Linen spreading machine device

By adopting a novel adjoining structure and variable width conveyor beam design in the linen spreading machine, the problem of wrinkles during linen conveying is solved, achieving flat spreading and efficient conveying of linen.

CN115667619BActive Publication Date: 2026-01-09JENSEN DENMARK
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202180037354.1
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2020-05-25
Filing Date
2021-04-28
Publication Date
2026-01-09
Estimated Expiration
2041-04-28

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing linen spreading machines are prone to generating unwanted wrinkles during the conveying process, leading to the need for rework of the linen and reducing the efficiency of the machine.

Method used

By providing a novel adjoining structure for the spreading poles and a variable-width conveyor beam design, the lining is ensured to be evenly pressed and laid flat during conveying, avoiding the formation of wrinkles.

Benefits of technology

It effectively avoids wrinkles in the linen during the conveying process, improving the linen spreading efficiency and the overall operating efficiency of the device.

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Abstract

The invention relates to a linen spreading machine device (1) comprising: a conveyor (30) defining a machine direction (MD); a pair of spreading clamps (20) movable towards each other transversely to the machine direction (MD) and movable away from each other to spread out a piece of linen (L); at least one feeding station (10), each feeding station (10) delivering a corner (C) of a front portion (L1) of a piece of linen (L) to a respective one of the spreading clamps (12, 12'); a transfer beam (70) for transferring a piece of spread out linen (L) from the at least one pair of spreading clamps (20) to the conveyor (30), the transfer beam (70) having a front edge (72) and a rear edge (74) and being arranged to move back and forth along the machine direction (MD) between an advanced position, in which the front edge (72) of the transfer beam (70) is located in an area below the spreading clamps (20), and a retracted position, the transfer beam (70) being configured to temporarily hold a portion of the piece of linen (L) as the transfer beam (70) moves from the advanced position towards the retracted position; and an elongated transversal abutment structure (50) having an abutment face (F) for keeping a portion of the piece of linen (L) between the front edge (72) of the transfer beam (70) and the abutment face (F); a pressurized air outlet (4) for guiding the front portion (L1) of the piece of linen (L) onto the transfer beam (70) as the piece of linen (L) is released from the spreading clamps (22); and one or more doors (55, 56) movable between a first position and a second position, the doors (55, 56) defining a portion of the abutment face (F) in the first position.
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Description

[0001] This invention relates to a linen spreading machine device. Background Technology

[0002] In linen spreading machines, the transfer of a suspended piece of spreader fabric, suspended on two spreader clamps, to the moving surface of a conveyor is often accomplished using a moving conveyor beam that extends laterally relative to the direction of movement of the conveyor surface. This direction of movement of the conveyor surface can be referred to as the processing direction of the device.

[0003] The conveyor beam is arranged to move along the aforementioned processing direction between a forward position and a fully retracted position. In the forward position, the leading edge of the conveyor beam is located in the area below the two spreading machine grippers. When the conveyor beam is in this position, the spreading machine grippers are controlled to release their grip on the corners of the suspended linen, while a lateral airflow is applied, causing the front of the linen to fall flat onto the top surface of the conveyor beam.

[0004] As the conveyor beam subsequently moves along the processing direction from the forward position to the fully retracted position, it is configured to temporarily hold the front portion of the linen fabric, with its leading edge positioned above the moving conveyor surface in the fully retracted position. This movement causes another portion of the linen fabric to contact the moving surface of the conveyor. Before the conveyor beam reaches its fully retracted position, the temporary grip on the front portion is properly released, allowing the front portion of the linen fabric to slide off the conveyor beam and fall onto the moving conveyor surface. To allow this sliding to occur, the conveyor beam is accelerated or otherwise moved away from the front portion of the linen fabric. The remaining portion of the linen fabric is then dragged onto the conveyor via the moving conveyor surface.

[0005] The linen then moves forward on the conveyor for further processing, lies flat on the conveyor surface in a spread-out manner, and the conveyor beam moves back toward its forward position.

[0006] While the invention can be particularly used in the context of industrial laundries, where a piece of linen is fed to an ironing roller via the aforementioned conveyor, other uses can also be found, such as feeding a piece of linen directly to a folding machine for folding the linen. The term linen, as used herein, is not limited to towels, sheets, and other fabrics.

