Pitney Bowes Inc.

Carlos L DeFigueiredo

William J Wright

John W Sussmeier

Boris Rozenfeld

Karel J Janatka

Steven J DaCunha

John J Mercede, Jr

Linda A Howard

Anthony E Yap

John R Masotta

Daniel J Williams

George J Doutney

Richard D Boughton

Thomas P Nash

Joseph R Vassallo

Joseph Vasallo

Helen Rose

An automated apparatus and method for collecting and dispensing rejected cards in a tray in a card attaching system. Sheets are transported on a moving belt. Cards are fed from a feeder above the moving belt. Cards are deposited onto the sheets. When a card rejection condition is detected, a rejected card is diverted and deposited in a tray having a sloped chute. The sloped chute extends down to a lower position beyond an outside edge of the moving belt. To facilitate movement down the chute, the tray is vibrated. This vibration is accomplished by supporting the tray on a roller assembly that rolls on a surface of the moving belt as it passes under the sloped chute. The roller is non-circular or of an eccentric configuration, such that the axis of the roller will experience a vertical displacement as the roller rotates, jogging the tray.

Vibrating tray for diverted card inserts

An improved apparatus and method for accumulating sheets having a horizontal transport deck. Inserts are fed from an insert feeder positioned above the deck. Driven accumulator nip rollers are positioned to receive accumulations of sheets transported on the horizontal deck, and they are also positioned close enough to the insert feeder to receive inserts fed from the insert feeder. A recessed accumulation deck is positioned immediately downstream of the accumulator nip rollers. When a first sheet rests in the recessed accumulation deck, a subsequent second sheet will be placed on top of the first sheet when it enters the recessed deck. The process is controlled whereby insert sheets are released by the insert feeder prior to arrival of an accumulation on the deck. The released insert is driven by the accumulator nip rollers onto the recessed accumulator deck. Then when the accumulation arrives, it is deposited on top of the insert resting there.

Bottom placement sheet accumulator device and method for an inserter system

A paper cutting system includes a cutting assembly, a transport moving a web through the cutting assembly, a vacuum plenum utilizing a vacuum source to control the web moving through the cutting assembly, an air source providing purge air to the cutting assembly for removal of debris, and a heat exchanger normalizing a temperature of the purge air with respect to a temperature of ambient air prior to the purge air reaching the cutting assembly. The heat exchanger may be operated using the vacuum source.

Air temperature normalization in paper cutting system

A feeding mechanism for feeding a web of paper in a paper handling system includes a feeding nip assembly having a driven roller structured to be rotatably driven about a first axis, and an idler roller structured to rotate about a second axis substantially parallel to the first axis. In addition, the feeding nip assembly is structured to apply a force to the idler roller to push the idler roller toward the driven roller. The force is applied in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis. The idler roller is also structured to pivot about a third axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis, the second axis, and the direction of the force.

Self-aligning nip for web feeding mechanism

A feeding module for use in an envelope inserting machine. The feeding module comprises a mounting support fixedly mounted on the chassis of the machine, and a sheet feeder releasably mounted on the mounting support, wherein the sheet feeder comprises a tray for supporting a stack of the sheets and a retrieving mechanism for retrieving one sheet at a time from the bottom of the stack. The retrieved sheet is guided through a curved channel to the moving belt of the inserting machine. The channel is formed by two curved panels, one of which can be lifted away from the other for jam clearance.

Removable sheet feeder with jam clearance for use in an envelope inserting machine

A method and apparatus for reducing burden in retrieving sheets of material from the bottom of a substantially vertical stack of sheets in a sheet feeder. The apparatus comprises a first convex surface at the bottom half of the stack protruding into one side of the stack for pushing the sheets toward the other side, and a second convex surface on the second side below the first convex surface for pushing the sheets toward the first side. The first and second convex surfaces each provide a counteracting force resisting the downward movement of the stack, and these countering forces have upward vertical components partially countering the downward vertical force due to the weight of the stack.

