Sheet feeding or delivering – Delivering – Optional face or back
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-16
2001-06-26
Olszewski, Robert P. (Department: 2167)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Delivering
Optional face or back
C271S002000, C271S303000, C271S149000, C271S150000, C271S009010, C271S009120, C271S009130, C270S058060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250625
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to multi-station document inserting systems, which assemble batches of documents for insertion into envelopes. More particularly, the present invention is directed towards the envelope input system for providing envelopes at high count to such multi-station document inserting systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Multi-station document inserting systems generally include a plurality of various stations that are configured for specific applications. Typically, such inserting systems, also known as console inserting machines, are manufactured to perform operations customized for a particular customer. Such machines are known in the art and are generally used by organizations, which produce a large volume of mailings where the content of each mail piece may vary.
For instance, inserter systems are used by organizations such as banks, insurance companies and utility companies for producing a large volume of specific mailings where the contents of each mail item are directed to a particular addressee. Additionally, other organizations, such as direct mailers, use inserts for producing a large volume of generic mailings where the contents of each mail item are substantially identical for each addressee. Examples of such inserter systems are the 8 series and 9 series inserter systems available from Pitney Bowes, Inc. of Stamford, Conn.
In many respects the typical inserter system resembles a manufacturing assembly line. Sheets and other raw materials (other sheets, enclosures, and envelopes) enter the inserter system as inputs. Then, a plurality of different modules or workstations in the inserter system work cooperatively to process the sheets until a finished mailpiece is produced. The exact configuration of each inserter system depends upon the needs of each particular customer or installation.
For example, a typical inserter system includes a plurality of serially arranged stations including an envelope feeder, a plurality of insert feeder stations and a burster-folder station. There is a computer generated form or web feeder that feeds continuous form control documents having control coded marks printed thereon to a cutter or burster station for individually separating documents from the web. A control scanner is typically located in the cutting or bursting station for sensing the control marks on the control documents. According to the control marks, these individual documents are accumulated in an accumulating station and then folded in a folding station. Thereafter, the serially arranged insert feeder stations sequentially feed the necessary documents onto a transport deck at each insert station as the control document arrives at the respective station to form a precisely collated stack of documents which is transported to the envelope feeder-insert station where the stack is inserted into the envelope. A typical modem inserter system also includes a control system to synchronize the operation of the overall inserter system to ensure that the collations are properly assembled.
In order for such multi-station inserter systems to process a large number of mailpieces (e.g., 18,000 mailpieces an hour) it is thus required that each mailing piece consisting of mail pages is inserted in an envelope at high rates wherein throughput with reliability is always an objective. To achieve reliability it is sometimes advantageous to provide parallel paths, each path operating at a lower throughput than the desired overall throughput so that mail piece components do not change velocity so quickly as to be damaged or to jam in the mailing system.
Many mailing systems include insertion engines, which insert mail pages into an envelope (after the mail pages are folded, if necessary). In some mailing systems with an insertion engine, throughputs as high as 18,000 mail pieces per hour (five per second) are achieved. In such a mailing system, an insertion engine is provided with the envelopes of the mail pieces by an envelope transport system (and is provided with the pages of the mail pieces, to be inserted into the envelopes, by a page transport system).
The envelope transport system includes an envelope hopper (
12
of
FIG. 2
) that must be periodically loaded with envelopes. In some mailing systems, because of various constraints, it is necessary that the envelope hopper be on the same side of the mailing system as where the operator is stationed, and of course that the envelope hopper be easily loadable. An envelope hopper typically holds about 1500 envelopes when fully loaded, and so must be replenished about every five minutes when used in a mailing system operating at a throughput of five mail pieces per second.
In some mailing system architectures, all of these requirements combine so that a layout of the envelope transport system can use a planar envelope hopper (
12
of
FIG. 2
) feeding envelopes (
11
of
FIG. 2
) on edge. In such a situation, what is needed is a design for an envelope transport system that allows using such a feeder, and that provides envelopes at the required high throughput, but that keeps changes in the envelope velocity to within acceptable limits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method for supplying envelopes to an inserter system including the steps of providing an envelope supply structure having an exit point and stacking a plurality of envelopes in the envelope supply structure such that each envelope is stacked on its flap fold edge portion. First and second supply paths are provided from the exit point of the envelope supply structure and a diverting gate is provided intermediate the exit point of the envelope supply structure and entry points to the first and second supply paths, the diverting gate being movable between first and second positions. A common path is provided from the at least first and second supply paths to an envelope insertion area where documents are caused to be inserted into the envelope.
In operation, individual envelopes are caused to be fed from the envelope supply structure to a selected one of the at least first and second supply wherein the diverting gate is positioned in one of its first and second positions so as to selectively cause an individual envelope to convey from the exit point of the envelope supply structure to the selected supply path. The envelope is next conveyed to a holding area in the selected supply path whereafter the envelope is conveyed from the holding area of the selected supply path to the common path. The envelope is then conveyed from the common path to an envelope insertion area wherein prearranged documents are caused to be inserted into the envelope.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4817368 (1989-04-01), DePasquale et al.
patent: 5083769 (1992-01-01), Young, Jr.
patent: 5116039 (1992-05-01), Braen et al.
patent: 5119954 (1992-06-01), Svyatsky et al.
patent: 5464099 (1995-11-01), Stevens et al.
patent: 5934666 (1999-08-01), Rabindran et al.
patent: 5947461 (1999-09-01), Holbrock
patent: 6164640 (2000-12-01), Stengl et al.
Janatka Karel J.
Sussmeier John W.
Wright William J.
Capelli Christopher J.
Melton Michael E.
Olszewski Robert P.
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Ridley Richard
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