Patent ID: 8142341

Claim:
Apparatus for delivering consecutive foil leaves, each leaf being of a selected length severed from a supply of foil of indeterminate length, with a unitary tab folded along a fold line extending across the leaf, adjacent a leading edge of the leaf, the apparatus comprising: a frame; a supply station on the frame for holding a supply of foil of indeterminate length; a delivery station spaced from the supply station along a feed path extending in a forward direction from the supply station to the delivery station; a folding station located between the supply station and the delivery station; a platform juxtaposed with the feed path and having a forward edge located at the folding station; a shearing blade mounted on the frame and having a shearing edge extending across the feed path and spaced forward of the forward edge of the platform by a gap between the forward edge of the platform and the shearing edge of the shearing blade; a cutter having a cutting edge extending across the feed path, the cutter being mounted on the frame for movement of the cutting edge along a cutting path extending transverse to the feed path, the cutting path passing through the feed path, at the gap, and intercepting the feed path in shearing juxtaposition with the shearing edge of the shearing blade such that the foil will be sheared along the shearing edge as the cutting edge is moved along the cutting path and through the gap to sever a leaf from the indeterminate length of foil and thereby deliver the severed leaf at the delivery station, while leaving a severed edge of the indeterminate length of foil extending across the feed path in juxtaposition with the shearing edge; and a folder having a folding member extending across the feed path, the folder being mounted on the frame for movement of the folding member along a folding path extending transverse to the feed path, the folding path passing through the feed path, at the gap, and intercepting the feed path in folding juxtaposition with the forward edge of the platform; the folding member being located relative to the cutting edge so as to intercept the feed path subsequent to interception of the cutting edge with the feed path as the cutting edge and the folding member are moved through the feed path and into the gap, so as to engage the folding member with a segment of the foil extending between the forward edge of the platform and the severed edge of the foil and fold the segment about the forward edge, along a fold line defined by the forward edge of the platform, to establish simultaneously a tab between the fold line and the severed edge of the indeterminate length of foil and, at the fold line, the leading edge of a next-consecutive foil leaf.