Field of the Invention

The invention is related to the field of manufacturing and caring for clothing and other textile articles. Specifically the invention relates to machinery for folding clothing and other textile articles.

Background of the Invention

One of the most time-consuming and least enjoyable of household tasks is folding laundry. In factories in which clothing and other textile articles are manufactured a significant percentage of the manufacturing time and cost is related to folding of the finished items and preparing them for shipping to customers. In retail stores a large expenditure of employee time is devoted to folding and refolding articles of clothing tried on and returned to the rack or shelf by customers.

As a direct result of the demand a great deal of effort has been devoted to providing mechanical aides to lighten and speed the work involved in folding clothes. The marketplace and patent literature are rich in the results of these efforts. The proposed solutions or partial solutions run the gamut from simple manual folding aids to very complex semi-automatic and automatic machines. As examples:

US 3,989, 172 describes an essentially rectangular "stiffening panel", which is placed on the back of a shirt and about which the sides of the shirt are manually folded.

US 2009/0045231 describes a hanger comprised of a hook from which is suspended a central horizontal section. At each end of the central section are extensions that are attached to the central section by means that allow them to be pivoted and folded. A shirt is hung on the hanger with the central section and extensions in a straight configuration. The extensions are then moved in a predetermined manner at least partially folding the shirt.

US 6,814,269 describes a device comprised of a central panel and other panels, which are attached by hinges to the sides of the central panel. The garment to be folded is laid over the panels centered on the central panel. The other panels are then manually folded over one at a time in a predetermined sequence resulting at the end of the process in a folded garment resting on the central panel.

US 4,026,444, US 4,222,507, and US 4,277,005 describe horizontal folding tables that are basically automated versions of the device described in US 6,814,269.

US 5,074,444 describes an example of what is apparently a heavy duty apparatus for folding long sleeve shirts in a commercial or manufacturing setting.

It is obvious from the wide range of devices that have been developed over the years and the facts that new proposals are constantly being divulged and that new products continue to be developed and offered for sale, that a universally accepted solution to the problem of folding textile articles has not yet been found.

It is therefore a purpose of the present invention to provide an apparatus that can be adapted to fold textile items of many different types in a household, commercial, or manufacturing environment. Further purposes and advantages of this invention will appear as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention

The invention is a textile article folding apparatus. The apparatus is comprised of the following three main units:

a) a gate unit adapted to receive the article to be folded from the user and to perform vertical folds;

b) a tilt unit adapted to take the article from the gate unit after the vertical folding has been completed and to make two horizontal folds; and

c) a collector unit adapted to receive the completely folded article from the tilt unit.

The apparatus of the invention may comprise a control system comprised of sensors of various types and a central processing unit. The control system may be adapted to activate electric motors and/or pneumatic pistons in a predetermined sequence to control the operation of the various parts of the apparatus that are involved in the process of folding the article.

In embodiments of the apparatus of the invention the entire folding process, with the exception of attaching the article to the gate unit, is carried out automatically by means of the control system.

In embodiments of the apparatus of the invention the central processing unit of the control system is connected to counters and other sensors adapted to allow statistical information related to the operation of the apparatus, to be collected and stored. In these embodiments the central processing unit can be connected to a business's computer system thereby allowing the statistical information gathered to be integrated with other information needed to manage the business. In embodiments of the apparatus of the invention the gate unit comprises: a) a supporting structure;

b) a support plate suspended from the supporting structure by means of a pneumatic piston or screw driven by an electric motor that is adapted to move the support plate and anything attached to it up and down relative to the supporting structure;

c) attachment means pivotably attached beneath the support plate for attaching the article to be folded to the support plate;

d) electric motors or pneumatic arrangements adapted to independently pivot the attachment means and to independently cause them to move backwards and forwards along the support plate.

In embodiments of the apparatus of the invention the supporting structure can bo either a rectangular frame made up of two vertical posts connected at their tops by a horizontal beam; or the ceiling of the room in which the apparatus is set up.

In embodiments of the apparatus of the invention the attachment means can be one or more of: clamps, vacuum, hooks, or a combination of vacuum and clamps. Embodiments of the apparatus of the invention may comprise two or more paddles.