[0007] Examples of apparatuses operating in the aforementioned manner are disclosed in US 4,299,521, WO2009 / 076958, JPH08324858, WO 2007 / 134,601, and JP 4,358,820, the latter two of which also disclose examples of feed tables, each comprising a pair of feeder clamps, each feeder clamp delivering a corner of the linen fabric to a corresponding one of two spreader clamps. The invention can be used with any type of feed table configured to deliver two corners of a linen fabric to a corresponding one of two spreader clamps, such as those disclosed in WO 2005 / 049,911 or WO 2016 / 162,334.

[0008] In some known devices, the conveyor beam temporarily holds the front of a garment by suction, as disclosed in JP8-324,858 and WO 2009 / 076,958. Alternatively, the conveyor beam may include a series of clamping devices arranged along the length of the rear edge of the conveyor beam for this purpose, as shown in JP 4,358,820.

[0009] In JP 4,358,820, a conveyor beam is arranged such that, in its forward position, a portion of a piece of linen is held between the leading edge of the conveyor beam and an abutment surface defined by an adjacent structure. At this point, the spreader clamps release their grip on the corners of the linen and apply pressurized air to guide the released front portion of the linen forward onto the top surface of the conveyor beam. Then, the clamping device of the conveyor beam is triggered to temporarily hold the front portion of the linen, and the conveyor beam moves away from the abutment surface in the processing direction. The clamping device then releases the front portion, thereby allowing the linen to be fully carried by the conveyor and propelled forward by it.

[0010] As is understandable, for this type of linen conveying, the linen piece typically needs to be placed flat on the conveyor surface without any wrinkles. However, sometimes the spreader clamps may have already received and gripped a large portion of the linen fabric at the corners, resulting in wrinkles at the front of the linen piece placed on the conveyor beam. These wrinkles often remain as the linen piece is conveyed to the conveyor and subsequently to the ironing / folding machine, necessitating the return of this particular linen product to the unit for rework, thus reducing the overall efficiency of the unit.

[0011] The object of the present invention is, in particular, to provide an improved device of the aforementioned type, wherein undesirable wrinkles in the front of the linen can be avoided. Summary of the Invention

[0012] According to one aspect of the invention, which can be used independently of or in conjunction with the second aspect of the invention described herein, a linen spreading machine device is improved by providing a novel abutment structure for the spreading bar, thereby allowing a piece of linen to be held with uniform pressure along substantially its entire width.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the invention, which can be used independently of or in conjunction with the first aspect of the invention, the linen spreading machine apparatus is improved by providing a spreading bar with a novel construction, thereby allowing adjustment of the width of the spreading bar as seen along the processing direction.

[0014] The use of the pressurized exhaust outlet according to claim 1 can be considered optional.

[0015] Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a top view of the linen spreading machine device of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2a and Figure 2b This is a perspective front view of the feed table of the linen spreading machine, showing a piece of linen entering along the passageway. Figure 1 Inside the device,

[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Cross-sectional perspective view of a linen spreading machine device.

[0019] Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is a top view showing a linen spreading machine apparatus, wherein doors are arranged in the linen passageway shown in the closed and open positions, respectively.

[0020] Figures 6 to 9 It is similar to Figure 3 The view shows the step of conveying a piece of linen to a conveyor beam, where most of the linen fabric is held by the spreader's clamps.

[0021] Figures 10 to 13 It is similar to Figure 3 The view shows the step of conveying a piece of linen to a conveyor beam, where the normal portion of the linen fabric is held by the spreader clamps.

[0022] Figures 14 to 16 It is similar to Figure 3 The view shows that Figures 6 to 13 The step of transferring a piece of linen from the conveyor beam to the conveyor. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the currently preferred embodiments.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a top view of the linen spreading machine device 1 of the present invention, which includes four feed tables 10, each feed table for conveying a corresponding piece of linen into the interior of the housing H of the device 1.

[0025] Figure 2a It shows Figure 1 The left-hand side shows a perspective front view of the feed table 10. Such a feed table 10 typically includes: a pair of feeder clamps 12, 12', each gripping a corresponding corner portion C of the same piece of linen L; and a raising / lowering device 14 that raises the feeder clamps 12, 12' to move the suspended piece of linen L along the passage P into the interior of the housing H. By way of example only, the piece of linen may be a towel or a sheet, and the length of the device 1 between the two opposite sides 2 of the housing H defines the maximum width of the linen that can be spread out by the device 1.

