Folding apparatus

Claim 3

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said web of material comprises a longitudinally folded and flattened bag of plastic material and said apparatus is adapted to place a transverse fold therein.

Claim 4

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said apparatus includes a plurality of folding means and each said plurality of folding means is operatively associated with a pair of oppositely rotating rolls to place a plurality of transverse folds in said web of material.

Claim 7

Apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein said one of said nip rolls is independently rotatably mounted on a support shaft and said support shaft is rotatably mounted between said side frame members, said folding means being fixed to said support shaft so that said folding means pivots about the axis of said support shaft when said shaft is rotated and stop means fixed to said side frame members to limit pivoting movement of said folding means and rotation of said support shaft.

Claim 8

Apparatus as defined in claim 5 including spring means mounted between said folding means and said side frame members to urge said folding means to pivot about its pivotal axis against one of said stop means thereby to pivoT said folder bar from said first position to said second position and wherein said means to couple said folding means to said drive means comprises clutch means operatively linking said support shaft to said one of said nip rolls so that the rotational speed of said support shaft is not greater than said one of said nip rolls.

Claim 9

Apparatus as defined in claim 4 including a first and a second receiving station to receive folded webs after said webs have been folded between said nip rolls, and diverter means mounted in said apparatus to sequentially divert folded webs between said first and second receiving stations, said diverter means comprising a driven roller fixed to a shaft rotatably mounted between said side frame members, support frame members at each end of said roller rotatably mounted about said roller shaft, a lateral frame member interconnecting said support frame members, a plurality of projecting diverting fingers mounted on said lateral frame member, each said finger including a first and second convexly curved surface, said end support frame members being rotatable between a first position wherein said first curved surface on said diverting fingers is in the path of movement of said folded webs as the webs move along said second path of movement to divert said webs over said roller to said first receiving station and a second position wherein said second curved surface on said diverting fingers is in the path of movement of said folded webs as the webs move along said second path of movement to divert said webs away from said roller to means to transport said webs to said second receiving station, and means to rotate said diverter between said first and second positions responsive to a predetermined sequential pattern.

Claim 10

A folding mechanism to place a transverse fold in a web of material which is moving along a linear path comprising: spaced upstanding support members, a pair of nip rolls rotatably mounted between said support members and having their axes of rotation within a common plane which is laterally offset and substantially parallel to said linear path of movement of said web, drive means to drive said nip rolls to rotate in opposite directions, said nip rolls being spaced from each other so that the peripheral surface of each said nip roll is adapted to contact opposite sides of said web to draw said web between said rolls, folding means pivotally mounted between said support members including a folder bar, said folder bar being disposed parallel to a flat side of said web as it moves along said linear path and movable from a first position on one side of said linear path to a second position on the other side of said linear path intermediate said nip rolls thereby to contact a portion of said web as said web is moving along said linear path and move said contacted portion laterally between said nip rolls to be drawn therebetween and folded over on itself to place a transverse fold therein, said folding means comprising at least two spaced support arms, each said support arm having one end rigidly secured to a shaft member, said shaft member being rotatably mounted between said support members, each said support arm having a folder bar support member rotatably secured to its other end, each said folder bar support member being rigidly fixed at its other end to a respective end of said folder bar, one of said nip rolls being independently rotatably mounted about said shaft member so that the axis of rotation of said one of said nip rolls is coextensive with the longitudinal axis of said shaft member, means to pivot said folding means about the axes of said shaft member thereby rotating said shaft member therewith and clutch means coupling said shaft member to said one of said nip rolls to limit the speed of pivoting of said folding means so as not to exceed the speed of rotation of said one of said nip rolls.

Claim 11

A folding mechanism to place a transverse fold in a web of material which is moving along a linear path comprising: spaced upstanding support members, a pair of nip rolls rotatably mounted between said support members and having their axes of rotation within a common plane which is laterally offset and substantially parallel to said linear path of movement of said web, drive means to drive said nip rolls to rotate in opposite directions, said nip rolls being spaced from each other so that the peripheral surface of each said nip roll is adapted to contact opposite sides of said web to draw said web between said rolls, folding means pivotally mounted between said support members including a folder bar, said folder bar being disposed parallel to a flat side of said web as it moves along said linear path and movable from a first position on one side of said linear path to a second position on the other side of said linear path intermediate said nip rolls thereby to contact a portion of said web as said web is moving along said linear path and move said contacted portion laterally between said nip rolls to be drawn therebetween and folded over on itself to place a transverse fold therein, said folding means comprising at least two spaced support arms, each said support arm having one end rigidly secured to a shaft member, said shaft member being rotatably mounted between said support members, each said support arm having a folder bar support member rotatably secured to its other end, each said folder bar support member being rigidly fixed at its other end to a respective end of said folder bar, one of said nip rolls being independently rotatably mounted about said shaft member so that the axis of rotation of said one of said nip rolls is coextensive with the longitudinal axis of said shaft member, means to pivot said folding means about the axes of said shaft member thereby rotating said shaft member therewith and clutch means coupling said shaft member to said one of said nip rolls to limit the speed of pivoting of said folding means so as not to exceed the speed of rotation of said one of said nip rolls.

Claim 12

A folding mechanism as defined in claim 8 wherein said folding means includes selectively retractable cam means interposed between said folder bar and said shaft member, said cam means being retractable from a first position wherein said cam means is in contact with said folder bar support arm to a second position wherein said folder bar support arm pivots about its pivotal mounting toward said support shaft whereby said folder bar moves from a position removed from contact with said one of said nip rolls to a position intermediate said pair of nip rolls thereby to direct said contacted portion of said web to a position where said web may be engaged by said nip rolls and drawn therebetween.

Claim 13

A folding mechanism as defined in claim 9 wherein said cam means is retracted while said folder bar pivots from said first position to said second position.

Claim 14

A folding mechanism as defined in claim 9 including stop means to limit pivoting movement of said folding means between said first and second positions.

Claim 15

A folding mechanism as defined in claim 9 including means to retract said folding means from said second position and pivot said folding means back to said first position, including means coupling said shaft member to said drive means to rotate said shaft member so that said folding means pivots from said second position to said first position.