In embodiments of the apparatus of the invention the tilt unit comprises four main components: a top fold plate, a garment holder, a bottom fold plate, and a middle section. The top fold plate is pivotally attached to the middle section and is adapted to be rotated downwards through an angle of 180 degrees from a straight configuration in which the top fold plate is parallel to the top of the middle section and extends straight outwards from it to a folded configuration wherein it is parallel to the upper surface of the middle section. The garment holder is adapted to be moved back and forth along an arm that is rigidly connected to the edge of the top fold plate; wherein the garment holder is constrained in an open configuration at an angle of 90 degrees to the arm for most of the distance that it travels along the arm and is forced to rotate towards the top fold plate through an angle of 90 degrees until it is in a folded configuration parallel to the upper surface of the top fold plate as it approaches the end of the arm that is closest to the top fold plate. The bottom fold plate is pivotally attached to the middle section and is adapted to be rotated upwards through an angle of 180 degrees from a straight configuration in which the bottom fold plate is parallel to the top of the middle section and extends straight outwards from it to a folded configuration wherein it is parallel to the upper surface of the middle section. The middle section comprises doors that cover its top, wherein the doors are adapted to be fixedly held in a position parallel to the top of the middle section in order to provide a rigid surface against which the top fold plate and the bottom fold plate can press the article to be folded and to be released and to swing downward or outward to allow the folded article to drop straight into the collector unit after the horizontal folding has been completed.

Embodiments of the apparatus of the invention may also comprise a trousers edge folder pivotally attached to the middle section of the tilt unit and adapted to be rotated inwards from a straight configuration in which the trousers edge folder is parallel to the top of the middle section and extends straight outwards from it through an angle of 180 degrees to a folded configuration wherein it is parallel to the upper surface of the middle section.

In embodiments of the apparatus of the invention the doors are attached to the middle section by means of an intermediate mechanism or an elevator mechanism that is adapted to change the distance between the top of the doors and the bottom of the top fold plate, the bottom fold plate, and the trousers edge folder in their folded configurations to accommodate garments made of different thickness material.

In embodiments of the apparatus of the invention the bottom of the front wall of the middle section is pivotally connected to the top of the front wall of the collector unit and the apparatus comprises a raising/lowering mechanism adapted to tilt the middle section to change the angle of the bottom of the middle section relative to a horizontal plane defined by the top surface of the collector unit. The raising/lowering mechanism can be adapted to tilt the middle section between three fixed positions:

a) a starting position in which the middle section is tilted backwards at an angle of. 20 to 40 degrees with respect to the vertical;

b) an intermediate position in which the middle section is tilted at an angle with the horizontal of 20 to 40 degrees; and

c) a lowest position in which the middle section is horizontal resting on the top edge of the collector unit.

In embodiments of the apparatus of the invention the gate unit is adapted to be tilted, after it has completed the vertical folds, from an upright orientation perpendicular to the floor to an orientation parallel to the top surface of the tilt unit when the middle section of the tilt unit is in its starting position and the upper fold plate, the pants edge folder, and the lower fold plate are in their straight configurations, thereby draping the vertically folded article over the upper surface of the tilt unit.

In these embodiments the control system is adapted to simultaneously activate the garment holder causing it to move to its folded configuration pressing the top of the article against the upper fold plate and to open the attachment means, after the vertically folded article is draped over the upper surface of the tilt unit, thereby releasing the article from the gate unit. All the above and other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be further understood through the following illustrative and non-limitative description of embodiments thereof, with reference to the appended drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

— Fig. 1 schematically shows the main features of the gate unit;

— Fig.2 schematically shows the main features of the tilt unit and the collector unit;

— Fig. 3 schematically shows the apparatus of the invention ready to have an article, e.g. a shirt, attached by a user to the gate unit;

— Fig. 4 to Fig. 7 schematically show the steps carried out in performing the vertical folds for a shirt;

— Fig. 8 to Fig. 16 schematically show the steps carried out in performing the horizontal folds for both shirts and trousers;

