Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Article handling
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-27
2001-06-19
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Article handling
C700S220000, C270S052020, C270S052060, C270S058030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249716
ABSTRACT:
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method for printing and finishing documents, and to a system for finishing printed documents.
Such a method and such a system are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,752. This patent specification discloses a method and a system in which the printing of signs that represent finishing instructions, or refer to them, on the documents is rendered entirely superfluous in that the finishing instructions are stored in a memory of a control system and are executed when the document to which they relate has—under the control of the control system—reached the position where the finishing instructions are to be executed. However, this imposes relatively stringent requirements on the reliability of the transport of the documents after printing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,505 discloses a method and an apparatus in which finishing instructions associated with individual documents are stored in relation to identification codes. On the documents in question, identification signs are printed which represent the corresponding identification codes. During the finishing of documents in the finishing system (in this case, an inserter system), the signs are read from the documents and the documents are finished in accordance with the finishing instructions stored in relation to the identification codes as read.
An advantage of finishing the documents in accordance with signs printed thereon that represent finishing instructions or, as according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,505, refer to them, is that a robust process is obtained that is not easily disturbed if irregularities occur between the printing and the finishing of the documents. It is objectionable, however, that signs are printed on the documents that are not of interest to the human reader or observer of the document and disturb the appearance of the document. In particular, this imposes limitations on the lay-out of the document, because the area where the signs are to be provided must be kept free from other prints.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to obviate the above-mentioned drawbacks in the sense that, on the one hand, it is made possible to dispense entirely with the provision of prints on the documents, that are to be read by the finishing system, while, on the other hand, it is still made possible to monitor at least the stream of printed documents to be finished.
According to the present invention, this object is realized by providing a method for printing and finishing documents wherein a number of documents are printed in a particular order by means of a printer, the printed documents are transported to a finishing system, the arrival of the documents in at least one position in the finishing system is detected, finishing operations are performed on the arrived documents in the finishing system, and the printed documents are finished in an order corresponding with the order in which the documents have been printed by the printer, and wherein the printer repeatedly generates a verification marking following one of the documents and prior to a next one of the documents, while transporting the documents to the finishing system, an ordering of the documents and the verification markings between successive ones of those documents is maintained, which ordering corresponds with the order in which the printer's feeding the documents and generating the verification markings has been carried out, the arrival of each of the verification markings in at least one position in the finishing system is detected, the documents whose arrival has been detected in an interval limited by at least one of the verification markings are counted, the counted number of the arrived documents is compared with a reference number of the arrived documents, and an error message is generated if the counted number of the arrived documents does not agree with the reference number.
A further embodiment of the invention is formed by a system for finishing printed documents, comprising a detector structure for detecting documents which have arrived at a particular position, control means and a feed inlet for feeding documents to be finished, and at least one finishing assembly connected with the feed inlet, wherein the detector structure is coupled to the control means, the detector structure and the control means being arranged for recognizing verification markings, for counting detected arrived documents in an interval limited by at least the detection of one of the verification markings, for comparing counted numbers of arrived documents with reference numbers of arrived documents and for generating an error message if the counted number of arrived documents does not agree with the reference number. Such a system is specifically suitable for finishing documents, which may be printed by a conventional printer, according to the method of the invention.
The invention makes it possible to monitor whether after the printing of the documents, any faults have occurred, such as the jamming of a document, a document getting lost, an overlap arising between successive documents, or the separation of documents delivered by a printer as a double sheet. When a discrepancy between a counted number and an associated reference number has been detected, for instance the operator of the finishing system is warned by the error message. Preferably, the finishing system is moreover stopped automatically.
What is obtained as a result of verification markings being provided at predetermined moments is, if the process proceeds in the intended manner, an order of documents in which markings have been included at predetermined points. If at a more downstream point this order proves not to be present anymore; that is an indication that a fault has occurred during the transport or processing of documents and markings.
All this makes it possible, with sufficient reliability, to print a batch of documents and to finish this batch, optionally at a later time. A stock of documents, after printing has been completed, is then transferred in its entirety to a finishing system, such as an inserter system or a binding system.
However, also when the documents are printed and finished in-line, that is, are serially transferred, after being printed, to the inserter system, it is advantageous that the progress of the documents after printing can be monitored without requiring the documents themselves to be provided with signs especially intended for that purpose.
It is noted that the printing of documents may consist inter alia in providing the complete printing of the document or solely in adding particular signs to a preprinted sheet. A document may consist of a single sheet or of a set of sheets, which may or may not be bound to each other.
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Edens B. K.
Hidding G.
Luinge J.
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Ellis Christopher P.
Hadewe B.V.
Tran Khoi H.
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