Laundry folding machine with static electricity dissipating means

Claim 2

In combination, laundry folding apparatus for folding dried pressed laundry; laundry conveying means including moving endless belt means for carrying the dried prossed laundry to said laundry folding apparatus; and static electricity dissipating means including liquid spray head means adjacent to the path of travel of a portion of said endless belt means and oriented for spraying a mist of conductive liquid selectively onto the same, so the mist is not sprayed onto the dried laundry carried thereby, and means for feeding a mixture of a gas and a conductive liquid to said spray head means to form said mist of conductive liquid directed upon a portion of said endless belt means passing thereby, which mist substantially moistens said endless belt means to a point which dissipates static electricity but does not substantially wet the side of said endless belt means which engages the laundry to be folded.

Claim 3

In combination, laundry folding apparatus for folding dried pressed laundry; dried pressed laundry conveying means for carrying the laundry to said laundry folding apparatus; and static electricity dissipating means for dissipating static electricity in the dried laundry on said conveying means comprising liquid spraying apparatus for spraying a mist of a conductive liquid upon said conveying means which does not wet the side of the conveying means contacting the dried laundry so as to adversely affect the dried condition of the laundry but which moistens the conveying means to a sufficiently modest degree as to dissipate static electrictiy thereat, said spraying apparatus including spray head means oriented to spray a mist of conductive liquid selectively onto the conveying means so the mist is not sprayed onto the dried laundry carried thereby, and control means for cyclically feeding a mixture of gas and a conductive liquid through said spray head means and including means for adjusting the intervals of time within each cycle during which the misture is sprayed, to control the average quantity of the conductive liquid mist sprayed upon said conveying means, the speed of said conveyor means and the frequency of the intervals during which said conductive liquid mist is sprayed being in asynchronous relation so that substantially all portions of the conveyor means which are to engage the dried laundry have said mist of conductive liquid applied thereto.

Claim 4

In combination, laundry folding apparatus for folding dried pressed laundry; dried pressed laundry conveying means for carrying the laundry to said laundry folding apparatus; and static electricity dissipating means for dissipating static electricity in the dried laundry on said conveying means comprising liquid spraying apparatus for spraying a mist of a conductive liquid upon said conveying means which does not wet the side of the conveying means contacting the dried laundry so as to adversely affect the dried condition of the laundry but which moistens the conveying means to a sufficiently modest degree as to dissipate static electrictiy thereat, said spraying apparatus including spray head means oriented to spray a mist of conductive liquid selectively onto the conveying means so the mist is not sprayed onto the dried laundry carried thereby, and control means for cyclically feeding a mixture of gas and a conductive liquid through said spray head means and including means for adjusting the intervals of time within each cycle during which the misture is sprayed, to control the average quantity of the conductive liquid mist sprayed upon said conveying means, the speed of said conveyor means and the frequency of the intervals during which said conductive liquid mist is sprayed being in asynchronous relation so that substantially all portions of the conveyor means which are to engage the dried laundry have said mist of conductive liquid applied thereto.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 2 wherein said conveyor means are vertIcally facing endless belt means having an upper section upon the top surface of which the dried laundry is carried and a bottom section, said spray head means applying said mist of conductive liquid to the bottom surfaces of said bottom section of said endless belt means which becomes the upper laundry contacting and supporting surface when moved along the upper section of the endless belt means.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 2 wherein said sprayer apparatus includes a source of water, a source of air, controllable valve means between said sources of water and air and said spray head means to form a mist of water when the water and air are allowed to pass through said spray head means, said control means includes timer means for intermittently opening said controllable valve means during said adjustable intervals of time.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 4 wherein said timer means includes electrical switch means which are intermittently operated, said controllable valve means including electric solenoid means which, when operated, open the valve means, the switch means of said timer means operating said electric solenoid means, and there is provided manually operable override, switch means shunting the switch means of said timer means to override the operation of the switch means of said timer means for continuously operating said solenoid means, continuously to operate said valve means in an open position where the spray continuously issues from said spray head means.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 2 wherein there is provided means for controlling the quantity of said gas and conductive liquid flowing through said spray head means during said adjustable intervals of time.

Claim 9

In combination, laundry folding apparatus for folding dried, pressed laundry; conveying means for conveying the dried pressed laundry to the folding apparatus; static electricity dissipating means for dissipating static electricity in the dried laundry on said conveying means comprising spray head means including water inlet means, air inlet means and outlet means from which issues a mist comprising a mixture of air and fine water particles from said water and air inlet means which is applied to said conveying means, a source of water under pressure, a source of air under pressure, controllable water valve means connected between said water source and said water inlet means of said spray head means, controllable air valve means connected between said source of air under pressure and said air inlet means of said spray head means, first control means for cyclically opening said water valve means for a limited time interval during each cycle of operation thereof, second control means for cyclically opening said air valve means for a limited time interval during each cycle of operation thereof, the length of each interval during which said air valve means is open each cycle encompassing, and extending beyond at least one of the ends of, each of the intervals during which the water valve means is open each cycle.

Claim 10

In combination, laundry folding apparatus for folding dried, pressed laundry; conveying means for conveying the dried pressed laundry to the folding apparatus; static electricity dissipating means for dissipating static electricity in the dried laundry on said conveying means comprising spray head means including water inlet means, air inlet means and outlet means from which issues a mist comprising a mixture of air and fine water particles from said water and air inlet means which is applied to said conveying means, a source of water under pressure, a source of air under pressure, controllable water valve means connected between said water source and said water inlet means of said spray head means, controllable air valve means connected between said source of air under pressure and said air inlet means of said spray head means, first control means for cyclically opening said water valve means for a limited time interval during each cycle of operation thereof, second control means for cyclically opening said air valve means for a limited time interval during each cycle of operation thereof, the length of each interval during which said air valve means is open each cycle encompassing, and extending beyond at least one of the ends of, each of the intervals during which the water valve means is open each cycle.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 7 wherein each time interval during which said air valve means is open is initiated before the beginning of each interval during which the water valve means is open, to prevent the initial dripping of water from said spray head means.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 7 wherein the end of each interval during which the air valve means is open occurs after the termination of the interval during which the water valve means is open, to eliminate any accumulation of water in the spray head means.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 7 wherein the length of each of the intervals during which the air valve is open extends beyond both the beginning and the end of the corresponding interval during which the water valve means is open, to prevent the dripping of water from said spray head means and the flowing of accumulated water from spray head means.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 7 wherein said first and second control means is adjustable to vary the duration of the intervals dUring which the water and air valve means are opened.

Claim 15

The combination of claim 11 wherein there is provided means for adjusting the quantity of air and water which are forced through said spray head means during the time said air and water valve means are opened.

Claim 16

The combination of claim 7 wherein said conveyor means comprises inlet belt means made of a woven material in which static electricity accumulates on the same when in a dry state.

Claim 17

The combination of claim 7 wherein said conveyor means are vertically oriented endless belt means having an upper section upon the top surface of which the dried laundry is carried and a bottom section, said spray head means applying said mist of conductive liquid to the bottom surfaces of said bottom section of said endless belt means which becomes the upper laundry contacting and supporting surface when moved along the upper section of the endless belt means.