— Fig. 17 to Fig. 19 schematically show some of the steps carried out in performing the vertical folds for a pair of trousers;

— Figs. 20A and 20B are enlarged schematic views of the support plate showing the clamps in their opened and closed configurations respectively; and

— Fig. 21 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the support plate and some of the components mounted on it.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention

The textile article folding apparatus of the invention is comprised of three main units: a gate unit, a tilt unit, and a collector unit. The main features of the gate unit are schematically shown in Fig. l and the main features of the tilt unit and the collector unit are schematically shown in Fig. 2. The functions of the three units, how they perform their functions, and the interactions between them will be described in detail herein below. In general the gate unit is adapted to receive the article to be folded from the user and to perform vertical folds. The tilt unit is adapted to take the article from the gate unit after the vertical folding has been completed and to make two horizontal folds. After the horizontal folding is completed, the completely folded article is released by the tilt unit and received by the collector unit where it is stacked or from which it is transferred, for example by a conveyor belt, to another location.

The apparatus of the invention has been designed to fold a wide variety of textile articles produced from a wide range of materials. The types of textile articles can include, for example, shirts (long and short sleeved), blouses, skirts, dresses, sweaters, light coats, trousers (long and short), overalls (trousers usually with a bib and shoulder straps), coveralls (a one-piece outer garment worn to protect other garments), and towels. The materials from which the textile articles can be made can range from the very thin, e.g. silk or polyester to the very thick, e.g. wool or thick layers of thermal insulating material. The "standard" embodiment is designed for folding shirts and trousers sized small to extra large manufactured from all types of materials in home, institutional, commercial, and industrial settings. The standard embodiment of the apparatus can easily be modified mutatis mutandis to accommodate any width or size of textile item and embodiments can be designed for special requirements. For example, a taller embodiment can be provided to fold the jump suit/overall type garments worn by mechanics or inmates at penal institutions, a wider and taller version to fold sheets or curtains in a commercial laundry, and a more heavy duty embodiment might be required to fold bulky coats in a manufacturing facility. Additionally it is noted that although an embodiment of the apparatus designed to fold the textile item in a particular manner is described to illustrate the invention, other embodiments can easily be designed to fold garments in different ways and also in different final folded sizes. In embodiments of the invention, with the exception of initially attaching the article to the attachment means of the gate unit, all of the operations of the various parts of the apparatus that are involved in the process of folding the article are carried out automatically by means of electric motors and/or pneumatic pistons that are activated in a predetermined sequence by a control system comprising sensors of various types and a central processing unit. The control system can comprise means for manually inputting information such as the type of garment, i.e. shirt or trousers, and the relative thickness of the material. In addition the control system can comprise additional features, such as a counter and memory unit to record and store statistical information on the amount and types of articles folded and sensors and safety devices, for example to immediately stop all operation if a persons hand passes into a danger zone. In embodiments of the invention the control system can comprise communication equipment to allow exchange of information between the processor of the apparatus and a remote processing station, for example via the internet or a cellular telephone network.

From the detailed description of the invention herein it should be evident however that less than completely automated embodiments of the apparatus can be provided in which, some, most, or even all of the steps in folding the article can be initiated or executed manually.

It also is to be noted that throughout the description of the various embodiments of the invention reference is made to electric motors to carry out some activities and pneumatic devices to carry out others. Persons familiar with these devices will realize that, although there might be advantages of one over the other in specific situations, in principle electric motors can replace pneumatic devices and vice versa to perform a given function Embodiments of the apparatus of the invention can comprise only electric motors, only pneumatic devices, or both electric motors and pneumatic devices. Therefore herein, including in the claims, it is to be understood that the terms "electric motor" and "pneumatic device" are used interchangeably.

Referring to Fig. 1, the gate unit 10 is comprised of a rectangular frame 32 made up of two vertical posts 34 connected at their tops by horizontal beam 36. Support plate 38 is suspended beneath horizontal beam 36 by means of pneumatic piston 42, which can move support plate 38 and anything attached to it up and down relative to horizontal beam 36. In other embodiments pneumatic piston 42 can be replaced by a long screw that is turned by a reversible electric motor. Two guide shafts 40 that are attached to support plate 38 slidingly fit through holes bored through beam 36 to prevent support plate 38 from twisting or rotating about the vertical axis of piston 42.

