Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – By means to change direction of sheet travel
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-23
2001-01-30
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
By means to change direction of sheet travel
C271S184000, C271S185000, C271S227000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179288
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a document folder/inserter, in particular in the field of handling and conveying mail. More particularly, it relates to a device enabling envelopes to be fed automatically from a general-purpose printer.
PRIOR ART
French Patent No. 93 15909 filed in the Applicant's name discloses a device for automatically feeding documents, which device is designed to be mounted on a document folding and/or inserting machine and offering a plurality of operating modes, thereby making the machine very flexible to use. Above the document inlet of that machine, there are at least two document loading trays suitable for co-operating with said inlet as a function of various operating modes: namely either individually or in combination with each other, by means of detectors and propulsion members controlled by a microprocessor of the general control circuit of the machine. The empty envelopes are fed in by means of an envelope loading tray preferably disposed at the back of the machine.
With the Patent Application entitled “Syst{grave over (e)}me de pr{acute over (e)}paration d'articles de courrier” (“A system for preparing mail items”), filed jointly with the present Application, the Applicant discloses a novel type of mail preparation machine that is entirely self-contained, and that makes use in particular of a general-purpose printer that feeds a document folding and/or inserting module directly.
Unfortunately such a direct link between the folding and/or inserting module and the general-purpose printer poses the new problem of transferring the envelope between those two elements, since current inserting modules (operating with an automatic empty-envelope loading tray only) are totally unsuited to co-operating with a general-purpose printer which delivers the envelopes directly.
Conventionally, general-purpose printers of the laser type or of the ink jet type are not specially designed to deliver envelopes, rather they are designed to deliver documents, in general A
4
-format documents. As a result, when they print envelopes, the envelopes delivered can be oriented in various ways depending on the type of printer used or depending on the printer manufacturer. For example, some printers deliver the envelopes lengthwise with them being aligned or “jogged” on the right edge. But in certain other models of printer, alignment is performed on the left or else is centered. Envelopes can also be delivered widthwise. Such a wide variety of output configurations is further complicated by the fact that the dimensions of the envelopes suffer from a lack of standardization (for example, the standard American #10 format (105 mm×241 mm) is different from the standard French C5/6 format (114 mm×229 mm).
OBJECTS AND DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to remedy those drawbacks by providing a feed device that is specially adapted to enable a folding and/or inserting machine (or module) to be fed with empty envelopes directly from a general-purpose printer. An object of the invention is to provide a device that is matches the various printer models on the market. Another object is to provide a device that is suitable for the various envelope formats that exist.
These objects are achieved by a feed device for feeding a document folding and/or inserting machine with envelopes delivered by a general-purpose printer, said feed device comprising detection means for detecting the position of the envelope at the outlet of the printer and reorientation means for reorienting the envelope as a function of its position as determined by said detection means so as to enable documents to be inserted into the envelope.
By means of this particular architecture, the envelope can be conveyed to the envelope path of the folder/inserter where it is presented in an optimum position for insertion purposes. The type of printer and the format of the envelopes are no longer important, and a folder/inserter equipped with this device becomes truly universal.
Advantageously, the detection means comprise a detector for detecting an edge of the envelope. They may further comprise means for determining the orientation of the envelope.
Preferably, the reorientation means comprise a turntable which, by rotating within a plane, makes it possible to displace the envelope from a first position corresponding to its position at the outlet of the printer to a second position enabling documents to be inserted into it. The reorientation means further comprise a counter-turntable against which the turntable can be displaced by means of second drive means, so as to hold the envelope stationary by clamping it so that it can be rotated. The turntable is rotated by first drive means under the action of control means.
The feed device of the invention further comprises first propulsion means for propelling the envelope from an inlet of the device to the reorientation means, and second propulsion means for propelling the reoriented envelope to an outlet of the device. The propulsion means are actuated as a function of the position of the envelope as determined by the detection means. The detection means further comprise means for delivering the format of the envelope.
Advantageously, the first and second propulsion means are constituted by at least two parallel assemblies of propulsion rollers controlled by third drive means common to the two propulsion means and acting against associated counter-rollers. The number and positions of the propulsion rollers are determined such as to enable envelopes of all formats and of all orientations to be propelled.
The invention also provides a document folding and/or inserting machine equipped with such an envelope feed device.
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Bezelga Christophe
Joson Michel
Trescazes Fr{acute over (e)}d{acute over (e)}ric
Martin Brett A
Neopost Industrie
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Walsh Donald P.
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