Patent ID: 8257238
Filing Date: 2012-09-04
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for feeding sheets from a sheet support and for folding the sheets fed from the feed support, comprising: a pair of folding rollers defining a folding nip; a sheet support for supporting a stack of sheets the sheet support having a support surface facing the nip; a folding blade having a free edge, the folding blade being reciprocably movable relative to the folding rollers between a retracted position in which the free edge is spaced from the nip and a folding position in which the free edge is oriented towards the nip and closer to the nip than in the retracted position, for pressing a plied portion of the sheets between the free edge and the nip into the nip, blade surfaces adjacent to the free edge, at least when the blade is in the folding position, converging towards the free edge at a first angle; a pressing mechanism having pressing surface areas facing said folding rollers, the pressing surface areas being reciprocably movable relative to the folding rollers between a retracted position spaced from the folding rollers and a pressing position in which the pressing surface areas are closer to the folding rollers than in the retracted position, face the folding rollers, and enclose a second angle larger than said first angle, at least when in the pressing position, for pressing the stack of sheets against the folding rollers; and a drive for selectively moving either said folding blade into said folding position or said pressing surface areas into said pressing position.