Beneath support plate 38 are suspended attachment means for attaching the article to be folded to the gate unit 10. In the figures the attachment means are shown as clamps 44 although other attachment means, e.g. vacuum, hooks, or a combination of vacuum and clamps, can be used. Also shown are two "paddles" 50 that are used to keep the edges of the article straight when the vertical folds are made and slots 48 in support plate 38 that are used to guide the attachment means keeping them aligned when the distance between them is changed, e.g. while making the vertical fold in trousers. In Fig. 1 the clamps 44 and paddles 50 are shown in their configuration after the gate unit has carried out the vertical folds in a shirt (not shown in Fig. 1 for clarity). Support plate 38 and the components mounted on it, including electric motors 46, will be described in greater detail herein below. It is noted that the description of the frame 32 of of gate unit 10 above is for an embodiment chosen for illustrative purposes only. The supporting structure from which the piston 42, support plate 38, and the components attached to the support plate are suspended can have many different forms. For example, in embodiments of the invention the gate unit does not comprise a frame 32 at all. In these embodiments support plate 38 and the components mounted on it can, for example, be hung from the ceiling of the room in which the apparatus is set up or from the ceiling of an enclosure that surrounds the apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 2, the collector unit 30 is essentially a four sided hollow box with its top and in some embodiments its bottom removed. Collector unit 30 functions as a stable base to which tilt unit 20 is pivotally connected, for example by piano hinge 66 to allow the angle of the middle section 58 of tilt section 20 to be changed by rotating middle section 58 about pin 68, which defines the axis about which the hinge 66 swivels. As will be described herein below, the folded article is released from the middle section 58 of tilt section 20 and drops into collector unit 30 from which it is withdrawn through opening 70. In different embodiments of the apparatus, the collector unit is adapted to fit the requirements of the user, e.g. to stack a few folded items that are manually withdrawn for household use or for use with a conveyor belt, which moves the folded items to another station for packaging, labeling, and shipping in a manufacturing plant or commercial laundry.

The basic embodiment of tilt unit 20 is comprised of five main components: top fold plate 56, garment holder 52, middle section 58, trousers edge folder 64, and bottom fold plate 62. A general description of the components of the tilt unit 20 will now be given and a more detailed description of specific features of the unit, how the components are moved to accomplish the task of folding the item, and the sequence in which the different components of the tilt unit are activated will be given herein below.

Middle section 58 is a rigid frame made of four rectangular walls 72a, 72b, 72c, and 72d. At the top of the frame is comprised of two doors 60 that are shown in this embodiment pivotally connected to walls 72a and 72c respectively, for example by hinges 74. During the horizontal folding operations carried out by the tilt unit 20, doors 60 are fixedly held in a position parallel to the tops of walls 72a to 72d in order to provide a rigid surface against which top fold plate 56, trousers edge folder 64, and bottom fold plate 62 can press the article to be folded. When the horizontal folding has been completed, the doors 60 are released and allowed to swing downward, thereby allowing the folded article to drop straight into the collector unit 30.

In embodiments of the invention doors 60 are not rigidly attached to the walls of middle section 58 but are attached with an intermediate mechanism, e.g. relatively stiff springs, that allows the distance between the top of the doors and the bottom of either top fold plate 56 or bottom fold plate 62 in their fully closed configurations to change to accommodate garments of different thicknesses. In other embodiments an elevator mechanism to which the doors 60 are attached is provided inside of middle section 58 in order to allow the fold plates to make a sharp and straight fold in articles made from materials having different thicknesses. The elevator mechanism moves the doors up and down and can be, for example, driven by an electric step motor controlled by the controller according to information provided by the user when the article was initially attached to the gate unit or by sensors that automatically measure the thickness of the material. Thus, for example, the doors would not be lowered at all for material characterized as very thin, lowered one step for thin material, two steps for medium thickness material, etc. In other embodiments of the invention doors 60 are replaced by one, two, or more stiff plates and a mechanism that is adapted to rapidly move the plates back and forth in a plane parallel to the top edge of middle section 58. Initially the plates are in a closed configuration covering the open top of middle section 58 to provide the surface upon which the horizontal folds are carried out. After the garment is completely folded, the mechanism pushes the plates outward allowing the garment to fall into collector unit 30.

