Patent ID: 9085847
Filing Date: 2015-07-21
Classification: D06F

Abstract:
1. A feeder for feeding substantially rectangular pieces of laundry into a cloth treatment apparatus, said feeder comprising a spreader device configured for seizing two adjacent corners of a piece of laundry and for subsequently shifting the two adjacent corners away from each other to the effect that a first side edge of the piece of laundry, said side edge being located between the two adjacent corners, is straightened; and wherein the feeder further comprises a transfer conveyor configured for transporting the piece of laundry to the spreader device with the first side edge of the piece of laundry being substantially at the back relative to the direction of conveyance of the transfer conveyor, said transfer conveyor having an exit end disposed at the spreader device and an entry end disposed at a distance there from; and wherein the transfer conveyor is configured such that, during the transport between the entry and exit ends of the transfer conveyor, the piece of laundry is capable of being suspended down to each side of the transfer conveyor, and such that the transfer conveyor pulls each of the sides of the piece of laundry that are suspended down from the transfer conveyor across a support arranged at the spreader device, and underneath or to each side of the transfer conveyor, in such a manner that the two adjacent corners of the piece of laundry are pulled last across the support following which the spreader device is capable of seizing the two adjacent corners, characterised in that the feeder further comprises an entry conveyor having an exit end arranged at the entry end of the transfer conveyor, and an entry end arranged at a distance there from, and wherein, between the exit end of the entry conveyor and the entry end of the transfer conveyor, there is a distance permitting the piece of laundry to be suspended down from the exit end of the entry conveyor between the exit end of the entry conveyor and the entry end of the transfer conveyor, and with the first side edge at the bottom, and a transfer device being configured for transferring the side edge of the piece of cloth which is opposite to the first side edge to the entry of the transfer conveyor, said transfer device comprising means for actively pushing or pressing a part of the piece of laundry away from the exit end of the entry conveyor and towards the entry end of the transfer conveyor, said means comprising one or more air nozzles that are configured for emitting a jet of pressurized air towards the piece of laundry, said nozzles being arranged at the exit end of the entry conveyor and are directed towards the entry end of the transfer conveyor, said transfer device comprising means for actively pushing or pressing a part of the piece of laundry away from the exit end of the entry conveyor and towards the entry end of the transfer conveyor, said transfer device comprising means for actively pushing or pressing a part of the piece of laundry away from the exit end of the entry conveyor and towards the entry end of the transfer conveyor, said means comprising one or more air nozzles that are configured for emitting a jet of pressurized air towards the piece of laundry, said nozzles being arranged at the exit end of the entry conveyor and are directed towards the entry end of the transfer conveyor.