Patent Publication Number: US-2005124480-A1

Title: Device for folding sheets or similar

Description:
This invention relates to a device that allows a single person to fold sheets, blankets, duvet covers, and curtains.  
      The problem with correctly folding a sheet is that it takes two people, one facing the other.  
      The two people hold the sheet by its corners and fold in widthwise in successive layers, until the desired width is achieved, and then pull on the ends of the sheet to stretch it to limit wrinkling.  
      Once this operation is completed, one person moves forward and gives his end of the sheet to the other.  
      The first person grasps the hanging end of the sheet, pulls it again, moves forward and again gives his end to the other person, and repeats the operation until the desired folding format is achieved.  
      The problem is that it takes two people to properly perform the folding, which does not always occur, since this operation is generally considered a chore.  
      The purpose of the invention is to allow a single person to properly fold sheets or similar items.  
      Therefore, the object of the invention is a device for folding sheets or similar items, characterized in that it consists of a frame equipped with an immobilization mechanism, consisting of: 
          at its upper part, a pair of plates designed to grip one end of the sheets or similar items to be folded, said pair including a fixed horizontal plate and a moveable plate mounted above the latter, hinged to the frame and able to move toward or away from said fixed plate,     and at its lower part, a pedal, hinged to the frame, connected to said moveable plate by an actuating bar, permanently returned by a spring to the movable plate&#39;s high, raised position, and equipped with a device for locking the moveable plate in a lowered position, said device being unlockable with the foot.       

    
    
      We will now describe in greater detail an embodiment of the device according to the invention, with reference to the attached drawings, where:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a device according to the invention with the movable sheet-griping plate in the raised position.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates the device from  FIG. 1  in the sheet-griping position.  
       FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate the use of the device for folding a sheet, and  
       FIG. 5  is a partial cut-away view of the mechanism for adjusting the travel of the movable plate. 
    
    
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show a device according to the invention, consisting of a frame  1  comprising four uprights  2 , interconnected at their lower part by four cross-members  3  and, at their upper part, by one rear cross-member  4  and two lateral cross-members  5 . For the sake of simplicity, the uprights  2  on the same side of the frame  1  are produced from a single piece, folded in a reversed U shape, and the lateral cross-members  5  are composed of a section of said piece.  
      At the upper part of the frame  1 , two plates are mounted, i.e., a fixed horizontal plate  6 , integral with the cross-members  5  and a moveable plate  7  placed above the fixed plate  6  and hinged to the frame  1 , such that it is able to able to move toward or away from the fixed plate. For that purpose, the moveable plate  7  is fixed to the end of a pair of parallel levers  8 , pivoting around a horizontal axis  9  on two tabs  10  that are integral with the rear cross-member  4 .  
      Furthermore, between the two levers  8 , a cross-member, composed of a tubular piece  12 , is mounted to rotate freely around a horizontal axis  11  ( FIGS. 2, 4 , and  5 ).  
      At its lower part, the frame  1  is equipped with a pedal  13 , attached to a lever  14 , pivoting around a horizontal axis  15  on a tab  16  attached to the middle of one of the cross-members  3 , at the rear of the frame.  
      At the front of the lever  14 , a hook  17 , hinged to the lever and controlled by a second pedal  18 , is mounted near the pedal  13 . The hook  17  mates with a lug  19  on a tab  20  integral with the front cross-member  3  and attached to its middle.  
      A return spring (not illustrated) constantly returns the hook  17  to the locked position.  
      The lever  14  is constantly elastically returned to the hook  17 &#39;s high remote position (as illustrated in  FIG. 1 ) relative to the locking lug  19 .  
      The lever  14  is elastically returned, for example, by a coil spring  21  interposed between the lever and the upper rear cross-member  4 . Another return mechanism may be provided, such as a spiral spring, placed to the right of the axis  15 , pulling the lever  14  upward.  
      Furthermore, the lever  14  controls the moveable plate  8  through the intermediary of an actuating bar  22  hinged at one end  23  to the lever  14  and connected, at its upper end, by an adjustable connecting device, illustrated in detail in  FIG. 5 .  
      This device comprises a threaded rod  24  screwed into a block  25 , blocking the end of the piece making up the bar  22 , and the free end of the rod  24  is equipped with an adjustment wheel  26 . The rod  24  freely passes through the piece  12  and is equipped with a coil spring  27  resting, at it upper part, on the wheel  26  and, at its lower part, on the inner face of one of the walls ( 12   a ) of the piece  12 .  
      On the opposite face of said wall  12  rests a nut  28  moveable along the rod  24  by screwing/unscrewing, such as to adjust the return force the spring  27  exerts on the piece  12 .  
      Finally, the frame  1  is also equipped with an immobilization mechanism, composed, for example, by a set of screws or pins, engaged in the holes  29  in the rear cross-member  4  and anchored to the wall against which the frame  1  leans, or by a blocking bar  30  ( FIGS. 1, 3 , and  4 ), hinged at its center  31  to said cross-member  4 .  
      The bar  30  can freely pivot around its horizontal axis  31  and take either a vertical (i.e., resting) position, or an approximately horizontal position ( FIG. 3 ) when using the folding device according to the invention, as explained below.  
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show the folding device, respectively, in the resting position and the position where the sheets to be folded are gripped or clamped between the plates  6  and  7 .  
       FIGS. 3 and 4  correspond to  FIGS. 1 and 2  and more precisely illustrate the use of the device.  
      Firstly, the frame  1  is immobilized. In the example illustrated in  FIG. 3 , immobilization is achieved by the blocking bar  30 , which is placed horizontally across the opening of a door, whose jamb is indicated by C. The ends of the bar  30  rest against the jamb C on one side of the door, such that, from the other side of the door, if the frame  1  is pulled toward you, the latter will be blocked by the jamb C, preventing the bar  30  from passing through the opening of the door.  
      One end of the sheet to be folded, indicated by D, is placed on the fixed plate  6 , with the plate  7  raised (resting position).  
      The foot of the person placing the sheet D actuates the pedal  13  (arrow  32 ), which lowers the lever  14  until the hook  17  locks on the lug  19  ( FIG. 4 ). At the same time, the plate  7  is lowered by the bar  22  until it grips the end of the sheet D between the two plates  6 ,  7 .  
      The plate  7  grips the sheet well before the lever  14  completes its descending travel, such that the last part of the travel of the lever  14  increases the pressure exerted by the plate  7  on the sheet, due to compression of the spring  27 .  
      When the hook  17  is locked, the person may proceed ( FIG. 4 ) with stretching the sheet D to unwrinkle it, then with folding the sheet by placing the other end of the sheet in the plates  6 ,  7 . To achieve this, the person presses the pedal  18  to free the hook  17 , thereby causing the spring  21  to raise the bar  22  and, therefore, the plate  7 .  
      The other end of the sheet may then be placed between the plates  6 ,  7 , which are in the position shown in  FIG. 3 .  
      By again pressing the pedal  13 , the person again brings the plates  6 ,  7  together, as before, and continues until the sheet is completely folded. At the end, the pedal  18  is actuated to open the plates and recover the fully folded sheet. It is possible to stretch the sheet to unwrinkle it ( FIG. 4 ) thanks to the immobilization of the device by the bar  30 .  
      The initial distance between the plates  6 ,  7  is adjusted by screwing/unscrewing the rod  24 , via the wheel  26 , into/out of the block  25 , since the nut  28  adjusts the return force of the spring  27  on the part  12 .