Abstract: An apparatus for the printing industry relating to the folding of printed webs. More particularly the invention concerns the means for uniformly gripping the full width of a wide printed web at intermittent periods to obtain accurate folding. The gripping apparatus is opened and closed by an endwise shifting of an actuator. A cam at one end causes the actuating member to shift one way and then a cam at the other end shifts the actuating member in the other direction. The actuator member is itself cammed to move fore and aft as it moves endwise and imparts only its fore and aft movement to a movable gripper jaw. There is no arcuate swinging of a rod such as in previous devices and hence there are no adverse effects of torque or twisting occuring during the gripping operation. The present construction permits uniform gripping of the full width of the printed web without any tendency of the operator member to twist and irregularly grip the web.

Abstract: A folding device for printed continuous webs moving at a high rate of speed. The device includes a pair of cooperating rolls between which the web passes. The rolls carry "working boxes" on the surfaces thereof to perform various folding functions on the moving web. Here the function of concern is the gripping of the web. An element on one roll causes the web to be pushed into open gripping elements on the cooperative roll. A bight is formed in the web at the position of gripping. During the concurrent rotation of the rolls the grippers close on the formed bight. Subsequently it is desired to remove the bight from the opening gripping elements. Simultaneously with the opening of the gripping elements there is provided a positive means for raising the formed bight out of the scope of the jaws. This bight stripper prevents any unnecessary entanglements of the fast moving printed web with the gripping elements during the folding of the web.