Folding device for flat goods

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, A FRAME WITH AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR BELT SUPPORTED THEREUPON AND HAVING AN UPPER RUN CONTINUOUSLY DRIVEN IN ONE DIRECTION TO MOVE ARTICLES OF CLOTHING PLACED ON SAID RUN AT THE LEADING END THEREOF TOWARDS THE OTHER END, A FOLDING DEVICE COMPRISING A PAIR OF SUPERIMPOSED FOLDING PLATES NORMALLY RESTING UPON SAID RUN AND BEING OF LESS OVERALL WIDTH THAN THAT OF THE RUN AND UNDER WHICH THE ARTICLES PASS DURING THEIR MOVEMENT ON SAID RUN; THE LEADING ENDS OF SAID PLATES BEING UPWARDLY CURVED TO PERMIT ENTRY THEREUNDER OF SAID ARTICLES; MEANS ON SAID FRAME FOR CENTERING AND MAINTAINING THE PLATES IN FIXED RELATION ON SAID RUN AND FOR ADJUSTING THE OVERALL WIDTH OF THE PLATES; A PAIR OF FOLDING PANS COOPERATING WITH AND DISPOSED ABOVE THE FOLDING PLATES, ONE PAN BEING DISPOSED IN ADVANCE OF THE OTHER; AND SAID PANS BEING ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED RESPECTIVELY IN BRACKETS SECURED TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FRAME; EACH PAN BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR SHAPE AND DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO THE AXIS OF THE BELT AND HAVING A DOWNWARDLY CURVED FRONT END WHICH RESTS ON SAID RUN WITH ITS INNER CORNER ADJACENT AND SPACED FROM THE NEAR SIDE OF THE PLATES, SAID FRONT END BEING ADAPTED TO PASS UNDER AND RAISE THE NEAR SIDE OF THE ARTICLE ALONG THE FOLDING PLATES, THE INNER EDGE PORTIONS OF THE PANS OVERLYING THE PLATES AND BEING ADAPTED TO FOLD THE RAISED SIDE OF THE ARTICLE INWARDLY AND FLAT UPON THE NEAR SIDE OF THE TOP OF THE FOLDING PLATES AS THE ARTICLE IS ADVANCED BY THE RUN UNDER THE FOLDING PLATES; WHEREBY ONE SIDE OF THE ARTICLE WILL BE FOLDED IN ADVANCE OF THE OTHER, BOTH FOLDS BEING PERFORMED WHEN THE ARTICLE EMERGES FROM THE FOLDING PLATES.