THE PATH OF SAID HEAD FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID FIRST ACTUATING MEANS, TO OPERATE SAID FLAP TO FOLDING POSITION BY SAID HEAD WHILE EN ROUTE ALONG SAID CONVEYOR, SAID FLAP BEING RECESSED TO RECEIVE SAID RETAINING MEANS IN THE FOLDED POSITION, WHEREBY TO CAUSE SAID RETAINING MEANS TO SEIZE AND TO HOLD THE FOLDED PORTION AGAINST THE UNFOLDED PORTION OF SAID FABRIC, AND MEANS TO RETURN SAID FLAP TO ITS INITIAL POSITION UPON COMPLETION OF A FOLDING OPERATION.