[0026] Figure 2b The feeder clamps 12, 12' are shown in their raised position, in which a pair of spreader clamps (not shown) capable of moving along a supporting elongated guide rail receive the piece of linen L from the pair of feeder clamps 12, 12'. Each spreader clamp then grips a portion S of a corresponding corner portion C (see [reference]). Figure 2a Multiple pairs (such as two pairs) of spreader clamps can be installed to move along support rails, as shown, for example, in WO 2016 / 162,334, so that each pair of spreader clamps receives a piece of linen L in the device each time and is used to forward the piece of linen L to the spreader bar as described herein.

[0027] As usual, the pair of spreading machine clamps are then spaced apart to spread out a piece of linen L received from the pair of spreading machine clamps, and then... Figure 3 The retractable, elongated conveyor beam 70, as shown, forwardly conveys the suspended, spread-out linen L, which is suspended on the spreader fixture. The conveyor beam 70 has an upper surface against which the rear portion of the linen L rests flat, remaining there briefly, while the conveyor beam 70 moves forward... Figure 3 The right side of the fabric L moves towards the fully retracted position above the belt conveyor 30. The belt conveyor 30 is arranged and configured to advance the spread-out flax L along the processing direction MD for further processing. It should be understood that both the conveyor beam 70 and the elongated guide rail 20 supporting the spreader fixture 22 extend transversely to the processing direction MD between two opposite sides of the device 1, one side of which is supported by... Figure 3The number 2 in the figure indicates that all the feed tables 10 are typically used to provide the device 1. Typically, the conveyor 30 is a belt conveyor that includes parallel belt loops defining the moving surfaces.

[0028] The transfer beam 70 is arranged to move back and forth along the machining direction MD between the forward position and the aforementioned fully retracted position; Figure 3 The illustration shows one embodiment of the transfer beam 70 moving to its left toward its forward position, with one of the two paving machine clamps 22 positioned at the feed table 10 and the other paving machine clamp (not shown) moving along the guide rail 20 toward the feed table 10.

[0029] In the forward position of the transfer beam 70, the leading edge 72 of the transfer beam is located in the general area below the two paving machine clamps 22, and is positioned against the abutment surface F of the elongated abutment structure 50 extending between the two opposite sides 2 of the device 1.

[0030] When the conveyor beam 70 is in its fully forward position, the two spreader grippers 22 can be controlled to release their grip on the suspended piece of linen L. Under the pressure of a high-pressure airflow from a row of air nozzles 4 extending between the two opposing sides 2, the front portion of the linen L falls flat onto the upper surface of the body 76 of the conveyor beam 70, while the rear portion of the linen L remains suspended and engaged between the leading edge 72 of the conveyor beam 70 and the abutment surface F of the adjacent structure 50 for a short period. To increase the frictional grip on the linen L, the abutment surface F and the leading edge 72 of the opposing surface can be provided with a suitable surface covering, such as a rubber material.

[0031] The transfer beam 70 is configured to then move from its forward position to... Figure 3 As the linen L moves toward its fully retracted position, the front portion of the linen L is temporarily held, for example by a vacuum applied via a row of openings 86 and / or by a clamping device in the form of an elongated clamping structure 80 (as shown), at which point the leading edge 72 of the conveyor beam 70 is located furthest from the front end 31 of the conveyor 30 and at its maximum distance to the right of that front end. This movement causes another portion of the linen L to be dragged onto the moving surface of the conveyor 30.

[0032] Before the conveyor beam 70 reaches its fully retracted position, the temporary grip of the front portion of the linen L by the conveyor beam 70 is released, either by an actuator acting on the elongated clamping structure 80 or by releasing a vacuum. At this point, the moving speed of the conveyor beam 70 toward its fully retracted position increases relative to the moving conveyor 30, thereby causing the front portion of the linen L to slide off the conveyor beam 70 and fall onto the moving surface of the conveyor 30. The remaining portion of the linen L is then dragged onto the moving conveyor surface of the conveyor 30.

