Material or article handling – Article reorienting device – Article frictionally engaged and rotated by relatively...
Patent
1997-05-22
1998-09-01
Krizek, Janice L.
Material or article handling
Article reorienting device
Article frictionally engaged and rotated by relatively...
198402, 198406, 271 2, 271186, B65H 1500
Patent
active
058001190
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to an envelope inverter apparatus which is applicable to systems for continuously handling paper or envelopes for example in continuous processes which insert paper into an envelope, seal the envelope and subsequently frank the envelope for mailing. The apparatus may also be used to invert other items such as paper, cards or various kinds of documents.
In continuous paper handling systems a problem often arises in that the paper or envelope needs to be presented, for consecutive processes, with a different side facing upwards. For example, standard inserting machines such as PFEs own Automailer 3 requires envelopes to be presented with the flap side uppermost, so that the flap can be held open and material inserted effectively and efficiently. Subsequently the flap is folded down and sealed. In a fully automated mailing system, the envelope must subsequently be presented to a franking machine to apply an appropriate postage stamp. Franking machines traditionally require an envelope to be presented flap side down.
At present this problem is overcome primarily by manual intervention in that the inserter machine stacks the filled envelopes and an operator periodically picks up the stack, turns it over and puts the envelopes, address side up, one by one into the franking machine.
Obviously a fully automated mailing system requires a mechanism for inverting the envelopes.
One known apparatus for inverting envelopes is a rotating carousel with six or eight radially spaced arms which each grip an envelope and carry it around an arcuate path from the output of the inserter machine to the input of the mailing or franking machine, inverting it through 180.degree. to turn it upside down. Such a carousel is extremely space consuming and requires an accurate and complex drive and indexing system to operate. It is therefore expensive and can be unreliable. Also it can only cope with a single size of envelope at any one time.
The present invention aims to provide a space saving, reliable apparatus for inverting pieces of paper or envelopes continuously and reliably and which can handle different sized envelopes.
According to the present invention, there is provided apparatus for inverting envelopes or the like comprising feeding means for feeding the envelopes successively onto a receiving surface, the receiving surface being arranged such that the envelope is unstable thereon and such that a first edge of the envelope tends to rotate downwardly about a line parallel thereto, a conveyor being provided below the receiving surface for receiving the first edge of the envelope and conveying in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first edge so as to continue the rotation of the envelope until the envelope is inverted on the conveyor.
Preferably, the direction of feed of the feeding means is parallel to the first edge of each envelope. Thus, correct positioning of the envelopes is facilitated.
An obstacle may be arranged to be in the path of each envelope on the conveyor for contacting the first edge of the envelope and obstructing forward movement thereof such that the envelope turns about the region of contact with the obstacle until the first edge is substantially parallel to the conveyor direction. The obstacle may have an abutment surface which is parallel to the conveyor direction for abutting the first edge of the envelope. The envelopes can thus be turned through 90.degree., and positioned consistently so that, for example, they can be fed to a franking machine.
The receiving surface may be arranged in various different ways. For example, it may be substantially horizontal, having an edge which is substantially parallel to the first edge of each envelope. In such a case, the receiving surface may be located such that the first edge of each envelope received thereon overhangs the edge of the surface, and in particular such that the centre of gravity of each envelope overhangs the edge.
In one embodiment, a sheet material may be bent to form a substantially right-angled profile, one of t
REFERENCES:
patent: 1454051 (1923-05-01), Heulings
patent: 2831564 (1958-04-01), Pavesi
patent: 3119327 (1964-01-01), Pidgeon
patent: 3656605 (1972-04-01), Gess
patent: 4384813 (1983-05-01), Smith et al.
patent: 4884793 (1989-12-01), Hurst
patent: 5094441 (1992-03-01), Sebileau
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