Abstract: Laundry items are spread out by input machines having loading stations with a belt conveyor. The laundry item is placed on a front region of the belt conveyor and pulled further onto the belt conveyor. It is necessary to smooth the laundry item upstream of the belt conveyor using a smoothing machine, which can hinder the pulling of the laundry item onto the belt conveyor. The invention provides a pivotable smoothing means which is in an inactive position for initially pulling the laundry item onto the belt conveyor and is pivoted into an active position only after the laundry item has been initially pulled onto the lower belt conveyor. The laundry item is placed on the smoothing means only after it has been initially pulled onto the lower belt conveyor. Thus, when the laundry item is initially pulled onto the lower belt conveyor, it is prevented from slipping down therefrom.

Abstract: Laundry items are spread out by a spreading device during which a front edge of the laundry item is stretched out. Subsequently, a front edge strip of the stretched-out front edge is transferred onto a depositing strip which deposits the edge strip onto a feed conveyor which feeds it to a mangle. This front edge typically has a residual sag. In larger laundry items, the depositing strip can collide therewith as it moves down under the edge strip, impairing the mangling quality. Making provision to space the depositing strip from the edge strip, prior to the movement under the latter, to an extent that the edge strip does not collide with the depositing strip as the latter moves down results in the depositing strip accepting the edge strip with a rectilinear front edge and then the laundry item is fed to the mangle and inserted into the latter.

Abstract: A method that provides to partially automate the feeding of pieces of laundry to an insertion machine by steps which necessitate long distances to be traveled being performed manually. With large pieces of laundry such as, for example, tablecloths and bed sheets, for complete automation a large amount of space is required and the clamps holding corners of the pieces of laundry are required to travel long distances. To achieve this, it is provided to temporarily store the respective piece of laundry after it has been separated and before it is delivered to an insertion machine. It is furthermore provided that in a first corner of the piece of laundry is supplied or held ready by an automatic separator for an operator to manually locate the second corner of the piece of laundry. Partial automation can be achieved without the cycle time being adversely affected owing to manual handling processes.

Abstract: Laundry items are spread out by input machines having loading stations with a belt conveyor. The laundry item is placed on a front region of the belt conveyor and pulled further onto the belt conveyor. It is necessary to smooth the laundry item upstream of the belt conveyor using a smoothing machine, which can hinder the pulling of the laundry item onto the belt conveyor. The invention provides a pivotable smoothing means which is in an inactive position for initially pulling the laundry item onto the belt conveyor and is pivoted into an active position only after the laundry item has been initially pulled onto the lower belt conveyor. The laundry item is placed on the smoothing means only after it has been initially pulled onto the lower belt conveyor. Thus, when the laundry item is initially pulled onto the lower belt conveyor, it is prevented from slipping down therefrom.

Abstract: Laundry items are spread out by a spreading device during which a front edge of the laundry item is stretched out. Subsequently, a front edge strip of the stretched-out front edge is transferred onto a depositing strip which deposits the edge strip onto a feed conveyor which feeds it to a mangle. This front edge typically has a residual sag. In larger laundry items, the depositing strip can collide therewith as it moves down under the edge strip, impairing the mangling quality. Making provision to space the depositing strip from the edge strip, prior to the movement under the latter, to an extent that the edge strip does not collide with the depositing strip as the latter moves down results in the depositing strip accepting the edge strip with a rectilinear front edge and then the laundry item is fed to the mangle and inserted into the latter.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that makes provision for the length of a transverse edge of a laundry item to be spread out to be determined upstream of the spreading device. It is thereby possible to determine the length of the transverse edge for each individual laundry item before the laundry item is situated in the spreading device. For this purpose, the length of the laundry item is determined in the region of corner locators provided upstream of the spreading device, and the width of the laundry item, which corresponds to the length of the transverse edge, is derived therefrom. The length dimension of the transverse edge thus determined upstream of the spreading device is then used to move apart the spreading clamps of the spreading device in a targeted and controlled manner in order to spread out the transverse edge in as gentle a manner as possible.

Abstract: A method that provides to partially automate the feeding of pieces of laundry to an insertion machine by steps which necessitate long distances to be traveled being performed manually. With large pieces of laundry such as, for example, tablecloths and bed sheets, for complete automation a large amount of space is required and the clamps holding corners of the pieces of laundry are required to travel long distances. To achieve this, it is provided to temporarily store the respective piece of laundry after it has been separated and before it is delivered to an insertion machine. It is furthermore provided that in a first corner of the piece of laundry is supplied or held ready by an automatic separator for an operator to manually locate the second corner of the piece of laundry. Partial automation can be achieved without the cycle time being adversely affected owing to manual handling processes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that makes provision for the length of a transverse edge of a laundry item to be spread out to be determined upstream of the spreading device. It is thereby possible to determine the length of the transverse edge for each individual laundry item before the laundry item is situated in the spreading device. For this purpose, the length of the laundry item is determined in the region of corner locators provided upstream of the spreading device, and the width of the laundry item, which corresponds to the length of the transverse edge, is derived therefrom. The length dimension of the transverse edge thus determined upstream of the spreading device is then used to move apart the spreading clamps of the spreading device in a targeted and controlled manner in order to spread out the transverse edge in as gentle a manner as possible.