[0033] In some special cases, the width of a piece of linen L fed into device 1 can be set to the desired final positioning of the linen L on conveyor 30, with respect to the longitudinal centerline CL of conveyor 30 (see [reference]). Figure 1 Symmetrical, when the linen fabric L is laid out, laying out the linen fabric L requires the spreading machine clamp 22 to be positioned at the feed table 10. According to one aspect of the invention, once the suspended linen fabric L has reached the interior of the housing H, below the guide rails 20 supporting the spreading machine clamps 22, 22', the linen fabric L moves along a path P (see below) of some or all of the feed tables 10 by the feeder clamps 12, 12'. Figure 2a It can then be automatically closed. According to one aspect of the invention, this is achieved by providing a plurality of doors for adjacent structures 50, preferably arranged in pairs at some or all of the feed tables 10. Figure 2a A pair of such doors 55 and 56 are shown in the closed position, while... Figure 2b In the middle, doors 55 and 56 have both been turned to the open position, allowing the suspended piece of linen L to enter the interior area of ​​device 1. Once the piece of linen L is inside device 1, doors 55 and 56 close again, thus revealing that they are also... Figure 3 The position shown in the figure. This allows doors 55 and 56 to define a portion of the aforementioned adjacent surface F in the area of ​​the feed table 10, and the leading edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 can keep the rear of the linen L against the adjacent surface F.

[0034] For the aforementioned special case, doors 55 and 56, as described above, ensure that when the spreader clamp 22 releases the flax L, its rear portion is temporarily held between the conveyor beam 70 and the adjacent surface F along its entire width. In other words, the gravitational pull on the front portion of the flax L is uniform across its entire width transverse to the processing direction MD. This largely ensures that when the front portion of the flax L is subsequently placed on the surface of the conveyor beam 70 by the airflow exiting from the nozzle 4, the leading edge of the flax L is positioned in a straight line.

[0035] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5 The diagram shows the closed (first) and open (second) positions of the two doors 55 and 56, and also shows the passage P through which the suspended linen L enters the device 1. Doors 55 and 56 are each freely rotated about axis 57 by their respective actuators 58, but other arrangements can be readily envisioned. Preferably, as only described herein... Figure 3 and Figure 5As shown, doors 55 and 56 also include nozzles 4 for discharging air in their closed positions. In this way, the front portion of the suspended, spread-out linen L can be subjected to the aforementioned airflow along its entire extension transverse to the processing direction MD. For this purpose, doors 55 and 56 can be hollow and provided with pressurized air, which is discharged through a row of nozzles 4 formed in each door 55 and 56 or an elongated slit (not shown) defining a single nozzle 4. Alternatively, a separate tubular structure (not shown) having such air nozzles 4 can be mounted to doors 55 and 56. In one embodiment (not shown), the nozzles 4 of doors 55 and 56 can be aligned with the remaining nozzles 4 in a row of adjacent structures 50.

[0036] Turning now to the second aspect of the invention, which can be used independently of the foregoing first aspect, reference will now be made again to... Figure 3 It illustrates how, according to a second aspect of the invention, the transfer beam 70 can be configured to have a variable effective width W measured between its leading edge 72 and its trailing edge 74 (see [reference]). Figure 1 This width is the controllable width W parallel to the machining direction MD. Specifically, the transfer beam 70 may have a body 76 with a trailing edge 74 and a leading edge 72 movable from the body by a connecting rod 73 configured to move into and out of the body 76 by any suitable actuator (not shown) arranged inside the body 76. The leading edge 72, as an elongated integral structure connected to the aforementioned connecting rod 73, may be biased toward a normal position adjacent to the body 76, whereby triggering of a suitable actuator of the transfer beam 70 moves the leading edge 72 parallel to the machining direction MD to a desired position a certain distance away from the body 76, such as... Figure 3 As shown, for reasons explained below and with a specific but not exclusive relevance, when the transfer beam 70 moves from the forward position toward the fully retracted position, the transfer beam 70 is configured to temporarily hold the front of the piece of linen L by means of an elongated clamping structure 80 arranged at the rear edge 74 of the transfer beam 70.

[0037] Typically, the body 76, having its leading edge 72 and trailing edge 74, extends along the entire width of the device 1 between two opposite sides 2. Figure 1 The image shows a transfer beam 70, with its leading edge 72 adjacent to the main body 76, and the aforementioned effective width W at its minimum value. See also, for example... Figure 13 .