The bottom of wall 72d of middle section 58 is pivotally connected to the top of the front wall of collector unit 30 by means of hinges, e.g. piano hinge 66, another type of hinge, or any other means known in the art to pivotally connect two parts. A mechanism, not shown in the figures, is provided to raise and lower the top wall 72b relative to the horizontal plane defined by the top surface of collector unit 30. In one embodiment the raising/lowering mechanism is comprised of one or two pneumatic pistons attached at one end of the piston to one of the side walls of collector unit 30 and the other end of the piston attached to either wall 72a, 72b, or 72c of the middle section 58 of tilt unit 20. In another embodiment the raising/lowering mechanism is a reversible electric motor either attached directly or through a gear train to pin 68. Other embodiments, e.g. an electric motor coupled to a rack and pinion gear, or a screw, can also be adapted to raise/lower tilt unit 20. In operation there are three fixed positions into which the middle unit 58 is locked by the raising/lowering mechanism, while other activities connected with the folding operation are carried out. In the starting position, shown for example in Fig. 2, middle section 58 is tilted backwards at an angle of. 20 degrees to 40 degrees, with respect to the vertical. In the intermediate position (see for example Fig. 10), the middle section 58 is locked at an angle with the horizontal of 20 to 40 degrees. In the lowest position (see for example Fig. 14), middle section 58 is horizontal resting on the top edge of collector unit 30. op fold plate 56 and bottom fold plate 62 are respectively pivotally attached by means of hinges 74 to walls 72b and 72d of middle section 58 of tilt unit 20. Means (not shown in the figures), e.g. an electric motor, with or without a gear train, or pneumatic pistons, are provided to rotate top fold plate 56 and bottom fold plate 62 from the straight configuration shown in Fig. 2 through an angle of 180 degrees to a folded configuration (see for example Fig. 11 and Fig. 14) in which the surfaces of the plates are parallel to the plane defined by the closed doors 60. Holes 76 are provided in top fold plate 56 and bottom fold plate 62, as well as in garment holder 52 and trousers edge folder 64, to allow air trapped between the article being folded and the plates and between the layers of material created by the folds to escape.

Λ pneumatic piston or a reversible electric motor that rotates a long screw or that activates a gear system causes garment holder 52 to move back and forth along arm 54 that is rigidly connected to the edge of top fold plate 56. Guide means, e.g. pins, on garment holder 52 that slidingly fit into slots 78 on the top and bottom edges of arm 54 keep the garment holder 52 in an open configuration, i.e. pointed forward at an angle of 90 degrees to arm 54 as shown in Fig. 2, for most of the distance that it travels along arm 54. However, as garment holder 52 approaches the end of arm 54 closest to top fold plate 56, the shape of the slots is modified such that garment holder 52 is forced to rotate forwards through an angle of 90 degrees until it is parallel to the upper surface of top fold plate 56 (see for example Fig. 9). As will be explained herein below garment holder 52 is forced to move in this manner in order to allow it to press the article to be folded against the surface of top fold plate 56 allowing the article to be transferred from the gate unit 10 to the tilt unit 20 after the vertical folds have been made and to hold the article in position while the bottom fold plate 62 makes the bottom horizontal fold. The function of trousers edge folder 76 will be explained herein below with reference to Fig. 19. Trousers edge folder 76 is attached to wall 72c of middle section 58 by hinges 74 and can be rotated through 180 degrees until it is over and parallel to doors 60 by rotation means such as those provided to rotate top fold plate 56 and bottom fold plate 62.