Sheet feeder with counteracting forces

A method and system for transporting envelopes from an envelope feeder to an envelope staging area in an envelope insertion machine. The envelope transport system includes two envelope bins and two envelope supply paths linking the envelope bins to an envelope feeder. Each of the bins is used to temporarily store an envelope before that envelope is moved to the staging area. The envelope supply paths are controlled by a flipper gate which alternately opens one path and closes another so as to allow an envelope to enter one envelope bin while another envelope in the other envelope bin is moved to the staging area. With the dual envelope bins connected to the dual supply paths to receive envelopes released by the envelope feeder, the envelope feeder does not have to slow down substantially in order to wait for the released envelope to clear the feeding path.

Dual bin envelope supply device and method

A mounting assembly for mounting a lower envelope transport onto a chassis of an envelope insertion station. The mounting assembly includes mechanisms for a three-plane adjustment in XYZ directions so that the positioning relationship between the lower envelope transport and the envelope staging area in the envelope insertion station can be adjusted to achieve a desired distance at the hand-over point. Furthermore, the mounting assembly allows the lower envelope transport to be removed from the chassis for jam access, maintenance or shipping purposes. The lower envelope transport can be remounted onto the envelope insertion station without the need for readjusting its position to achieve the desired distance in the XYZ directions at the hand-over point.

Lower envelope transport mounting and adjusting apparatus

A separator assembly operative to separate and feed individual documents from a storage tray of an inset feeder apparatus. The separator assembly including an adjustment assembly configured to adjustably position the separator roller relative to the separator stone. The separator assembly further includes a leverage assembly configured to raise the separator roller from an adjusted position to a height suitable for clearing a paper jam and to return the separator roller to the adjusted position relative to the separator stone. The leverage assembly and adjustment assembly both having respective operator actuated mechanisms positioned atop one of the first and second side portions of the feeder apparatus.

Separator stone adjustment assembly

The present invention relates to a sheet material feeder apparatus that includes a first feeder assembly positioned on an exit area of a sheet material storage compartment, which first feeder assembly is operative to provide a first driving force to a sheet material disposed in the storage compartment so as to convey the sheet material from the exit area of the storage compartment onto the main deck of an inserter system. The feeder apparatus further includes a second feeder assembly positioned on the main deck of the inserter system, which second feeder assembly is operative to provide a second driving force to the sheet material conveying through the first feeder assembly such that the sheet material is combined with the other sheet materials conveying along the main deck of the inserter system.

Feeder assembly apparatus

Apparatus for turning an envelope. The apparatus includes: a pivotable feed deck for receiving an envelope; a device for stopping the envelope on the feed deck; a device for raising and lowering the downstream end of the feed deck; and a pivotable upper arm drive located above the feed deck. The drive is pivotable at its upstream end and includes a pair of feed rollers fixedly secured to the upstream end of the drive, a pair of exit rollers fixedly secured to the downstream end of the drive, and a pair of biased exit rollers secured to the drive adjacent and upstream of fixedly secured exit rollers.

Anti-skew device for envelope turner

A buckle chute for folding a sheet of paper. The buckle chute includes: a first plate having a vertically extending slot; a second plate opposing the first plate and defining a paper path therewith; a paper stopping tab extending through the vertically extending slot; a paper inverting tab extending through the vertically extending slot and situated above the paper stopping tab, the inverting tab being pivotable between an operative position in the paper path and an inoperative position out of the paper path; and a lever operatively connected to the paper inverting tab and extending beyond the side edge of the first plate for pivoting the tab between the operative and inoperative positions.

Document inverter for buckle chute folder

In the enclosure inserting apparatus comprising structure for conveying an envelope along a flap unfolding path to an enclosure inserting location, structure for unfolding the flap of the envelope as the envelope is conveyed along the flap unfolding path to the enclosure inserting location, structure for holding the flap-unfolded envelope open at the enclosure inserting location, and structure for moving an enclosure along an enclosure feed path to the held-open envelope and inserting the enclosure into the held-open envelope, wherein the flap unfolding structure comprises structure for engaging the flap of an envelope moved therepast, and the flap unfolding path includes a gap having a width determined by a distance between the envelope conveying structure and the engaging structure, the improvement comprises a flapper blade adjustably mounted to the engaging structure for adjusting the width of the gap.

Growing community of inventors

Sandy Hook, CT, United States of America

Carlos L DeFigueiredo