US 12,276,063 B2
Folding device for folding ironed linen sheets, and a method of operating the device
Jonas Birk Hansen, Allinge (DK); and Jakob Rolsted Jensen, Åkirkeby (DK)
Assigned to JENSEN DENMARK A/S, Rønne (DK)
Appl. No. 17/424,864
Filed by Jensen Denmark A/S, Rønne (DK)
PCT Filed Jan. 22, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/051517
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 21, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/152220, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. PA201970051 (DK), filed on Jan. 24, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0090312 A1, Mar. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. D06F 89/00 (2006.01)
CPC D06F 89/00 (2013.01) 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A folding device for forming folded linen sheets, comprising:
a housing having opposite side walls, a rear side and a front side;
a direction from the rear side to the front side defining a first machine direction of said folding device and a direction perpendicularly thereto, towards one of said side walls defining a second machine direction of said folding device;
a first conveyor defining a conveying surface for introducing linen sheets in said first machine direction, with two opposite edges of said linen sheets generally parallel to said first machine direction, wherein in operation of the folding device said linen sheets are cross-wise folded defining fold lines parallel with said first machine direction and length-wise folded defining fold lines perpendicularly thereto;
at least one length-wise folding station for forming length-wise folded linen sheets;
a second machine direction conveyor loop arranged in said housing below said length-wise folding station(s) and advancing said length-wise folded linen sheets in said second machine direction to a housing part,
said housing part comprising a number of cross-wise folding stations for cross-wise folding said length-wise folded linen sheets and including a number of secondary conveyor loops, said secondary conveyor loops carrying and advancing said folded linen sheets in said second machine direction and opposite said second machine direction; and
a stacker conveyor for advancing said cross-wise folded linen sheets from said secondary conveyor loops opposite said second machine direction to one or more folded linen sheet stacker modules positioned below said at least one length-wise folding station between said opposite side walls within said folding device housing at said front side, said one or more stacker modules comprising a collection bin, said bin being arranged and configured to discharge, upon request, a stack of said folded linen sheets stored within the collection bin, by dropping the stack directly onto a respective, associated discharge conveyor.