Patent GB-960372-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in the folding of sheet material
IPC: B65H45/22
Filed: 1960-09-05
Abstract: 960,372. Folding paper. KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION. Sept. 5, 1960 [Sept. 3, 1959], No. 30615/60. Heading B6H.  Paper, e.g. tissue, webs are interfolded by folding a first moving web longitudinally into two plies and moving it to a place where a second moving web is similarly folded while a ply thereof is inserted between the plies of the first web. This is repeated with further webs until a compound web of the required package thickness is assembled, the compound web being then cut into packages transversely. Horizontal platforms 35, 36 are mounted one above the other and each platform has a longitudinal slot 45 therein. The slots 45 accommodate the upper runs of endless belts 39, 40 respectively, the belt 39 passing at its right-hand end, as shown in Fig. 1, round a driving wheel 41. A number of lefthand folding boards 37a- 37k and a number of righthand folding boards 38a-38g are mounted on the platforms 35, 36. A roller 48 supporting the belt 40 and the driving wheel 41 are driven from a motor 49. Each folding board has associated therewith a supply spool (not shown) from which a web 76 of paper tissue is fed. The several webs 76 associated with the alternately disposed left- and right-hand folding boards mounted on the platform 35 are interfolded longitudinally by the folding boards and the interfolded assembly of webs is advanced over the platform 35 by the belt 39 which subsequently carries it round the driving wheel 41 and deposits it in an inverted position on the lower platform 36. The assembly is fed along the platform 36 by the belt 40 and passes under a further series of folding boards which interfolds further webs 76 longitudinally and deposits them on top of the assembly interfolded by the boards mounted on the platform 35, the web associated with the folding board 37f being interfolded with the web associated with the folding board 37a. The interfolded assembly of webs after passing the final folding board 37k is fed off the platform 36 by the belt 40 and is cut into short lengths suitable for boxing by a cutting drum 64, Fig. 2. The drum 64 carries a number of radially slidable knives 63, each of which is positioned next to a pressure foot 65 mounted on the periphery of the drum. As each pressure foot is aligned by rotation of the drum 64 with a platen 66 the associated knife is moved radially outwards so as to cut the interfolded webs 76. The separate stacks 94 of interfolded paper thus produced are delivered from the cutting device between two endless belts 69, 43 and subsequently packed in boxes. The upper run of the belt 43 is supported by rollers 67. The lower run of the belt 69 passes beneath an elongated shoe 70 which compresses the stacks 94 as they pass between the two belts. The right-hand folding board 38a is shown in Fig. 8. It is shaped from a single piece of sheet metal and comprises mutually inclined portions 79, 80, 81, being mounted on the platform 35 by brackets 93. The associated web 76 is fed from its spool round a guide bar 77 and over a roller mounted at the upper end of the board portion 79 whence it passes beneath the portion 79 as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8. The centre-line of the web passes beneath a corner F of the board and the left-hand half of the web passes round the lower edge 91 of the board portion 79, thereafter running parallel with the belt 39. The right-hand half of the web passes round the outside of angled portions 84, 85 of the board and is then folded underneath the left-hand half by the board portion 81. The web associated with the board 37a has previously been folded in the opposite way, i.e. left-hand half under right-hand half. The folded web passes beneath the edge 91 of the board 38a and the upper half of the web passes above the portion 81 of the board as shown in Fig. 8 with the result that the lower half of the web folded by the board 38a is folded underneath the upper half of the previously folded web. Successive folding boards interfold their associated webs with the web folded by the preceding folding board in a similar way, whereby the assembly of interfolded webs is built up. The folding boards may be replaced by skeleton frames.