Fig. 3 schematically shows the apparatus of the invention ready to have an article attached by a user to the gate unit 10 by means of clamps 44 to initiate the automatic folding process. Since the methods of doing the vertical folds are somewhat different for trousers and trouser-like articles, e.g. coveralls, and for shirts and shirt-like articles, e.g. shirts, sweaters, dresses, and light coats, the two methods will be described and shown in the figures separately. It is noted that there are types of articles that can be folded using either method, e.g. towels, aprons, and curtains.

Fig. 4 to Fig. 7 schematically show the steps carried out in performing the vertical folds for a shirt.

In the first step, shown in Fig. 4 the user approaches gate unit 10 and with the front of the shirt facing the frame 32 of gate unit 10, places the shoulders of shirt 80 between the jaws of clamps 44. Paddles 50 (shown with dashed lines since, at this stage, they are on the side of the shirt opposite to the user) are oriented vertically. The function of the paddles is to keep the garment straight during the folding process. In the figures only two paddles 50 are shown; however, embodiments of the invention may comprise four or more paddles. In some embodiment the paddles comprise means to releaseably grip the garment at predetermined locations to allow a much more precise fold than can normally be achieved relying only on gravity to keep the seams straight.44. Figs. 20Λ and 20B are enlarged schematic views of the support plate 38 showing clamps 44 in their opened and closed configurations respectively. Referring to Fig. 20A, reversible electric motors 46 are shown mounted on the top and brackets 88 are shown mounted on the bottom of base plates 86. The base plates can be moved back and forth in slots 48 on support plate 38 by electric motors 46', thereby allowing the distance between the two base plates (and everything attached to them) to be changed. Clamps 44 are pivotably attached to bracket 88 and can be rotated about an axis perpendicular to support plate 38 by means of motor 46. Paddles 50 are also pivotably attached to bracket 88 and each can be rotated about an axis essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of support plate 38 by means of a small electric motor (not shown in the figures) that is attached to bracket 88.

Clamps 44 are initially in an open configuration as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 20A. In this configuration the two jaws of the clamps are separated to allow an edge of the garment to be folded, e.g. the shoulders of shirt 80, to be slipped between them by the user. When the shoulders of the shirt are positioned correctly between the jaws of clamp 44 a device, symbolically represented by sensor 84, is activated to initiate activation of an electric motor (not shown in the figures) that rotates at least one of the jaws of clamp 44, causing the clamp to close and firmly grasp the shoulder of the shirt 80. Sensor 84 can be any suitable sensor known in the art ranging from a simple foot switch on the floor depressed by the user to a mechanical contact switch positioned between the jaws of the clamp and triggered by contact with the material of the shirt as it is slipped between the jaws, to an optical sensor based on a laser or LED light source and photo detector pair that activates the motor when the optical path between sensor and detector is blocked by the material of the shirt. Fig. 21 is a schematic view of another embodiment of support plate 38 and some of the components mounted on it. In this embodiment both motors 46 and 46' are mounted on top of support plate 38 and motors 46' move the brackets 88 and attached clamps 44 by means of a rack and pinion gear 90. It will be obvious to skilled persons that some or all of the electric motors described in relation Figs. 20A, 20B, and 21 can be replaced by pneumatic pistons and accessories.

Returning now to Fig. 4, note that piston 42 is fully extended lowering support plate 38 and all components mounted on it. If the shirt has buttons, zippers, etc, then, before attaching the shirt to the gate unit, the user closes at least some of them. Also note that if necessary, motors 46' (Figs. 20A and 20H) can be activated to adjust the distance between the clamps according to the width of the shirt. The shirt is held by its shoulders and placed between the jaws of the clamps. When this is done the user either presses the switch or the sensors send a signal to operate the motors that close the clamps. The user now moves away and can begin preparing the next article to be folded. From this point onwards, all of the folding operations are carried out automatically by the various components of the apparatus that are activated by the control system of the apparatus according to predetermined instructions that have been entered into its processor.