[0038] Figure 6 This shows a corner C of a piece of linen L that has been received by one of the spreader clamps 22 as described above. Figure 6As schematically shown, in this case, the spreader clamp 22 holds a large portion of the flax L that is folded back (along the fold line S), which may be a result of the operator introducing too much fabric into the feeder clamps 12, 12', as... Figure 2a This is illustrated schematically. In this particular case, when the spreader clamp 22 releases the flax L and its relatively large front portion L1, driven by airflow A, falls onto the conveyor beam 70, the conveyor beam may not be able to accommodate the entire extent of the front portion L1; this will cause wrinkles to form when the leading edge L3 of the flax L reaches the support 82 of the retaining clamping structure 80, and these wrinkles will typically remain after the flax L has been deposited onto the conveyor 30. Alternatively, the portion of the relatively large front portion L1, including its leading edge L3, may fall over the trailing edge 74 of the conveyor beam 70 and hinder the subsequent deposition of the flax L onto the conveyor 30. For example, this situation may occur when the conveyor beam 70 is configured to temporarily hold the flax L by means of a vacuum applied via a row of openings 86 instead of the clamping structure 80.

[0039] By incorporating sensors, the load on the textile held by the spreader clamp 22 can be detected and analyzed, thereby triggering the aforementioned actuator of the transfer beam 70, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the leading edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 is moved away from the main body 76 as the transfer beam 70 moves from its retracted position toward the adjacent structure 50. The movement is controlled so that the main body 76 stops moving when the leading edge 72 reaches the adjacent surface F.

[0040] Figure 7 The leading edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 is shown, which now holds a portion of the rear part L2 of the linen L against the adjacent structure 50. Figure 8 The front part L1 is shown, which has been released from the paving machine clamp 22 and positioned by the airflow A from the exhaust nozzle 4, and then placed flat against the body 76 of the transfer beam 70, while the rear edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 still holds the rear part L2.

[0041] Next, as Figure 9 As shown, the clamping structure 80 is triggered to keep the leading edge L3 of the linen L against the upper surface of the body 76.

[0042] By way of example only, the aforementioned sensor can be included in the paving machine clamp 22, and the degree to which the two clamps of each paving machine clamp 22 move together can be detected.

[0043] Figures 10 to 13 The diagram illustrates the operation of device 1 under normal conditions, in which no excess fabric is detected by the spreader clamp 22, i.e., the leading edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 does not extend / move from the body 76. It should be noted that movement of the leading edge 72 relative to the body 76 can also follow the normal movement of the leading edge 72 towards the body 76 via a spring. Figure 3 The elongated position shown is offset, thereby, under normal circumstances, advancing the body 76 fully toward the adjacent surface F, so that the leading edge 72 is fully pressed against the body 76, and preferably locked in this position by a lock included in the conveyor beam 70 until the piece of linen L has been deposited on the conveyor 30. This locking function can be provided by an actuator that moves the leading edge 72 to the desired position.

[0044] Figures 14 to 16 The following steps are shown in the process of placing a piece of linen onto the conveyor 30, wherein the conveyor beam 70 (typically positioned with its leading edge 72 adjacent to the body 76) immediately faces away from the adjacent surface F. Figure 16 The fully retracted position is shown. Figure 14 In the middle, the conveyor beam 70, still holding the piece of linen L, moves to the right at essentially the same speed as the conveyor 30, and when a sufficient length of the linen L has been dragged onto the conveyor 30, the clamping structure 80 moves to release the front part L1 of the linen L, as... Figure 15 As shown, the movement of the control beam 70 is then adjusted so that the front part L1 of the linen cloth L completely slides off the control beam 70 and falls onto the conveyor 30, as... Figure 16 As shown, the conveyor beam 70 then moves back towards the forward position, and based on the signals received from the aforementioned sensors, it exhibits the following... Figure 7 or Figure 10 The configuration shown.

[0045] exist Figure 16 At the fully retracted position of the conveyor beam 70 shown, the leading edge 72 typically always moves to a position adjacent to the body 76, corresponding to the minimum width W of the conveyor beam 70. At this position, the trailing edge 74 will typically always maintain the same distance from the front end 31 of the conveyor 30.

