Spreader device for flatwork

Claim 1

In a device for spreading articles of flatwork, particularly those having an edge length greater than the normal hand-to-hand stretched span of an operator, and for feeding the article with the stretched edge thereof leading in the direction of advance of a conveyor for ultimate transfer of the article to the conveyor, the device having a frame and an elongated beam supported on the frame crosswise to and over the conveyor and means to move the beam in line with the conveyor advance, and means supporting clamps relative to the beam which clamps are adapted to grip the leading article edge and then be separated to stretch the edge tight, comprising the combination of the clamp-supporting means including sleds carried on the beam to move along the beam, means powering the sleds towards and away from a common point on the beam including a loop trained over elements rotatably supported on shafts disposed generally normal to the beam, where the sleds are connected to opposite sides of the loop and where one shaft is supported rotatably in bearings on the frame and extends through one of the rotatable elements and means key the one shaft and one rotatable element together while accommodating axial movement of the elements along the shaft, means supported on the frame for rotating the one shaft whereby rotation thereof moves the sleds along the beam while the beam can yet be moved forwardly and rearwardly; the clamp-supporting means further including a slide mounted on each sled for movement relative to the sled toward and away from one another between adjacent positions at the adjacent ends of the sleds and remote positions at the remote ends of the sleds and means to lImit movement of the slide to between the mentioned adjacent and remote positions, and detent means between the sled and slide operable to maintain the sled in the remote positions, said clamps being carried on respective slides whereby upon sled separation and the leading article edge being drawn generally straight as between the clamps at least one slide is shifted upon the release of the detent means to the adjacent position, and means responsive to the shift of the slide to signal an arrest command to the sled-powering means to terminate the sled separation; and the means for moving the beam including spaced rotatable elements supporting a loop therebetween having opposing runs extended parallel to the beam advance, a guide element of plastic or the like adapted to receive and support the opposing loop runs and maintain said runs straight as between the rotatable elements, a link connected between the beam and loop such that loop rotation in a single direction reciprocates the beam, and means for rotating the loop.