Folding apparatus having laterally moving pleating members

Claim 1

A FOLDING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) SUPPORT MEANS HAVING A HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED EDGE PORTION AND DEFINING A TABLE FACE EXTENDING FROM SAID EDGE PORTION IN A PREDETERMINED HORIZONTAL DIRECTION TRANSVERSE OF THE DIRECTION OF ELONGATION OF SAID EDGE PORTION; (B) A CARRIER MEMBER HAVING AN UPWARDLY DIRECTED CARRIER FACE AND MOVABLE IN A PATH EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID CARRIER FACE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM A POSITION IN WHICH SAID TABLE FACE AND CARRIER FACE ARE SPACEDLY SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED ON A COMMON LEVEL IN SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, SAID PATH DEFINING A FOLDING STATION; (C) YIELDABLE BIASING MEANS URGING SAID CARRIER MEMBER TO MOVE UPWARDLY IN THE PATH THEREOF INTO SAID POSITION; (D) A PLEATING MEMBER HAVING AN OPERATING EDGE ELONGATED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION AND TWO OPPOSITE FACES EXTENDING FROM SAID EDGE IN SAID DIRECTION, (1) SAID PLEATING MEMBER BEING ARRANGED FOR MOVEMENT IN A PATH BELOW SAID COMMON LEVEL BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID PLEATING MEMBER IS IN SAID FOLDING STATION AND A RETRACTED POSITION SPACED FROM SAID OPERATIVE POSITION AND THE FOLDING STATION IN SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION; (E) A PRESSURE MEMBER HAVING AN OPERATING EDGE ELONGATED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION AND TWO OPPOSITE FACES EXTENDING FROM SAID EDGE IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, (1) SAID PRESSURE MEMBER BEING ARRANGED FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A PLURALITY OF RETRACTED POSITIONS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIER MEMBER AND SPACED FROM SAID FOLDING STATION IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION, AND A PLURALITY OF OPERATIVE POSITIONS IN SAID FOLDING STATION AND SPACED FROM RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID RETRACTED POSITIONS THEREOF IN SAID PREDETERMINED DIRECTION; AND (F) ACTUATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PLEATING MEMBER AND SAID PRESSURE MEMBER FOR ACTUATING SAID MOVEMENTS THEREOF BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE POSITIONS THEREOF IN TIMED SEQUENCE.