Package making – Methods – Envelope or triangular flap fold
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-29
2001-09-25
Kim, Eugene (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
Envelope or triangular flap fold
C053S569000, C053S381600, C493S025000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293076
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to a document inserting machine and, more specifically, an envelope opening device in the inserting machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In an inserting machine for mass mailing, there is a gathering section where the enclosure material is gathered before it is inserted into an envelope. This gathering section is sometimes referred to as a chassis subsystem, which includes a gathering transport with pusher fingers rigidly attached to a conveying means and a plurality of enclosure feeders mounted above the transport. If the enclosure material contains many documents, these documents must be separately fed from different enclosure feeders. After all the released documents are gathered, they are put into a stack to be inserted into an envelope in an inserting station. Envelopes are separately fed to the inserting station, one at a time, and each envelope is placed on a platform facing down with its flap flipped back all the way. At the same time, mechanical fingers or vacuum suction device are used to keep the envelope on the platform while the throat of the envelope is pulled upward to open the envelope. The stack of enclosure material is than automatically inserted into the opened envelope.
Before the envelope is spread open, a number of suction cups must be properly positioned at the throat of the envelope. The position of suction cups, relative to each other, must be adjusted in accordance with the size and the type of the envelope. FIG.
1
A and
FIG. 1B
illustrate the different envelope sizes that require different placement of the suction cups in order to properly lift the throat of the envelope. In
FIG. 1A
, there is shown a small envelope
100
having a relatively large flap
102
and a deep throat
104
. In
FIG. 1B
, there is shown a large envelope
100
having a relatively shallow throat
104
. Where four suction cups are used to lift the throat
104
at four pickup points A, B, C, D to spread open the envelope, it is preferred that the pickup points A, B, C, D be evenly spaced around the throat
104
. In
FIG. 1A
, the pickup points A, B, C, D spread out more in the Y direction because of the deep throat
104
. But in
FIG. 1B
, the pickup points A, B, C, D spread out more in the X direction because of the width, W, of the envelope. The distance between two adjacent suction cups can be, for example, determined by
X
2
=(W−2X
1
)/3
Y
2
=X
2
tan&agr;
where &agr; is the slope angle of the throat
104
and X
1
and Y
1
can be a distance ranging from 0.3″ to 0.6″ (7.6 mm to 15.2 mm).
It is, therefore, desirable to have an envelope opening device wherein the associated suction cups can be adjusted to match a wide range of envelope sizes and throat configurations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for automatically positioning a plurality of suction cups over the throat of an envelope in an envelope inserting station and lifting the throat to spread open an envelope for material insertion or extraction.
The apparatus includes: a base section pivotably mounted on a pivot shaft; a carriage movably mounted on the base section; a moving mechanism for moving the carriage in a direction substantially perpendicular to the pivot shaft; a pair of pivot arms, wherein one end of each arm is pivotably mounted on the carriage, and the other end extends out of the carriage for mounting a suction cup; a rotation mechanism for rotating the pivot arms in opposing directions so as to position the suction cups over the throat of the envelope according to the width and the throat profile of the envelope; and a pitching device for pitching the base section about the pivot shaft to cause the suction cups to contact the throat of the envelope.
For lifting wide envelopes, it is preferred that the apparatus further includes: two outer arms movably mounted on the pivot shaft on opposite sides of the base section for mounting two additional suction cups; a transporting device for transporting the outer arms in opposite directions relative to the base station to position the additional suction cups over the throat of the envelope according to width and the throat profile of the envelope; and a pitching device for pitching the outer arms about the pivot shaft to cause the additional suction cups to contact the throat of the envelope.
Preferably, the apparatus has a data entering device for entering information regarding the width and the throat profile of the envelope, an electronic processor for computing the preferred location of each of the suction cups and for conveying the computed locations to the moving mechanism, the rotation mechanism and the transporting device so that these movement mechanisms can position the suction cups according to the computed location.
The method of automatically placing a plurality of suction cups over the throat of an envelope for lifting the throat, includes the steps of: 1) providing two suction cups, each mounted on a respective pivot arm, wherein said pivot arms movably mounted a base section which is pivotably mounted on a pivot shaft; 2) moving the pivot arms in opposite direction relative to the base section to adjust the distance between suction cups; and 3) extending or shortening the base section in a direction substantially perpendicular to the pivot shaft to adjust the distance between the suction cups and the pivot shaft for placing the suction cups over the throat according to the width and the throat profile of the envelope.
For wide envelopes; it is preferred that the above method further includes the steps of: 4) providing two additional suction cups, each suction cup mounted on an outer arm, wherein the outer arms are movably mounted on the pivot shaft on opposite sides of the base section; 5) transporting the outer arms along a line substantially parallel to the pivot shaft and in opposite directions relative to the base section in order to adjust the distance between two additional suction cups according to the width and the throat profile of the envelope.
The above method further comprises the step of 6) pitching the base section and the outer arms about the pivot shaft to cause all the suction cups to contact the throat of the envelope.
Preferably, the above method further includes the steps of 7) entering information regarding the width and the throat profile of the envelope, 8) computing the preferred locations of the suction cups responsive to the information, and 9) conveying the computed locations to the suction cup moving mechanisms to cause the suction cup moving mechanisms to place the suction cups according to the computed locations.
The method and apparatus for automatically positioning a plurality of suction cups to spread open an envelope as described above uses a suction force to lift the throat envelope after the suction cups are caused to contact the throat of the envelope. It is understood that the suction cups are operatively connected to a vacuum source or a vacuum pump in a conventional manner.
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Miller John
Riley William B.
Kim Eugene
Melton Michael E.
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Shapiro Steven J.
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