Once the control system is activated, the vertical folding process commences. Fig. 5 shows the shirt after the completion of about 50% of the vertical folds. To accomplish this fold, one of the motors 46 is activated to cause the clamp 44 attached to its shaft to begin to rotate as shown in the figure. After a very brief delay the second motor 46 is activated to cause the second clamp to rotate. Rotation of the clamps continues until they have been rotated through an angle of 180 degrees; thereby folding approximately 1/4 of the shirt's width on each side over its back as shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 6 shows the shirt 80 suspended from clamps 44 in gate unit 10 after completion of the two vertical folds. Also shown in Fig. 6 are collector unit 30 and tilt unit 20 in order to see the relative configuration of the units of the apparatus at the end of the vertical folding procedure. The tilt unit is shown in its extended configuration inclined at angle β for example 70 degrees, with respect to the floor on which the apparatus stands. During the entire vertical folding procedure, the frame 32 of gate unit 10 is in an upright orientation perpendicular to the floor.

Fig. 17 and Fig. 18 schematically show the steps carried out in performing the vertical folds for a pair of trousers 82. In the case of trousers, only one vertical fold along the center line is required. In this case the user straightens the trousers and inserts the waistband between the jaws of clamps 44, which then close grasping the trousers as shown in P'ig. 17. Note that in this case the jaws of clamp 44 are parallel to the floor as opposed to the case of shirts in which the jaws are angled downwards to account for the slope of the shoulders. A small reversible motor (not shown in the figures) is provided to change angle of the jaws of the clamp with respect to the horizontal.

After the jaws of the clamp close on the waistband of the pants, motor 46 on one of the sides is activated causing the corresponding clamp to begin to rotate. Simultaneously with the rotation of clamp 44, motor 46' is activated moving the rotating clamp along slot 48 in order to bring the side of the trousers that is grabbed by the rotating clamp into alignment with the other side of the trousers. The rate of turning of motors 46 and 46' has to be synchronized such that at the end of the process the rotated clamp is parallel to the stationary one and, with the aid of the paddles 50, the trousers are neatly folded and hanging suspended by clamps 44 under support plate 38 inside frame 32 of the gate of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 18. Λη alternative way of using the apparatus is to manually fold the pair of pants along the center line and to insert the waist band directly into clamp 44 as shown in Fig, 18.

After completion of the two vertical folds for a shirt or one vertical fold for trousers, a mechanism (not shown in the figures), for example comprising one or more pneumatic pistons or electric motors, is activated by the control system to cause frame 32 to tilt backwards until it is parallel to and just over the extended surface of tilt unit 20. In this configuration, which is schematically shown in Fig. 7 (for shirt 80) the article is draped over the upper surface of tilt unit 20.

In embodiments of the apparatus that do not comprise a frame that can be tilted and wherein, for example, the support plate is suspended from the ceiling of a room, the piston (or equivalent arrangement for raising or lowering the support plate) is attached at its upper end to a mechanism that is adapted to move the support plate forward and backwards relative to the surface of the tilt unit. With this arrangement, the support plate is spaced far enough apart from the tilt unit to allow the article to hang freely while it is being attached and, after the garment is grasped by the clamps, the support plate is moved closer to drape the article over the upper surface of the tilt unit.

Fig. 8 to Fig. 16 and Fig. 19 schematically show the steps carried out in performing the horizontal folds for both shirts and trousers. While or after the article is being draped over the surface of tilt unit 20 as shown in Fig. 7, the motors that cause paddles 50 to rotate are activated raising paddles 50 as seen in Fig. 8 so that they do not interfere with the remainder of the folding process. At this stage the pneumatic piston that causes garment holder 52 to move towards top fold plate 56 and to rotate in order to press the top of the article between it and top fold plate 56 is activated by the control system of the apparatus. As soon as the article has been secured by garment holder 52, the clamps 44 automatically release the shirt 80 from the gate unit 10. Fig. 8 schematically shows the situation at this stage. Frame 32 is then brought to the upright position and the user can attach the next article to be folded while the apparatus of the invention continues to automatically carry out the horizontal folding of the first article.

Figures 9 to 16 and Fig. 19 show the rest of the process without either the gate unit 10 or the article being folded shown in order to more clearly illustrate the mechanical actions of the various components of the tilt unit 20. Fig. 9 shows the same state as that in Fig. 8. The article is held against the top fold plate 56 by garment holder 52 and hangs down over the doors 60 of middle section 58 and part of lower fold plate 62.

