Patent ID: 8020845

Claim:
A single level web conversion apparatus comprising: a web guiding apparatus for guiding a web, the web guiding apparatus including at least one angle bar having an axis angled with respect to a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, the at least one angle bar redirecting the web so that the web travels in a vertical on-edge orientation in a horizontal plane, the web guiding apparatus including at least one vertical roll downstream of the at least one angle bar, the at least one vertical roll having an axis of rotation aligned with the vertical direction that guides the web in the vertical on-edge orientation; a former for longitudinally folding the web downstream of the web guiding apparatus, the former receiving the web in a vertical on-edge orientation and folding the web such that the folded web has a horizontal orientation and travels in the horizontal plane; and a cutting apparatus for cutting the folded web into a plurality of successive signatures; each of the plurality of successive signatures traveling in the horizontal plane; wherein the at least one vertical roll includes at least one lead roll having an axis aligned in the vertical direction; wherein the web guiding apparatus further includes nip rolls downstream of the lead rolls having axes aligned in the vertical direction delivering the web to the former; wherein the at least one vertical roll includes at least one pull roll having an axis aligned in the vertical direction, the at least one pull roll being downstream of the at least one lead roll and upstream of the nip rolls.