Bottom pulling belt for folding machine

Abstract

An improved bottom pulling infeed system for a garment folding machine is described. The garment pulling belt assembly provides two individual garment pulling belts in spaced apart relation to each other. Each belt is supported by a plurality of rollers. The lower belt is synchronized with the upper belt, and the top belt includes first and second rollers. The bottom belt moves in a continuous clockwise rotation, while the upper belt moves in counterclockwise rotation. The lower conveyer belt is longer in its run which passes on its return trip through a tube. The tube extends along the entire length of the folding section of the machine, and is followed by a pair of stabilizing guide rollers. The tube insures that garments will not be caught up in the conveyor belt on their return trip.

I claim:  
     
         1 . An improved garment pulling belt for garment folding machinery driven by a plurality of rollers, comprising: 
 an inlet means for supplying a garment to a garment folding machines, said inlet means includes at least one folding path, said at least one first folding path being bound by an upper and lower rotating element and being adjacent to another folding path wherein proximate the first folding path and the adjacent second folding path, there being a single belt which frictionally engages a material substrate of the garment being folded in order to carry the garment through a folding plate assembly,    said single belt further comprising a anti-retrograde contact surface for conveying a bottom portion of said garment through the at least one first folding path, and being engaged with another distinct belt for conveying a top portion of said garment through the at least one first folding path in spaced apart relation to each other, and    wherein the garment folding machine includes a means for reducing garment retrograde through said at least one first folding path and said another folding path.    
     
     
         2 . The improved garment pulling belt according to    claim 1   , wherein said means for reducing garment retrograde is a tunnel belt disposed on said single belt parallel to said at least one first folding path and co-linear with said another folding path which allows the material to be pulled from the bottom as well as from the top to eliminate stoppage of material therebetween.  
     
     
         3 . The improved garment pulling belt according to    claim 1   , wherein said means for reducing garment retrograde is supported by rollers mounted with an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the length of the belts and pushing upwards on an underlying support plate, said inlet means includes a set of synchronized motor driven rollers.  
     
     
         4 . An improved garment pulling belt, comprising in combination with a garment folding machine having a plurality of rollers, comprising: 
 an inlet means for supplying a garment to a garment folding machines, said inlet means includes at least one folding path, said at least one first folding path being bound by an upper and lower rotating element and being adjacent to another folding path wherein proximate the first folding path and the adjacent second folding path, there being a single belt which frictionally engages a material substrate of the garment being folded in order to carry the garment through a folding plate assembly,    said single belt further comprising a anti-retrograde contact surface for conveying a bottom portion of said garment through the at least one first folding path, and being engaged with another distinct belt for conveying a top portion of said garment through the at least one first folding path in spaced apart relation to each other, and    wherein the garment folding machine includes a means for reducing garment retrograde through said at least one first folding path and said another folding path.    
     
     
         5 . The improved garment pulling belt according to    claim 4   , wherein said means for reducing garment retrograde is a tunnel belt disposed on said single belt parallel to said at least one first folding path and co-linear with said another folding path which allows the material to be pulled from the bottom as well as from the top to eliminate stoppage of material therebetween.  
     
     
         6 . The improved garment pulling belt according to    claim 4   , wherein said means for reducing garment retrograde is supported by rollers mounted with an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the length of the belts and pushing upwards on an underlying support plate, said inlet means includes a set of synchronized motor driven rollers.