Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – By means to convey sheet
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-06
2004-02-03
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
By means to convey sheet
C271S258010, C271S259000, C271S265010, C271S265020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06685184
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention disclosed herein relates generally to mailing systems, and more particularly to a transport method and system for controlling the timing of articles being processed by a mailing system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mailing systems, such as, for example, a mailing machine, often include different modules that automate the processes of producing articles, such as, for example, mail pieces. Mail pieces can include, for example, envelopes, post cards, flats, and the like. The typical mailing machine includes a variety of different modules or sub-systems each of which performs a different task on the mail piece. The mail piece is conveyed downstream utilizing a transport mechanism, such as rollers or a belt, to each of the modules. Such modules could include, for example, a separating module, i.e., separating a stack of mail pieces such that the mail pieces are conveyed one at a time along the transport path, a moistening/sealing module, i.e., wetting and closing the glued flap of an envelope, a weighing module, and a metering/printing module, i.e., applying evidence of postage to the mail piece. The exact configuration of the mailing machine is, of course, particular to the needs of the user.
One indicator customers use to evaluate and measure the performance of mailing machines is overall mailing machine throughput. Conventionally, throughput is defined as the number of mail pieces processed per minute. Typically, customers desire to process as many mail pieces per minute as possible. There are several factors that can limit the throughput of a mailing system.
For example, the computation of an indicium for each mail piece being processed takes time to complete. Typically, a control device, such as, for example, a microprocessor, performs user interface and controller functions for the mailing machine. Specifically, the control device provides all user interfaces, executes control of the mailing machine and print operations, calculates postage for debit based upon rate tables, provides the conduit for the Postal Security Device (PSD) to transfer postage indicia to the printer, operates with peripherals for accounting, printing and weighing, and conducts communications with a data center for postage funds refill, software download, rates download, and market-oriented data capture. The control device, in conjunction with an embedded PSD, provides the system meter that satisfies U.S. and international postal regulations regarding closed system information-based indicia postage meters. The requirements for an indicium for a closed system postage meter are defined in the “Performance Criteria for Information-Based Indicia and Security Architecture for Closed IBI Postage Metering System (PCIBI-C), dated Jan. 12, 1999. A closed system is a system whose basic components are dedicated to the production of information-based indicia and related functions, similar to an existing, traditional postage meter. A closed system, which may be a proprietary device used alone or in conjunction with other closely related, specialized equipment, includes the indicia print mechanism. The indicium consists of a two-dimensional (2D) barcode and certain human-readable information. Some of the data included in the barcode includes, for example, the PSD manufacturer identification, PSD model identification, PSD serial number, values for the ascending and descending registers of the PSD, postage amount, and date of mailing. In addition, a digital signature is required to be created by the PSD for each mail piece and placed in the digital signature field of the barcode. Several types of digital signature algorithms are supported by the IBIP, including, for example, the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA), the Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) Algorithm, and the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA).
Thus, for each mail piece the PSD must generate the indicium once the relevant data needed for the indicium generation is passed into the PSD and compute the digital signature to be included in the indicium. The generation of the indicia and computation of the digital signature requires a predetermined amount of time. For smaller mailing machines that do not have high throughput, the time delay associated with such generation and computation does not limit the throughput, i.e., the calculations are performed quickly enough and therefore are not a limiting factor for the throughput. For larger mailing machines with higher throughputs, however, the speed of processing the mail pieces may be limited by the time required for the PSD to perform its calculations in generating the digital signature and the indicium. Accordingly, the throughput of the mailing machine is confined due to the calculating time required by the PSD.
Another factor that can limit the throughput of a mailing system is related to the moistening/sealing function performed by a mailing system. Typically, a moistening/sealing module includes a structure for deflecting a flap of a moving mail piece away from the mail piece's body to enable the moistening and sealing process to occur. The deflecting structure typically includes a stripper blade that becomes inserted between the flap of the mail piece and the body of the mail piece as the mail piece traverses the transport deck of the mailing machine. Once the flap has been stripped, the moistening device moistens the glue line on the mail piece flap in preparation for sealing the mail piece. A contact moistening system generally deposits a moistening fluid, such as, for example, water or water with a biocide, onto the glue line on a flap of a mail piece by contacting the glue line with a wetted applicator. In contact systems, the wetted applicator typically consists of a contact media such as a brush, foam or felt. The applicator is in physical contact with a wick. The wick is generally a woven material, such as, for example, felt, or can also be a foam material. At least a portion of the wick is wetted with the moistening fluid from a reservoir. The moistening fluid is transferred from the wick to the applicator by physical contact pressure between the wick and applicator, thereby wetting the applicator. A stripped mail piece flap is guided between the wick and applicator, such that the applicator contacts the glue line on the flap of the mail piece, thereby transferring the moistening fluid to the flap to activate the glue. The flap is then closed and sealed, such as, for example, by passing the closed mail piece through a nip of a sealer roller to compress the mail piece and flap together, and the mail piece passed to the next module for continued processing.
Thus, since the moistening fluid is transferred from the applicator to the glue line of the mail piece flap as the mail piece flap passes between the applicator and wick, there must be sufficient time, referred to generally as replenishment time, between mail pieces to allow additional moistening fluid to be transferred from the wick to the applicator, thereby wetting the applicator, for moistening the subsequent mail piece. Insufficient replenishment time can result in an insufficient amount of moistening fluid being applied to the mail piece flaps, which can result in improper and inconsistent sealing of the mail pieces. To provide sufficient replenishment time, it is, therefore, necessary to provide a sufficient gap between mail pieces. Typically, the longer the mail piece, the greater the necessary replenishment time, which leads to a greater gap between mail pieces. As the gap size increases, the throughput of the mailing machine decreases.
Still another indicator customers use to evaluate and measure the performance of mailing machines is the ability to handle mail pieces of mixed sizes. This capability eliminates the need to presort the mail pieces into similar sized batches for processing. Since this presorting is often a manual task, a great deal of labor, time and expense is saved through mixed mail piece feeding. It is therefore necessary to provide a mailing system that can handle mixed
Jacobson Gary S.
Tufekci Celal S.
Chaclas Angelo N.
Kohner Matthew J.
Lemm Brian A.
Malandra, Jr. Charles R.
Pitney Bowes Inc
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