Claims

1. A linen spreading machine device (1), comprising: - Conveyor (30), the conveyor defining the processing direction (MD). - A pair of spreading machine clamps (22), which are capable of moving laterally toward each other in the processing direction (MD) and moving away from each other to spread out a piece of linen (L). - At least one feed table (10), each feed table (10) delivers the corresponding corner (C) of the front part (L1) of a piece of linen (L) to a corresponding spreader fixture in the spreader fixture (22), - An elongated conveyor beam (70) extending transversely to the processing direction (MD) and used to convey a piece of spread linen (L) from the pair of spreader clamps (22) to the conveyor (30). The conveyor beam (70) has a leading edge (72) and is arranged to move back and forth parallel to the processing direction (MD) between a forward position and a retracted position. In the forward position, the leading edge (72) of the conveyor beam (70) is located in the area below the spreader clamps (22). As the conveyor beam (70) moves from the forward position toward the retracted position, the conveyor beam (70) is configured to temporarily hold a portion of the piece of linen (L). - An adjacency structure (50) extending transversely to the processing direction (MD) and having an adjacency face (F) for holding a portion of the piece of linen (L) between the leading edge (72) of the conveyor beam (70) and the adjacency face (F). - Pressurized exhaust outlet (4), the pressurized exhaust outlet being used to guide the front portion (L1) of the piece of linen (L) onto the conveyor beam (70) when the piece of linen (L) is released from the spreader clamp (22), Its features - One or more doors (55, 56) that are movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the doors (55, 56) define a portion of the adjacent surface (F) in the first position.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the doors (55, 56) is located at each of the feed stages (10).

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the movable door (55, 56) includes one or more exhaust outlets of the pressurized exhaust outlet (4).

4. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second position allows the feeder clamp (12, 12') to move the piece of linen (L) along the passage (P) into the housing (H) of the device (1), and the first position blocks the passage (P).

5. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer beam (70) is configured for the temporary grip, which is achieved by vacuum or by clamping structure (80).

6. The apparatus (1) according to claim 2, wherein the conveying beam (70) has a body (76), wherein the leading edge (72) is movable to and from the body (76).

7. The apparatus (1) according to claim 6, wherein the transfer beam (70) includes one or more actuators for moving the leading edge (72) to and from the body (76).

8. The apparatus (1) of claim 7, wherein the leading edge (72) is offset toward a position away from the body (76), wherein the movement of the transfer beam (70) opposite to the processing direction (MD) causes the leading edge (72) to move against the offset to a position adjacent to the body (76), the apparatus (1) including a lock for temporarily locking the leading edge (72) at the position adjacent to the body (76) when the transfer beam (70) moves toward the retracted position.

9. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each feed station (10) comprises a pair of feeder clamps (12, 12') each of the pair of feeder clamps delivers a corner (C) of the front portion (L1) of the piece of linen (L) to one of the spreader clamps (22).

10. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of the spreader clamps (22).

11. The device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the temporary grip is achieved by an elongated clamping structure (80) arranged at the rear edge (74) of the transfer beam (70).

12. A method of operating the apparatus (1) according to claim 9, comprising the following steps: - Position the corner (C) of the front part (L1) of a piece of linen (L) in the feeder clamp (12, 12') of the feed table (10). - The feeder clamp (12, 12') moves the piece of linen (L) along the passage (P) into the housing (H) of the device (1) using the one or more doors (55, 56) in the second position. - Deliver one of the corner portions (C) to one of the corresponding spreader fixtures (22) in the spreader fixture. - Move one or more doors (55, 56) to the first position. - Move the conveyor beam (70) to the forward position so that the leading edge (72) holds a portion of the piece of linen (L) between the leading edge (72) and the adjacent surface (F). - Release the piece of linen (L) from the spreader clamp (22). -Optionally, air is discharged from the pressurized exhaust port (4) of the doors (55, 56), and - When the conveyor beam (70) is moved from the forward position toward the retracted position, a portion of the piece of linen (L) is temporarily fixed to the upper surface of the conveyor beam (70).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the conveying beam (70) has a body (76) wherein the leading edge (72) is movable to and from the body (76), the method comprising the additional step of moving the leading edge (72) to and from the body (76) as the conveying beam (70) moves toward the forward position and / or toward the retracted position.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, comprising: When the piece of linen (L) is released from the spreader clamp (22), the front part (L1) of the piece of linen (L) is guided onto the conveyor beam (70).

Citation Information

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