Patent ID: 8469869

Claim:
An apparatus for folding articles advancing in a machine direction wherein each article has a leading end and a trailing end, the apparatus comprising: a rotatable roll comprising a roll surface and an article disposed thereon, the roll surface including at least one protrusion and at least one pocket; a first vacuum conveyor including a movable surface configured to receive at least a portion of the leading end of the article from the rotating roll, wherein the movable surface of the first vacuum conveyor comprises a conveyor belt, the movable surface of the first vacuum conveyor being driven by a variable speed motor such that the movable surface of the first vacuum conveyor travels at a first speed when the leading end of the article is received by the first vacuum conveyor and then slows down to a second speed; and a second vacuum conveyor including a movable surface for engaging the leading end of the article and applying a peel force thereto such that at least a portion of the leading end of the article is transferred from the first vacuum conveyor to the second vacuum conveyor, wherein the movable surface of the second vacuum conveyor comprises a conveyor belt, wherein the movable surface of the second vacuum conveyor is in a face-to-face relationship with the movable surface of the first vacuum conveyor, the movable surface of the second vacuum conveyor being driven by a variable speed motor such that after the movable surface of the second vacuum conveyor receives the leading end of the article from the movable surface of the second vacuum conveyor speeds up to the first speed while carrying the leading end of the article back to the rotating roll, the second vacuum conveyor being configured to transfer the leading end back to the rotating roll such that the leading end and the trailing end are arranged in a face-to-face relationship to form a folded article.