Patent ID: 7101331

Claim:
Apparatus for manufacturing a compartmented file folder from components comprising: (a) a feedstock folder which has separate front and rear panels connected solely by a tape hinge which is located at one side of the folder and which spans a gap between and laps onto the front and rear feedstock folder panels, and (b) a divider which is pivotably connectable to the tape hinge between the front rear panels of the feedstock folder and has the capability of partitioning a space between the front and rear feedstock folder panels into compartments: the apparatus having work stations at which all of the operations required to convert the feedstock folder and the divider into a compartmented file folder are accomplished seriatim in a single pass of the file folder components through the apparatus and the apparatus comprising: a first feedstock folder supporting and transporting conveyor configured to support a feedstock folder delivered to that conveyor in an orientation in which the front and rear feedstock folder panels lie in a side-by-side relationship and are separated by the tape hinge, and the tape hinge extends in a feedstock folder transporting direction of movement of the conveyor; a first work station; mechanism downstream from the location where the feedstock folder is delivered to the feedstock folder supporting and transporting conveyor for feeding a partition forming divider to the first work station; the first work station comprising mechanism for taping one side of the partition forming divider at one edge of the divider in hinged relationship to the feedstock folder hinge; a second work station downstream from the first work station comprising mechanism for taping a second, opposite side of the divider at the one edge of the divider in hinged relationship to the feedstock folder hinge; and a single pass conveyor system comprising the feedstock folder and supporting conveyor for moving the folder components seriatim through the work stations of the apparatus.