Patent ID: 7465266

Claim:
A system for forming a stack of wipes comprising: a supply station which provides a supply of a common material; a pleat station which receives the common material and then forms a plurality of panels, each panel adjacent to at least one other panel, and which creates a pleated zone having at least one pleat located along at least one side of each panel; a converting station which converts the plurality of panels into a plurality of wipes, each wipe of the plurality of wipes including a leading edge portion with the pleated zone located along at least a portion of a length of the leading edge portion and the pleated zone being distinct from an adjoining main portion of each wipe and wherein each wipe is positioned relative to adjacent wipes to form the stack of wipes; and wherein the pleat station further comprises: a first speed control assembly which maintains the common material at a first speed; an embossing assembly which embosses the common material to define the plurality of panels; and a second speed control assembly which maintains the common material at a second speed, where the second speed is greater than the first speed.