Pleater for sheet material and means for tying and cutting casings

Claim 1

A PLEATER FOR FORMING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING PLEATS IN A HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED SHEET OF MATERIAL ADAPTED TO BE MOVED LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID PLEATER COMPRISING, A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED APART HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED VERTICALLY DISPOSED LOWER PLEATER ELEMENTS EXTENDING UPWARDLY INTO ENGAGEMENT ALONG THEIR UPER EDGES WITH SAID SHEET FOR FORMING UPPER FOLDS, A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED APART HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED VERTICALLY DISPOSED UPPER PLEATER ELEMENTS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO ENGAGEMENT ALONG THEIR LOWER EDGES WITH SAID SHEET FOR FORMING LOWER FOLDS INTERMEDIATE SAID UPPER FOLDS, SAID UPPER AND LOWER ELEMENTS CONVERGING TOWARD A CENTRAL LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CENTRAL PLANE IN A FORWARD DIRECTION RELATIVE TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF AID SHEET FOR CONVERGING SAID FOLDS TO FORM CLOSELY ADJACENT SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY DISPOSED PLEATS, THE INNER OF SAID UPPER AND LOWER PLEATER ELEMENTS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER THAN THE OUTER ELEMENTS AND THE LENGTH OF SAID ELEMENTS CHANGING PROGRESSIVELY FROM THE CENTRAL ELEMENT TO THE OUTER ELEMENTS ON BOTH SIDES OF SAID CENTRAL ELEMENT.