A folding machine for folding a stack of sheets, the folding machine comprising: a frame; mechanism for pre-folding a stack of sheets along a crease line into a main plane such that a booklet with a straight back is obtained; mechanism for keeping the pre-folded booklet relative to the frame; mechanism for finishing the fold; and a transport plate having a leading edge around which the stack of sheets is folded, the transport plate being movable along the mechanism for pre-folding and the mechanism for finishing the fold.

A folding machine for folding a stack of sheets, the folding machine comprising: a frame; mechanism for pre-folding a stack of sheets along a crease line into a main plane such that a booklet with a straight back is obtained; mechanism for keeping the pre-folded booklet relative to the frame; mechanism for finishing the fold; and a transport plate having a leading edge around which the stack of sheets is folded, the transport plate being movable along the mechanism for pre-folding and the mechanism for finishing the fold.

A fold-enhancing device includes a pressing member, at least one retaining member, and a moving mechanism. The pressing member presses against a fold line of a recording-medium bundle folded into a booklet shape. The recording-medium bundle is obtained by stacking multiple sheets of recording media. The retaining member retains the recording-medium bundle and is provided at a position located away from the fold line in a direction intersecting the fold line and not in contact with the pressing member. The moving mechanism moves the pressing member and the retaining member in a direction extending along the fold line.

A fold-enhancing device includes a pressing member, at least one retaining member, and a moving mechanism. The pressing member presses against a fold line of a recording-medium bundle folded into a booklet shape. The recording-medium bundle is obtained by stacking multiple sheets of recording media. The retaining member retains the recording-medium bundle and is provided at a position located away from the fold line in a direction intersecting the fold line and not in contact with the pressing member. The moving mechanism moves the pressing member and the retaining member in a direction extending along the fold line.

A sheet folding apparatus for folding sheets comprising a curved conveyance path along which the sheets are moved successively in first and second opposite directions, the curved conveyance path being such that the sheets cannot naturally register to reach a folding position by simple effect of gravity, wherein to register the sheets before to fold them transport rollers having loaded the sheets in the first direction moves back in the second opposite direction for compressing the sheets against an adjustable low stop member to generate an elastic deformation of the sheets sufficient to compensate friction in the curved conveyance path and automatically register the sheets.

A sheet folding apparatus for folding sheets comprising a curved conveyance path along which the sheets are moved successively in first and second opposite directions, the curved conveyance path being such that the sheets cannot naturally register to reach a folding position by simple effect of gravity, wherein to register the sheets before to fold them transport rollers having loaded the sheets in the first direction moves back in the second opposite direction for compressing the sheets against an adjustable low stop member to generate an elastic deformation of the sheets sufficient to compensate friction in the curved conveyance path and automatically register the sheets.

An apparatus for folding and receiving book documents comprises a main conveying device arranged and adapted to convey unfolded book documents in a main conveying direction and a secondary conveying device arranged and adapted to receive the book documents conveyed by the main conveying device and to convey them in a secondary conveying direction and/or against the secondary conveying direction, wherein the secondary conveying direction is transverse to the main conveying direction. Further, the apparatus comprises a receiving device arranged at a spatial distance from the first and/or the second conveying surface and configured to receive folded book documents. The device folds the conveyed book documents respectively with a movement in the secondary conveying direction and/or against the secondary conveying direction. Furthermore, a lifting device is arranged to convey the folded book documents from the main conveying device and/or from the secondary conveying device into the receiving device.

A plurality of folding units is arranged in a circumferential direction R of a drum that rotates about an axis. Each of the folding units includes: a pad for holding each workpiece while a center portion of the workpiece as viewed in a lengthwise direction is placed on the pad; and a first folding member and a second folding member arranged adjacent to both end portions of the workpiece respectively as viewed in the lengthwise direction and used for folding the workpiece so as to stack the both end portions over the center portion. The first folding member and the second folding member are arranged at the same position as the pad of each of the folding units as viewed in the circumferential direction, and a width direction of the drum parallel to the axis is defined in the lengthwise direction of the workpiece.

A fabric folding device that is capable of performing multiple types of folding modes and prevents an occurrence of a waste space when the device is installed is provided. The fabric folding device does not require a pair of right and left French-folding gauges. There is provided a fabric folding device including a first folding unit capable of folding a fabric, which has a longitudinal direction aligned with a transportation direction and a width direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, at a position half or one-third a length of the fabric in the longitudinal direction; and rotation means for being capable of rotating the fabric such that the transportation direction is changed from the longitudinal direction to the width direction, by which the fabric folded by the first folding unit is to be transported from a front side to a rear side, and to be folded once more.

A fabric folding device that is capable of performing multiple types of folding modes and prevents an occurrence of a waste space when the device is installed is provided. The fabric folding device does not require a pair of right and left French-folding gauges. There is provided a fabric folding device including a first folding unit capable of folding a fabric, which has a longitudinal direction aligned with a transportation direction and a width direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, at a position half or one-third a length of the fabric in the longitudinal direction; and rotation means for being capable of rotating the fabric such that the transportation direction is changed from the longitudinal direction to the width direction, by which the fabric folded by the first folding unit is to be transported from a front side to a rear side, and to be folded once more.