At this stage an extra step may have to be performed when folding trousers. When folded as shown in 18, many pairs of trousers, especially in larger sizes, have extra material in the region of the seat and upper thighs that is frequently much wider than the legs and waist regions. This extra material will project over the side of the middle section 58 of tilt unit 20. In this case the mechanism that causes trousers edge folder 64 to rotate is activated; thereby vertically folding the projecting material over the material that is resting on dispenser doors 60.

In some embodiments of the apparatus trousers edge folder 64 is replaced by additional paddles 50 on the gate unit. These additional paddles are located and activated in order to straighten the trousers and to fold in the extra material as the vertical fold is made. In these and other embodiments, additional paddles and or clips may be provided at various locations on the tilt unit to help achieve accurate folding of the item. The use of additional paddles on the tilt unit may be especially called for in manufacturing facilities in which large production runs of articles are involved; thereby justifying "specialization" of the apparatus to achieve the most esthetic result for the finished product.

At this time the raising/lowering mechanism of the tilt unit 20 that has been described herein above is activated by the control system to lower and lock middle section 58 in the intermediate position at an angle with the horizontal of 20 to 40 degrees as shown in Fig. 10. At the same time (also shown in Fig. 10) the mechanism that begins rotating bottom fold plate 62 is activated.

Fig. 1 1 shows bottom fold plate 62 completely rotated such that it is parallel to the surface of the doors 60 and pressing the article firmly against the surface beneath it.

In Fig. 12, the bottom fold plate 62 is shown starting to be opened after completing the bottom fold. As the bottom fold plate 62 moves away from the folded article, the raising/lowering mechanism described above is activated by the control system to lower middle section 58 towards the lowest position on top of collector unit 30. At the same time the pneumatic piston is activated to raise garment holder 52 and start to move it along arm 54 away from top fold plate 56 as shown in Fig. 13.

Fig. 14 shows middle section 58 lowered into and locked in its lowest position on top of collector unit 30, bottom fold plate 62 completely opened, and garment holder 52 moved to the end of arm 54. At this stage the controller activates the mechanism that causes top fold plate 56 to rotate forward and also activates the elevation mechanism in middle section 58 to lower the doors 60 if necessary to accommodate the thickness of the item being folded, thereby completing the second horizontal fold.. Top fold plate 56 is then rotated backward off of the article (Fig. 15) leaving the folded article resting on the doors 60, which are then opened (Fig. 16) allowing the folded article to drop into collector unit 30.

The embodiments described herein above illustrate the basic units of the apparatus, to which many additional modules can be added. For example modules to automatically attach bar codes, RFID tags, or to spray the folded item with scent can easily be integrated into the apparatus. The collector unit of the apparatus can easily be coupled to other modules where the folded textile item can be dry or steam ironed and/or packaged.

Especially, but not only, for household use embodiments of the textile item folding apparatus of the invention can be built that are easily moved and can be easily changed from an open operative configuration to a compact closed configuration for storage.

In commercial and manufacturing scenarios, the apparatus can be coupled to an automatic feed module, for example a overhead carousel type conveyor system. Such a feed module can, on the one hand allow the textile items to be moved efficiently from one location in the plant to another and, on the other hand, allows several workers to load the items into the system in order to increase the throughput of the folding apparatus. In another embodiment multiple sets of the components of the gate unit that are responsible for creating the vertical fold can be attached to the feed module and the vertical fold can be carried out while the item is being transported through the plant. As each item arrives at the tilt unit the vertical fold has been completed and the item is automatically released from the feed module while being transferred to the tilt unit.

In embodiments of the apparatus the central processing unit of the control system is connected to counters and other sensors that allow statistical information related to the operation of the apparatus, e.g. the number, type, and size of the items folded, to be collected and stored. The central processing unit and/or memory modules connected to it can be connected to a business's computer system to allow the statistical information gathered to be integrated with other information needed to manage the business.

Although embodiments of the invention have been described by way of illustration, it will be understood that the invention may be carried out with many variations, modifications, and adaptations, without exceeding the scope of the claims.